IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY COUPLINGS OR COUPLING BUFFERS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY COUPLINGS OR COUPLING BUFFERS." A commu-
nication from abroad by Edward Everett Powers, of Florence, Italy, Gentle-
man.
Sealed the 27th August 1878, and dated the 1st March 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st March 1878.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY COUPLINGS OR
COUPLING BUFFERS." [A communication from abroad by Edward Everett Powers,
of Florence, Italy, Gentleman.]
This Invention relates to apparatus whereby the link couplings of railway car-
riages or waggons can be coupled or uncoupled in such a manner that the operator
need not go under or stand between the said carriages or waggons while coupling or
uncoupling them.
By apparatus herein-after described this operation or service can be effected
instantaneously by the backing up of the carriages, and it will be effected securely,
strongly, and without any appreciable amount of play between the buffer coupling
heads.
In practising the said Invention I make the buffer head of one piece of wrought
iron; I form two slots in the said head, one being a long slot in the upper surface of
the head to allow free passage for the flange of a cap herein-after described, the other
a shorter slot in the lower surface of the head for the passage of the lower part of
the said flange. Both of the said slots are widened or extend into a square shoul-
dered half round vertical slot at the back or inner end of the head to permit the
passage of a locking pin and provide a front bearing surface equal in width to the
inner width of the coupling link. The said square shouldered half round slots are
vertically placed one above the other when the head is fastened on the carriage.
D

page_text: The said head is provided on its top surface and directly behind the flange, which
forms the top of the mouth of the head, with a lug or lugs for the hinge pin of the
aforesaid cap.
The faces of the said buffer heads are curved to provide for difference in the levels
of carriages, the heads coming nearer to each other on differing levels, and thus
compensating for the diminished projection of the link.
The aforesaid cap is so formed that it can be hinged to a lug or lugs on the top
of the buffer head immediately behind its face. One of the main features of this
Invention is the peculiar form of this cap which holds the locking pin. The said
cap can be made of any suitable metal, but I prefer to form it of one solid piece of
wrought iron. The top part of this cap which lies on the top surface of the head
is formed to, hinge to, and immediately behind the back of the face on the top of
the buffer head. On the under side of this cap is formed the aforesaid flange, which
is a long dipping narrow piece that slopes downwards from the hinged part of the
cap through the said long slot in the upper surface of the buffer head until it
reaches and enters the slot in the lower part of the head, and extending thence is a
small projection herein-after termed a beak.
Immediately beyond the said dipping flange I form on the cap a hollow or recess
to receive the top end of the locking pin so that the said locking pin, without being
hinged to the said cap, will be confined between this hollow or recess and the beak
at the bottom of the narrow flange.
When the end of a plain or ordinary link is pushed into the mouth of the buffer
head it strikes the stopping edge of the said narrow flange, and its pressure causes
the said flange and its cap to rise until the end of the said link has passed under-
neath and immediately beyond the back of the locking pin, when the cap with the
locking pin falls within the said link, thus effecting the locking without the link
passing beyond the said pin further than a distance equal to the thickness of the
end of the link itself, so that curved or rounded faces of the buffers will always be
held in practically tight contact whether they should be at the same level or at
considerably different levels.
The said beak may be formed to project slightly beyond the rounded back of
the locking pin, but only when the latter is raised sufficiently to allow the
passage underneath it of the end of the link, when the said beak will strike against
the inner back top surface of the square vertical hole, and thus prevent any possi-
bility of the cap rising higher than is required. When the end of a link has been
pushed by hand into the first head and there locked, the locking pin itself takes its
pulling bearing both above and below against the solid head of the buffer itself,
and not against any portion of the cap or lid, or even of its flange. The beak of
the said flange enters an aperture in the centre of the end of the locking pin for
lifting it, and this hanging flange of the cap does not touch the vertical locking pin
until it has been raised sufficiently for the link to pass beneath it to become
locked.
The aforesaid locking pin is formed of a piece of square forged iron or steel rounded
at the back for a part of its length to fit the inner surface at the end of the link.
That portion of it which enters the hollow in the cap has its end rounded. The
front side of this pin is flat so as to present a broad bearing surface to the bearing
surfaces of the vertical square shouldered half round holes in the head. The lower
end of the said pin is provided with a slot or aperture in which the beak of the
Hange slides, and which the said beak never quite leaves. The said pin is also pro-
vided with a shoulder at its upper end which rests on the top surface of the head to
prevent any possibility of the falling of the pin through the hole. Or the beak may
be made to work on the extreme end of the pin, or may be shaped like a spoon for
the extreme end of pin to rest in.
The said flange may be replaced by a hanging, hinged, or fixed pin, which may
serve to raise the cap while the locking pin effects the locking of the link. Or the
said cap may be dispensed with altogether by a simple modification of the flange
and the upper end of the pin, thereby saving expense and difficulty of manufacture.

page_text: In this case this flange is formed without a cap, and rests entirely upon the inner
lower side of the neck of the buffer bead.
The
In another modification of this Invention I use a hinged cap, flange, and locking
pin, all formed in one solid piece; the flange is made narrow to pass down through
a long slot formed in the top surface of the buffer head, and hangs in a shorter slot
in the lower part of the neck of the said buffer head. The locking pin is made in
one solid piece with this flange, and the lid or cap in one piece with the forward
part of the said locking pin, with square shoulders projecting from each side of the
narrow sloping dipping flange to take its pulling bearing against the circular sloping
sides of the forward end of the vertical square slotted holes in the head.
forward part of the bearing pin and the forward bearing surface of the slotted holes
in the head against which it is pulled are curved to correspond exactly with the
radius of a circle, whose centre is the hinge of this locking lid piece, the hinges
being fixed in the external side of the buffer head in such a position that the centres
of the said hinges will be on the same level as the centre of the back end of the
mouth of the buffer. In this case I extend an arm over each side, from the lid of
this locking piece to the centre of the sides of the buffer head, immediately behind
the face, and there hinge them on each side of the head. To prevent any portion
of the pulling strain of the traffic being brought to bear on these side hinges I may
make the holes for the hinge pins of these arms of a somewhat oval form. On the
rounded portion at the back of this locking pin I prefer to make a slight notch, in
which the link when pulling will have a tendency to rest, though this notch must
be so deep as to prevent the easy uncoupling of the link even when the carriages
are in motion.
The loose pin may be formed to hook by a shoulder or projection on the back of
its upper end to a corresponding ledge or projection extending from the lower back
surface of a hollow in the cap, and thus avoid the use of the beak and the necessity
of the aperture in the lower end of the locking pin.
In some instances a bridle may be hinged on the lower end of the locking pin
and with its other end moving on a centre just below that of the cap, where the
latter is fastened to the head. The centre line of this bridle should be parallel to
the centre line of the cap, the said centre lines passing through the centres of the
bolts of the cap and bridle. This arrangement will cause the locking pin to rise
always perpendicularly.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 31st
August 1878.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY COUPLINGS OR
COUPLING BUFFERS." A communication from abroad by Edward Everett Powers,
of Florence, Italy, Gentleman.
This Invention relates to apparatus whereby railway carriages or wagons can
be coupled or uncoupled in such a manner that the operator need not pass under or
stand between the said carriages or wagons for the purpose of coupling or un-
coupling them.
With the apparatus herein described these operations or services can be performed
instantaneously by the backing up of the carriages, and the coupling of the vehicles
will be effected securely, strongly, and without leaving any appreciable amount of
play between the buffer coupling heads.
The said apparatus is illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, by the aid of
which I will now proceed to describe my Invention, and the manner of carrying the
same advantageously into practice.
In these Drawings,—
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of two central buffer coupling heads, showing
the link secured in one head and with its free end passing under a locking pin in
the other head.
Figure 2 is a plan or top view of the said buffer, coupling heads with the cap
removed from one of the heads, the link being shewn as in the act of running in
for locking.
Figure 3 is a front view of one of the said buffer coupling heads shewing a portion
of the link in the same.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of one of the said buffer coupling heads with
the end of the link locked therein, and showing a modification herein-after
described.
Figure 5 is a longitudinal section of two of the said buffer coupling heads showing
other modifications herein-after described.
Figure 6 is a plan of the said buffer coupling heads with the cap removed from
one of the heads, and the link in the act of running in for locking.
Figure 7 is a front view of one of the said modified buffer coupling heads, with a
portion of the link in the same.
Figure 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cap; and Figure 8a is an under
side view of the same.
Figures 9 and 9ª are back and side elevations of a loose locking pin herein-after
described.
Figure 10 is a side elevation; and Figure 10ª is a plan of the under side of a
plate to be used as a substitute for the said cap.
Figures 11 and 11ª are back and side elevations of the locking pin to be used
with the flange shewn in Figure 10.
Figures 12, 13, and 14 show a side elevation, front end view, and plan of the
solid cap flange and locking pin piece shewn in Figures 5, 6, 7, drawn to an enlarged
scale.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the Drawings.
I make the buffer head A of one piece of wrought iron, and of the form shewn in
Figures 1, 2, and 3. I form two slots D and d² in this head; the long slot D in the
upper side of the head is provided to allow free passage for the flange c¹ of the cap
C, while the short slot d in the lower side of the head permits the passage of the
lower part or beak c' of the said flange to the required extent, as shewn in Figure 1.

page_text: Both of the said slots D, d², open or extend into square shouldered and preferably
half round vertical slots or apertures d' at the back or inner end of the head A,
which apertures permit the passage of the locking pin through the head, and pro-
vide a front bearing surface equal in width to the inner width of the coupling link
B. The said square shouldered half round slots are vertically one above the other
when the head A is attached to the carriage. The head is provided on its upper
side, and directly behind the flange at the top of the head with a lug or lugs for
holding the hinge pin of the aforesaid cap. The said lug or lugs may be shaped to
form a stop, which will permit the cap to rise only to the required height.
The faces of the buffer heads A are curved to provide for difference between the
height of the carriages to be coupled thereby, as these heads will be nearer to each
other when at different heights than when standing at the same height, and the
said coupling link will assume an angle corresponding with this position of the
heads.
The cap C is so formed that it can be hinged to the lug or lugs on the top of
the buffer head immediately behind its face. The said cap can be made of any
suitable metal, but I prefer to form it of one solid piece of wrought iron. The top
part of this cap, which lies on the upper surface of the head A, is hinged to and
immediately behind the back of the flange on the upper side of the buffer head, as
shewn. On the under side of this cap is formed the aforesaid flange c¹, which is a
long narrow vertical piece with a sloping lower edgo that extends downward from
the hinged part of the cap through the said long slit D in the upper side of the
buffer head, and enters the slot d in the lower part of the head, and it has a small
projection, termed a beak, which is formed and arranged to enter the slot or aper-
ture d', as shewn in Figure 1.
The under surface of the bottom of the cap C beyond or outside of the said
vertical flange is formed with a concavity or recess o* to receive the top end of the
locking pin, as herein-after described, so that the said locking pin, without being
hinged to the cap C, will be confined between this recess and the beak c* at the
bottom of the flange c'.
When the end of an ordinary plain coupling link B is pushed into the mouth of
the buffer head A it strikes the sloping edge of the flange c', and its pressure causes
the said flange, the cap C, and the locking pin c³, to rise until the end of the said
link has passed underneath and immediately behind the said locking pin, when the
flange of the cap C with the locking pin c³ falls within the said link, thus effecting
the locking together of the coupling heads without necessitating the passing of the
link beyond the said pin further than a distance equal to the thickness of the end
of the link; and the curved or rounded faces of the buffers will always be held in
practically tight contact, whether they stand at the same height or at considerably
different heights.
The beak may be formed to project slightly beyond the rounded back edge of
the locking pin, but only when the latter is raised sufficiently to allow the passage
under it of the end of the link B, the said beak will then strike the surface 1 of the
square shouldered vertical hole, and thus prevent any possibility of the rising of the
cap C higher than is required.
The aforesaid locking pin is formed of a piece of square forged iron or steel,
rounded at the back for a part of its length to fit the inner surface at the end of
the link. Its upper end, which enters the recess in the cap C, has its upper surface
rounded, as shewn at c in Figure 9 to ensure its fitting and working properly in the
concave surface of the said recess. The front side of this pin is flat, so that it presents
a broad bearing surface to the bearing surfaces or shoulders 2 of the vertical square-
shouldered half-round holes in the head. The lower end of the said pin is provided
with an aperture or notch c³, as shewn in Figure 9, in which the beak of the flange
slides, and which the said beak never quite leaves. The said pin is also provided
with a shoulder f at its upper end, which rests on the top surface of the head to
prevent any possibility of the falling of the pin through the said hole. Or the beak

page_text: .
may be made to work on the extreme end of the pin, or may be shaped like a
spoon to support the extremity of the said pin.
When the link B is locked in the heads, as above described, the locking pin has its
pulling bearing both above and below the link on the solid head or buffer, and not on
any portion of the cap or lid C, or of its flange c'. The beak c' of the said flange
enters the aperture or notch c³ in the lower end of the locking pin for lifting it, and
the edge of the flange c¹ does not touch the vertical locking pin until the latter
has been raised sufficiently for the link to pass beneath it to be locked. Instead of
having a flange made solid with the cap may form a substitute therefor of a
bar of round or square iron bent to the required shape at its lower or inner
edges, and rivetted or otherwise secured in the said cap.
The flange c¹ may in some instances be replaced by a hanging, hinged, or fixed
pin which may serve to raise the cap C while the locking pin effects the locking or
securing of the link; or the said cap C may be dispensed with altogether, as shewn
in Figures 4 and 10, and replaced by a simple device comprising a modification of
the apparatus shewn in Figures 1, 2, and 3, thereby saving expense and avoiding
difficulty of manufacture. In this case instead of a flanged cover I use a plate
formed without a cap, and which rests or is supported by its lower edge upon the
inner lower side of the neck or throat of the buffer head, as shewn at g.
In the modification of my Invention, shown in Figures 5, 6, and 7, I use a
hinged cap C, flange c', and locking pin c², all formed in one solid piece; the
flange c is made sufficiently thin or narrow to pass down through a long slot D
formed in the top surface of the buffer head, and hangs in a shorter slot d² in
the lower part of the neck of the said buffer head. The forward part of the
said locking pin is formed with square shoulders 3, as shewn in Figures 13
and 14, projecting from each side of the flange c¹ to take its pulling bearing
against the curved sloping sides 4 of the forward end of the square shouldered
slots or holes in the head, shewn in Figure 5. These curved surfaces of the
pin and of the holes in the head against which the said pin is pulled have a
radius corresponding exactly with that of a circle whose centre is the hinge of
the locking lid or cover, the hinges being fixed in the external sides of the
buffer head in such a position that the centres of the said hinges will preferably be
level with the centre of the rear end 5 of the mouth of the buffer, as shewn in
Figure 5. In this case I extend arms k from the lid of the locking piece over the
sides of the buffer head to about the centre, and immediately behind the face of the
same, and there hinge these arms by means of pins passing through the said sides.
To prevent the possibility of any portion of the pulling strain of the traffic being
brought to bear on these side hinges I may make the holes for the hinge pins
of these arms of a somewhat oval form. On the rounded portion at the back
of this locking pin I prefer to form a slight notch or indentation 1, Figure 12,
in which the link when pulling will have a tendency to rest, but this notch
must not be so deep as to prevent the easy uncoupling of the link even when
the carriages are in motion.
When the loose or detached locking pin is used, it may be formed with a
shoulder or projection on the back of its upper end to engage with a corresponding
ledge or projection shewn in dotted lines 6 in Figure 8, extending from the lower
rear surface of the recess c* of the cap C; by this modification I avoid the use of
the beak c, and the necessity of the notch in the lower end of the said locking pin.
I may also employ any other suitable device instead of the said plate or flange for
operating a locking pin that is not hinged or pivotted.
In some instances a bridle h may be hinged on the lower end of the locking
pin, as shewn in Figure 15, its other end moving on a centre h¹ just below that of
the cap, where the latter is fastened to the head A. The centre line of this bridle
should be parallel to the centre line of the cap, both centre lines passing through
the centres of the bolts of the cap and bridle. This arrangement will cause the
locking pin in rising to always move perpendicularly.

page_text: Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,
First. In a coupling buffer or coupling head, the hinged flange or plate either with
or without the lid or cover, and provided with a concavity or recess, and with a beak
or projection or any suitable substitute therefor arranged in combination with the
locking pin for raising the same to permit the coupling link to pass under it, as
above set forth.
Second. In a coupling buffer or head, the employment of a locking pin which is
not hinged or pivotted, and which is arranged in combination with the aforesaid
plate or flange or other suitable device for raising the pin to admit the link, as above
Bet forth.
Third. The apparatus consisting of the buffers or heads constructed as shewn and
provided with the coupling link, the locking pin, and the hinged plate or flange, as
shewn in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 of the Drawings, and operating as above set forth.
Fourth. The modification of the said Invention shewn in Figures 5, 6, 7 of
the Drawings, and wherein the locking pin is formed solidly upon a lid or cover
which is hinged by arms to the sides of the coupling or buffer head at a point level
with the inner end of the mouth of tho head, as above set forth and for the purposes
specified.
Fifth. The modification of my Invention wherein I employ a bridlo in combina-
tion with a locking pin, as described and shewn in Figure 15 of the Drawings, for
the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.