Improvements in Car Couplings.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Dec., 1896-Accepted, 23rd Jan., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Car Couplings.
We, THOMAS FALES, of Hot Springs, Bridgeport, in the County of Mono
and State of California, United States of America, Engineer, and GEORGE
CHICHESTER, of Coleville Post Office, in the County of Mono, aforesaid, Farmer,
do hereby declare the nature of; our 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 relates to improvements in car couplings of the pin and link type,
and has for its object to provide novel, simple and practical features of construction
for a car coupling of the indicated character, which will adapt such a coupling for
an automatic coupled connection with a similar coupling, and enable the safe
detachment of the engaged couplings from the side of either of the cars connected
by said couplings.
The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as is
hereinafter described and indicated in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a partly sectional side view of the improved car coupling on an end
portion of a car, the coupling being adjusted to hold a link projected for a coupled'
engagement with a link coupling;
Figure 2 is a partly sectional side view of the improved car coupling on a car in
part, and having details of construction adjusted to release the coupling link;
Figure 3 is a side view of the forward portion of the coupling and of a coupling
link held thereby, seen in direction of arrow 1 in Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a sectional plan view of the improved coupling, substantially on the
line 4-4 in Figure 1; and
Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view substantially on the line 5-5 in
Figure 1.
The drawhead 10, of the improved car coupling is preferably cast into form from
any suitable metal, and has an integral drawbar extension 11, which may be secured.
on the car body A, by any approved means. The drawhead 10 is recessed from'
the front end rearwardly, of a correct depth and other dimensions to freely permit
the introduction therein of the elongated coupling link 12, the latter being of
ordinary form, best shown in Figure 4.
The front end of the recess a in the draw head 10 is widened by flaring the walls
of the latter, so that the link 12 may be freely inserted and laterally moved as
occasion may require, and said link is so proportioned in length, that it will project
from the drawhead a sufficient degree to couple with a similar drawhead, when the
inserted end of the link has contact with the rear wall of the recess or chamber a.
A slot b is formed in the upper wall of the drawhead and extends rearwardly
from near the front edge of said wall, to a point near the rear wall of the
chamber a, said slot being provided for receptiou of the coupling dog 13 that is
pivoted therein. The dog 13 is of unique form, and as plainly shown in Figures 1
and 2, comprises a coupling limb c, a guide limb d and a spacing bar e.
coupling limb c is curved edgewise, having its convex edge at the front, and the
guide limb d is also curved edgewise but has the concave edge of the same at
The

page_text: the front. The limbs c and d are integrally joined by the spacing bare that is
arched a suitable degree.
The dog 13 as before mentioned, is pivoted in the slot b, its point of rocking
support being near the front end of said slot, and consists of the transversely
inserted bolt g, that loosely engages a perforation of the dog at the junction of
the limb c with the forward end of the spacing bar e.
The degree of curvature afforded the guide limb d is defined as an arc of a
circle having the pivot bolt.g as a centre, and said limb is adapted to reciprocate
in a curved aperture d formed to receive it in the body of the drawhead 10
rearward of the chamber a.
It will be seen that the coupling limb c is so proportioned in length from the
pivot bolt g to the free end of said limb, that the latter will be adapted to traverse
a longitudinally formed channel h in the lower wall of the drawhead when the
coupling limb is rocked rearwardly and upwardly; the forward rocking movement
of said limb being arrested when it is nearly upright by the impingement of its
free lower end on a shoulder that is the forward terminal of the channel h.
A simple means for supporting the link 12 projected from the drawhead 10, so
as to enter a similar drawhead and couple therewith, consists of the bent arm 14
which is pivoted as at i in a slot k formed in a side wall of the drawhead.
a
The arm 14 has a detent finger 14" that is integral therewith and lies within the
drawhead 1, occupying portion of the slot k which cuts through the rear end
wall of the chamber a and is thus adapted for forward adjustment to rest on an
inserted link 12, when the arm proper is moved rearwardly, as shown by dotted
lines in Figure 4. The bent arm 14 projects forward and downward when its
finger 14 lies in the open recess produced at the inner termination of the slot k,
and is preferably afforded increased weight at its free outer end, so that it will
readily assume a forwardly projecting position, as indicated by full lines in Figure 4,
requiring manipulation to rock it rearwardly and place the finger 14" over the rear
end of the link 12.
The preferred means for operating the coupling dog 13 consists of a rock shaft 15,
loosely supported across the end of the car body A at a suitable distance from the
drawhead 10, said shaft having an arm 16, that is projected over the spacing bar e
of the coupling dog, and thereto flexibly connected with the chain 17 or by other
equivalent means.
Two tripping arms 18 of like form, one being shown in Figures 1 and 2, are
respectively affixed to the opposite ends of the shaft 15, and project along the sides
of the car near to the same, their relative positions with regard to the rock arm 16,
being such as will adapt either tripping arm to be forwardly moved a sufficient
degree to rock said arm 16 upwardly, and move the coupling dog 13 into the
position shown in Figure 2. The armi 18 may be supported in rearward adjustment
by a short pin m.
The operation is as follows:
The link 12 being held by the finger 14" so as to project in front of the draw-
head 10, said link may be readily inserted within the chamber of another drawhead
that is on a car and moving toward the one having the link, which latter is coupled
to the drawhead by the limb c, as shown in Figure 1. When the link 12 impinges
upon the convex front edge of the limb c on an approached car coupling having
the improvements, said limb will rock rearwardly and upwardly so as to permit
the free entrance of the link, and when the end of the latter has passed rearward
of the limb c, the weight of the guide limb d and spacing bar e will rock the
coupling dog into normal position, and so automatically couple two cars having the
improved couplings.
It will be observed that the engagement of the lower end of the coupling limb c
on the dog 13 with the shoulder of the channel h, will throw the pull of the
link on said shoulder, and relieve the pivot bolt g from a considerable part of the
draft strain imposed on the car coupling by the link 12.
It is claimed for this improved car coupling that it is very simple, perfectly

page_text: practical in operation, is automatic in effecting the connection of two couplings,
and that cars having the improvements may be detached, with safety and ease at
the side of said cars. It is feasible to convert the common link and pin car
coupling into one having the features of improvement, by application of the latter
to the common drawhead, so that an adoption of the improved car coupling may
be gradually made.
Old car couplings of the ordinary link and pin type may be used along with.
such as have the improvements, thus avoiding any difficulty in maintenance of
service, while alterations in the style of the car couplings are being made.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven--
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is,-
1. A car coupler having a drawhead provided with a rearwardly located arc-
shaped aperture, a longitudinally extending slot forward of the aperture, and a.
throat communicating with the slot and out of communication with the arc-shaped
aperture, and a dog having limbs connected by a spacing bar, one of the limbs-
being curved in conformity with the curvature of the aperture and being capable-
of moving in and out thereof, and the second limb being movable in the slot and
capable of projecting into the throat to engage the link, the limbs being connected.
by the spacing bar and the dog being pivoted to the drawhead at the juncture of
the spacing bar and the said second limb, substantially as described.
2. A car coupler having a drawhead provided with a rearwardly located arc-
shaped aperture, a longitudinal slot forward of the aperture, the longitudinal slot.
communicating with the throat of the drawhead which is located below it, and a
dog having two limbs and a connecting bar, one limb of the dog being curved in
conformity to the curvature of the aperture and capable of moving in and out of
said aperture and the second limb of the dog being capable of moving from the
slot into the throat and of engaging and holding the link, the two limbs being-
connected by the spacing bar, and the dog being pivoted to the drawhead at the
juncture of the spacing bar and the second limb, substantially as described.
3. A car coupler having a drawhead provided with a throat and a longitudinal
slot above the throat, means moving in the slot by which the link may be held in.
the drawbead, and au arm movable in a horizontal recess in the drawhead and on a
vertical axis, one end of the arm being capable of projecting into the throat to
engage the top of the link, the other end of the arm being extended outward,
substantially as described.
Dated this 1st day of December 1896.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.