Improvements in Railway Waggon Couplings.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Railway Waggon Couplings.
I, EDWARD JACOB HILL, of 11, Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to means for coupling up, and uncoupling, railway
waggons and has for object to adapt the existing coupling chains to be readily
manipulated from outside the track by means of a specially designed shunter's
pole and so to obviate the danger and reduce to a minimum the fatigue incurred
by shunters in coupling up and uncoupling waggons.
According to my invention I provide the inner end of the terminal or coupling
link with a kind of double forked extension arm which projects longitudinally
beyond and in the plane of the link and is adapted to receive and engage a
spatula-shaped blade on the end of the shunter's pole so that when said pole is
otated about its axis the coupling link is raised and partially rotated in a
vertical plane, in readiness to be either dropped into engagement with, or freed
entirely from, the coupling hook on the adjacent vehicle.
The extension arm consists of two members which project from the inner end
of the coupling parallel with one another and on opposite sides of the middle
link of the coupling chain, so as to clear the middle link when the coupling link
is rotated. Each member of the extension arm is forked or longitudinally
slotted throughout the greater part of its length, the two tines of the fork or
the opposite sides of the slot being, in the case of each member, disposed in a
plane at right angles to the general plane of the coupling link. The effect of
the arrangement described is that the shunter's pole can be readily applied io
the chain for the purpose of coupling up or uncoupling, by merely thrusting the
blade on the end of the pole from outside the track through the fork or slot in
the near member of the extension arm, through the middle link of the
coupling chain, and through the fork or slot in the "off" member of the exten-
sion arm, the two forks or slots of the respective members of the extension arm
so engaging with the blade or flattened end of the pole that when the latter is
rotated about its axis the coupling link is caused to describe an are of a circle in
a vertical plane and may thus, with but slight exertion on the part of the
shunter, he levered up and dropped into engagement with, or entirely freed from,.
the coupling hook on the adjacent vehicle."
"
"
The extreme length of either member of the extension arm on the coupling
link is somewhat less than that of the middle link of the coupling chain, so thai
during the manipulation of the chain the extension arm shall not be liable to
foul the third or fixed link of the chain.
T
1000
A. M. & WM. CLARK.
Chartered Patent Agents, 53. Chancery Lane, London.

page_text: 1, EDWARD JACOB HILL, of 11, Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement: —
My invention relates to means for facilitating the coupling-up and uncoupling
of railway waggons and has for object to render the coupling chains with which
the waggons are at present provided, capable of being easily manipulated by
the shunter standing outside the track by means of a specially designed shunter's
pole, the use of which in place of the ordinary pole reduces to a minimum the
danger and fatigue to shunters which are incidental to coupling operations
especially when the waggons are in motion. To this end my invention consists
essentially in providing the terminal or coupler link of the coupling chain
with a device which enables said link to be engaged and moved as one with the
adjacent or intermediate link of the chain by a shunter's pole of special con-
struction such as is described in my previous Application for Letters Patent
numbered 8660 of 1899 and in an Application of even date herewith numbered
13398 of 1899.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of part of the end portion of a
railway waggon shewing the coupling chain provided with the device of my
juvention. Figure 2 is a front view of the same chain. Figure 3 is a section on
line 33 Figures 1 and 2. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the chain as it
appears whilst being manipulated by my improved shunter's pole above referred
to, during the operation of coupling-up.
According to my invention I provide the inner end of the terminal or coupler
link A of the coupling chain (which may consist of the usual three links A, B,
and C as shewn) with a kind of double forked extension piece constituted by four
arms a a, a, a, arranged in pairs and extending longitudinally beyond the
inner end of the link A so as to lie, the one pair # on the one side and the
other pair a' on the other side of the intermediate link B, parallel with the
limbs of the latter. The two pairs of arms a, a a¹, thus in effect form two
forks, in each of which the opening d or d between the tines aa, or a¹³, registers
with the eye b' of the link B when the coupling chain is extended, or hangs as
shewn in Figure 1. The width of each space d or between the arms a
or al al is made substantially equal to or but slightly less than the width of eye bl
between the limbs bb of the intermediate link B so as to permit of the flattened
end of the improved shunter's pole already referred to, being readily passed
clear through link B and through the opening d or of both forks. The total
width across each pairs of arms a a or a¹ a¹ exceeds the width of opening of the
eye of link B, so as to prevent the reversal of the link A relatively to link B by
a movement of link A in its own plane.
The coupling chain provided with the above described device is designed to
be used in conjunction with a shunter's pole provided with a flattened, splayed or
spatula shaped forward end as illustrated in the accompanying drawing Figure 4
and described in the Application for Letters Patent already referred to, said
forward end of the pole being adapted to fit casily within the eye b¹ of the link B,
and within the space d or d between the arms a 'a or a¹ a¹. From Figure 4 it
will be observed that, when used in conjunction with the present invention, the
forward end E of the pole F is caused to engage with the coupling chain by

page_text: being passed from outside the track through the space between the arms aa on
the near side of link A, thence through the eye of link B, and finally through
the space between the arms a¹ a' on the off side of link A, any further passage
of the pole being prevented by the stop thereon coming in contact with the
arms it.
When the pole F, after being thus engaged with the links A
and B. is manipulated, the links A and B move together as one in a
longitudinal vertical plane, being, in the operation of coupling-up.
first raised by an angular movement due to the rotation of the pole
about its own axis so as to be brought from the freely pendent position to that
shown in Figure 4 and thereafter levered up by means of the pole until the
outer end of the coupler link A is in position to be dropped over and into
engagement with the draw-book on the adjacent vehicle, when the pole may be
at once withdrawn. In the operation of uncoupling, the pole F, after being
engaged with links A and B as already described, is first moved so as to bring the
coupler link A into a position to clear the nose of the draw-hook when raised;
the pole is then rotated about its axis so as to raise the end of link A over the
Hose of the draw-hook with which it has been in engagement, and is then moved
so as to carry the link A horizontally away from that hook and towards the vehicle
to which the chain is permanently attached, whereupon the chain may be allowed
to drop and the pole may be disengaged.
The arms and must in no case be of such length as to be liable to
foul the third link C of the coupling chain. The members of each pair # 18
or might be joined together at their outer ends by a cross-piece, so as to form
a loop instead of a fork as shewn. The arms azt, a a¹ are shewn as welded to
or otherwise formed in one with the link A, but they might form a separate
piece or pieces attached to the link A by rivetting, clamping or other means.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
The combination, with the terminal or coupler link of the coupling chain of a
railway waggon, of means for enabling said link to be engaged and moved as
one with the adjacent link of the chain by a shunter's pole of the kind described.
raid means consisting of pairs of arms in one with and projecting longitudinally
beyond the inner end of the coupler link so as to form forks or loops which
extend on either side of the adjacent link substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
1
1
A. M. & WM. CLARK.
53, Chancery Lane, London. Chartered Patent Agents,