Improvements in Car Couplers.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 4th May, 1894-Accepted; 4th July, 1894
CUMI DEIM
Improvements in Car Couplers.
I, FERDINAND BOSSHARDT, of the Firm of F. Bosshardt & Co., of 4, Corporation
Street, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Patent Agent, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention, which has been communicated to me by The Brown
Automatic Car Coupler Company, of Virginia, United States of America, 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, and has for its object
to provide a car coupling which shall couple automatically by impact, and which
shall be self-setting in operation, or, in other words, shall be ready for recoupling
immediately after uncoupling, and without further manipulation by the switchman.
In my improved coupling, the two members of the coupling are precisely alike in
structure and in the manner of attachment to their respective cars, and have
pivoted catches or retaining pieces, which are reversible, end for end, on their
pivots.
Each catch has at one end a lip and at the other a hook for engagement with
the lip, the hook passing into the other drawhead between its lower edge and the
lip of the other catch, and the surfaces of the catches are so conformed that when
both project outwardly from the drawheads, the impact upon one another will
automatically reverse one of them, so that the catch not reversed can enter the
opposite drawhead between the lower lip of the drawhead and the reversed catch.
Referring to the drawings, Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, are vertical longitudinal
central sections of my improved coupling in progressive stages of the operation of
automatically reversing one of the catches thereof and coupling the cars, and
Figure 8 is a plan view of the coupling when so coupled.
In the following description, to designate the various parts of the right hand
member of the coupling, the same figures will be used as for corresponding parts of
the left hand member, (precisely similar in every respect), but with primes attached
to the figures.
1 designates the draw-bar, and 2 the draw-head, open at the top and provided
with sides 3 which converge at the back of the draw-head their rear ends being
connected by a web 4 having a sloping upper surface 5. The sides 3 of the draw-
head are thickened at their front portions as shown at 6, Figure 8, to permit of
recesses 7 having semi-cylindrical bottoms 8 forming bearings for the hubs 9 of
the catch 10 pivoted therein, the hubs being allowed slight lateral play, as one-
eighth of an inch, in said bearings. A bolt 11 passes through a bolt hole 12 in
the catch, having similar slight play therein, and is passed fixedly through the side
walls of the draw-head.
Shoulders 13 are formed upon the inner walls of the sides 3 of the draw-head
upon the top of which shoulders the catch 10 can rest in the opened disposition of
the coupling, the shoulders 13 thus limiting the downward swing of the catch 10.
A web 14 having an upper inclined surface connects the sides of the drawhead at
its front lower portion, and serves to direct into its drawhead the advancing catch
of the opposite drawhead.
Supposing the two drawheads to be approaching each other, and to have arrived
at the position shown in Figure 1, the catch 10 being provided with a sharp edge 15,
the front edge of one of the catches, as 10¹, whichever happens to be slightly above

page_text: the other, will impinge upon the inclined surface 16 of the hook 17 of the other
catch, whereby the catch 10' will be raised on its pivot, the under surface 18' of
the catch 10 riding upon the upper surface and then upon the edge 19 of the
hook 17; as shown in Figure 2, until the surface 181 reaches the convex surface 20
as shown in Figure 3, by the pressure of which the catch 10' is forced upwardly
into the position shown in Figure 4 in which the surface 18¹ impinges against the
lip 21. The pressure upon the catch 10 being now above its pivotal axis instead
of below, as hitherto, throws the catch 10 upwards into the position shown in
Figure 5, representing the lip 21 at a greater inclination to the vertical, so that
the surface 18 and the back 221 of the catch 10' ride upwards on the lip 21 into
the position shown in Figure 6, where the pressure of the convex surface 20
upon the back 22¹ of the catch 101 being in a line passing above the axis of said
catch 10¹ forces said catch completely over so that it falls into its position as
shown in Figure 7. At the same time the drawheads approach each other until
their front faces impinge one on the other, the hook 17 of the catch 10 passes
behind the lip 21, and the cars are coupled, the parts being in the position shown
in Figure 7 when there is a strain between the cars.
At each stage of the operation described above, the positive pressure of the
engaging surfaces upon each other is greatly aided by the rotary momentum
imparted to the pivoted catch.
The web 23 having the convex surface 20 is of less width than the catch where
it is secured thereon, as shown clearly in Figure 8, and has a transverse perfora-
tion 24 to receive a short rod passed loosely therethrough but turned up at its ends
to secure it in said perforation. By means of a chain attached to one end of
said bar, the catch may be easily raised by a switchman from the side or top of the
car, as will be readily understood, and the cars uncoupled.
It is to be observed that in my improved coupling the lip 21 and the surface 25
of the hook both diverge from the normal to the catch. This assists in the
throwing over the catch when it arrives at the positions shown in Figures 4 and 5
as is easily seen.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim, is-
1. In a car coupling, the combination, with a drawhead, of a catch pivoted
thereon, having a hook at its long end, a lip for engagement with such a hook at its
shorter end, and a convex surface between the lip and hook, forming, when said
hook extends outwardly from the drawhead, an upwardly and rearwardly inclined
surface for engaging and reversing the catch pivoted on the opposite drawhead,
substantially as described.
2. In a car coupling, the combination, with a drawhead, of a catch pivoted
therein, having a hook at its long end, and a lip for engagement with such a hook
at its short end, said lip, and the surface, adapted to engage therewith, of said
hook extending divergently from said catch, substantially as described.
3. In a car coupling, the combination, with a drawhead, of a catch pivoted to
swing longitudinally therein, reversible end for end. projecting beyond the draw-
head in one position, and having a hook at such projecting end, having on its upper
side when so projecting, a surface rising from the surface immediately behind said
hook, substantially as described.
4. In a car coupling, the combination, with a drawhead, of a catch pivoted
therein, reversible end for end, the opposite ends of two such catches on opposite
drawheads engaging one another to couple the cars, and there being opposite
surfaces on two such catches, which engage each other, as the drawheads come
together, to automatically reverse one of said catches, substantially as described.
5. In a car coupling, the combination, with a pair of drawheads, of catches
pivoted thereon to turn end for end about a transverse axis, each catch having an

page_text: upper surface which, co-operating with an under surface on the other catch, both
catches pointing outwards from the drawheads, forces the latter catch over on its
pivot, substantially as described.
Dated this 3rd dex of May 1894.
F. BOSSHARDT & Co.,
4, Corporation Street, Manchester, Agents to Applicant.