IMPROVED SELF-ADJUSTING COUPLERS FOR CONNECTING AND DISCONNECTING RAILWAY CARRIAGES, LOCOMOTIVES, AND OTHER VEHICLES USED ON RAILWAYS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Walker Vaughn Pulliam, of Kansas City, in the
State of Kansas, and United States of America, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVED SELF-ADJUSTING COUPLERS FOR CONNECTING
AND DISCONNECTING RAILWAY CARRIAGES, LOCOMOTIVES, AND OTHER VEHICLES
USED ON RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 22nd July 1870, and dated the 2nd June 1870.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Walker Vaughn Pulliam
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition
and Declaration, on the 2nd June 1870, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WALKER
VAUGHN PULLIAM, of Kansas City, in the State of Kansas, and United
States of America, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVED SELF-
ADJUSTING COUPLERS FOR CONNECTING AND DISCONNECTING RAILWAY CARRIAGES,
LOCOMOTIVES, AND OTHER VEHICLES USED ON RAILWAYS," and have petitioned

page_text: Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn
Declaration that I am the first and true Inventor thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Walker Vaughn Pulliam, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification under my hand and
seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing making a
part of this Specification.
The first part of my Invention relates to an improvement in the
construction of self-adjusting couplers for railway carriages. This
improvement consists in securing to the front end of the draw rod a
metallic supporting block, to the sides of which, near the rear end thereof,
are pivoted the rear ends of two side plates whose forward ends pro-
jecting a suitable distance beyond the front end of the block are bolted
together upon a double or wedge-shaped head constituting the coupling
hook, and which are furthermore strengthened by means of a transverse
bolt or a cross bar riveted to their upper edges so as to extend across
and rest upon the top of the block near its front end, the object of this
part of my Invention being to obtain a self-acting coupler whose parts
may at small expense be readily removed and replaced when broken or
injured, and which shall not only possess great strength, but be so
compact as to admit of being employed in the place of any of the
ordinary couplers.
The second part of my Invention relates to the combination with the
double plate coupling bar and hook just described of a link and lever
so arranged and pivoted on the end of the carriage that when operated
it shall readily elevate the coupling bar and disengage its hook, if
coupled the object sought being to facilitate the uncoupling of the
carriages without danger to the attendant.
The third part of my Invention relates to the use in combination with
my improved self-adjusting coupler of a coupling link or bar forked at
one end to embrace the wedge-shaped head of my improved coupler,
upon which it is secured by means of a loose pin passing vertically
through the head and through the two arms of the fork, and left straight
at the other to project into any of the ordinary forms of couplers and be
secured by a vertical bolt in the usual manner. The object of this part
of my Invention being to afford a ready means of connecting and using

page_text: my self-adjusting coupler secured to any carriage with any of the usual
forms of couplers upon another carriage.
In the accompanying Drawing Figure 1 is a plan view of two of my
self-adjusting couplers with coupling hooks or heads disengaged;
Figure 2, a side view of the same; Figure 3, a transverse section in the
line x, x, of Figure 2; Figure 4, a similar section in line y, y, of
Figure 2; Figure 5, a longitudinal vertical section taken in a central
line through the two couplers in an engaged position; Figure 6, a
vertical section taken in the line 2, 2, of Fig. 5, illustrating the attach-
ment thereto of the operating lever for clevating the coupling bar and
hook; Figure 7 a side elevation of my self-adjusting coupler fitted with
a draw link whereby it may be connected with any form of coupler in
which a link is employed; Figure 8, a side elevation illustrating the
attachment to my coupler of a link to connect it to a locomotive.
A is the metallic rectangular block constituting the body or support
of my improved coupling device; B, an extension thereof forming a
draw bar or rod to be attached by suitable devices in the usual manner
to the beams supporting the floor of the carriage; C, C, spiral or rubber
springs placed as usual upon the draw bar to relieve the coupling from
sudden shocks; D, D, coupling plates securely pivoted on opposite sides
of the block A near the rear end thereof by means of a bolt or pin a
fastened by a nut or key, and which extend forward and project beyond
the forward end of the block as illustrated in the Drawing; E, the
wedge-shaped head of the coupling bar interposed between the forward
ends of the coupling plates D which are firmly secured thereto by means
of two or more bolts b, b, passing entirely through the plates and head.
This coupler head E may be recessed laterally to receive and partially
embrace the ends of the coupling plates D, D, as illustrated in the section,
Figure 4, and thus form a stronger joint between the coupling plates and
their head; F, a transverse bolt extending across from one coupling
plate to the other over the forward end of the body block A passing
through the upper edges of said plate. A groove or recess is formed
across the upper side of the block to receive the bolt F when it is resting
thereon, as illustrated in the section Figure 5. The weight of the head
of each coupler is such that the coupling plates D moving freely upon
their pivots will by the action of gravitation alone always tend to a
horizontal position with sufficient force to secure an effective operation of
the device. To obtain, however, still greater certainty in the operation

page_text: of the couplers and additional security as to their engagement springs
may be combined therewith. In operation, when the two wedge-shaped
heads E, E, which form the coupling hooks, are pushed together they
will glide the one over the other, the uppermost one being gradually
lifted until its rear face passes the rear face of the under head, when it
will drop down behind the same, and the two will thus become securely
engaged, as illustrated in Figure 5. When thus engaged each head E
passes or enters between the coupling plates D, D, of the opposite head.
Hence the engaging surfaces of the hooks or heads E projecting between
the plates D, D, may be increased to any extent found desirable. As
the heads E, E, when engaged or coupled are not in any manner locked
or confined otherwise than by the simple action of gravity or the
yielding pressure of their springs, if such are used, it follows that in the
event of the overturning of either carriage thus coupled, or its pre-
cipitation through an opening in the track way, the coupling heads or
books will at once disengage or separate, and thus immediately uncouple
and disconnect the carriages.
My Invention is therefore not only a "self-coupler," but in cases of
accident a "self-uncoupler." To uncouple at pleasure under ordinary
circumstances without exposing the attendant to the danger of passing
for the purpose in between the carriages I hinge to the end of each
carriage over the coupler a bent lever K, Fig. 6, the shorter arm of which
engages a slot in a rod L pivoted at its lower end to one of the coupling
plates of the coupler beneath. By simply bearing down the longer arm
of the lever K the shorter arm will be so far elevated as to draw up the
coupler by means of the rod L sufficiently to disengage its coupling
hook from the opposite coupling hook. When thus elevated the coupling
hook may be locked and secured from dropping again by means of any
suitable catch arranged for the purpose. If either of the coupling
plates D, D, or the coupling hooks or heads E becomes injured or broken
it is only necessary to withdraw the pivot bolt a and head bolts b, b; in
order to separate these parts remove that which is defective and replace
it with a duplicate, and this can readily be done in comparatively a few
minutes. The body block A gives a firm support to the coupling
plates D, D, and the peculiar combination of the two affords unusual
compactness in the device without sacrifice of strength in any of the
parts, so that this coupler does not require for its ordinary attachment
to carriages a greater space than that required for the ordinary draw bars
and couplers now in use.

page_text: As it often becomes necessary to connect carriages provided with these
improved self-acting couplers with carriages which are arranged to be
coupled by a simple coupling link, I provide a link M, Figure 7, to be
attached in such cases to the head of my coupler. One end of this link
is forked so as to embrace the head of my coupler, and is secured thereon
by means of a vertical pin or bolt N passing through apertures pierced
for the purpose in the arms of the link and in the hook head, as shown
in Figure 7. Its other end is left straight and is slotted or pierced with
an aperture, as in ordinary coupling links. The arms of the link embrace
the head so loosely as to allow the link to play far enough to accomodate
itself to different elevations of the coupler on the opposite carriage.
In connecting my coupler to a locomotive a flat-headed bolt may be
employed and the coupling link be made to rest on the hook head, and
be there caught by the head of said bolt, as shown in Fig. 8.
I do not claim as new coupling bars having double or wedge-shaped
heads so arranged that when pushed one upon the other they will engage
by the simple effect of gravitation.
I claim as my Invention,―
1. As an improvement in self-adjusting couplers the double plates D, D,
pivoted on either side of a metallic block or support A at one end and
secured to an interposed wedge-shaped head E at the other, substantially
as herein described.
2. The combination of the bent lever K pivoted on the end of a carriage
with the rod L pivoted to one of the plates D of an automatic coupler
constructed substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Walker Vaughn Pulliam, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
0 Witness,
WALKER V. PULLIAM. (L.S.)
DAVID A. BURR,
Solicitor & Counsellor in Patent Cases,
Washington D.C.