Improvements in Railway Carriage Couplings.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Dec., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 25th Sept., 1899—Accepted, 18th Nov., 1899
Improvements in Railway Carriage Couplings.
We, HENRY GRIFFITH, of 2, Warbeck Road, Uxbridge Road, London, W.,
Jeweller and Goldsmith, and JOHN GREEN, of 55, Kenton Street, Brunswick
Square, London, W.C., Herbalist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows --
This invention relates to certain improvements in railway carriage couplings
the object being to provide a coupling that will be easily connected and can be
immediately uncoupled when required It is also designed to prevent and obviate
the necessity of the men getting under or between the buffers to uncouple or
couple the train (so effecting the saving of lives) and preventing from re-
bounding, from between the buffeis, wagons and carriages when shunting or
otherwise through getting foul in the passing across points or crossings of
railways and meeting with collision or colliding through the same Telescoping
of carriages incident to collisions will be prevented at the same time that proper
provision 18 made for coupling and uncoupling
In carrving this invention into practical effect, patterns are made of equality
of thickness in the material for pressing in moulds for castings to be had
therefrom in malleable cast-iron, or they may be wrought The formation of
the coupling is that of one link standing straight out "flat" and attached to the
side and coming just parallel to the inside centre of two other links standing
straight out "flat" in like manner that the single one does as aforesaid; these
adjoining links are fixed to the ends of the draw-bars. Centrally of the bottom
double link there is a jointed or hanging thick drop pin of the same approximate
thickness as the metal links, and of the length from top to the bottom link, and
hanging loosely down so as to catch or drop into the single link upon the meeting
or coming together of the single link inside and between the double link allowing
about four inches space cach way to guide the single link The drop pin 38
thicker at the lower end, so as to form or give a balance to the pin upon its
10nt by which it can be readily moved to and fro when required by the aid of
a lever applied at the ends and capable of being operated from each side of the
wagon or calliage. This drop pin can not get outside of the links, or get off from
the said coupling when meeting coupling to coupling so that the single link
will be secured between the two links by pin of the said single link
These fittings are arranged in paus correspondingly on the ends of the carriages
so that there will be a double coupling between each two coupling links with
then coupling diop pins when they are being pushed or moved, inwardly upon
each other by the meeting of the incoming single links between the two and the
weighted end of the balance or drop pin will fall immediately into the opening of
the link thus securing and fastening together the vehicles

page_text: Improvements in Aalway Carriage coupings.
We, HENRY GRIFFITH, of 2, Warbeck Road, Uxbridge Road, London, W,
Jeweller and Goldsmith, and JOHN GREEN, of 55, Kenton Street, Brunswick
Square, London, WC, Herbalist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly descubed
and ascertained in and by the following statement
-
This invention relates to improvements in railway couplings of the kind designed
to admit of adjacent railway wagous or like vehicles (hereinafter called wagons)
becoming connected together in an automatic manner when suitably brought
together and of being afterwards uncoupled without the necessity of anyone
passing under or between the buffers of the wagons
Each coupling according to this invention comprises a link (hereinafter called
for distinction a coupling link) that extends outward horizontally and 18 arranged
parallel to the centre line of two other links (hereinafter called for distinction
holding links) which also extend outward horizontally like the coupling link
and are arranged one above the other so as to form in effect a double holding
link, the three adjoining links beng fixed at their rear ends to the outer end
of the draw bar of the wagon to which the coupling is applied. Centrally of the
bottom portion of the double holding link there is a jointed or hanging diop
pin (hereinafter called the coupling pin) which extends from the top link to
the bottom link of the pair of holding links and hangs loosely down so as to
catch or drop into the single coupling link of a similar coupling on an adjacent
vehicle upon such single coupling link passing longitudinally into the space between
the upper and lower portions of the double holding link, such space being
made of suitable depth, say about six or eight inches, to enable the single coupling
link to freely enter it. The coupling pin is thickened at its lower end so as to
balance it upon its joint and admit of its being readily moved to and fio, when
required, by the aid of a lever capable of being operated from either side of the
wagon of carriage The anangement is such that the coupling pin cannot get
outside of the pair of holding links or become disengaged from the coupling when
two similar couplings are brought together, so that when the single coupling
link of a second coupling enteis aufficiently between the two holding links of
the first coupling, it will be secured in place by such coupling pin
A coupling of the kind described is fitted to each end of a wagon in such a
manner that when the adjacent ends of two wagons so fitted are brought together,
there will be a double coupling between the two coupling links and the two
coupling pins of the two couplings, the two coupling pins fist turning inward
about the pivots by the action upon them of the coupling links until the
openings in these links come opposite the pins, whereupon the latter will
immediately and automatically fall and enter the said openings and thereby
securely connect the two vehicles together
In the accompanying illustrative drawings, Figs 1, 2 and 3 are respectively
a side elevation, a plau, and an end elevation, showing one construction of coupling
according to this invention applied to the outer end of the diaw ba of a railway
wagon the end portion only of which 19 shown Fig 4 shows, in side elevation,
the adjacent ends of two wagons fitted with couplings of the kind shown in
Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, the parts of the two couplings being shown in the positions
they would occupy whilst the two vehicles are being brought together and
immediately before the coupling pins are released and allowed to automatically
move into the coupling attitude in which they lock the two couplings together

page_text: Fig 5 18 a similar view to Fig 4, but showing the vehicles coupled. Fig. 6
is a similar view to Fig 1, but showing how the coupling pin is moved into its
uncoupling position to release the coupling link with which it may have been
engaged.
is the coupling link, and 2, 2ª the pair of holding links arranged one above
the other, the coupling link being arranged at one side of and about midway in
height between the two holding links The three links are shown as slotted
plates which are rigidly connected together at their rear ends by a plate or base
piece 3
4 18 the coupling pin formed with a boss 4" fixed on a sleeve 4b by
which it is mounted to tuin in the lower (2) of the two holding links This
coupling pin is weighted at its lower end 4° so that it normally hangs or tends
to hang in the vertical position shown in Figs 1 and 3 in which position it
extends through the slots 2 in the two holding links 2, 2 As will be seen
the arrangement is such that the coupling pin 4 18 fiee to turn backward and
downwards from its normal vertical position but is prevented from turning
outwards and downwards by the upper holding link 2 against the forward end
of the slot in which its upper end normally bears
To enable the coupling pin 4 to be moved backward by hand, for uncoupling,
from either side of the vehicle, the sleeve 4 of the said pin may, as in the
example shown, he fitted with a loose spindle 5 upon one end of which 18
fixed a lever am 6 having a tooth or projection 7 adapted to engage with a
tooth or projection 8 on the adjacent end of the boss 4. The lever am 6 is
connected by a link 9 to a second lever atm 10 fixed on a 1ock shaft 11 which is
Jounalled in suitable benings 11ª and is provided at each end with a hand
lever 12 located at the end of the wagon The anangement is such that by
moving either hand lever 12 upward and backward, the lever aim 6 with tooth
or projection 7 can be caused to turn the coupling pin 4 backward and downward
into the position shown in Fig 6 so as to completely release the coupling link
of an adjacent wagon with which it may have been coupled. A suitable holding
device is or may be provided for holding the coupling pin 4 in its inoperative
position when desued For this purpose there may be attached to each end of
each vehicle a sping catch 12 adapted to engage and hold the lever 12 when
the same is turned into a position to move the coupling pin into its inoperative
attitude
The coupling is suitably connected to the outer end of the draw bar 13 so that
the longitudinal strain exerted upon it when in use will be transmitted to such
bar
In the example shown the plate or base portion 3 of the coupling 18 formed
with a central hole and threaded on and fixed to the draw bar which may be
provided with an ordinary draw hook 13ª for use with a vehicle not provided with
The improved coupling
To
When two vehicles having then adjacent ends fitted with couplings of the kind
dereiibed are forced together, the coupling link 1 of each coupling will act against
the coupling pin 4 of the opposite coupling and tuin such pin backward and
downward as shown in Fig 4 until the slot or opening 1º in each coupling link 1
is brought completely over the corresponding coupling pin 4 whereupon such
pin will immediately move under the action of gravity into the position shown
in Fig 5 and so automatically effect the coupling of the two vehicles
uncouple the two vehicles, each of the two coupling pins 4 18 moved backward
and downward (see Fig 6) by the corresponding hand lever 12 which can then
be engaged with its catch or holding device 12 in order to hold the said coupling
pin in the inoperative position whilst the uncoupled vehicles are moved apait
Fig 7 shows in side elevation, a modified arrangement of coupling wherein the
coupling puis suspended from the outer end of a lever 16 that is pivoted at
17 to the upper holding link 2 and is provided with a rearwardly extending
aim or fail piece 18 which is adapted to be depressed from either side of the
vehicle by a crank pin or aim 19 on a rock shaft 11 jou nalled in bearings on the
end of the vehicle and provided at each end with a band lever 12
In this case
the automatic coupling is effected by the coupling pin 4 of each coupling turning

page_text: backward and upward when the coupling link 1 of the opposite coupling enters
between the holding links 2, 2" through which the coupling pin normally hangs,
and uncoupling is effected by depressing the rear arm 18 of cach lever 16 and so
raising the coupling pin 4, as shown in Fig 8, sufficiently high to release the
coupling link
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we do not claim
broadly a railway coupling having a vertically movable coupling pin adapted to
extend through slots in the top and bottom of the body portion of the coupling,
and a link though which the coupling pin of a similar coupling takes when the
two couplings are brought together, but what we do claim is:-
1 The herein described improved railway coupling comprising two horizontal
holding links arranged one above the other with a space between them, a hori-
zontal coupling link aanged at one side of the holding links and so as to be
opposite the space between such links, the three links being rigully connected
together at then rear ends and adapted to be fixed to a diaw bar, a hinged or
Jointed diop or coupling pin mounted normally to hang vertically through the
slots or openings in the holding links in such a way that it cannot then move
forward but can turn backward to admit of the entrance between the holding
links of the coupling link of a similar coupling on an adjacent vehicle and will
automatically move back into the normal vertical position and hold the coupling
link in place when the slot on opening therein is brought opposite it, and means
whereby the coupling pin can be withdrawn from the last mentioned coupling
link by a person standing at either side of the vehicle to which the coupling is
appled, substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings
2 The improved railway coupling apparatus constructed, arranged and operating
substantially as shown in and described with reference to Figs 1 to 6 inclusive
of the diawings annexed.
1000