IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SELF-ACTING COUPLING AND DISCONNECTING GEAR FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND TRUCKS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Chappell, of Glossop, in the County of.
Derby, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
SELF-ACTING COUPLING AND DISCONNECTING GEAR FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES
AND TRUCKS."
Sealed the 18th January 1875, and dated the 10th November 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said -John Chappell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on tlië
10th November 1874.
"
I, JOHN CHAPPELL, of Glossop, in the County of Derby, do hereby.
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF SELF-ACTING COUPLING AND DISCONNECTING GEAR FOR RAILWAY
CARRIAGES AND TRUCKS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of a simple arrangement of self-acting gear
whereby the railway trucks or carriages may be securely coupled
without the aid of any attendant by the mere act of thrusting them

page_text: together and disconnecting or throwing off of any truck or carriage may
also be effected by the simple movement of a lever at the side, or it may
by the setting of a trigger be so arranged that the engine driver by
merely checking the speed of his engine will disconnect or throw off the
truck or carriage whose trigger has been. previously set. By these
means the driver of a train can without stopping drop a carriage or truck
on passing the station for which it is destined.
The apparatus can also be so arranged that the act of uncoupling a
carriage or truck shall cause the break to be applied to the wheels so
that even if a truck or carriage should be uncoupled upon an incline it
will be immediately stopped.
Projecting from the end framing of each truck or carriage are two
slotted brackets, the said brackets being so arranged that they are not
opposite to each other, but when the trucks or carriages are brought
together each pair of brackets will lie together side by side. A sliding
bolt is so arranged in connection with each pair of brackets that upon
moving it longitudinally it will pass through holes or slots in both
brackets and thus couple or connect the two carriages or trucks together.
To this bolt is connected one arm of a bell-crank lever, the other arm of
which passes through a slot in the bracket and projects opposite to the
end of the bracket of the other carriage or truck so that it will be
evident that when two carriages or trucks are thrust together the end of
the bracket of one carriage coming against the bell-crank lever of the
other carriage causes the said lever to thrust the bolt through both
brackets and thus couple or connect the two carriages together, and at
the same time a lock pin actuated by a spring falls into a hole in the
bolt and locks it in the bracket so that it cannot be withdrawn till the
lock pin has been raised. The bolt is provided with a powerful spring
which withdraws it and releases the two brackets, thus uncoupling the
carriages as soon as the lock pin is raised. This raising of the lock.pin
when it is desired to uncouple or disconnect the carriages or trucks is
performed by means of a lever at the side of the carriage fixed upon a
transverse shaft, near the centre of which are also fixed two other levers
which project beneath the levers of the two lock pins, and it will be evident
that by moving the first-named lever both lock pins will be withdrawn
simultaneously, and consequently both pairs of brackets will be unbolted.
and the two carriages or trucks will be entirely disconnected.

page_text: When it is desired to perform this uncoupling by automatic means on
the mere checking of the speed of the engine there is placed opposite to
the side lever above named a sliding stop which is capable of being
drawn out and fixed by means of a spring trigger in such a position that
when the speed of the train is checked the consequent closing up of the
trucks or carriages will cause this stop to be brought against the lever
and thus withdraw the lock, pin and release the coupling, the driver then
turns on his steam and leaves the disconnected truck or carriage
behind.
When it is desired to make the uncoupling of the trucks or carriages
apply the break, all that is necessary is to attach to the bolt a catch-
which supports the weighted break lever, and when the bolt is with-
drawn this catch will be withdrawn simultaneously and the break lever
being set free will apply the break to the wheels.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Chappell in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 10th May 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
CHAPPELL, of Glossop, in the County of Derby, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in
the thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said John Chappell, Her special
licence that I, the said John Chappell, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Chappell, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should' and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF SELF-ACTING COUPLING AND DISCONNECTING GEAR FOR RAILWAY
CARRIAGES AND TRUCKS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the

page_text: said John Chappell, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the-said.Letters.Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Chappell, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to
say):
This Invention consists of a simple arrangement of self-acting gear.
whereby the railway trucks or carriages may be securely coupled
without the aid of any attendant by the mere act of thrusting them
together, and the disconnecting or throwing off of any truck or carriage
may also be effected by the simple movement of a lever at the side, or it
may by the setting of a trigger be so arranged that the engine driver by
merely checking the speed of his engine will disconnect or throw off the
truck or carriage whose trigger has been previously set. By these
means the driver of a train can without stopping drop a carriage or
truck on passing the station for which it is destined.
•
The apparatus can also be so arranged that the act of uncoupling a
carriage or truck shall cause the break to be applied to the wheels, so
that even if a truck or carriage should be uncoupled upon an incline it
will be immediately stopped.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention I will. now
proceed to describe more in detail the manner in which the same is to be
or may be performed or carried into practical effect, and in order that the
same may be clearly understood I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of
Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with figures and
letters of reference corresponding with those in the following explanation
thereof :-
Fig. 1 in the annexed Drawing represents a side elevation of one end
of a carriage and of a truck with my Invention shown as applied
thereto; and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, the carriage and truck

page_text: being shown as uncoupled or disconnected. Figs. 3 and 4 are similar
views with the same coupled or connected; Fig. 5 is an end view of a
carriage with the coupling and disconnecting apparatus attached; and.
Fig. 6 is a partial plan view showing the way in which the apparatus is
connected to the ordinary draw bar.
Projecting from the end framing of each truck or carriage are two
slotted brackets a, a, the said brackets being so arranged that they are
not opposite to each other, but when the trucks or carriages are brought
together each pair of brackets will lie together side by side. A sliding
bolt b, b, is so arranged in connection with each pair of brackets that
upon moving it longitudinally it will pass through holes or slots in
both brackets and thus couple or connect the two carriages or trucks
together. To this bolt is connected one arm of a bell-crank lever c, c,
the other arm of which passes through a slot in the bracket a, a, and
projects opposite to the end of the bracket a, a, of the other carriage or
truck, so that it will be evident that when two carriages or trucks are
thrust together the end of the bracket a, a, of one carriage coming
against the bell-crank lever c, c, of the other carriage causes the said
lever to thrust the bolt b, b, through both brackets, and thus couple or
connect the two carriages together, and at the same time a lock pin d, d,
actuated by a spring e, e, falls into a hole in the bolt b, b, and locks it
in the bracket a, a, so that it cannot be withdrawn till the lock pin d, d,

page_text: pins à, d, and it will be evident that by moving the first-named
lever g, g, both lock pins d, d, will be withdrawn simultaneously and
consequently both pairs of brackets a, a, will be unbolted, and the two
carriages or trucks will be entirely disconnected.
When it is desired to perform this uncoupling by automatic means on 5
the mere checking of the speed of the engine, there is placed opposite to
the side lever 9, 9, above named a sliding stop l, l, which is capable of being
drawn out and fixed by means of a spring trigger m, m, in such a position
that when the speed of the train is checked the consequent closing up
of the trucks or carriages will cause this stop 1, 1, to be brought against 1
the lever g, g, and thus withdraw the lock pins d, d, and release the
coupling; the driver then turns on his steam and leaves the disconnected
truck or carriage behind.
When it is desired to make the uncoupling of the trucks or carriages
apply the break, all that is necessary is to attach to the bolt 6, b, a catch 1
which supports the weighted break lever, and when the bolt is with-
drawn this catch will be withdrawn simultaneously, and the break lever
being set free will apply the break to the wheels and thus the carriage
or truck will be brought to a stand as soon as released.
If it is desired to give the guard or other person the power of releasing 2
two or more carriages or trucks seriatim at different stations without
moving from his van this can be done by providing each of these
carriages or truck (in front of which the van is to be placed) with a
tube n, n, as shown in dotted lines at Fig. 3. Through this tube passes
a cord o, o, with a loop at the end which is passed over the lever g, g,
2
and upon pulling this cord the lever g, g, is pulled over and releases the
last carriage or truck and then the loop slips off the lever. As the end
of the cord is drawn out of the forward end of the tube of this carriage
or truck it falls over the lever 9, 9, of the next carriage or truck which
is now the last of the train. A second pull on the cord will now release 8
this carriage or truck, and so on in succession.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention,.
together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed.
or carried into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I claim as
my. Invention, the construction of self-acting coupling and discon-8

page_text: necting gear for. railway carriages.and trucks, substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Chappell, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
Witnessed by,
GEORGE DAVIES,
Patent Agent,
-
Manchester.
· JOHN CHAPPELL. (L.S.)