An Improved Coupling for Railway Carriages, Waggons, and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Sept., 1899-Accepted, 4th Nov., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Coupling for Railway Carriages, Waggons, and the like.
We, THOMAS PURCELL and HENRY VALE, Citizens of the United States of
America, residing in Roanoke City, Virginia, at 208, 3 Street, N.C., Engineers,
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 has for its object an improved coupling of the automatic type
for use on railway cars, carriages, waggons, and the like. The construction and
operation of the said improved coupling is such as to ensure easy and smooth
working in the connection and disconnection of such vehicles and render them
certain in their automatic coupling-up action, and the said coupling safe when
operated, or put into a state for operation, by shunters. Further, the said
coupling's construction and fitting will also allow of casy action when cars or
carriages are coupled up or disconnected on gradients and curves, and will admit
of any two carriages connected by such coupling rounding a curve without the
one exerting a lateral pull upon the other to grind the flanges of the carriage
wheels against the rails.
The accompanying sheet of drawings sets forth in a practical manner the con-
struction and the arrangement and fitting of the parts comprising our improved
coupling fitted to the adjacent ends of two railway waggons or trucks, Fig. 1
showing a side view with one of the parts of the coupling partly in section and
another in elevation, with the trucks coupled. Fig. 2 is an end view of parts
of the coupling as seen by a section on the dotted line a Fig. 1, whilst Fig. 3
is a portion of the coupling as in Fig. 1, showing how the said coupling is
operated to disconnect two trucks. Fig. 4 is a sectional plan and Fig. 5 detail
views of parts of the coupling.
In these figs. the coupling comprises three parts, two a, c, of which are alike
in their construction, and the other d an intermediate part between the two,
taking the form of a link. As the parts a and c are similar the description of
one will suffice. «² is a carrier block or shoe rigidly connected to the draw
bar e of the truck-end m and having its middle part a machined out centrally
to form a hollowing wherein a tumbler-catch is disposed so as to rock on a
joint ping, the said hollowing a³ having its entrance at the extreme front a of
the block and being formed with stop-shoulders a³, a³, and a, a, and ledges a, a,
for the purposes hereinafter described. A vertical hole his formed in the
shoe a, through the hollowing a³, into which said hole a locking bolt or cotter
pin takes and works for controlling the fixing and freeing of the tumbler-
catch g, the said working of the bolt or cotter pin being a rising and falling
movement within the hole h through the operation of a lifting mechanism com-
prising a rocking shaft ", an arm 2, and a chain, the said rocking shaft being
journalled in bearings on the end of the truck and provided with handles j", and
the said chain making a flexible connection between the locking bolt i and the
arm
The tumbler catch g has its inner end g³ formed cam-like at g and with a
slot or gap g, whilst its outer or front end 96 has a circular post or lug, 97, and
projecting wings, g³, 9³, forming part of it. Intermediate of the gap go and the
post g is an upwardly projecting horn 9º, inclined and curved on its inner
face, go, which leads to the back of the post g'.

page_text: The tumbler-catch g can rock freely on the joint pin 2 and its front or outer
end is heavier than its inner end, so that normally it takes a position within the
carrier block or shoe as represented in Fig. 3. When in this position the engaging
part of the bolt i rests upon the cam-like portion g of the tumbler block, ready
to drop into and engage the gap g when it comes coincident, which is the case
on the tumbler-catch being closed to make the connection between the trucks.
So long as the part 2 engages the gap g the tumbler-catch is locked closed, the
locking bolt requiring to be lifted, from the handles g', to open the tumbler-catch.
The stop shoulders as a of the hollowing a limit the opening and closing
movements of tumbler-catch by the top and bottom edges of the wings ggs on
the said tumbler-catch respectively engaging the said shoulders. The inter-
mediate part d of the coupling is simply an elongated link, one of the ends, d², of
which is adapted to take over the post or lug g of the tumbler-catch in the
manner shown by 1, 2 and 4, the other end of the said link being connected up
to the parts c of the coupling. When the tumbler-catch is closed, engaging with
the link as in Figs. 1 and 2, the said link cannot lift off the post g by reason of
it coming under the ledges a, a, before referred to within the carrier block,
although the said link has a limited angular movement around the said post both
in a vertical and a horizontal direction.
The part of the coupling is preferably constructed and fitted the same as the
part, but where trucks are not intended to be over turned round the link d
may be rigid on the part e or not capable of detachment. In working, the locking
bolt is lifted by turning one of the handles j, to bring its part 2 out of engage-
ment with the gap g when it is desired to open the tumbler-catch, g, from its
closed position Fig. 1 to the position Fig. 3, the link d then being free to be
withdrawn from the hollowing. In coupling up, the end of the link enters
the hollowing and impinges against the part 10 of the horn, driving it back
so as to rock the tumbler-catch until the post g engages the link and the lock-
ing bolt the gap g5, the said bolt falling by its own weight.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is: -
First. An automatic coupling for railway waggons trucks and the like, com-
prising a carrier block or shoe a² attached to a truck end and having within it a
hollowing a, a tumbler-catch y disposed within said hollowing so as to rock on
a joint pin g, and which is provided with parts 97 and g', a link d for engaging
the said tumbler-catch, said link being either fixedly or detachably carried by the
other part of the coupling, and means for locking and releasing the tumbler-
catch g, substantially as described.
Second. In an automatic coupling for railway waggons and trucks, the com-
bination of a carrier block a² attached to a truck end and having within it a
hollowing provided with suitable ledges and stop shoulders, a tumbler-catch g
working within said hollowing on a joint pin g², and which is provided with
parts g, g, and g³, a link d for engaging the said tumbler-catch, said link
being detachably carried by a part c, and a locking bolt i passing through the
said carrier block and hollowing to engage the part g, substantially as described
and set forth.
Third. An automatic coupling for railway waggons and trucks constructed,
fitted and arranged to work in the manner substantially as set forth.
Dated this 21st day of September 1900.
W. P. THOMPSON & CO.,
11, Burlington Chambers, New Street, Birmingham.
Also of Liverpool, London, and Manchester,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.