IMPROVE- MENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY WAGONS
Year: 1884

page_text: We JAMES BALLANTYNE HANNAY, of Cove Castle, Lochlong, in the county of
Dumbarton, Chemist, and JOHN COWAN, of Glasgow, in the county of Lanark,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY WAGONS" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in couplings for railway wagons.
The improved coupling consists of a single forked link or a double link fitted to
embrace the ordinary draw hook of the wagon, and secured to the shank of the
draw hook by a pin, on which the link is free to swivel vertically. Near the free
ends of this link are jointed the limbs of a U-shaped link whose doubled end
engages with the draw hook of the next wagon. The free ends of the first link
extend out boyond the joint and are bent out laterally to support the U-link on
the lower side, while leaving it free to swivel upwards on its joint as a centre.
The double swivelling link is hung by a chain or chains to lover arms fitted on a
transverse shaft, which extends right across the end of the wagon, and is free to
swivel in bearing brackets secured on the wagon. At either or both ends of this
shaft a hand lever is fitted, and when turned this lover, acting through the lever
arm and chain, raises the swivelling link and hook-engaging link to or nearly to a
vertical position in proximity to the end of the wagon; and in this way the
engaging link is raised off the hook to uncouple the wagons. The wagons are again
coupled by turning the hand lever in the opposite direction to bring down the
links, when the U-link drops over the draw hook of the adjacent wagon, and the
centre part of the two links or parts of the coupling drops down or hangs like
the ordinary chain coupling. The links thus freely yield when the wagons
approach each other closely, and are drawn up to an approximately horizontal
position when the wagons are drawn apart. The cross shaft by means of which
the coupling links are raised and lowered, is made in the form of a crank, the mid
part of its length on which the lever arms are formed being out of line with and
nearer to the end of the wagon than the outer ends which are fitted in the bearing
brackets a short way out from the end of the wagon. The cranked part of the
shaft is by preference so formed that it is slightly inclined downwards from the
horizontal position when the coupling links are raised up in line with the end of

page_text: the wagon. The object of forming the crank on the shaft is that when the coupling
links are raised, they are automatically locked there, and can only be brought down
by the attendant turning the shaft, as the strain on the arms due to the weight of
the coupling only tends to prevent the cranked shaft from turning. The crank on
the shaft is further bent or cranked at right angles to the main crank, so that
when the coupling is raised against the end of the wagon the cross shaft may not
be in the way and prevent the coupling link on an adjacent wagon being passed
over the draw hook.

page_text: DEVIFICATION.
We, JAMES BALLANTYNE HANNAY of Cove Castle, Lochlong, in the County of
Dumbarton, Chemist, and JOHN COWAN of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY WAGONS;" and in what manner the same in to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
:
Our Invention relates to improvements in couplings for railway wagons, and it;
consists of novel mechanical arrangements by means of which the wagons may be
coupled or uncoupled, without the necessity for the attendant entering between the
wagons to effect the coupling operation.
Our Invention is illustrated by the accompanying Drawings, in which Figure 1
is a sectional elevation, and Figure 2 is a plan of portions of a pair of wagons fitted
with a modification of our improved coupling. Figure 3 is an elevation of a
modified form of the coupling hook.
The modification of our improved coupling shown in Figures 1 and 2 consists of
a single forked link or a double link A, fitted to embrace the ordinary draw-hook B
of the wagon W, and secured to the shank of the drawhook B on which the link A.
is free to swivel vertically. Near the free end of this link A are jointed the limbs
of a U-shaped link C, whose doubled end engages with the draw-hook B' of the
adjacent wagon W₁. The free ends of the first link A may extend out beyond the
joint or they may be formed with shoulders a to support the U-link C on the lower
side, while leaving it free to swivel upwards on its joint as a centre. The double
swivelling link A is hung by a chain or chains D to lever arms E fitted on the
cranked part F¹ of a transverse shaft F, which extends right across the end of the
wagon, and is free to swivel in bearing brackets of secured on the wagon. At
either or both ends of this shaft F, a hand lever F is fitted, and when turned this´
lever, acting through the lever arm E and chain D, raises the swivelling link ✪ to
or nearly to a vertical position in proximity to the end of the wagon, as is indicated
by the dotted lines in Figure 1; and in this way the engaging link C is raised off
the hook B' to uncouple the wagons W, W'. The wagons are again coupled by
turning the hand lever F in the opposite direction to bring down the links ▲ Ć,
when the U-link C drops over the draw-hook B' of the adjacent wagon W¹, and
the centre part of the two links or parts of the coupling drops down or hangs like
the ordinary chain coupling, as shown by the full lines. The links ▲, Ơ, thus
freely yield when the wagons approach each other closely, and are drawn up to an
approximately horizontal position when the wagons are drawn apart. The cross
shaft F, by means of which the coupling links are raised and lowered, is made in
the form of a crank F' the mid-part of its length, on which the lower arms E are
formed or secured, being out of line with and nearer to the end of the wagon than
the outer ends which are fitted in the bearing brackets ƒ a short way out from the
end of the wagon. That is, the position of the cranked shaft F when the coupling
is disengaged, its position being reversed as shown, when the coupling is engaged.
The cranked part Fl of the shaft F is by preference so formed that it is slightly

page_text: inclined downwards and backwards from the horizontal position, when the coupling
links are raised up in line with the end of the wagon. The object of forming the
crank on the shaft is that when the coupling links are raised, they are automatically
locked there, and can only be brought down by the attendant turning the shaft, as
the strain on the arms E due to the weight of the coupling, being nearly in the line
of the centre on which the shaft F turns, only tends to prevent the crank shaft
from turning or being canted accidentally. The crank F' on the shaft F is in some
cases further bent or cranked at right angles to the main crank F', as shown at ƒ¹,
so that when the coupling links are raised against the end of the wagon, the cross
shaft F, F, may not be in the way and prevent the coupling link C on an adjacent 1
wagon being passed over the draw-hook.
In this modification is illustrated an application of coupling links in which there
aro no centre pins, the use of centro pins being considered by many practical_men
as objectionable. The link A is fitted into a notch b' in the draw hook B, by
dropping the link in at a flattened part a¹, of its longth which enters the top of the 1
notch; and then turning the link so that its end, which is of round section, fits the
lower part of the notch and cannot be lifted out by accident. This is an arrange-
ment already in common use, and does not per se form part of our Invention. The
free ends of the link A are formed with forged eyes which engage similar eyes in
the ends of the link C. Shoulders a are formed on the eyes of the link A, which
act on projections c on the eye of the link C to couple or uncouple it as the link A
is raised or lowered by the shaft F.
In Figure 3, wires D replace the chains employed in the first modification to
raise the coupling links, and the link. A is double, and is jointed to tho draw hook
by a pin in the usual manner.
The coupling links A C and devices for actuating the same, are by preference
fitted on each end of each wagon, but the improved coupling is equally adapted
for engaging or coupling wagons fitted with the ordinary draw-hook and chain
coupling.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, wo declare that what
wo clam is
First. The arrangement or combination of parts forming the improved coupling
herein described and illustrated.
Second. The combination of the links A, C, chains or cords D, lover arms E and
shaft Farranged to operate in the manner herein described and illustrated.
Third. The cross shaft F formed with a crank or cranks thereon, and provided
with the arms E in combination with the connecting chains or cords D and link A
of a wagon coupling, substantially as described and illustrated.
TLİ ALİ. Dah doar of March 1885