IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY WAGGONS AND TRUCKS
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
We WILLIAM JOHN THOMAS of 9 Roslyn Villas Redfield Saint George in the
County of Gloucester Accountant and WILLIAM GEORGE DOEL of Carlton House
Goulter Street Barton Hill in the City and County of Bristol Carpenter do hereby.
declare the nature of our Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR
RAILWAY WAGGONS AND TRUCKS to be as follows:--
1. A drawbar the end of which fits in a slot in
2. A hook.
3. A short lever fitted on the top of the hook and running parallel with the
hook and drawbar towards the head of the waggon or truck.
4. A pin through the hook end of the short lever, hook and drawbar—the pin
as to the part fitting in the drawbar being circular, and fitting in the drawbar
circular, and as to the part fitting in the short lever and hook being square, and
fitting in the short lever and hook square. The pin will be three sizes, first size
square, second size circular, and third size square. The end of the short lever
nearest the head of the waggon being connected by means of a knuckle joint to
5. A long hand lever reaching to the outside of the head of the waggon or
truck over the buffer. The drawbar, hook, and short lever will be parallel with
each other when connected and be so fixed so that by the inward or outward
action of the long hand lever which will work in a slide fixed to the head of the
waggon or truck and be secured by a pin when connected or disconnected.
hand lever will be at a height to allow of its being worked either from the ground
level or platform. The hook, by the inward or outward action of the hand lever
will rise or fall obliquely and so disconnect or connect the waggon or truck.
The
Herewith is sent rough plan in duplicate shewing (1) coupling as connected
(2) coupling as disconnected.
The several parts enumerated in this Specification are identified by the same
numbers on the plans.

page_text: We WILLIAM JOHN THOMAS of 9 Roslyn Villas Redfield Saint George in the
County of Gloucester Accountant and WILLIAM GEORGE DOEL of Carlton House
Goulter Street Barton Hill in the City and County of Bristol Carpenter do hereby
declare the nature of our Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR
RAILWAY WAGGONS AND TRUCKS and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
First A drawbar, which, as shown in the plan herewith, rests in its bed in an
oblique position, and the end of which drawbar, marked A on the said plan, fits in
a slot in
Secondly-A hook, as shewn on the said plan, and identified by the letter B.
Thirdly-A short lever, fitted on the top of the hook B, and running parallel
with the said hook, and drawbar, towards the head of the waggon, or truck, as
shewn on the said plan, and identified by the letter O.
Fourthly A pin, passing through the short lever, connected with the hook, and
drawbar, and also through the hook, and drawbar, the pin being secured by a nut.
The pin as to the part fitting in the drawbar, being circular, and fitting in the
drawbar circular, and as to the part fitting in the short lever, and hook, being
square, and fitting in the short lever, and hook square. The pin will be three
sizes, videlicet:-The first size, as to the part fitting in the short lever, and top
part of the book, being square, and fitting in the short lever, and top part of the
hook square. The second size, as to the part fitting in the drawbar, being circular,
and fitting in the drawbar circular, and the third size, fitting in the lower part of
the hook, being square, and fitting in the lower part of the hook square. The pin
is shewn on the said plan, and identified by the letter D. The end of the short
lever, nearest the head of the waggon or truck, will be connected by means of a
knuckle joint, to
Fifthly A long hand lever, reaching to the outside of the head of the
waggon, or truck, over the buffer, as shewn on the said plan, and identified by
the letter E.
The drawbar, hook, and short lever, will be parallel with each other when the
coupling is connected and lie obliquely so that by the inward or outward action of
the long hand lever, which will be at a height to allow of its being worked either
from the ground level, or platform, the hook will rise or fall obliquely, and thus
disconnect or connect the waggon or truck. The long hand lever will work in a
slide fixed to the head of the waggon or truck and be secured by an ordinary leaf
spring when the coupling is connected, or disconnected. The hooks, in every case,
will be made of sufficient length to allow of their clearing each other in connecting,
or disconnecting, when the buffers are close together, without being compressed,
and will be made long enough, so that when the buffers are compressed to their
fullest extent (in the case of spring buffers) the hooks will slido on each other
without obstruction, and on the buffers returning to their ordinary noncompressed
position, the hooks will return to their ordinary position as coupled and it will not
be necessary to provide for any special arrangements for marshalling the waggons,
or trucks, as the couplings can be connected and disconnected indiscriminately.
The several parts A, B, C, D, and E, will not be limited to any particular size,
or strength, but will be modified according to the required size, and strength
thereof respectively. Having now particularly described and ascertained the
nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
(we wish it to be understood, that we do not limit ourselves to the precise details

page_text: herein described, and illustrated, as the same may be varied without departing from
the nature of our Invention) we declare that what we claim is--The combination
of the drawbar A, the short lever C, hook B, long hand lever E, and the pin D,
arranged as before described and shewn in the accompanying Drawing, in which
the lateral movement of the hand lever E causes the coupling hook B to travel in
an oblique direction about the pin D and to be engaged to or disengaged from the
similarly arranged hook of adjacent vehicle.