Improvements in or connected with Railway Couplings.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Apr., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 4th Jan., 1890-Accepted, 8th Feb., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Railway Couplings.
I, ALBERT EBENEZER SCHURR of Lyncot, Romford, in the County of Essex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in or connected with railway couplings
whereby the slack is taken up and the coupling locked, while at the same time full
facility is retained for coupling automatically, and the invention is particularly
applicable to those couplings described in the Specifications of patents dated 15 April
1876 No. 1607, and dated 2 November 1878 No. 4446.
According to my invention I provide a detent capable of being so applied as to
prevent the accidental un-coupling of the link, while at the same time it takes up the
slack of the coupling; this may be conveniently accomplished by apparatus composed
of a slotted block with sleeve nut therein, and through which sleeve nut a screw passes
the screw is mounted in bearings at each end; by rotating the screw the sleeve is
advanced or withdrawn and carries the block with it; on the base of this block there
is a downwardly extending detent tooth, and on the top of detent there is a horizontal
projection. The detent tooth enters the loop of the coupling and when the screw is
revolved the slack of the coupling is taken up while the projection enters a recess
in the framework thus securely locking the coupling; the return motion of the screw
releases or unlocks the detent tooth. In some cases the block need not be slotted
but is carried on the screw, which latter works on a binged cradle, and the block
may be operated by other mechanical means than the screw, such as by levers, and
the detent instead of operating by a sliding motion may be hinged.
Dated this 5th day of April 1800.
A. E. SCHURR.
By Brewer & Son,
33, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Railway Couplings.
I, ALBERT EBENEZER SCHURR of Lyncott, Romford, in the County of Essex,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said 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 improvements in or connected with railway couplings
whereby the slack is taken up and the coupling locked while at the same time facility
is retained for coupling automatically and the invention is particularly applicable to
those couplings described in the Specifications of Patents dated 15th April 1876
No. 1607 and dated 2nd November 1878 No. 4446.
According to my invention I provide a detent capable of being so applied as to
prevent the accidental uncoupling of the link while at the same time the slack of the
coupling can be taken up, and my said invention will be fully understood by the
following.description having reference to Figures 1 to 14 of the accompanying
drawings.
A convenient arrangement of the apparatus above mentioned is. shewn by the
sectional elevation Figure 1; in this Figure A is a slotted block in the slot of which
there is a sleeve-nut B held therein by collars at each end of the said sleeve and
through this sleeve B (which is threaded in its interior) there is screwed a screw C
the latter being mounted in bearings D at each end, the screw as shewn in the
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page_text: +
drawing being prevented from shifting endwise by a fixed pin in the bearing taking
into a circumferential groove in the screw.
The screw is provided with some suitable means for turning same, as for example a
head C which may be turned by a cross bar inserted through a hole or aperture
therein. On the base of the slotted block A there is a downwardly projecting detent
tooth A and at or about the top of the said detent tooth A' there is a projection A².
E represents a link which is to be held by the detent and F is the head of the draw
bar which forms or carries the bearings D of the detent apparatus and this head Fis
formed with a conical entrance F₁ for receiving the link E and guiding it into
position and there is also a recess F2 into which the projection A² on the block A
takes when the said block is in its "blocked" position.
When the link E is advanced to the coupling it is guided by the conical entrance F¹
and strikes the curved rear part of the detent A¹ causing the latter to rise to the
dotted position indicated in Figure 1. The detent will then fall by gravity and enter
the loop of the coupling link E and the screw C is then rotated and traverses the
sleeve nut B and causes the projection A² to enter the slot F2 thus locking the
coupling and the detent tooth A¹ travelling relatively to the conical head draws up
the slack of the coupling. The return motion of the screw releases or unlocks the
detent tooth A and the link E may be released by raising the block A; there is
a ring shown provided for this purpose or other convenient device may be substituted
therefor.
Figure 2 shows a somewhat modified form of coupling, differing in a few of its
constructional details from that shown at Figure 1: thus the sleeve B is dispensed
with, the screw C being plain where it passes through the slot of the block A, and
being retained within the said slot by a collar Cx at one side and the head at the
other while at the same time it is capable of being rotated. The screw C is tapped or
screwed into the bearing part D and by turning the said screw C, after the
detent A¹ has entered the link E, the slack is taken up and the coupling locked as
before.
In some cases the block need not be slotted but may be carried on a hinged or
jointed screw as is shewn in the sectional elevation Figure 3.
D' is a pin passing through lugs D on the part F and through an eye formed at
the end of the screw C. The sleeve nut B passes through and is free to turn in the
block A and is also threaded onto the screw C, and the said sleevo has a pierced head
through which a vice handle is passed the detent being retained in position by a nut
or collar screwed or pinned on the sleeve B and by this handle the sleeve may be
turned, the block and detent traversed and the slack thus taken up. The detent is
prevented from rising a greater distance than necessary by means of the tooth C¹× on
the screw C coming in contact with the head F, or a spring A² may be inserted
to cause detent to fall with greater rapidity. The coupling is locked when the
slack is gathered for the detent cannot then rise without stretching the coupling
link.
Such a construction of coupling as is shewn in Figure 3 may be variously modified
without departing from the main features of same, that is, the hinged arm or screw
carrying the detent may be retained while the particular arrangement of same may be
varied as is shewn at Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7.
Figure 4 shews such a coupling in elevation; C' is a yoke piece hinged at D¹ and
passed through the head of this yoke and free to turn therein is a screw C held in
front by a collar C*. The threaded end of the screw takes onto the block A so that
as the screw C is turned, by means for example of a lever or vice handle inserted
the solid forged collar D, the block A will be traversed and the slack of the coupling
taken up. The locking may be effected in same manner as before stated with regard
to Figure 3.
In Figure 5 which shews the coupling in the locked or tightened up position, the
screw C is carried in a manner similar to that shewn at Figure 4 and the threaded
end takes into a nut B. To the nut B is mounted by trunnions the upper end of the
block A which in this case is formed as a lever, being fulcrummed, about centrally,

page_text: t A. The fulcrum pin A* is carried by one end of a link G the other end of which
s pivoted to the lug D and the lower end A' of the lever A forms the detent and the
arm G and screw C with their jointing parts comprise a kind of parallel motion. The
screw C. being rotated turns the lever A about its fulcrum A* and adjusts the position
of the detent A'.
Figure 6 shews a somewhat similar arrangement to that shewn at Figure 5. The
hinged arm G carries at its end the pin A* which forms the fulcrum for the detent A¹
and for the upper arms A of same which at their upper ends are jointed to the nut B
in which the plain part of the screw C is free to turn. The threaded end of the
Screw C takes into the hinged part 1; both the parts and G are free to oscillate
on the pin D. When the screw C is turned the nut B will be traversed and the
lever A A will be rocked as in Figure 5. The coupling is shewn before being
tightened up that is in its unlocked position,
In Figure 7 the part C into which the screw C is threaded is pivotted on the
pin D which in this case is situated at the rear of the detent A¹. The action of this
arrangement is very similar to those previously described and will be readily under-
stood by an inspection of the drawing Figure 7.
The above arrangement of couplings namely those shewn at Figures 3 to 7
inclusive may be provided with other locking devices than that shewn at Figure 3,
for example the block A or the detent A¹ may be provided with a projection to
take into a corresponding recess or vice versa in the part F when the coupling is
tightened up.
In some cases the coupling may be actuated by other mechanical means than the
screw, such as by levers or equivalent devices.
An arrangement in which the detent A' is controlled by a lever is shewn at
Figures 8, 9 and 9 Figure 8 being an elevation, Figure 9 a sectional detail view and
Figure 9 a front view of the detent A' detached.
The detent A¹ passes through a slot in the coupling head F and the shoulders A¹×
Figure 9 rest on the upper surface of the said head F. Studs pass from the upper
end of the detent A' and enter slots formed in the head of a lever H fulcrummed
at D to the head F. When the coupling link E is advanced it strikes the curved or
bevel point of the detent A' and as the latter is formed in front with a vertical part
extending above the stud or pivot of detent which part abuts against a vertical guide
formed on the head F. When the detent is struck as aforesaid it will be caused to rise
vertically in the slots of the lever H and when the link E has passed the detent will
fall by its own weight into the position shewn at Figures 8 and 9 and secure same.
In order to take up the slack and lock the coupling the lever H is moved in the
direction of the arrow Figure S and slides the detent A¹ backwards and the lever is
then secured in position by any convenient or well known mechanical device, for
example, a ratchet and pawl arrangement may be employed. The detent A¹ will
retain its position as it will be prevented from rising because when the lever H is in
its locked position the studs of the detent will be situated at the ends of the slots and
other motion will be prevented on account of the bearing that the shoulders A¹× have
on the coupling head. To uncouple, the lever H is moved in the reverse direction to
the arrow Figure 8 and the detent A¹ is then lifted by means of a ring as shewn.
Figure 10) shews a somewhat similar lever arrangement to that shown at Figures 8, 9
and and will not require a full description as after the explanation given with
reference to the previous arrangement an inspection of the drawing of this Figure
will be sufficient, I would however point out that the chief feature of difference is,
that at Figure 10, the lever is reversed in its position and direction of motion.
Figure 11 shews a lever arrangement somewhat similar to that shewn at Figure 10
but in this case the detent is of lever form and is fulcrummed by a link from the
head F and thus when the lever H is moved in the direction of the arrow the upper
arm of the detent is traversed forwards and the tooth backwards and the slack is
taken up, and the locking may be performed by ratchet and pawl gear on the lever or
other convenient device.
In Figure 12 the detent is also of lever form but is fulcrumed at its upper end by

page_text: a link from the head while studs from the middle part of the detent pass through
the slotted ears of the lever H.
In the arrangement shewn at Figure 13 the lever H is pivoted at D' to the head F
and is provided with a downwardly extending arm H¹ to which is jointed an extension
of the detent A' and the latter is also formed with shoulders A¹× and there is a ring
on the upper part of the detent extension for raising the detent from its engagement
with the link E. The entrance of the said link E tilts the detent which immediately
falls and secures the coupling, the detent being prevented from being thrown too far
upwards by a lug formed on its extension by moving the lever in the direction of the
arrow the slack is taken up and the detent prevented from accidentally rising. The
lever H may be secured in position as in the previous arrangements.
Figure 14 shows a modified arrangement of the coupling shewn at Figure 13. In
this case the detent is tilted up by the entrance of the link E and then falls as before
and by moving the lever H in the direction shewn by the arrow the slack is taken up
and the lever is then fixed. The coupling may be released by moving the lever in
the reverse direction to that shown by the arrow until a projection on the underside
of the detent extension comes against the lever H when the detent will be carried
upwards and the link E released.
Couplings as herein described may by suitable arrangement of rods, levers and
toothed gearing be operated from the outside or inside of the vehicles obviating the
necessity for approaching the couplings or going between the waggons. And it will
also be obvious that such coupling buffers as described in the Specifications of the
aforementioned Patents could if desired be altered or constructed according to my
hereindescribed invention.
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 I am aware
that prior to my invention patents have been granted to William Robert Lake dated
15th April 1876, No. 1607, to Alfred Buckingham Ibbotson and Frederick John
Talbot dated 2nd November 1878 No. 4446, and also to George Turton dated 11th June
1887 No. 8451 in the Specifications of these Patents are described and shewn coupling
heads having mouths or openings sloping inwardly for the reception of the coupling
links and provided with pins hanging from levers jointed to the said heads for securing
the coupling links.
I am also aware that the aforesaid Specifications describe means for tightening up
the couplings by forming the coupling heads in various parts, or by applying screw
or excentric and lever devices to tighten the said couplings or interposing wooden
blocks between same and also according to the aforesaid Specification No. 444678 the
pins may be locked by letting a weighted arm rest on the coupling hook. I therefore
do not lay claim to the aforesaid devices as therein described and shown but what!
do claim is -
First. In railway couplings the combination with the coupling head F having
conically formed mouth F¹ and coupling link E of the slotted block A formed with
detent A¹, on screw C, with or without the sleeve B whereby the detent is automatically
raised and falls vertically, and the link E is thereby secured and the detent is also
capable of being traversed relatively to the conical mouth for taking up the slack of
the coupling substantially as herein before described with reference to Figures 1 and 2
of the accompanying drawings.
Second. In railway couplings the combination with the detent to which traversing
motion is or may be communicated, of the locking devices, consisting of a projection
on one part taking into a recess on the other part substantially as set forth.
Third. In railway couplings the combination with the head F and coupling link E
of the block A with detent A¹, the screw C, either jointed or capable of being swung
about pivot D, with or without the sleeve B, and provided with stop or locking
device or locking action all substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore
described and illustrated with reference to Figures 3, 4 and 7 of the accompanying
drawings.
"

page_text: Fourth. In Railway couplings, the combination with the head F and coupling link E,
of the lever detent A A', the screw C capable of being swung about pin D', the
sleeve or nut B, and arm or arms G, all substantially as described and illustrated
with particular reference to Figures 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.
Fifth. In railway couplings the construction and arrangement of parts substantially
as shewn and described with reference to Figures 8 to 12 inclusive of the
accompanying drawings.
Sixth. In railway couplings, the construction and arrangements of parts substantially
as shewn and described with reference to Figures 13 and 14 inclusive of the
accompanying drawings.
T
ay or vandaly Love.
A. E. SCHURR.
By Brewer & Son,
33, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.