Improved Side Coupling Apparatus for Railway Carriages and Trucks.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Sept.,. 1888
Complete Specification Left, 5th June, 1889-Accepted, 6th July, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Side Coupling Apparatus for Railway Carriages and
Trucks.
FREDERICK NEVILL CLARKE of 54 Fleet Street in the City of London Gentleman
do hereby declare the nature of this invention as communicated to me from abroad by
Louis Berth of 37 rue Delambre Paris in the Republic of France Engineer to be as
follows:
This apparatus is intended to replace the direct coupling which consists of a hook
and two safety chains and has for its principal object to avoid the numerous accidents
which happen because of the necessity which the operators find of placing themselves
between the buffers of the carriages to hook and unhook them.
The apparatus is composed of a hook and a jointed link pivotted on the same axis
which attaches them to the head of the traction link or chain.
The hook has a tail operated by a rod, the push of which determines the elevation
of the point of the hook, and at the same time the coupling and the uncoupling. This
rod is actuated by a lever one of the branches of which is operated by a screw on a
transverse shaft fixed on the end of the vehicle.
The jointed link is composed of two arms and a shackle balanced by means of a
counterpoise the object of which is to maintain the shackle constantly horizontal and
to ensure the flexibility of the coupling in case of the touching of the Buffers.
Each of the arms is connected by a small chain to a double sheaved pulley and to a
friction roller turning freely on the transverse shaft hereinbefore referred to.
A friction cone fastened to the screw upon the said transverse shaft forms with the
double sheaved pulley a friction clutch. The screw has two fangs or claws which
engage with the friction cone, and are kept in position by means of a ring keyed to
the end of the friction cone.
The transverse shaft is fixed upon two end supports and two intermediate supports
and has at each extremity a hand wheel.
The rod attached to the coupling hook is guided by a support and furnished
with a collar with which the end of the arm of the actuating lever engages. The
other arm of this lever is forked and engages within its cheeks the screw upon the
transverse shaft.
The transverse shaft is furnished with a pin or key and the friction cone is
provided with a groove into which the said pin takes and rotates the said friction cone.
The double sheaved pulley presses against a spring upon the transverse shaft which
when compressed avoids the jamming of the cones which would otherwise be produced
by the force of the raising of the jointed shackle. A stop upon the panel of the
vehicle limits the raising of the jointed shackle.
The whole of the mechanism is protected by an outer case provided with an
inspection door.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Side Coupling Apparatus for Railway Carriages and
Trucks.
I, FREDERICK NEVILL CLARKE, of 54 Fleet Street, in the City of London,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, as communicated to me
Price Sd.J

page_text: from abroad by Louis Berth, of 37 Rue Delambre, Paris, in the Republic of France.
Engineer, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This apparatus is intended to replace the coupling which consists of a coupling-
serew and two safety chains and its principal object is to prevent the numerous
accidents which arise in consequence of the railway servants being obliged to go
between the buffers of the vehicles in order to hook on, and to screw up the
coupling.
In order that this invention may be fully understood and carried into practice,
I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which similar letters are used to indicate corresponding parts.
Figure 1 is an end elevation of a railway vehicle fitted with this improved
coupling apparatus, Figure 2 is a plan and Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the
same.
The apparatus consists of a hook K and of a cap M NO articulated round the
same axis which connects them to the head L of the draw-rod. The hook K has a
tail piece operated by a bolt or rod H, the pressure of which determines the
elevation of the point of the hook, and at the same time the locking of the coupling.
This bolt or rod H is actuated by a bell crank lever C one of the branches of
which is worked by the nut B of the screw on the transverse shaft A fixed on the end
of the vehicle. The articulated cap M NO consists of two shackles M and of a ring N
kept in equilibrium by means of a counter weight 0. The object of this counter
weight is to keep the ring N constantly horizontal and to ensure the flexibility of the
coupling in case of the buffers slipping back.
Each of the shackles M has an elevating tail piece connected by means of a small
chain to a friction pulley with double grooves R turning freely on the main
shaft A. A friction socket S connected, to the nut B partakes of its movement of
translation whilst participating in the rotatory movement of the shaft A and forms
with the double grooved pulley R a friction drum. The nut B has two fangs or
claws which impinge on to the friction socket S and are kept there by means of a
ring V fixed on to this socket by screws.
The transverse shaft A is placed under the cross bar of the head of the vehicle and
is fixed by two exterior supports F and two intermediate supports G and at each
extremity it has a manual fly wheel T.
The rod or bolt H is guided by a support J fixed under the transverse head bar
and furnished with a keyed head into which the end of the arm of the bell crank (
engages. The other arm of this lever C is forked and engages with the nut B on the
shaft A. This bell crank lever oscillates round the axis of a support D connected to
the transverse head bar by an attachment E.
The transverse shaft A is furnished with a fixed pin or key, and the friction
socket S is provided with a groove into which the said pin takes in order that the
friction socket S may partake of the rotatory movement of the shaft.
The double grooved pulley R abuts against a. spring O which when compressed
permits the said grooved pulley to displace itself slightly in the direction of the
shaft in order to avoid the wedging of the drums which might be caused by the
screw when elevating the articulated cap M N.O. A butting plate or stop P
fixed on the panel of the vehicle serves to limit the elevation of the articulated
cap M NO.
The whole of the mechanism is protected by a covering box X provided with a
lid for inspection.
The coupling should be carried out in the following manner :-As soon as
the huffers of the vehicles to be coupled are in contact, a half turn is given to the
wheel T the friction socket S moves away from the double grooved pulley R and
thereupon the articulated cap M NO urged by its own weight and the pressure of
the counterweight O on the butting plate P, falls and fixes on to the point of the
opposite hook. The operator then passes immediately to the other vehicle to determine

page_text: the fall of its articulated cap in the same way, after which the movement of its
wheel T is continued in the same direction until the point of its hook K is sufficiently
elevated to obtain a safe coupling without exercising any tension on the articulated
cap M NO which should have a certain degree of liberty.
.
The operator then returns to the first vehicle in order to elevate the hook K by
turning the wheel T in the same direction as before and thus to complete the definite
locking of the coupling.
It will be seen from the preceding that in order to complete the coupling of two
vehicles there are three distinct operations: First, causing the fall of one of the caps;
Second, causing the cap on the other vehicle to fall and elevating its book so as to
obtain a safe coupling, and, Third, elevating the hook on the first vehicle to obtain a
definite locking.
To uncouple the vehicles, the wheel T is turned in a reverse direction to that for
locking, in order to cause. the depression of the hook K which served to form the
tension coupling.
The movement of unlocking draws back the rod or bolt H, the hook K urged
by its own weight and that of its articulated cap, follows the movement of the bolt
until its point is completely lowered.
The operator then passes to the second vehicle to carry out the same operation, but
the movement is continued. until the friction socket S presses against the double
grooved pulley R forming a clutch, by this movement the pulley R is drawn round
with the friction socket and partakes of the rotatory movement of the shaft A,
winding the chains Q of the articulated caps and lifting them completely at the last
turn of the wheel. The operator then returns to the first vehicle to raise its articulated
cap in the same manner.
a
The elevation of the articulated caps is limited by the butting plates P fixed on the
panels of the vehicle. The horizontal inclination of the coupling ring is determined
by the butting of its counter weight on this same plate P. the contact takes place
little before the butting, of the shackles M and the movement of elevation continuing,
the counter weight oscillates in elevating the ring.
It will be seen that the unlocking and uncoupling also consists of three distinct
operations First, in lowering the hook which served to complete the tension
coupling; Second, in causing the depression of the hook on the other vehicle and in
elevating its articulated cap, and third, in elevating the articulating cap on the first
vehicle which constituted a safety coupling.
In order that vehicles not provided with this side coupling may be also coupled
with vehicles furnished with the apparatus, an ear piece has been placed under the
head of the hook in which a coupling screw passes. This coupling screw should
on ordinary occasions remain hung up under the covering box by means of a hook,
and will only be used in case of fracture of the coupling screw of the vehicle
unprovided with side coupling.
To prevent inconvenience in performing the operation for coupling with the
coupling screw, the articulated cap M NO will be maintained in its elevated position
In this
by means of a chain fixed for this purpose on the pin of the butting plate P.
way the cap remains fixed and the hook only is elevated in locking the coupling by
means of the fly wheel T.
All the operations are performed outside the vehicles and do not require longer
than a maximum period of one minute either for the hooking on and locking, or for
the unlocking and uncoupling. The locking movement is quite independent of the
hook and of the draw rod, so that the shocks caused by a sharp forward motion or
any other cause cannot injure the mechanism.
The principal advantages to be derived from the use of this invention are
(1) Absolute security for the employees engaged in the operation of coupling;
(2) A perfect coupling is rapidly obtained with less power than hitherto; (3) Un-
coupling is possible without stopping the train thus permitting a rapid execution in
the working of stations and other places, and, (4) The apparatus can be applied to all
classes of railway vehicles.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
from abroad, 1 declare that what I claim is :-
(1) The side coupling apparatus constructed, operating and combined substantially
in the manner and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
(2) The construction of a coupling hook K with tail piece k actuated by the.rod or
bolt H to determine the tension on the coupling substantially as herein before set forth
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
(3) The friction drum or socket S for the purpose of elevating the articulated caps,
constructed and operating substantially in the manner described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated thin 5th d 1980
CASTLE SMITH,
Per F. W. Golby,
'Invention " Office, 54, Fleet Street, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicant.