Improved Coupling Mechanism for Railway Carriages and other Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Feb., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 20th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 30th Jan., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Coupling Mechanism for Railway Carriages and other
Vehicles.
I, ARTHUR BRIGGS of The Vale, St. John's Road, Leicester, Manufacturer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention is designed with the object of applying to railway carriages and
like vehicles, apparatus by which they may be automatically coupled upon being
moved into contact with each other.
The said apparatus is also constructed so as to admit of uncoupling being effected
from the side of the carriage thereby obviating the necessity for a person to go
between the carriages for that purpose.
A coupling constructed in accordance with this invention may consist of a hook
located at the end of the carriage between the buffers and capable of being engaged
by a link, loop or equivalent similarly situated on the adjacent carriage.
Each end of the carriage is provided with both a hook and a link arranged so
that both of the hooks and both of the links or loops may be engaged at the same
time, that is to say the hook and link on one carriage may at the same time be in
engagement with the link and hook respectively on the adjacent carraige.
The link or loop may be retained in position to automatically engage the hook,
by a spring or other ineans and the hook is formed with an inclined face so that
when two carriages come together the link or loop may ride up the hook and
become interlocked.
The links or loops may be connected to the hooks in any convenient manner or
to a rod or equivalent stretching from side to side of the carriage and a lever or
levers or a continuation of the before mentioned rod, extending to the side of the
carriage may be employed for uncoupling the link or loop and hook.
The links when both are to simultaneously engage the hooks on the adjacent
carriages may be made of different widths or otherwise arranged so that the one.
may pass over or within the other to engage the hook.
Suitable means may be employed to keep the said levers or rods in position after
uncoupling is effected.
The hook preferably may be provided with a suitable spring to intercept the
shock upon the starting of the carriages.
Dated this 19th day of February 1896.
BOULI & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Coupling Mechanism for Railway Carriages and other
Vehicles.
1, ARTHUR BRIGGS of The Vale, St. John's Road, Leicester, Manufacturer
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 :-
This invention is designed with the object of applying to railway waggons and

page_text: like vehicles, apparatus by which they may be automatically coupled upon being
moved into contact with each other.
The said apparatus is also constructed so as to admit of uncoupling being effected
from the side of the waggons thereby obviating the necessity for a person to go
between them for that purpose.
A coupling constructed in accordance with this invention may consist of a hook
located at the end of the waggon between the buffers and capable of being engaged
by a link, loop or equivalent similarly situated on the adjacent waggon.
Each end of the waggon is provided with both a hook and a link arranged so
that if desired both of the hooks and both of the links or loops may be engaged at
the same time, that is to say the hook and link on one waggon may at the same
time he in engagement with the link and hook respectively on the contiguous
waggon.
The link or loop may be retained in position to automatically engage the hook,
by a spring or other means and the hook formed with an inclined face so that when
two waggons come together the link or loop may ride up the hook and become
interlocked therewith.
The links or loops may be connected to the hooks in any convenient manner or
to a rod or equivalent stretching from side to side of the waggon and a lever or
levers or a continuation of the before mentioned rod, extending to the side of the
waggon may be employed for uncoupling the link or loop and hook.
The links when both are to simultaneously engage the hooks on adjacent waggons
may be made of different widths or otherwise arranged so that the one may pass
over or within the other to engage the hook.
The invention will be more completely understood from the following further
description having reference to the accompanying drawings in which,
Figure 1 represents a top plan view of the framework underneath the ends of
two contiguous waggons, my improved coupling apparatus being applied thereto
and shown in gear. In this figure the body of the waggon is removed and shown
in dotted line for clearness sake.
Figure 2 is an end elevation of a waggon with my improved coupling gear fitted
thereto, the loops heing shown in the raised or uncoupled position.
Figure 3 is a detail view partly in section showing both loops and both hooks in
gear simultaneously.
Figure 4 is a plan of a modification.
Figure 5 is a detail view illustrating an alternative construction of hook
or link.
A represents the draw bar passing centrally under the waggon, through an
opening in a depending plate A secured to the floor of the waggon by bolts A2
and also through an opening in a crossbar B fastened by bolts B' to two longitudinal
bars C suitably connected to the floor of the waggon.
The part of the draw bar projecting beyond the end of the waggon and between
the buffers is in the form of a hook A³ the neck of which is preferably enlarged
to form a shoulder A Fig. 3 that in its normal position bears against the plate A
and thereby restricts the inward movement of the draw bar hook.
The opposite end of the draw bar just immediately beyond where it passes
through the crossbar is screw threaded and penetrates a spring D of preferably
the laminated type and a nut D' tightened on the end of the draw bar secures the
spring in position pressing against the crossbar B so that it takes any strain or drag
on the hook after coupling has been effected.
As a modification I may employ a powerful coiled spring such as E or any other
type on the end of the draw bar and arrange it so as to be compressible between
the crossbar B and an integral head or enlargement E' on the end of the draw bar
or otherwise.
Each waggon may have on each end a draw bar hook such as described and also
loop or link F the hook on one waggon to be engaged by the loop on the
contiguous waggon and vice versa at the same time or otherwise.

page_text: According to one mode of construction the link may be located immediately
under the hook and form an integral part of or be attached to a rod F¹ stretching
across the ends of the waggon from side to side and having bearings in hangers G
affixed by bolts to the longitudinal bars, or the rear part of the loop may pass
through the enlarged neck of the hook as indicated in Fig. 5 in which case the
bearing in the hanger would take the form of a slot so as to allow the rod F1
and link F the necessary play to move slightly to and fro with the hook.
The ends of the rod are turned at right angles as shown in dotted line in Fig. 2
and are continued to form handles or levers F by which the train attendant
may lower or raise the loop into coupling position or out of engagement with
the hook.
Lever detents JJ secured to the bars C C are furnished with a series of
mushroom headed pins or bolts J₁ against which the handle F may frictionally
hear, will keep the loop in any position desired.
A toothed rack of any well known construction or an arrangement of holes in
the plate and a pin or collar may, as an alternative, be employed to hold the handle
in the required position.
The loop in the position shown in Fig. 2 is raised out of position for coupling
and to place loop in the position for coupling with the hook on an adjacent waggon
the said handle F2 is raised into the position shown in Fig. 1 and indicated by the
dotted line in Fig. 2.
The position of the loop for automatic coupling as will be understood is with its
end arranged so that upon two waggons coming together it will ride up the front
of and over the hook and become interlocked as shown in Fig. 3.
It is obvious however that this position of the loop may be insured in various
ways.
In some cases it will be sufficient to make the loop of the required weight to
keep it in the lowered position, the true angle or position of the loop or link for
sliding up the hook to automatically couple being determined by extending the lip
of the rack forward as indicated by dotted line in Fig. I so that the lever (when
the loops are in the said position) will rest against the lips J2 and overhang the
centre or axis of the loop and further the lever may be enlarged at its upper end
to counterweight it for the same purpose.
As an alternative construction a spiral spring K may encircle the rod F¹ and
one end of the said spring may be let into or attached to the hanger G and the
other end may bear against the loop so that the tendency of the spring is to depress
the loop into the coupling position.
It is obvious that coupling of two waggons will be efficiently effected if only
one loop and hook on adjacent waggons be in gear, but in order to allow both loops
and both links being in gear at the same time, the loops are by preference made of
unequal widths or sizes as shown in Fig. 1 so that as they come together the one
may pass within or over the other to interlock with its respective hook.
In the modification shown in Fig. 4, loops or angular arms L are shown and
may be employed (instead of loops or links) to engage with the hooks which are
shown in dotted lines.
The operation and the construction in other respects being the same as that
herein before described with reference to the loops.
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 that what I
claim is :-
1. Coupling mechanism for railway and other vehicles, comprising hooks and
loops or links arranged to automatically interlock with each other substantially in
the manner described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
2. In coupling mechanism for railway and other vehicles the combination of
loops or links of different widths and hooks for engaging the same and means for

page_text: moving them into and out of coupling position substantially as described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. In coupling mechanism for railway and other vehicles the combination of
hooks and half loops or angular arms constructed arranged and operating substan-
tially in the manner described and illustrated in Figure 4 of the accompanying
drawings:
4. The improved mechanism for automatically coupling railway and other
vehicles consisting of hooks and links constructed, arranged and operating substan-
tially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 17th day of November 1896.
ARTHUR BRIGGS.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.