Improvements in Railway Couplings.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Nov., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 29th July, 1891-Accepted, 19th Sept.. 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Couplings.
I, GEORGE HIRAM DUKE of Hotchkiss in the County of Delta and State of
Colorado, United States of America, Stock Raiser, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide an automatic coupling by means of
which railway vehicles may be easily coupled together without danger to life, which
is involved when a person has to go between the carriages to couple up, and one
which comprises few parts and is strong durable and efficient. The coupling is
designed for cars of the American type.
The draw head on the car is preferably rectangular having an opening in the
front end, a depending bevelled flange extending from the upper front edge thereof
within said opening, and a vertical perforation to receive an ordinary coupling pin,
a transverse perforation in which a pin may be inserted to hold the draw bar in
position for coupling with an ordinary link, a longitudinal slot in the bottom in
which a dog for lifting the draw bar is movable, and with a vertical perforation
in which a pin is inserted to hold the draw bar in position in the draw head. The
draw bar extends longitudinally through the draw head and is bevelled upon the
upper and lower sides of its forward end portion which is provided upon the under
side with a transverse triangular recess forming a shoulder and head. The bar has
a reduced portion adapted to rest in the rear portion of the drawhead and with an
upwardly projecting flange upon the rear end of the draw bar adapted to limit the
vertical movement of said rear portion. The draw bar is also provided with a
vertical slot through which an ordinary coupling pin may project with a longitudinal
slot through which the pin to hold the drawbar in position in the draw head
extends, and with a shoulder on its under side near the front end the shoulder being
adapted to engage the end of the coupling link and limit its movement in the
drawhead, the latter shoulder and that at the front of the drawbar being just far
enough apart to receive the head of the link between them. The draw bar is so
held that a limited longitudinal movement is permitted and which may be regulated
by the amount of slack desired in starting trains. A perforated plate rests upon
the reduced portion of the draw bar above the slot therein, a pin passing through
said plate, and a spiral spring which encircles the pin rests upon the plate so as to
pear against the same and against the upper portion of the drawhead tending to
ress the draw bar down so as to cause it to readily engage with the coupling link
nd hold the link in its right position. The coupling link has a slot extending
hrough nearly its entire length and the ends of the link are thickened and bevelled
pwardly, thus forming heads which terminate at their inner ends in shoulders and
hich by reason of being bevelled easily enter the drawhead. The shoulders of
he link are adapted to interlock with the shoulders of the draw bars and the ends
f the link are adapted to strike the shoulders of the draw bars and push the draw
ars rearwardly so that they may be easily uncoupled. The coupling is released
y a curved arm or dog attached to a rod which extends transversely across the
wer side of the draw head. This arm is fixed to the rod and extends rearwardly
d upwardly and it projects through the slot of the drawhead and rests against
e lower side of the draw bar. To each end of the rod is fixed a suitable lever,
e inner end of one of said levers being connected with a hand lever pivoted
on the top of the car so that the arm may be operated so as to raise the forward
d of the draw bar when the car is to be uncoupled. The inner end of each lever
the rod is connected with a second hand lever which is pivoted upon the front
[Price 8d1

page_text: end of the car and extends to the side of the car.
The slot in the draw bar should
he of such length as to permit the forward end of the draw bar to extend slightly
beyond the forward end of the draw head.
The device operates as follows:-When the cars to be coupled come together
the link enters the drawhead below the bevelled end of the draw bar and when the
shoulder of the link passes the shoulder of the draw bar, the pressure of the spring
upon the draw bar forces the said shoulders into engagement and when the strain is
applied to pull the cars the forward end of the draw bar will travel down the
hevelled flange of the draw head and the draw bar and link will be firmly wedged
in the front portion of the draw head so that the drawing strain will come entirely
upon the draw bar, the link, and the draw head, as they will form a dead lock and
there will be no strain upon the pin. If necessary or desirable, however, said parts
may be adjusted so that they will not form a dead lock and the strain may be
allowed to fall on the pin. To uncouple the cars, the rod is turned by the lever so
as to raise the curved arm and draw bar thereby disengaging the shoulders so that
the link may be easily drawn from the drawhead. This movement is facilitated by
the inclined flange which enables the draw bar to slide easily backward and the
draw bar will usually be back in position to be easily lifted as it will be forced into
said position by the link.
When an ordinary coupling link is to be used in connection with the device the
draw bar is raised to the upper portion of the drawhead and a pin inserted through
the perforation beneath the draw bar thereby holding it in that position. The
coupling link will then enter the lower portion of the draw bar and a pin may be
inserted through the perforation and through the link in the usual manner.
ordinary coupling pin may also be used with the above described link, said pin
being inserted in the perforation of the drawhead and through the slot of the
link.
Dated thio 7th do of Nombor 1000
An
G. H. DUKE,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Couplings.
I, GEORGE HIRAM DUKE, of Hotchkiss, in the County of Delta, and State of
Colorado, United States of America, Stock Raiser, 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:-
The object of my invention is to provide an automatic coupling by means of
which railway vehicles may be easily coupled together without danger to life which
is involved when a person has to go between the carriages to couple up, and one
which comprises few parts and is strong durable and efficient.
To this end, my invention consists in certain features of construction and
combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and claimed.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, in which
Figure 1 is a broken perspective view shewing the end of a car provided with
a coupling embodying my invention.
and
Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the coupling, on line x a Figure 1,
Figure 3 is a broken horizontal section, on line y-y Figure 2.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
The coupling is designed for cars of the American type.
The car A has suitably supported thereon a drawhead B which is preferably

page_text: rectangular in shape having a suitable opening in the front end and having a
depending bevelled flange B₁ extending from the upper front edge thereof within
said opening. The drawhead B is also provided with a perforation & extending
vertically through the same to receive an ordinary coupling pin with a perforation
extending transversely through the same, in which a pin may be inserted to hold
the draw-bar in position for coupling with an ordinary link as hereinafter described,
with a longitudinal slot in the bottom in which the dog for lifting the darw-bar is
movable as described below, and with a vertical perforation 63 in which a pin is
inserted to hold the draw-bar in position in the drawhead or draw by if desired
by shortening the longitudinal slot in the draw-bar. The draw-bar C extends
longitudinally through the drawhead B and is bevelled upon the upper and lower
sides of its forward end portion which is provided upon the under side with a
transverse triangular recess forming the shoulder c and head C¹, as best shewn in
Figure 2. The shoulder c is adapted to engage a coupling link, as hereinafter
described. The bar is provided with a thin portion C² adapted to rest in the rear
portion of the drawhead and with an upwardly-projecting flange C3 arranged upon
the rear end of the draw-bar and adapted to limit the vertical movement of said
rear portion. The draw-bar C is also provided with a vertical slot c¹ through
which an ordinary coupling pin may project, with a longitudinal slot through
which the pin D extends to hold the draw-bar in position in the drawhead, and
with a shoulder 3 on its under side near the front end, the shoulder being adapted
to engage the end of the coupling link and limit its movement in the drawhead,
the shoulders e and e³ being just far enough apart to receive the head of the link
between them. The pin D extends vertically through the perforation 63 of the
drawhead and through the slot e² of the draw bar, thereby holding the draw bar
in position and permitting a limited longitudinal movement of the same to be
regulated by the amount of slack desired by the operator in starting trains. A
perforated plate E rests upon the portion C of the draw bar above the slot c² of
the same, the pin D passing through said plate and a spiral spring d which
encircles the pin D rests upon the plate so as to bear against the same and against
the upper portion of the drawhead and tends to press the draw-bar downwardly,
so as to cause it to readily engage with the coupling link as described below and
hold the link in its right position. The coupling link F has a vertical slot F
extending through nearly its entire length and the ends of the link are thickened
and bevelled upwardly, thus forming heads which terminate at their inner ends
in the shoulders F2 and which by reason of being bevelled easily enter the
drawhead. The shoulders F of the link are adapted to interlock with the
shoulders c of the draw-bars and the ends of the link are adapted to strike
the shoulders of the draw-bars and push the draw-bars rearwardly so that they
may be easily uncoupled. A rod G extends transversely across the lower side of
the drawhead B being pivoted in suitable supports thereon, said rod having fixed
thereto a rearwardly and upwardly extending curved arm G which projects
through the slot 62 of the drawhead B and rests against the lower side of the
draw-bar C. To each end of the rod G is fixed a suitable lever H, the inner end
of one of said levers being connected by a rod H' with a lever H2 pivoted upon
the top of the car so that by manipulating the said lever the rod H¹ lever H
rod G and arm G' will be actuated, thus raising the forward end of the draw-bar C
when the car is to be uncoupled. The inner end of each lever H is connected
by a rod h' with a lever h which levers are pivoted upon the front end of the car
and extend beyond the outer edges of the same so that the coupling may be
operated from the sides of the car as well as from the top.
In constructing the device, the slot c³ in the draw-bar C should be of such
length as to permit the forward end of the draw-bar to extend slightly beyond
the forward end of the drawhead.
The device operates as follows: When the cars to be coupled come together
the link F enters the drawhead B below the bevelled end of the draw-bar C and
when the shoulder F2 of the link passes the shoulder c of the draw-bar, the pressure

page_text: of the spring d upon the draw-bar forces the said shoulders into engagement and
when the strain is applied to pull the cars the forward end of the draw-bar will
travel down the bevelled flange B' of the drawhead and the drawbar and link will
be firmly wedged in the front portion of the drawhead so that the drawing strain
will come entirely upon the draw-bar, the link, and the drawhead, as they will
form a dead lock and there will be no strain upon the pin D. If necessary or
desirable, however, said parts may be adjusted so that they will not form a dead
lock and the strain may be allowed to fall on the pin D. To uncouple the cars,
the rod G is turned by the lever H² or so as to raise the arm G¹ and draw bar C
thereby disengaging the shoulders c and F2 so that the link may be easily drawn
from the drawhead. This movement is facilitated by the inclined flange B' which
enables the draw-bar to slide easily backward and the draw-bar will usually be
back in position to be easily lifted, as it will be forced into said position by the
link F.
When an ordinary coupling link is to be used in connection with the device the
draw bar C is raised to the upper portion of the drawhead and a pin inserted
through the perforation 6 beneath the draw-bar, thereby holding it in that
position. The coupling link will then enter the lower portion of the draw-bar and
a pin may be inserted through the perforation and through the link in the usual
An ordinary coupling pin may also be used with the link F, said pin
being inserted in the perforation of the drawhead and through the slot F' of
the link.
manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. A car coupling, consisting essentially of a drawhead supported on a car and
having a depending bevelled flange on the upper side of the entrance thereto, a
spring-pressed draw-bar located in the draw-head and having a bevelled forward
eud and a shoulder thereon, substantially as described.
2. A car coupling, consisting essentially of a drawhead supported on a car and
having a depending bevelled Hange on the upper side of the entrance thereto, a
spring-pressed draw-bar located in the draw-head and having a bevelled forward
end and a locking shoulder thereon and a coupling link bevelled upon its upper
edge and having suitable shoulders to engage the shoulder of the draw-bar, sub-
stantially as described.
3. A car coupling, comprising a drawhead having a depending bevelled flange
on the upper side of the entrance thereto and a spring-pressed draw bar located in
the drawhead and provided with a bevelled forward end having oppositely-arranged
shoulders thereon, substantially as described.
4. In a car coupling, the combination, with a drawhead suitably supported upon
a car and having a depending bevelled flange at the front entrance thereto and a
spring pressed draw-bar located in the drawhead and provided with a bevelled
front and having a suitable locking shoulder on the under side thereof, of a
coupling link bevelled upon its upper sides and provided with suitable shoulders
to engage the locking shoulder of the draw-bar, a rod mounted transversely on the
under side of the drawhead and provided with an upwardly-extending arm projecting
through a slot in the drawhead and resting against the draw-bar and a suitable
lever mechanism connected with said rod and extending to the top and sides
of the car by which the rod and draw bar may be operated, substantially as
described.
5. The combination, with the drawhead B suitably supported upon a car and
provided with the bevelled flange B₁ at its entrance and the draw bar C having
the bevelled head C', the locking shoulder c and a suitable spring pressing
downwardly thereon, of the link F having the shoulders F and bevelled ends and
the rod G mounted upon the under side of the drawhead and having the arm G
projecting through a slot in the drawhead and resting against the drawbar, the

page_text: lever H fixed to the outer end of the said rod and the levers H² and suitably
connected with said lever H and by means of which the draw bar may be operated,
substantially as described.
6. In a car coupling, the combination, with the drawhead B suitably supported
on the car and provided with a vertical perforation 63, of the draw bar C adapted
to engage the coupling link and having a slot c² therein and the pin D extending
through the perforation and slot c² so as to permit a limited longitudinal
movement of the draw-bar, substantially as described.
Dated this 29th July 1891.
G. H. DUKE,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark.