IMPROVED MEANS OF CONNECTING AND DISCONNECTING LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES AND RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND OTHER VEHICLES,
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Edward Gedge at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th November 1867.-A communication to me from abroad by Louis.
Joseph Lecocq, of 39, Faubourg St. Martin, Paris, France.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Son, of
No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED
MEANS OF CONNECTING AND DISCONNECTING LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES AND RAILWAY
CARRIAGES AND OTHER VEHICLES," a communication to me from abroad by Louis
Joseph Lecocq, of 39, Faubourg St. Martin, Paris, France, to be as follows:-
The Sheet of Drawing hereunto annexed and forming part of this Provisional
Specification represents one construction of my improved means or slide bolt,
it is composed as follows:-
1. Of a piece of iron or moveable tongue, that is to say, the slide-bolt
properly so called V, R, having a socket at R.
2. Of a lever bent to. the angle L, C, D, one of the sides of which is
in connection with the slide bolt by means of the socket R, the other upper
side being within a trifle in its axis and parallel with the bolt and bent
to the shape which in practice is found most advantageous. C, centre of
movement.
3. Of an iron frame E, F, G; H; having a hollow part forming a slide
in which moves the slide bolt V, R, this slide being furnished with friction
rollers the number of which may vary and which isolate the slide bolt from all
friction on plane surfaces. This frame is completed by an outer iron plate.

page_text: of the same shape which serves at the same time as support to the spindles
of the friction rollers and that of the centre of movement of the lever. The
exterior shape given to the frame is regulated so as to permit its being easily
placed on the carriage or truck.
4. Of a spring S, T, so arranged as always to place the slide bolt in gear at
pleasure by keeping the upper lever vertical, its arrangement also permits the
keeping of the bolt open or out of gear without any other intervention
and according to requirement.. This slide bolt may be modified at the
part V in contact with the female part (Figure 1) during the traction, of
presenting a straight line a concave shape may be given to it. The slide
bolt may also work in a slide presenting a plane surface in straight line or
surfaces formed by concave and convex sections and thus offering to friction
segments of circles on which it would act tangentially or on exceedingly
restricted surfaces which might be the summits of angles; the arrangement
of the levers for raising and lowering the bolt may also be arranged in any other
direction according to the conveniences sought for in practical use. In short
to work this movement of bolt applied as a means of coupling two or more
vehicles every known description of lever may be employed whether bent or
jointed according to the position in which it is to be used. The same applies
to the spring.S, T, which may be replaced by a spiral spring or any counter-
weights. Further, whether the bult be inside or outside, the levers which
produce the movement may always be arranged outside if required.
The draw bar carrying the eye or female part which completes the slide bolt
as a whole is represented, Figure 1 of the Drawing, with its extremity forming
an inclined plane exteriorly and the action taking place at its inner end at the
traction point on a friction roller, the whole to facilitate the entrance and the
issue of the slide bolt or tongue. The friction roller may be replaced by a
surface convex in its interior or by a straight section.
The means of working this bolt may vary according to the direction given
to the various levers. In the arrangements shewn the bolt being in gear with
its female part to withdraw it and disunite the two parts, it is only necessary to
grasp the end D of the lever and draw it towards me. The disunion being
effected before coupling. again the, contrary movement will be made to push
back the bolt; this done it will only be necessary to bring the two carriages
against each other so that the draw bar penetrates sufficiently to lift the slide
bolt which will lift and fall of itself into its female part. Cases may occur
when the fitting and releasing of the slide bolt by means of a screw may
suffice, in which case it would only be necessary to follow the bolt with a
rod screw threaded and set for this purpose.

page_text: The safety coupling chains being indispensable it became necessary to find a
means of unhooking them instantaneously. This effect is obtained by using the
same movement above described, the means consisting in passing a small
axle G¹ transversely through the slide bolt V, R; to the end of this small axle
are fitted two connecting rods G', I', passing through the wooden framing M,
N, F. Beneath this framing is fitted a large axle I at the end of which are
the two fingers K forming portion of the two hooks P. At the points I¹ the
two connecting rods G, I, are attached to two fingers K, so that when the
bolt V, R, is drawn upwards the following action takes place mechanically, the
two connecting rods obey the same movement and bring the two small levers
at I towards the upper part and thereby following the rotary movement the
two fingers K lower and the chains then fall at the same time that the bolt
leaves its female part free.
At Figure 2 the lever D is seen in its normal position and in the axis
of the movement it is here in gear at all points the bolt as well as the hooks
may keep chains fastened. The pieces K might also be replaced by
two iron fingers rising parallelly to the exterior and entering into a hollow
piece separated in the middle as at C (Figure 5) and then according to the
movement of the lever D the finger C, H, D, rises or falls in the iron
piece G, G', guided in the two openings o and o¹. For this purpose it is
only requisite to extend the arm G, G', to the points P, P¹, and attach the
piece C, H, D, to it. With regard to the female part of the bolt having a
fixed length the objection may be raised that the two buffers may differ in
length, but this is provided for by the part of the buffer screw threaded in the
buffer tube and entering and coming out at will.