Improvements in or relating to Couplings for Railway Carriages or the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Apr., 1896-4ccepted, 16th May, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Couplings for Railway Carriages
or the like.
I, EWALD SCHWIRKUS, of Myslowitz, Moravia, in the Empire of Austro-
Hungary, Architect, 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:-
The object of the present invention is coupling for railway and similar
vehicles which by means of an arrangement of levers can be worked from either
side of the carriage and possesses the great advantage over other arrangements
of this kind that not only does it by the simplicity of its construction and working
greatly reduce the liability of the working parts being injured but also by the
use of this coupling the individual carriages or vehicles are as it were coupled
into a whole so that the unpleasant jolting together of the carriages caused by the
motion of the train is entirely prevented or greatly reduced.
In the accompanying drawings my improved coupling is represented and in the
same :-
Fig. 1 is a front elevation.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation.
Fig. 3 is a plan showing the coupling connected up and
Fig. 4 is a plan showing same disconnected.
I will now describe the device and the manner of its employment with reference.
to the drawings.
At both ends of each carriage a frame a (advantageously of wrought iron) is
fixed in which the toothed wheel b is rotatably mounted. The two toothed
segments e (which are pivoted by the bolts d to the bar e traversing the end of the
carriage from side to side) engage the forepart of the said wheel b. This bar e
can be actuated equally well from either side of the carriage by means of the
levers gh which are fulcrummed to the frame or some fixed part of the carriage
at the point respectively.
These bent levers are set at an angle of 180° with respect to each other so that
when the coupling is connected up one of them is up and the other down (see.
Fig. 1) so as to counterbalance each other.
If the right hand lever is forced down so as to occupy the position indicated
by the dotted lines instead of the position shown full in Fig. 1 thereupon the bare
causes the toothed segments c to respectively move correspondingly. As already
stated these toothed segments engage the forepart of the wheel b (which latter is
boi ed out and has a worm or thread formed in its interior) causing the said wheel
to rotate.
By this rotation the two screw-threaded rods or bars m and m' (on one of which
is formed a left and on the other a right handed thread) are moved in such a,
manner that, on disconnecting the coupling, they are forced apart and consequently
at the commencement of the motion of the bent levers the hooks are loosened in
the eyes or links the draw bar m pushed back and the tension lessened. On
connecting up the coupling the action is as follows:-
The wheel b is turned in the opposite direction to that above described and
consequently the bar m aud also the bar m' which latter is directly connected with
the coupling are drawn together at the same time the chain n wound on a portion

page_text: of the wheel b is unwound therefrom and the hook o drops by its own weight and
engages in the link o'.
When the lever has reached the end of its travel the hook will not only have
entered the link but is drawn by the inward movement of the bar m² so far back
as to press firmly against the link.
As the bar m is likewise in tension the individual carriages are on their under
side closely coupled and the occurrence of shocks from a striking of the carriages
one against the other due to the motion of the train is entirely prevented or
greatly reduced..
On the under-side of the frame or mount a one or more flat ribs or bands are
provided for preventing the screw m³ from turning with the wheel b. These ribs
or bands also replace the safety chains made use of in the old form of coupling.
If any portion of the coupling for example the screw m¹ should give way the rib
or band a which may bear upon the projection a' will yet offer sufficient resistance
to prevent the carriages from parting. The bolt a serves to strengthen the frame
or mount a.
In order to obtain a uniform winding of the chain a upon the portion of the
wheel b adapted to receive it an arm q provided with a roller p is suitably
arranged. The hook o is so connected by the bolt r to the coupling device that
on disconnecting the coupling it can readily be removed from the link o'. As a
hook and a link are provided on each carriage the coupling obtained is in fact a
double one if both couplings are connected up.
So as to prevent the levers from moving from the position which they occupy
when the couplings are connected and thus allowing them to become disconnected
a hooks is arranged on one side and on the other a kind of frame t or other
suitable device which prevent the levers from shifting by retaining the arms of the
levers which arrangement also admits of the couplings being disconnected from
one side only.
The links o' are formed somewhat broader than the hooks o so as to prevent the
parts from unduly pressing one against the other on the train traversing sharp
bends or curves.
The toothed segments stand away from the ends of those carriages where
necessary such a distance as to prevent the beams with which they are provided
for strengthening their ends from interfering with the action of the coupling
device.
In the case of carriages having flush ends however the fraine or mount a need
not project so far which will permit of the toothed segments being located nearer
to the ends of the carriages.
It is of course obvious that only one person is necessary for actuating my
improved coupling so soon as the levers g are released from the retaining devices s
and trespectively as each lever is quite independent of the other.
As shown in the drawings projections or stop blocks a' are formed on the hooks
and serve to prevent the hooks from being drawn too far back and consequently
they are always in such a position as to drop readily when desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inveu-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A coupling for railway and similar vehicles having a bar m a portion of
which is screw-threaded entering and engaging with the inner portion of a toothed
wheel adapted to be rotated from either side of the vehicle toothed segments
such as ee to operate said toothed wheel a bar such as e to reciprocate said segments
levers gh to actuate said bar from one side or the other of said vehicle a chain n
one end of which is attached to the draw hook o and the other to the winding
drum on said toothed wheel b so as to raise and lower said hook substantially as
and for the purposes herein before set forth.
2. The combination with a coupling for railway and similar vehicles as claimed

page_text: above of means which will on the same being connected up not only effect a
tightening of the coupling itself but also of the draw bar m substantially as and
for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
3. The combination with a coupling for railway and similar vehicles as claimed
above of means which will on the same being connected up not only effect a
tightening of the coupling itself but also of the draw bar m said means consisting
of screw-threaded rods or bars such as m m' traversing the toothed wheel b which
is bored to receive them such boring being also screw-threaded and said bars m
and m³ respectively connected up and arranged and acting substantially in the
manner and for the purposes herein before set forth.
4. The combination with a coupling for railway and similar vehicles as claimed
above of a rib or device such as a provided with a projection such as a intended
to come into action should any portion of the coupling give way and so prevent a
complete separation of the vehicles substantially as, and for the purposes herein-
before set forth.
Dated this 16th day of April 1896
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C...
Agents for the Applicant.