Improvements in Safety Car-couplings and Brakes.
Year: 1888

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Safety Car-couplings and Brakes.
I, ALEXANDER HODGSON, of Cochranville, in the County of Chester, and State of
Pennsylvania, United States of America, Farmer, 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 :-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in Safety car-couplings and brakes
and is hereinafter described with reference to the annexed drawings.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1, is a transverse vertical sectional view of my improved coupling and
brake, through a b of Figure 2.
Figure 2, is a horizontal sectional view of Figure 1.
Figure 3, is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of my improved coupling and
brake through c d of Figure 2, showing it also coupled to an ordinary link and pin
draw-head.
Figure 4, is an end view of platform and railing of a passenger car fitted with my
improved coupling and brake.
Figure 5, is an isometrical view of one end of a freight car fitted with my improved
coupling and brake.
Figure 6, is a horizontal sectional view of my improved coupling and brake
operated by means of levers and chains.
Figure 7, is also a horizontal sectional view of my improved coupling and brake
operated by different arrangements of levers and chains from those shown in Figure 6.
Many accidents occur to train-men in coupling and uncoupling cars with the
ordinary link coupling, and to passengers in case a car of a train is derailed without
being detached from the rest of the train. One of the objects of my invention is to
substitute a safe mode of coupling and uncoupling cars and also a means by which a
derailed car fitted with my improved coupling will automatically detach itself from
the rest of the train as soon as it leans at a sufficient angle to turn the improved
link used by me so that it will be detached from the jaws of my coupling.
Also a car
fitted with my improved coupling may be coupled to any car fitted with an ordinary
link coupling using my link in place of the link usually used, as shown in Figure 3.
By means of my invention one man may couple or uncouple the cars and set the
D7

page_text: brakes at the same time from the roof or platform of cars fitted with my improved
coupling and brake.
In my invention the draw-bar or head A is fitted with the guides B B containing
the sliding jaws CC and springs D D D, together with the safety coupling link E, the
movable jaws CC being operated by cams F F on a rock shaft G, Figures 1, 2 and 5,
and the hand-wheels or levers H H or chain 1, rod J and hand-wheel K, or by means
of the rods L L, chains M M, rollers S S hand levers N N, Figure 6, and also
be connected by a chain 1 with the rod J extending to the top of the car as in
Figure 5.
may
Another mode of operating the movable jaws CC, is shown in Figure 7, where
they are moved either by the rods 0 0, L L, levers P P and hand levers N N
together with the chain I and rod J, extending to the top of the car as in
Figure 7, or the rods O O may be omitted and rods QQ and lever R substituted.
The chain I, rod J and hand-wheel K may also be placed at S or other convenient
point, and the chain I attached to it and one of the movable jaws C C. The rod or
shaft J is placed within my hollow brake shaft T and extending above and below it so
that the hand-wheel K of my coupling rod J will be above the hand-wheel U of my
hollow brake shaft T, my coupling shaft J is supported by a pin or collar e resting on
the hollow brake shaft T.
My hollow brake shaft T is fitted with a ratchet wheel fand pawl g by means of
which the bollow brake shaft T may be set in any desired position, the hollow shaft T
being connected by a chain V to the ordinary brake rods p of the car as usually
constructed.
Where it is not desired to use the brake in connection with my coupler, a lever W
and chain X connected with one of the movable jaws C C may be used as shown
in Figure 4, where the jaws being closed the lever W is inclined tending by its
weight to aid in keeping them in that position, by raising it to the vertical position
shown by the dotted lines at h the jaws will be opened and the barbed link released as
shown in Figure 7.
The springs D D D D D D D D are for the purpose of pressing the jaws CC
towards each other except where moved away from each other by the hand-wheel,
chains, levers, rods or cams as shown; the hand-wheels H H may be weighted on the
side that will be lowest when the sliding jaws are closed and the cams are in the
position shown in Figure 1 to aid in keeping the jaws closed. Levers t may be
substituted for the hand-wheels H H.
The safety coupling link E may be straight or bent and have one opening for a pin
in case it is desired to couple to a car arranged for the ordinary link and pin coupling
as shown in figures 2 and 3 or as in Figures 6 and 7 where the barbed link E has two
openings. Figure 3 shows my coupling and link E coupled to an ordinary pin and
link draw-head Y, the ordinary pin being used in the draw-head Y.
The operation of my improved coupling and brake is as follows:-The sliding
jaws Cbeing pushed close together by the springs D D one of my improved safety
coupling links E is placed in a draw-head as at Y, Figure 4, of an ordinary link and
pin coupling or of a car fitted with this improvement, then backed up to one of my
improved couplings as in Figure 3 A when the point k of the barb will force its way
between the jaws CC which will close behind its barbs 11, thus forming the coupling;
when desired to uncouple it from the side, the hand-wheels H H are revolved half-way
round, the cams F F on the rock shaft G forcing back the pins m m and the sliding
jaws CC releasing the barbed point of the barbed link E and allowing it to be with-
drawn by drawing the cars apart.
When desired to uncouple the cars from the roof or platform the hand-wheel K
may be turned winding up the chain I on the rod J thus turning the rock shaft G and
the cams FF similarly forcing back the pins m m and the sliding jaws CC and
releasing the safety coupling link E. In the case of the lever rod and chain
connections shown in Figures 6 and 7, the cars can be coupled and uncoupled from
the side by moving the hand levers N N.
The brakes can be put on or off at the same time from the platform or roof of the

page_text: car by means of the hand-wheel U, hollow brake shaft T and chain V connected to the
ordinary brake rods p of the car.
The springs D D D &c. may be of metal, rubber or other suitable elastic material.
My draw-head, guides, sliding jaws, springs and rock shafts or rods, levers and
chains may be placed in a frame Z which may be bolted or otherwise fastened to the
end or platform of a car u (after removing its draw-head) so old cars may be provided
with my improved coupler and brake with very little expense.
2°
My improved draw-head may be connected to the frame of a car by the ordinary
bolt n and spring o, as shown in Figures 2 and 3.
My improved safety coupling link E is only barbed at the sides I and is of
greater height than width back of the barbs 11 so that when partially revolved as
by a car being derailed the sliding jaws CC will be forced open and the link released.
In Figures 4 and 6 the solid lines show the positions of the parts of my improve-
ment when the sliding jaws C C are closed and the coupling made; in the same
Figures the dotted lines show the relative positions of the same parts when the sliding
jaws are open and the barbed link E released.
In Figure 7 the solid lines show the position of this modification of my improve-
ment with the sliding jaws CC open and my safety coupling link E released; the
dotted lines in the same figure showing the relative position of the parts when the
sliding jaws C Care closed and the coupling made.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. In a car-coupling and brake, the combination consisting of the safety coupling
link E adapted to fit into a draw-head A having guides B B provided with sliding
jaws CC which are operated by the springs D D, cams F F and rock shaft &
arranged as shown and connected with the weighted hand-wheels or levers H H and
chain I, hand-wheel K and rod J in the hollow brake shaft T, also having the brake
hand-wheel U, as described and shown and for the purpose set forth.
2. In a car-coupling and brake the combination consisting of the safety coupling
link E adapted to fit into a draw-head A having guides B B provided with sliding
jaws CC which are operated by the springs 1 D, rods L O P or chains M Q,
levers N N W, chain I, hand-wheel K and rod J also having the brake hand-wheel U,
all connected as shown and for the purpose described.
3. The safety coupling link E formed as shown and having the vertical height back
of the barbs greater than the transverse width at the same point, the barbed
point having the form of a four sided pyramid with bevelled angles so that when
the link is partially turned about 45° on its axis by derailment of the car or other
accident the sliding jaws CC will be forced apart, the links released and the cars
uncoupled, substantially as set forth.
Dated and signed this 9th day of December 1887.