IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLING APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY WAGONS AND OTHER SIMILAR VEHICLES
Year: 1884

page_text: I HENRY STEPHENSON of Beighton in the county of Derby, mechanic do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLING APPARATUS FOR
RAILWAY WAGONS AND OTHER SIMILAR VEHICLES to be as follows:—
This Invention relates to improvements in coupling apparatus for Railway
wagons and other similar vehicles."
This Invention consists firstly in apparatus for raising the coupling chain and
secondly in apparatus for moving the coupling link over the hook for coupling
vehicles and the reverse operation for uncoupling.
To raise the coupling chain; a tube or its equivalent is employed to which are
fixed handles one on each side of the vehicle; to this tube a cranked lever is or
cranked levers are fixed so made in parts as to be capable of being lengthened or
shortened; from this lever or these levers, to the end link, is a rod, or rods, secured
to the said link by an ordinary or a swivelling clip, or clips; The cranked lever, or
levers, above described may be connected directly to the clip on the link and may
be made in two or more parts joined by an ordinary rule joint or rule joints.
To move the coupling chain so that the end link thereof will pass over the hook
backwards and forwards and engage with it and disengage from it, a rod is inserted
in the tube firstly described which works freely therein to which handles are fixed
one on each side of the vehicle. A short lever is or short levers are fixed to this
rod, and also to the lower part or furthest section of the cranked lever firstly
described, and they are connected by a rod (or rods).
The tube firstly described in which the rod works is conveniently situated over,
under, or at the back of, the coupling chain and works in bearings or brackets fixed
to the buffer plank, or other part of the frame of the wagon.
In using this apparatus the chain is first lifted by turning the tube by one of its
handles, and then the rod inside the said tube-or its equivalent is turned by one
of the handles, by which the cranked lever firstly described is extended and the
link inoved over the hook to which it is being coupled.
Doted this fourth day of Tanum 1884
JOHN JONES PARKER,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: I HENRY STEPHENSON of Beighton do hereby declare the nature of my Invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLING APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY WAGONS AND OTHER
SIMILAR VEHICLES and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This Invention consists firstly in apparatus for raising the coupling chain and
secondly in apparatus for moving the coupling link over the hook for coupling
vehicles and the reverse operation for uncoupling.
To raise the coupling chain a tube or its equivalent is employed to which are
fixed handles one at each side of the vehicles, to this tube a cranked lever is, or
cranked levers are fixed so made in parts as to be capable of being lengthened or
shortened from this lever or these levers, to the end link is a Rod or Rods secured
to the said link by an ordinary or a swivelling clip or clips. The cranked lever or
levers above described may be connected directly to the clip on the link, and may
be made in two parts joined by an ordinary rule joint.
In using this apparatus the chain is first lifted by turning the tube by one of its
handles and then the Rod inside the said tube or its equivalent is turned by one of
the handles by which the cranked lever firstly described is extended and the link
moved over the hook to which it is being coupled.
To move the coupling chains so that the end link thereof will pass over the hook
backwards and forwards and engage with it and disengage from it, a rod is inserted
in the tube firstly described which works freely therein, to which handles are fixed
one on each side of the vehicle, a short lever is (or short levers are) fixed to this
Rod, and also to the lower part or furthest Section of the cranked lever firstly
described and they are connected by a Rod (or Rods).
The tube firstly described in which the rod works is conveniently situated over
under or at the back of the coupling chain and works in leverings or brackets fixed
to the buffer plank or other part of the f.ame of the wagon.
The accompanying drawings illustrate my Invention as applied in coupling
apparatus for Railway wagons and other similar vehicles.
Fig 1. Is a side view in elevation showing apparatus and position of levers before
coupling also position of levers and chain when coupled before the train is in
motion.
Fig 2. Is a side view in elevation showing apparatus coupled and position of
levers when the train is in motion and the chain at full length.
Fig 3. Is an enlarged section of the tube, boss and Rod showing the position of
handles when the chain is uncoupled and apparatus not working.
Fig 4. Is an enlarged cross section of part elevation of apparatus.
Fig 5. Is a front view in elevation of the entire apparatus.
Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
A is a lever secured to the tube, A' is a lever secured to the end link of the chain
and coupled to A with a joint the operator moves the lever or handle E on the end
of the tube outside of the wagon lifting the chain with the lever or handle E to the
under side of the hook on the opposite wagon then by moving lever or handle F in
the opposite direction the levers B and B are moved drawing the coupling chain
clear of the hook, then moving the said bandle F in the opposite direction places
the coupling chain on the hook and by reversing the operation the coupling chain
is unhooked and lowered to the position in Fig 1.

page_text: The following is an explanation of the letters of reference on the foregoing
Drawings.
A and A are levers worked from tube to chain as shown on Fig 1.
BB are levers worked from chain to Rod as shown on Fig 1.
C is the Tube.
D is the Rod.
E is the lever or handle secured to the tube C.
F is the lever or handle secured to the Rod D.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed.
I declare that what I claim is :-
1. An apparatus for coupling Railway wagons and other similar vehicles
Composed of four levers, two fixed on a tube and two fixed on a Rod which works
inside the tube, situate at the back or over the coupling chain or under the buffer
plank and which works in bearings or brackets, handles being fixed to each end of
the tube and Rod outside of the wagon, whereby wagons can be coupled and
uncoupled without the operator going in between them, substantially as herein
before described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings as shewn in Figs 1.
2. 3. 4. 5.
Dated this third day of October 1884.
R. HEBER RADFORD,
Agent for the Applicant.