Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Coupling Railway 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.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Coupling Railway
and other Vehicles.
1, 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 relating to the coupling of railway and other waggons, carriages
or the like, has for its object to provide apparatus by which the carriages (which
term is hereinafter used in its widest capacity as including other suitable vehicles)
may be automatically coupled upon coming together.
The invention also provides for the uncoupling of the same from alongside the
carriages thereby avoiding the necessity for a man to go between them or to carry
any instrument to be used for either coupling or uncoupling purposes.
The invention to be hereinafter described is capable of effecting the function
named in an efficient manner while at the same time it is simple in construction and
combines in an eminent degree efficiency of operation and durability.
According to this invention there may be located in suitable bearings preferably
under the carriage a hooked rod the hook of which projects beyond the end of the
carriage between the buffers and is adapted to interlock or engage with a similar
hook of reverse disposition on the adjacent carriage.
In order to obtain the highest condition of efficiency the hooked coupling may be
spring controlled so as to admit of movement in a lateral, a longitudinal and also an
up and down direction.
Upon two carriages coming together the coupling hooks, which are preferably
made with inclined faces slide against one another and become automatically
interlocked and maintained in that position by means of one or more springs.
The hooks are also kept in position for coupling by a spring or springs and for
uncoupling the said hooks each of the latter is provided with one or more levers
fulcrummed to the end of the carriage and extending to each side thereof so that
by moving the said lever or levers the hooks are placed out of engagement when
coupled, or into position for automatically coupling as hereinbefore mentioned.
Or instead of the levers I may employ a rod or the like accessible at each side
of the carriage and provided with a crank or equivalent connected directly or
indirectly to the coupling hook and by which the latter can be moved out of
engagement with the hook on the adjacent carriage.
In some cases the spring pressure on the hooks is arranged so that immediately
the said hooks are uncoupled, a slight lateral movement is imparted thereto and
the under surface of the one hook rests against the upper surface of the other hook
until the carriages are drawn apart when the pressure of the spring or the spring
pressure and the weight of the hook combined immediately move the hook into
position for coupling.
Dated this 18th day of February 1896.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Automatically Coupling Railway
and other Vehicles. .
I, 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 relating to the coupling of railway and other waggons, carriages
or the like, has for its object to provide apparatus by which the waggons (which
term is hereinafter used in its widest capacity as including other suitable vehicles)
may be automatically coupled upon coming together.
The invention also provides for the uncoupling of the same from alongside the
waggons thereby avoiding the necessity for a man to go between them or to carry
any instrument to be used for either coupling or uncoupling purposes.
The invention to be hereinafter described is capable of effecting the function
named in an efficient manner while at the same time it is simple in construction and
combines in an eminent degree efficiency of operation and durability.
According to this invention there may be located in suitable bearings preferably
under the waggon a hooked bar the hook of which projects beyond the end of the
waggon between the buffers and is adapted to interlock or engage with a similar
hook of reverse disposition on the adjacent waggon.
In order to obtain the highest condition of efficiency the hooked coupling may be
spring controlled so as to admit of movement in a lateral, a longitudinal and also an
up and down direction.
Upon two waggons coming together the coupling hooks, which are preferably
made with inclined faces slide against one another and become automatically
interlocked and maintained in that position by means of one or more springs.
The hooks are also kept in position for coupling by a spring or springs and for
uncoupling the said hooks each of the latter is provided with one or more levers
fulcrummed to the end of the waggon and extending to each side thereof so that
by moving the said lever or levers the hooks are placed out of engagement when
coupled, or into position for automatically coupling as herein before mentioned.
Referring to the accompanying drawing
Figure is a top plan view of this invention and also of the framework
underneath the ends of two railway waggons (the bodies of which are removed and
shown in dotted line) and,
Figure 2 is an end view of a waggon having applied thereto the improved
coupling the subject of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a detail view of the lever guideplate on a larger scale than
Figs. 1 and 2.
A represents a hooked draw or drag bar the hooked end A¹ of which projects
through a central opening B1 in a downwardly depending plate B attached to the
end of the waggon while the rearward part of the said bar passes through a slot or
opening in one or more cross bars C fastened by bolts C to two longitudinal
bars D located one each side of the under side of the floor of the waggon.
A pin E projecting through near the rear end of the drawbar prevents the said
bar being pushed too far inwardly or under the waggon and out of its operative
position and a strong spring plate or laminated spring F the ends of which bear
against the side of the cross bar C and the central part of which is passed over the
screwed end of the draw bar A and fastened thereon by a nut A2 or other suitable
means, accepts any shock or strain and prevents the draw bar from being drawn
out of its position when coupling takes place.

page_text: 40
45
h.
an alternative the hooked draw bar may
G encircling it either at its end or at any other convenient
the construction shown, the end of the draw bar has an integral enlargement
ing a head A and the spring G is interposed between the latter and the
bar C.
he hooks A are made with inclined faces or ends so that as two waggons
de with cach other the said faces will move in contact until automatic coupling
nterlocking is effected.
he slot B Fig. 2 through which the hook passes is sufficiently enlarged to
w the book a slight lateral movement at the moment of contact and in order to
p the said hooks always pressing in opposite directions laterally, ie, one hook
ards the other, to insure them being in proper position for coupling at the
mired moment, a spring is suitably arranged in contact with it for that purpose.
As will be seen most clearly in Fig. 2 one method of effecting this result consists
locating within the opening a flat spring H one end of which by a screw H' or
herwise is fixed to the wall of the opening while the other end of the spring
resses the hook in a lateral direction and thereby allows the latter to move
ightly in a lateral direction while the coupling action is being effected.
When it is desired to uncouple the waggons one or other of the hooks is raised or
owered out of engagement and out of the line of contact of the other hook.
One mode of facilitating this consists in connecting a vertical rod J or bar, one
end to the side of the hook A' and the other end at J between two levers KK'
fulcrummed at K2K to opposite sides of the ends of the waggon. The operating
ends of the levers K K' extend through guide plates L and uear to the sides of the
waggon so as to admit of being handled without the necessity of the individual
going under or between the waggons for that purpose.
The ends of the levers are turned at a right angle as in Fig. 3 so as to be more
easily manipulated by the train attendant.
The raising or lowering of either of the said levers imparts a similar movement
to its hook and places the latter out of gear with its fellow.
The normal tendency of the spring H already herein referred to is also to raise
the hook A so that the raising of the lever KK for uncoupling purposes is also
facilitated thereby.
The guide plates L which are of the construction shown in Fig. 3 are attached
to the ends of the waggons by bolts L' or other means and to insure the levers
being retained in the raised or lowered positions one edge L of the guide plates is
turned at right angles and two recesses L³ formed therein to receive the said
levers K.
The said two levers being connected together at J1 as well as to the vertical
rod Jany movement of the one is shared by the other and the guide plates are
fixed in such positions that when one lever enters one of the notches L³ in one of
the guide plates the other lever simultaneously enters the corresponding notch i
the other guide plate.
It will be observed that the longitudinal movement of the hooked draw bars
may be controlled by either one or both the spring F G and the lateral and vertic
movements thereof by the spring H.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of any said inve
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
50 claim is
.55
1. A coupling device for railway waggons and other vebicles consisting of t
spring controlled hooks with inclined faces adapted upon contact to slide past
interlock with each other substantially in the manner described and illustrated
the accompanying drawings.
2. A coupling device for railway waggons and other vehicles consisting of
controlled hooks with inclined faces adapted upon contact to interlock

page_text: -each other and an arrangement of levers for moving the said hooks into or out of
coupling position substantially in the manner described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawing.
3. The improved construction and arrangement of coupling devices for railway
and other vehicles consisting of two hooks having inclined faces and adapted upon
contact to slip past and interlock with each other substantially in the manner
-described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 17th day of November 1896
ARTHUR BRIGGS.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.