Improvements in Automatic Couplings for Railway and like Vehicles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 15th May, 1897-Accepted, 14th May, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Couplings for Railway and like
Vehicles.
I, WILLIAM BELCHER, Builder, of 10, Springfield Road, Kingston-on-Thames,
in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention has reference to improvements in connection with coupling and
releasing mechanical apparatus and appliances for use upon railway and other
like vehicles, the object being to provide for the coupling and uncoupling of one
vehicle to or from another by means of automatic or other movements of the
apparatus effected from outside the vehicle so as to obviate the existing dangerous
practice of coupling by hand labour when the person is standing between the
carriages or vehicles.
In the accompanying sheet of explanatory drawings.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the ends of two railway trucks having my
improved apparatus attached.
Figure 2 is a reverse plan of the ends of the trucks showing my improved
apparatus thereon.
Figure 3 is a detailed sectional elevation of the hook and coupling when con-
nected together.
I mount upon the under frame G of the carriage or truck a hook A having a
spring of any ordinary construction upon the inner end of the draw bar A' form-
ing the hook carrier. This spring attached bar A¹ allows of a free movement of
the hook A, which is also free to move vertically upon its pin or pivot attachment a.
To receive the hook I place a shoe or guiding striking plate B on each carriage
end inside the buffer as shown on Figures 1 and 2, this shoe being mounted upon
a pivot b and shaped somewhat as a fan or a guiding trough with its inclination
downwards away from the carriage. I mount the shoe upon the outer link end F
of the drawbar so that it may receive the engaging end of the oppositely placed
hook A carried upon the other carriage.
I make the inclination of my shoe or striking plate B when in the coupling
position such that when the book A from the opposite carriage meets or strikes
the inclined surface it is guided or caused to slide up the plate and caused to drop
into the recess or opening at the upper end of the shoe and thus engaging with
the link end F of the drawbar, so as to effect an automatic coupling of the carriages
or trucks when they are brought together, and when the buffers H are slightly
compressed.
To alter the inclination of the striking plate B I attach a link or rod C to the
outside of the plate, and I connect this rod to a lever or hand bar E, which I pivot
to the carriage on its under frame; the lever being so arranged and constructed
that it may be free to be moved from each side of the vehicle. The plate can thus
be placed in the coupling position whenever it is desired that the carriages should
automatically couple themselves on coming together.
To release or uncouple the hook A from the link end of the drawbar D I move

page_text: the hand lever E from either side of the vehicle to a sufficient extent to cause the
back inclined portion B of the striking plate B to lift the inner end of the hook A
so that it may be raised free from contact with the link end F. Should the buffers
be compressed sufficiently when the lever E is drawn back to relieve the grip of
the coupler the hook will free itself when the vehicles are drawn asunder, this
result being brought about by the back inclined portion B₁ of the striking plate
or shoc.
I do not limit the application of my invention to the particular form of drawbar,
hook, spring or lever, or to the special shape or form of striking plate shown in
the drawings as alterations in the shape of any of these may be made without
changing the mode of action, or departing from the invention. I modify the same
to suit the type of rolling stock or form of under frame or vehicle to which my
improved couplings are to be applied.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
"
1. In couplings for railway and like vehicles the combination and arrangement
of a pivotally mounted guiding striking plate or shoe with a link or rod connect-
ing the plate to an operating lever for altering its position, the guiding striking
plate or shoe being attached to or suspended from a spring drawbar carried upon the
under frame of the vehicle, together with a hinged engaging hook, which is
mounted upon a spring drawbar of the opposite vehicle in such a manner that if
the hook is brought in contact with the inclined guiding striking plate or shoe
when in coupling position the vehicles are coupled together and are free to be
uncoupled by the movement of the operating lever which moves the guiding
striking plate or shoe into the uncoupling position so as to remove the hook from
engagement therewith substantially as hereinbefore described and as set forth in
the accompanying drawings.
2. The improvements in couplings and drawbars for railway and like vehicles in
which an inclined guiding striking plate for connecting with and receiving a hook
or hooks pivotally mounted upon the opposite vehicle, the guiding striking plate
being arranged so that its position may be altered to receive or to release the hook
substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for the Applicant.