Improvements in Apparatus for Connecting Together or Coupling Railway Waggons or other Vehicles.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Apr., 1886.
Completo Left, 26th Jan., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 1st Mar., 1887.
Improvements in Apparatus for Connecting Together or Coupling
Railway Waggons or other Vehicles.
I THOMAS ATTWOOD BROCKELBANK of 34 Rylett Road Shepherds Bush in the
County of Middlesex Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
In the Specification of a former patent granted to me under date the 27th day of
November 1873 No. 3876 are described means for connecting carriages of railway and
other trains and to avoid the necessity for the passage of servants between carriages in
effecting the connecting or disconnecting or the coupling or uncoupling of them. For
this purpose each end of each carriage is provided with a combined hook and loop
suspended so as to turn on pivots, and prevented by means of stops from falling below
about a horizontal line, so that when the ends of two carriages so provided are brought
together the hook of one will slide over the end of and take into the loop of the other.
Each combined hook and loop as therein described is by its pivots supported on a rod
capable of sliding endwise without turning on a socket provided for it, and this rod is
also formed with a screw thread which is taken into by a corresponding female screw
thread in another socket capable of revolving, and in its rotation of moving the rod in
or out according to the direction of its rotation. The desired rotation to this screw
socket in either direction is effected by a bevelled or other pinion or other means applied
thereto, and such pinion when used may be actuated by ordinary gear capable of being
operated from the side or other part of the carriage. Now my present invention has
for object to adapt the form of combined coupling hook and link above referred to for
use in connection with and to apply it to a draw-bar having a hook of ordinary kind,
for which purpose the arms of the combined coupling hook and link are elongated or
formed with inclined extensions or tail-pieces and are suspended by means of swinging
links or checks of any suitable form to the ordinary draw-hook or draw-bar in such a
manner that normally the inclined extensions or tailpieces of the arms of the combined
coupling hook and link will be underneath the head stock of the waggon or carriage,
and will rest or bear against a shield suspended or applied underneath the head stock
of the vehicle, this shield being such that when the inclined extensions or tail pieces

page_text: bear against it, the attitude of the combined coupling hook and link will be that
required for effecting automatically the connection of two vehicles. In connection
with the shield side cheeks or guides are provided to prevent displacement of the
combined coupling hook and link when going round curves, and also to guide and
steady the same in its movements during coupling and uncoupling and whilst travelling.
Lifting gear is also provided for operating the combined coupling hook and link for
uncoupling, and for effecting connection of adjacent vehicles at rest.
My invention as above set forth according to which the coupling hook is suspended
by links or checks to the ordinary draw-hook or draw-head, may be applied in connec-
tion with coupling hooks of various forms, and my couplings instead of being applied
to central drawhooks or heads may be applied in lieu of the ordinary safety chains at
the respective sides of the centre line of the vehicle.
T. A. BROCKELBANK.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Connecting Together or Coupling
Railway Waggons or other Vehicles.
1, THOMAS ATWOOD BROCKELBANK, of 34 Rylett Road, Shepherds Bush, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, 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:-
In the specification of a former patent granted to me under date the 27th day of
November 1873 No. 3876 are described means for connecting carriages of railway and
other trains and to avoid the necessity for the passage of servants between carriages
in effecting the connecting or disconnecting or the coupling or uncoupling of them.
For this purpose each end of each carriage is provided with a combined hook and loop
suspended so as to turn on pivots, and prevented by means of stops from falling below
about a horizontal line, so that when the ends of two carriages so provided are brought
together the hook of one will slide over the end of and take into the loop of the
other.
Each combined hook and loop as therein described is by its pivots supported on a
rod capable of sliding endwise without turning on a socket provided for it and this rod
is also formed with a screw thread which is taken into by a corresponding female screw
thread in another socket capable of revolving, and in its rotation of moving the rod in
or out according to the direction of its rotation. The desired rotation to this screw
socket in either direction is effected by a bevelled or other pinion or other means
applied thereto, and such pinion when used may be actuated by ordinary gear capable
of being operated from the side or other part of the carriage. Now my present inven-
tion has for object to adapt the form of combined coupling hook and loop above
referred to for use in connection with and to apply it to a draw-bar having a hook of
ordinary kind, for which purpose the arms of the combined coupling hook and loop
are elongated or formed with inclined extensions or tail-pieces and are suspended by
means of swinging links or equivalent means such as checks of any suitable form or a
bifurcated shackle to the ordinary draw-hook or draw-bar in such a manner that
normally the inclined extensions or tail-pieces of the arms of the combined coupling
hook and loop will be underneath the head stock of the waggon or carriage, and will rest
or bear against a shield suspended or applied underneath the head stock of the vehicle,
this shield being such that when the inclined extensions or tail picces bear against it,
the attitude of the combined coupling hook and loop will be that required for effecting
automatically the connection of two vehicles. In connection with the shield side checks
or guides may be provided to prevent displacement of the combined coupling hook and
loop when going round curves and also to guide and steady the same in its movements
during coupling and uncoupling and whilst travelling. Lifting gear is also provided
for operating the combined coupling hook and loop for uncoupling and for effecting
connection of adjacent vehicles at rest.

page_text: Referring to the accompanying three sheets of drawings Fig. 1 shews in section
parts of two adjacent vehicles and in side elevation coupling apparatus according to
this invention applied thereto with means for lifting parts of the couplings into a
raised or uncoupled attitude. The apparatus applied to the two vehicles are respectively
so placed that when the vehicles are brought together as shewn the relative positions
of the parts of the coupling apparatus will be such, that coupling will be effected.
Fig. 2 is an end view of one of the vehicles with attached apparatus. Figs. 3 and 4
shew respectively a side view, partly in section, and an end view, of part of a vehicle
with coupling apparatus shown held in the raised or uncoupled attitude.
Each combined coupling hook and loop comprises a hook 1 and arms 2,2, with inclined
extensions or tail-pieces 3, 3. 4 is a draw-hook of ordinary construction from which
the combined coupling hook and loop is suspended by swinging links 5, 5, as shown.
6 is a shield or abutment of suitable material such as plate iron, secured beneath the
head-stock 7 of the vehicle 8; it is formed with an inclined bearing surface against
which the inclined extensions or tail pieces 3, 3, can bear thus retaining the combined
coupling hook and loop in the required position, (as shown at the right hand side of
Fig. 1) for effecting automatically the coupling of two vehicles when they are brought
together. The shield or abutment 6 may be formed with side checks or guides to
prevent displacement of the combined coupling hook and loop as hereinbefore stated.
For the purpose of uncoupling or raising the combined coupling hook and loop main-
taining it in its raised attitude and releasing it as required without its being necessary
for this purpose that an operator should go between the vehicles any suitable means
may be employed. In the drawings I have represented a transverse shaft 9 with arms
or handles 10 and 11 and with crank arms 12 and 13 that take against projections 14
and 15 respectively at the sides of the combined hook and loop.
My invention as above set forth according to which the coupling hook is suspended
hy links or cheeks to the ordinary draw-hook or draw-head may be applied in connec-
tion with coupling hooks of various forms, and my couplings instead of being applied
to central draw hooks or heads may be applied in lieu of the ordinary safety chains at
the respective sides of the centre line of the vehicle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to bo performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In coupling apparatus constructed with a combined coupling hook and loop such
as referred to above for connecting together or coupling railway waggons or other
vehicles suspending the said combined coupling hook and loop by swinging links or
equivalent means to the draw-hook or draw-bar of the vehicle substantially in the
manner hereinabove described.
2. My improved coupling apparatus as described and shewn in the drawings.