IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS POR COUPLING AND UNCOUPLING RAILWAY TRUCKS AND CARRIAGES
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Robert Cooke Sayer at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th March 1873.
I, ROBERT COOKE SAYER, of Newport, in the County of Monmouth-
shire, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS POR COUPLING AND UNCOUPLING RAILWAY TRUCKS AND
CARRIAGES," to be as follows :-
-:
The object of my improvements in couplings for railway trucks or
carriages is to do away with the necessity of railway or other employees
going between the trucks or carriages at the time of coupling or un-
coupling the same, and also to give increased safety and economy by the
absence of welding.
I propose to depress the draw bar into a diagonal position, starting
the depression a few inches beyond the buffer plank, and forming a
diagonal slot therein. Under and at the end of the draw bar I propose
to attach a small plate capable of revolving horizontally, and which will
project beyond the sides of the draw bar when placed transversely, but
within the sides of the draw bar when placed longitudinally.

page_text: I propose to attach a hook to the draw bar between the slot and the
buffer plank, the point of this hook being downwards, and resting on
the depressed part of the draw bar; the front of the hook will be
inclined in the opposite direction to the depression of the draw bar, that
is to say, slant towards the waggon or carriage, so that anything striking
the hook in front will lift it and be guided within it. I propose to use
two connecting links; one end of the first link will be attached to the
draw bar by a bolt or rivet passing through the diagonal slot, and so as
to travel easily therein, and will be formed of two plates; at the lower
edge of one of which plates, and near the slot, bolt, or rivet will be a
projection to act on the aforesaid small revolving plate. To the other
end of the 1st link will be attached the 2d link or loop, which will be
so arranged that it will come to a nearly horizontal position with the 1st
link, and fall with it when dropped to a vertical one; it is also
provided with ears.
To couple two trucks together raise the coupling links and turn the
small revolving plate of that truck which is at rest into a transverse
position, thereby upholding the coupling links in a nearly horizontal
position, the other truck coming up the 2nd link or loop of the truck
at rest comes in contact with the depressed part of the draw bar, and 1
then against the hook, or else upon the hook first (according to the
height of the trucks) of the advancing truck, thus raising the hook and
forcing the loop or 2nd link within it; at the same time the small
revolving plate is driven into a longitudinal position as the bolt or rivet
traverses the slot by the projection at the lower edge of the 1st link, and
being within the width of the draw bar allows the links to drop freely,
and rise and fall as the trucks recede from or approach one another.
To uncouple, when the trucks are either in motion or at rest, the
hook will be raised by means of a properly fixed chain or chains,
stretching across the truck from buffer to buffer, or by a rod so placed
and provided with an arm for the purpose (either mode being worked
from both sides of the truck), and the couplings will fall free.
I also propose to modify the above mode of coupling trucks or
carriages together by doing away with the small revolving plate and the
slot; the attendant porter will in such case raise the coupling links by a
lever or other mechanism fixed at the side of the truck acting upon a
chain or rod stretching across the truck, and working an arm which

page_text: shall act upon the 1st link, and thus raise the coupling to any required
height; if a rod be used a second arm may also be attached to it so that
it may raise either the coupling to couple the trucks together or the
hook to uncouple them by putting it in or out of gear as required on
either side of the truck.