Improvements in Automatic Railway Couplings.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Apr., 1899
1000
04th Fah
1000
Improvements in Automatic Railway Couplings.
We, THOMAS HILTON, of 75, Shaw Road, Oldham, in the County of Lancaster,
Plumber, and JOHN SAMUEL HULTON, of Side Bank, Greenfield, in the County of
York, Accountant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Our said invention relates to improvements in automatic railway couplings, for
coupling together railway carriages and waggons as is well understood.
Our invention has for its object to construct an automatic coupling which can
be readily applied to the existing draw hooks of railway carriages and vans and
which can be disengaged without the necessity of passing between the carriages.
According to our invention we retain the usual draw hooks and we pivot to
such hooks, or to any other suitable part of the frame-work, a link suitably
fashioned to engage the draw hook on an adjoining carriage. These links nor-
mally occupy a horizontal position and are provided with downwardly extending
tail pieces which project below the frame-work of the carriage. A form of link
which we at present consider suitable has the tail piece formed as a jaw so as
to bear against either side of the draw hook, the connecting stud or bolt acting
as a pivot.
When two carriages provided with pivotted links in accordance with our inven-
tion come together one link is pushed up by the other the lower link next encoun-
tering the draw hook, up which rides, until it finally drops by its weight into
engagement with the hook, whereupon the connection of the carriages is co-
plete. The upper link resting on the link engaged with the draw hook prevents
any possibility of the latter rising.
To disengage the coupling links we provide in conjunction with each link a
transverse shaft, carried in suitable bearings beneath the framework of the car-
riage, each shaft carrying a cam or swell against which the tail piece of the link
bears so that by revolving such shaft the link is lifted out of engagement with
the draw hook. The cam or swell is normally kept out of action by means of a
weight such weight being preferably adjustable upon a rod or spindle attached to
the cross shaft.
To allow of the cross shafts being readily actuated we provide hand levers on
either side of the carriage such levers being connected to the cross shafts in any
suitable manner.
These hand levers may be automatically or otherwise locked, so as to retain
the swell, or link actuating part out of action, in any convenient manner if
thought desirable.
The action of any of the parts herein described may be assisted by springs if.
thought necessary.
An important feature of our invention lies in the fact that a carriage provided
with the automatic coupling link herein described can pick-up or engage a
carriage provided simply with a draw hook.

page_text: By means of our invention not only are carriages automatically coupled together
with the utmost facility but by the provision of an arrangement for disengaging
the couplings from the sides of the train, the need for passing between the car-
riages (which is attended with great risks) no longer exists.
کا اجل
DI MOITICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Railway Couplings.
..
Abey 100mg
We THOMAS HILTON, of 75, Shaw Road, Oldham, in the County of Lancaster,
Plumber, and JOHN SAMUEL HULTON, of Side Bank, Greenfield, in the County of
York, Accountant, 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 and accompanying drawings:
"
⚫ Our said invention relates to improvements in automatic railway couplings, for
couping together railway carriages and waggons as is well understood:
Our invention has for its object to construct an automatic coupling which can
be ready applied to the existing draw hooks of railway waggons, carriages, and
vans and which can be disengaged without the necessity of passing between the
waggons or carriages
The nature of our invention and the manner in which the same is carried into
effect will be clearly understood from the following description in which reference
is made to the annexed sheet of drawings.
In the said drawings.
Fig. 1 is a side view of two railway waggons, broken in length, and coupled
together in accordance with our invention the view being partly in' section..
Fig 2 shows an end view of a waggon with our invention applied:
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the right hand half of Fig. 1.
་་་
Fig. 4 is a detail view and shows one of the coupling links raised and held
out of engagement.
According to our invention we retain the usual draw hooks a and we pivot to
each hook, or it might be to any other suitable part of the frame-work, a link b
suitably fashioned to engage the draw. hook on an adjoining waggon or carriage."
These links normally occupy a horizontal position and care formed or provided
with downwardly extending tail pieces 61 which project below the frame work of
the waggon A. A form of link which we consider suitable has the tail piece
formed as a jaw so as to bear against either side of the draw hook, the con-
necting stud or bolt c acting as a pivot.
.
In order to allow for variations in the height of the said links as they approach
the draw hooks (due to the particular load on the waggon) we propose to form
or provide the draw hooks with downwardly extending tail pieces 62 These tail
pieces are preferably formed with inclined faces up which the ends of the
coupling links slide to engage the draw 'hooks.
When two waggons or carriages provided with pivotted links b, b, in accordance
with our invention, come together, one link is pushed up by or overrides the other,
the lower link next encountering the draw hook, up which it rides, until it finally
drops by its weight into engagement with the hook a, whereupon the connection
of the waggons or carriages is complete. The upper link resting on the link
engaged with the draw hook prevents any possibility of the latter rising.

page_text: To disengage the coupling links bb we provide in conjunction with each link a
transverse shaft d carried in suitable bearings e secured beneath the framework
of the vehicle, each shaft carrying a cam or swell g against which the tail
piece of the link bears, so that by revolving such shaft at the required time
the link is lifted out of engagement with the draw hook. The cam or swell g is
normally kept out of action by means of a weight h such weight being preferably
adjustable upon a tail piece or spindle g¹ extending from the cam or swell g.
As an alternative, the weight might be carried on a rod or spindle attached to the
cross shaft d.
To allow of the cross shafts being readily actuated we provide hand levers i on
either side of the carriage such levers being connected to the cross shafts & in
any suitable manner.
These hand levers may if thought desirable be automatically or otherwise
locked so as to hold or retain the swell or link actuating part out of action.
To hold the links clear of the draw hooks, whilst uncoupling is taking place,
we may provide levers j pivotted on cross shafts or the like j.
When the hand levers i are operated to raise the coupling links clear of the
draw hooks the levers ; may be turned up so as to engage a catch or notch ¹ on
the hand levers i and thus lock the levers in the assumed positions.
The locking of the handle in this position holds the link clear of the draw hook.
In Fig. 4, the full lines show the link raised clear of the drawhook and with
the handle locked in position, the dotted lines showing the normal position of
the parts.
The action of any of the parts herein described may be assisted by springs if
thought necessary.
An important feature of our invention lies in the fact that a waggon or carriage
provided with the automatic coupling link herein described can pick-up or engage
a carriage provided simply with a draw hook.
By means of our invention not only are waggons and carriages automatically
coupled together with the utmost facility but by the provision of an arrangement
for disengaging the couplings from the sides of the train, the need for passing
between the waggons and carriages which is attended with great risks, no longer
exists.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
1) The improved method of coupling and uncoupling railway carriages
waggons, vans, or the like, substantially as herein described, and shown.
2) A railway vehicle coupling having a pivotted link formed with a tail piece
bearing against a pivotted disengaging part the link automatically engaging a
suitable draw-hook and being disengaged through the medium of a cross shaft or
its equivalent worked by a side lever or the like substantially as described.
Dated this 15th day of January 1900.
Dated this 15th day of January 1900.
For the Applicants,
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
Chartered Patent Agents, 5, John Dalton Street, Manchester.