IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE COUPLING OF VEHICLES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Philip Hoghton of the City of Manchester in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE COUPLING OF VEHICLES
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Philip Hoghton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th December 1882.
HENRY PHILIP HOGHTON of the City of Manchester in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE COUPLING OF
VEHICLES
"
My Invention relates more particularly to the couplings of railway wagons and
vehicles, and has for its object to enable the coupling and uncoupling to be effected
without the necessity for the operator to enter between the vehicles. My Inven-
tion may be employed in the construction of new couplings and is also applicable
to existing couplings. I provide each end of the vehicle-say for example à
railway wagon with a link-carrier which takes the place of the human hand in
the operation of coupling. In one arrangement the said link-carrier is hinged to
an arm or to arms upon a shaft or to a crancked shaft which is fitted to rock in
bearings and is provided at one end or at each end with a hand lever. The said
hand lever is hinged or jointed to the end of the said shaft or to a part fixed
thereon so that the end of the lever which is grasped by the operator can be moved
towards and from the wagon. The said hand lever is connected with the said
link-carrier by means of a chain or of rods and levers or of parts so acting as that
when the said hand lever is moved upon the axis of the hinge joint the said link-
carrier is caused to turn upon its fulcrum so that its lower end is raised or lowered
as the case may be. The effect of the arrangement is that by means of the one
hand lever a compound movement can be imparted to the link-carrier whereby it
can be moved towards and from the wagon and at the same time its outer end can
be raised and lowered. The said link-carrier is suitably formed to receive and
carry the outer coupling link in a position suitable for coupling. I do not confine

page_text: myself to the form of the said link-carrier but I will mention that it may have
raised sides splayed outwards to ensure the entry of the link and be formed with
supporting surfaces for the two sides of the link with a space for the entry of the
hook and with a channel for the end of the next inner link. I prefer to recess the
carrier so that the link is prevented from slipping. In what I consider to be a
suitable arrangement the said link-carrier is connected with the hand lever at each
end of the vibrating shaft-which is made wholly or partly tubular-by means of
chains passing through portions of the shaft. A spring acting upon the link-
carrier tends to depress the outer end thereof. By means of the compound action
of the hand-lever the link-carrier can be moved outwards to receive or take hold
of the link which can then be raised and advanced or withdrawn as required so
that the coupling or uncoupling can be effected even when the buffers of the two
wagons are in contact. When not in use I prefer to withdraw the link-carrier
below the wagon and to provide a catch to retain the parts in position when thus
moved out of the way. I arrange for the said catch to be released by an outward
movement of the hand-lever. When the said lever is turned to cause the catch to
engage the said lever is brought behind a finger which is upon a sliding rod which
when the said lever is moved outwards disengages the catch. To provide, for
variations in the couplings I arrange for the actuating shaft to slide in its bearings
and I may employ springs or cones or inclined surfaces to restore the shaft to its
normal position after having been moved endwise in one direction or the other.
In a modification I mount the shafts at the ends of arms which swing from fixed
centres the link-carrier being mounted to swivel and slide upon a hinge-pin which
¡is carried by the said shaft and is preferably curved or inclined in each direction
from the centre so that when the link-carrier is slid out of the centre line it is
inclined sideways. The said shaft also carries a coupling rod which is connected
with the said link-carrier and is provided at its outer end with a winch handle.
When the link carrier is mounted upon a curved or inclined pin I hinge the end of
the coupling rod to the link-carrier and provide the said rod with a curved finger
which engages with the link-carrier. By preference two coupling rods or a rod
provided at each end with a handle is or are applied so that the coupling can be
effected from either side of the vehicle. By acting upon one handle the operator
is enabled to swing the shaft outwards or inwards and by turning the handle to
.raise or lower the link-carrier a spring or springs aiding to raise the parts and by
sliding the coupling rod in its, bearings to move the link-carrier sideways. By
catching the handle or a projecting part upon a hook or holder upon the vehicle
the link-carrier can be sustained out of the way. The arrangement might be
'varied by fitting the link-carrier to slide upon the shaft or by mounting the shaft
to turn and slide in the ends of the arms and securing the link-carrier to the shaft
which would be provided with handles the additional coupling rod not being
required.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Philip Hoghton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th June 1883.
HENRY PHILIP HOGHTON of the City of Manchester in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE COUPLING OF
VEHICLES
"
My Invention relates more particularly to the couplings of railway wagons and
vehicles and has for its object to enable the coupling and uncoupling to be effected
without the necessity for the operator to enter between the vehicles. My invention
may be employed in the construction of new couplings and is also applicable to
existing couplings. I provide each end of the vehicle say for example a railway
wagon with a link-carrier which takes the place of the human hand in the
operation of coupling. In one arrangement the said link-carrier is hinged to an arm or
to arms upon a shaft or to a cranked shaft which is fitted to rock in bearings
and is provided at one end or at each end with a hand-lever. The said hand-
lever is hinged or jointed to the end of the said shaft or to a part fixed thereon
so that the end of the lever which is grasped by the operator can be moved
toward and from the wagon. The said hand-lever is connected with the said
link-carrier by means of a chain or of rods and levers or of parts so acting that
when the said hand-lever is moved upon the axis of the hinge-joint the said
link-carrier is caused to turn upon its fulcrum so that its lower end is raised
or lowered as the case may be. The effect of the arrangement is that by means
of the one hand-lever a compound movement can be imparted to the link-carrier
whereby it can be moved toward and from the wagon and at the same time
its outer end can be raised and lowered. The said link-carrier is suitably formed
to receive and carry the outer coupling-link in a position suitable for coupling.
By means of the compound action of the hand-lever the link-carrier can be moved
outward and in some arrangements sidewise to receive or take hold of the link
which can then be raised and advanced or withdrawn as required so that the
coupling or uncoupling can be effected even when the buffers of the two wagons
are in contact. When not in use I prefer to withdraw the link-carrier into
position below the wagon and to provide a catch to retain the parts in position
when thus moved out of the way. I arrange for the said catch to be released by
an outward movement of the hand-lever or otherwise. In order that my invention
may be fully understood I have attached hereunto a sheet of drawings made to a
scale of about one and a half inches to the foot and marked with letters of
reference. In the said drawings Fig. 1 represents a side elevation and Fig. 2 an
end view of part of a wagon fitted with my improved coupling apparatus. In the
said Figs. a is the under-framing of the wagon and b is an ordinary coupling
chain which is linked to the draw-hook c as is usual. In bearings d, d which are
secured to the buffer beams is mounted a tubular shaft e which is curved or bent
and cranked so that when the shaft is turned in its bearings the central part e¹
shall swing toward or from the wagon. The turning of the shaft is effected by
means of hand-levers f which are hinged to arms g, g which are fixed on the outer
ends of the shaft. The connection of one of these hand-levers with the shaft is
illustrated by Fig. 3. It will be seen that the hinge-joint is removed some
distance from the axis of the shaft. To the part of the lever which is in line
with the said axis is secured one end of a chain h which passes through the shaft
and is attached by the other end to the link-carrier k. This link-carrier is
separately represented by Figs. 4 and 5, and is formed with two, side pieces /c¹, k¹

page_text: which are splayed outward so as to ensure the link 7 entering between the sides
when the carrier is moved up to the link. A narrow recess receives the inner
link and ledges ³ are formed on the inner sides of the parts k¹ so that when the
link is being raised it is supported by these ledges and suitably held for the
coupling operation as seen in Fig. 6 which represents the said link as being raised.
The link-carrier is hinged upon a pin m which is fixed to the tubular shaft or the
link-carrier is otherwise jointed to the said shaft. The inner ends of the two
chains which pass through the shaft are connected with the link-carrier in
such a manner as that when either of the chains is drawn outward the outer
end of the link-carrier is raised. A part of one side of each of the curved parts
of the the said shaft is removed to allow the chain to pass out to the link-carrier,
the tube being strengthened at these parts to make up for the reduction of
strength. Upon the pin m is mounted a spiral spring which is arranged to
act upon the link-carrier in opposition to the pull of the chain so as to tend
to bring the link-carrier back to its normal position as shewn in Fig. 1. In
some positions of the link carrier its gravity would not have sufficient effect in
ensuring the backward. movement. It will be seen that when the hand-lever
is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1 the link-carrier will
be. moved outward away from the wagon and that when the free end of the
said. lever is drawn outward. from the wagon the chain will be drawn and
will raise the outer end of the link-carrier and that when the said end of the
lever is moved toward the wagon the end of the link-carrier will be depressed.
By means of this compound action of the lever the link-carrier can be moved out-
ward to receive the link which can then be raised and advanced or withdrawn or
lowered as required so that the coupling can be effected by means of the one hand-
lever alone even when the buffers of the two wagons being coupled are in contact.
In Fig. 6 the link has been raised into, position .convenient for the coupling
operation. To effect the coupling with the hook c¹ of another wagon it would only
be necessary to move the end of the hand-lever toward the wagon so as to lower
the end of the link-carrier but if any forward or backward movement is required in
addition it is obtained by swinging the hand-lever in one direction or the other.
The coupling having been effected the hand-lever is moved back so as to bring the
link-carrier into position below the wagon as indicated in Fig 1. In moving into
this position the central. part. of the crank of the tubular shaft or a part fixed
thereon raises the free end of a catch n which is hinged to a part fixed to the
under-framing. When this catch falls back to its position of rest it prevents the
return of the shaft and link-carrier so. that the parts are kept out of the way and
prevented from swinging to and fro when the wagon is in motion. To each side of
the catch is hooked the lower end of a lifter o which is connected by its upper
end to the inner end of a sliding rod p (which is preferably inclined downwards)
and is jointed at an intermediate point to the outer end of, a radius rod q. The
outer end of the rod p projects beyond the framing and is bent or is provided with
a finger behind which the hand-lever passes. as seen in Fig. 1. The effect of this
arrangement is that the link-carrier can be released by simply drawing, outward
the end of the hand-lever whereby the rod p will be caused to slide outward. This
movement of the said rod has the effect of raising the lower end of the lifter which
thus raises the catch and thereby releases the shaft and link-carrier: I may
vary the arrangements for raising the catch n or.the arrangements for retaining
and releasing, the shaft and link-carrier. The principal reason for the use of the
arrangement illustrated is that it shall not be necessary for the operator to have
to act upon any other part than the hand-lever to effect the said release so that
both hands are free from the first to act upon the hand-lever to effect the coupling
or uncoupling. The uncoupling is effected by bringing the link-carrier below the
outer link which is then lifted off the. hook by a compound upward and outward
movement. The link-carrier is then! withdrawn and lowered and swung into it's
position of rest below the wagon: To provide for a sidewise movement in either
direction of the link-carrier. I may arrange for the shaft to slide in its bearings in
.

page_text: .which case I prefer to employ the arrangement illustrated in Fig 2°. In this
example a collar q upon the shaft slides up an incline when the shaft is moved in
either direction endwise in it's bearings the incline tending to return the shaft to
its normal position. The remaining Figs. illustrate a modification in the arrange-
ments for imparting the compound movement to the link-carrier Fig. 7 being a
side elevation and Fig. 8 an end elevation of the parts. In this example the link-
carrier is modified in form and is provided with trunnions which are mounted in
eyes (as indicated in Fig 11) in the outer ends of a fork r which is fixed upon a
shafts The formation of the said trunnion and eye permits the link carrier to
turn when required and at the same time it is prevented from falling over when not
in use. The said shaft is mounted to turn and slide in the outer ends of two arms t
one of these arms only appearing in Fig. 8. Each arm is hinged to a bracket
fixing u which is bolted to the buffer plank so that the arms can swing upon the
centre at u' whereby the link-carrier can be moved outward from the wagon or
brought inward below the same. The two arms are connected by means of a cross
bar t¹ so as to form a swing frame. Upon each end or upon one end of the shaft &
is fixed a cross handle s' which is adapted to be grasped by the two hands of the
operator who can thereby move the link-carrier in a direction across the wagon by
sliding the shaft in it's bearings in the arms or he can raise and lower the link-
carrier or swing it toward or from the wagon by turning the shaft in it's bearings
or he can swing the shaft and the link-carrier toward or from the wagon or he can
combine all or any of these movements as required. It will be seen that the
operator has great command over the link-carrier so that the link of the coupling
can be raised or lowered or pushed outward or drawn inward by acting upon the
handle. Springs v act upon the shaft to restore the link-carrier to its normal
central position after the shaft has been slid in its bearings. When the coupling
apparatus is not in use it is swung up into the position below the wagon as repre-
sented in Fig 7. I have applied a spring w to each arm to assist in lifting the
weight of the parts into this position and when raising the link-carrier in the
operations of coupling and uncoupling but I do not confine myself to the use of
such springs. The said springs may be similarly applied to the form of apparatus
shewn at Figs. 1 and 2 When brought into the said position a hinged catch-plate x
yields and engages with the handle to retain the parts in the said position. This
catch can be disengaged by turning the handle so as to bring it past the end z of
the plate preparatory to swinging the shaft outward. The form and mode of
action of this catch may be greatly varied. Other modifications may be made in
the apparatus as for example the link-carrier might be mounted to slide upon a
hinge-pin carried by the cross bar t' or by a, suitable cross bar secured to the two
arms in which case I should prefer to curve the hinge-pin or to make it of a form
inclining each way from the centre so that when the link carrier is slid out of the
centre line it is inclined sidewise. The shaft would be provided with arms con-
nected with the link-carrier so that the latter could be moved sidewise or be raised
or lowered as required. Any other suitable form of link-carrier than is represented
in the drawings may be employed.
Having now fully set forth and indicated the nature of my said Invention and
the manner in which I carry the same into practical effect I would have it to be
understood in conclusion that I do not confine myself to the precise details as illus-
trated so long as the movements as described and indicated can be imparted to the
link carrier by means of one handle or hand lever, but what I desire to claim is
First the combination of parts forming the apparatus for effecting the coupling
of railway vehicles substantially as set forth and indicated hereinbefore and in and
by the accompanying drawings.
Secondly the employment of a link-carrier (or part for lifting or " handling "the
link) hinged to the crank-shaft or swing frame which is provided at one end or at
each end with a hinged hand-lever and connected with such lever by means of a
chain or equivalent appliance so that the compound movements can be imparted to
the said link carrier substantially as set forth and indicated.

page_text: .
Thirdly the hinged link-carrier substantially as and for the purpose set forth
and indicated...
ر
Fourthly the crank-shaft carrying a hinged link-carrier and provided with
handles whereby the link-carrier can be turned upon its hinge and swung to and
fro substantially as and for purpose set forth and indicated
- Fifthly a shaft mounted to turn and slide in swing arms or in a swing frame
and carrying or imparting movement to a suitable link-carrier or part for raising
the outer link of the coupling and capable of having imparted to it by acting upon
(one hand-lever or handle the various movements substantially as set forth.
-Sixthly the springs w applied substantially as and for the purpose set forth and
indicated.
And lastly the employment of a catch to retain the apparatus in position when
moved out of the way such catch being disengaged by a movement of the hand-
lever or handle whereby the coupling and uncoupling are effected substantially as
set forth and indicated.
In witness whereof I the said Henry Philip Hoghton have hereunto set
my hand and seal this fifteenth day of June in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty-three.
Signed sealed and delivered
in the presence of.
EDWARD K. DUTTON
41 John Dalton St.; Manchester
(Agent for the Patentee)
H. P. HOGHTON (L.S.)