Improvements in Couplings for Railway and like Vehicles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Apr., 1899-Accepted, 24th June, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Couplings for Railway and like Vehicles.
I, CHARLES DIETZ, of 815, South Halsted Street, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois,
United States of America, Engineer, 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:.
-
My invention relates to that class of car couplers which is known as automatic
car couplers of the "M.C.B." type, and particularly to the means for holding and
locking the parts in their coupling position.
The object of the invention is to provide a simple, economical and efficient car
coupler; and the invention consists in the features, combinations and details of
construction hereinafter described and claimed.
In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan sectional view of an
automatic coupler constructed in accordance with my improvements and taken on
line 1 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 a transverse sectional elevation, taken on line 2 of
Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a side elevation of the locking pin; Fig. 4 a side elevation of a
portion of the tail with the coupling knuckle; and Fig. 5 an end view of
Fig. 4.
In the art to which this invention relates, it is well known that there is con-
siderable difficulty in keeping the knuckle in its coupling position-the
position shown in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings. It is usual in this class
of couplers to have their locking pins arranged in a vertical plane, so that when a
train of cars is going down hill and bumping into each other the shocks are liable to
raise the pins in such a manner that the next pull on the knuckle unlocks the same
and breaks the train. Such a condition as above outlined is liable to result in a
serious accident when the cars approach a level or up grade. The principal
object of my invention, therefore, is to remove this objection and provide an
automatic coupler in which the link pin will stay locked in and under any ordinary
conditions.
In constructing a car coupler in accordance with my improvements I use the
usual draw-bar A provided with a head B, in which a knuckle C is pivotally
mounted. The parts described up to this point are of the usual and ordinary forin
of M.C.B. construction.
C
In order to keep the knuckle locked in its coupling position and permit it to be
unlocked whenever it may be desirable or necessary, a locking pin D is provided
and inserted in openings in the head at an angle to a vertical plane. The tail e of
the knuckle is bevelled at el so as to correspond substantially with the angle in
which the locking pin is arranged, so that when the parts are in coupling engage-
ment, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the tendency will be to keep them locked-that
is, the pull on the knuckle makes the adjacent contacting faces act in a cam-like
manner so as to keep the locking pin in its locking position.
To further assist in keeping the locking pin in its locked position, the upper
portion of the same is provided with a head d, and arranged adjacent thereto
and underneath the same is a recess which forms a shoulder de, so that when the

page_text: pin is in its locking position this shoulder comes underneath and spans the upper
Hange or web b of the drawbar head and prevents the pin from being unlocked until
the pull is removed from the coupling knuckle.
It will be noticed when examining Fig. 2 that the perforation 61 arranged in the
top of the drawbar head is wider than the neck of the locking pin, or fully as wide
as the main body portion of the pin, so that such pin may be moved back at its
upper portion and the entire body of the same brought into alignment with the hole
to permit the withdrawal of the pin.
In order to assist in making the coupling engagement of the parts, the locking
pin is provided with a cam surface Di and the tail of the knuckle with a cam
surface 2, so that during the coupling action the tail is swung back. Its cam
surface then strikes the cam surface of the pin, throws the upper part of the pin
back against the surface 2 of the draw-bar head and elevates the pin. The further
swinging of the knuckle swings it into the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and
allows the locking pin to drop into its locking position. The pull of the car throws
the locking pin over into the position shown in Fig. 2, from which it cannot be
removed until the pull on the knuckle is removed and the pin lifted by hand or
otherwise.
While I have described my invention with more or less minuteness as regards
form, details of construction and arrangement, I do not desire to be limited thereto
unduly, or any more than is pointed out in the claims. On the contrary, I
contemplate all proper changes in form, construction and arrangement, the
omission of immaterial elements and the substitution of equivalents, as circum-
stances may suggest or necessity render expedient.
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 coupler, the combination of a draw-bar head, a coupling knuckle
pivotally secured therein and provided with a tail portion the side locking face
of which is arranged at an angle to the vertical plane, and a sliding locking pin
arranged in the draw-bar head at an angle to the vertical and horizontal planes and
provided with a locking face arranged at an angle to the vertical plane and to be
contacted by the side locking face of the knuckle tail and assist in holding the
parts in their locked coupling position, substantially as described.
2. In a car coupler, the combination of a draw-bar head, a knuckle pivotally
secured therein provided with a tail portion, a sliding locking pin arranged in the
draw-bar head at an angle to the vertical and horizontal planes and provided with
a cam, surface adapted to be contacted by the coupling Knuckle while it is being
swung into its locking position and cause the pin to be elevated, substantially as
described.
3. In a car coupler, the combination of a draw-bar head, a coupling knuckle
provided with a pulling portion and a tail portion pivotally mounted within the
draw-bar head, a locking pin arranged in the draw-bar head at an angle to the
vertical plane provided with a shoulder portion adapted to lock with a portion of
the draw-bar head when the parts are in their locked position, and a cam portion
on such locking pin adapted to be contacted by the tail of the knuckle during the
swinging of the knuckle into its locking position and cause the pin to be elevated,
substantially as described.
4. In a car coupler, the combination of a hollow draw-bar head, a knuckle
provided with a pulling portion and a tail portion pivotally mounted so as to
swing in the draw-bar head, a locking pin arranged in the draw-bar head at an
angle to the vertical plane and provided with a recess arranged to span a portion
of the draw-bar head and lock the pin in its locking position, and a cam surface
on one of the parts--the tail of the coupling knuckle or the locking pin-so
arranged that the locking pin is lifted and unlocked while the knuckle is being 5
swung into its locking position, substantially as described.

page_text: 5. In a car coupler, the combination of a draw-bar head, a coupling knuckle
provided with pulling and tail portions, a cam portion arranged at the end of the
tail portion, a locking pin arranged in the draw-bar head at an angle to the vertical
plane so as to be contacted by the coupling knuckle and lock the parts firmly iu
coupling position, a recess arranged in the coupling pin at or near its upper portion
so as to span the upper web or flange of the draw-bar head and further hold the
parts in locked position, and a cam portion on one side of the locking pin
arranged to be contacted by the cam on the end of the coupling knuckle while it
is being swung into its locking position so as to unlock and lift the coupling pin
during such movement, substantially as described.
6. In a car coupler, the combination of a hollow draw-bar head, a coupling
knuckle of the M.C.B. type provided with a face on its tail portion arranged at
an angle to the vertical plane and a cam c², a locking pin arranged in the draw-bar
head at an angle to the vertical plane so as to contact the angular face of the tail
of the coupling knuckle, a recess in the upper part of the locking pin adapted to
span a portion of the upper part of the draw-bar and assist in holding the locking
pin in its locked position, a cam on the coupling pin arranged to be
contacted by the cam on the tail of the coupling knuckle while it is being swung
into its locking position so as to lift and unlock the coupling pin, substantially as
described.
Dated this 25th la f
L 1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.