IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND WAGONS "
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Lee Anderson of Paris in the County of Lamar in the
State of Texas one of the United States of America blacksmith for an
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND
WAGONS
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Lee Anderson at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th August 1883.
LEE ANDERSON, of Paris, in the county of Lamar, in the State of Texas, one
of the United States of America, blacksmith IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS
FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND WAGONS
This invention relates to devices for automatically coupling railway carriages and
wagons and for uncoupling the same from the sides or from above without
necessitating the attendant going between the vehicles.
The device is as follows, that is to say: The end of the draw bar, usually terined
the draw head, is made with an open mortice or slot running longitudinally and
vertically and giving the head the shape of a fork having flat vertical sides, the
inortice or slot terminating in a shoulder sloping downward and rearward in a
straight line to form an abutment for the coupling bar. The coupling bar is a
lever somewhat resembling a harpoon in shape. It consists of a bar of such a
width as to be an easy fit between the vertical sides of the drawhead, provided at
the front end with a double hook forming a triangle having its acute apex at the
point of the bar, and the short base projecting equally above and below the bar
and forming a shoulder approximately at a right angle to the line of the bar, and
the sides forming inclines rising rearwardly. The body of this double hook is of
a less thickness than the bar, so as to be an easy fit in the slot of any coupling bar,
such slot extending all along the body of the bar from the square shoulder of the
hook to the eye at the rear, thus forming the body of the bar into two ledges
projecting laterally beyond the sides of the hook. The rear end of the bar is
sloped to correspond to, and fit, the sloping shoulder of the draw head or termination
of the slot therein, and is pivoted cose to the said shoulder so as to afford moderate
vertical play. The spindle or shaft forming the pivot of the draw bar, and to

page_text: which the latter is fixed, projects at each side of the draw head and may be fitted
with levers and these provided with lifting rods for operating the coupling bar
either from the sides or from above.
In coupling, the points of the hooks of the coupling bars, which project partly
beyond the drawhead, meet, and one hook rises upon the other, the lower incline
of the uppermost hook sliding upon the upper incline of the lowermost hook until
their shoulders pass each other and interlock. Lateral displacement is prevented
by the confinement of the hooks within the slot of the drawhead, and for uncoupling
the uppermost hook requires to be lifted.
In case of accident, such as de-railment, the bars uncouple automatically in
consequence of the lowermost bar remaining approximately lineable with the draw-
head and its point supporting the uppermost bar some distance rearward of its
coupling shoulder, the leverage thus occasioned being generally sufficient to dis-
engage the interlocking shoulders when one of them is elevated
For drawheads differing considerably in height, and for replacing broken coupling
bars, a forked link, having a horizontal slot, is connected to the draw head by means
of a pin passing through an eye in the link and through a perforation near the
extremity of the draw.head..

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Lee Anderson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th December
1883.
LEE ANDERSON, of Paris, in the county of Lamar, in the State of Texas, one
of the United States of America, blacksmith, IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR
RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND WAGONS,
This invention relates to devices for automatically coupling railway carriages
and wagons and for uncoupling the same from the side or from above without
necessitating the attendant going between the vehicles.
The device is as follows, that is to say: The end of the drawbar, usually termed
the draw head, is made with an open mortice or slot running longitudinally and
vertically and giving the head the shape of a fork having flat vertical sides, the
mortice or slot terminating in a shoulder sloping downward and rearward in a
straight line to form an abutment for the coupling bar. The coupling bar is a
lever somewhat resembling a harpoon in shape. It consists of a bar of such a width
as to be an easy fit between the vertical sides of the drawhead, provided at the
front end with a double hook forming a triangle having its acute apex at the point
of the bar and the short base projecting equally above and below the bar and
forming a shoulder approximately at a right angle to the line of the bar and the
sides forming inclines rising rearwardly. The body of this double hook is of a
less thickness than the bar so as to be an easy fit in the slot of any other coupling
bar, such slot extending all along the body of the bar from the square shoulder of
the hook to the eye at the rear, thus forming the body of the bar in two ledges
projecting laterally beyond the sides of the hook. The rear end of the bar is
sloped to correspond to and fit the sloping shoulder of the draw head or termination
of the slot therein and is pivoted close to the said shoulder so as to afford moderate
vertical play. The spindle or shaft forming the pivot of the draw bar and to which
the latter is fixed, projects at each side of the draw-head and may be fitted with
levers and these provided with lifting rods for operating the coupling bar either
from the sides or from above.
In coupling, the points of the hooks of the coupling bars, projecting partly
beyond the drawhead meet and one hook rises upon the other, the lower incline of
the uppermost hook sliding upon the upper incline of the lowermost book until
their shoulders pass each other and interlock. Lateral displacement is prevented
by the confinement of the hooks within the slot of the drawhead and for uncoupling
the uppermost hook requires to be lifted.
In case of accident, such as de-railment, the bars uncouple automatically in
consequence of the lowermost bar remaining approximately lineable with the draw-
head and its point supporting the uppermost bar some distance rearward of its
coupling shoulder, the leverage thus occasioned being generally sufficient to
disengage the interlocking shoulders when one of them is elevated.
For drawheads differing considerably in height and for replacing broken
coupling-bars, a forked link baving a horizontal slot is connected to the drawhead
by means of a pin passing through an eye in the link and through a perforation
near the extremity of the draw head.
In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the coupling. Fig. 2 is a
plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the coupling bars,
and Figs. 4 and 5 are views of the link.
A is the drawhead, consisting of a simple forked casting having two branches, B,
separated by a vertical space, C, at the rear of which is an under-beveled bearing, D,
.

page_text: between the branches. In front of this bearing, through the branches, are made
perforations E, for the passage of the shaft F, to which the coupling-bar G is
secured, between the branches of the draw-head.
The coupling bar is formed with an inclined rear end, H, which is designed to
but against the bearing D, so that the coupling bar is prevented from dropping too
low for engagement with the opposite bar. At the same time, as the bearings D
and H are without angular recesses, there is no liability of the parts becoming
jammed together. The coupling bar can therefore be easily raised at any time in
uncoupling by means of the levers or arms I at the ends of the shaft F.
At the front end of the coupling-bar vertical hook-lugs K are formed above
and below in the central line, said lugs having inclined front edges, L, and aprupt [sic]
shoulders N.
At the sides of the hook lugs are rib-bearings P, which continue to the rear in
the form of bars P¹ on each side of the slot S, which extends from the hooked
point of the coupling-bar to its heel R. The slot S is a little wider than the hook-
Jug K, and when the coupling bars are interlocked a double engagement is effected,
the upper lug of one coupler rising into the slot of the other; while the under lug
of the last descends into the slot of the former, the bars P¹ of each engaging the
bearings P of the other on the sides of the hook-lug as shown in the drawings.
T is the forked link, which, to replace a broken coupling bar, or employed for
coupling carriages of considerable difference in height, is connected by means of a
pin passing, through the perforations V near the front ends of the branches of the
draw-head, the coupling bar having been removed.
"Having thus described my invention particularly and ascertained in what manner
the same is to be performed; I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters
Patent:
The coupling consisting of the forked draw-head having the lateral branches D,
and the rear under-beveled bearing, D, the pivotal shaft F, and the coupling-bar
having the inclined rear end, H, the longitudinal slot S between the heel and
point, and the central hook-lugs, K, of less width than the slot, and having the
lateral bearings P, substantially as specified and as and for the purpose set forth.
"In Witness whereof I the said Lee Anderson have hereunto set my hand and
seal this seventeenth day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and eighty three.
LEE ANDERSON (L.S.)