A NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR COUPLING AND UNCOUPLING RAILWAY VEHICLES. WHICH APPARATUS MAY ALSO BE EMPLOYED FOR OTHER PURPOSES."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Askew, of Edinburgh, in the County of
Mid Lothian, North-Britain, Blacksmith, for an Invention of "A NEW OR
IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR COUPLING AND UNCOUPLING RAILWAY VEHICLES.
WHICH APPARATUS MAY ALSO BE EMPLOYED FOR OTHER PURPOSES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Askew at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th September 1881.
BENJAMIN ASKEW; of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid Lothian, North-Britain,
Blacksmith. "A NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR COUPLING AND UNCOUPLING
RAILWAY VEHICLES, WHICH APPARATUS MAY ALSO BE EMPLOYED FOR OTHER
PURPOSES."
This Invention relates to a new or improved arrangement or combination of
apparatus for coupling and uncoupling railway carriages, wagons, and other
vehicles, and has for its object to enable these operations to be effected without
the necessity of the porter or other railway attendant getting down on the line
between the vehicles as heretofore.
The apparatus consists of a tube, preferably closed at one end, and at its other
end provided with a book or jaw; at the interior and towards the closed end of the
tube a spiral or other spring is situated and attached to one extremity of a bar or
rod, whose other end projects to and is capable of being moved outwards from the
open end of the tube. Such movement of the rod is effected by a lever, one end of
which passes in through a slot or opening in the side of the tube and acts upon the
movable rod, when the other end of the lever is acted on by the operator.
In using the Invention the coupling is hooked into the jaw of the apparatus, and
by pressing the lever with the hand towards or against the side of the tube the
movable rod is forced outwards so as to catch and securely hold the coupling in
the jaw, which being effected the coupling may with facility be placed on or
removed from the hook on the draw bar of the next vehicle. When the operation
has been effected the lever is released, and the moveable rod is drawn back to its
normal position by means of the spiral or other spring.
Besides being used for the purposes herein before described, the apparatus may be
used for other coupling and uncoupling purposes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION. in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Benjamin Askew in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th March
1882.
BENJAMIN ASKEW, of Edinburgh, in the County of Midlothian, North Britain,
Blacksmith. "A NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR COUPLING AND UNCOUPLING
RAILWAY VEHICLES, WHICH APPARATUS MAY ALSO BE EMPLOYED FOR OTHER
PURPOSES."
My said Invention relates to a new or improved arrangement or combination of
apparatus for coupling and uncoupling railway carriages, wagons, and other railway
vehicles, and it has for its object to enable these operations to be effected without
the necessity of the porter or other railway servant getting down on the line
between the vehicles as has hitherto been customary.
The apparatus constituting my said Invention consists of a tube, preferably closed
at one end, and at its other end provided with a hook or jaw. At the interior
and towaids the closed end of the tube a spiral spring is situated and attached
to one extremity of a rod, bar, or tube, whose other end projects and is capable
of being moved outwards from the open end of the tube. This outward move-
ment of the bar, rod, or tube is effected by a lever, one end of which passes in
through a slot or opening in the tube, and acts upon the bar, rod, or tube when
the other end of the lever is acted upon by the hand of the railway servant.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I now proceed
more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner in or under which the
same is or may be used, or carried out in practice, reference being had to the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon,
that is to say,-
On the appended Drawings Figure 1 is an elevation and Figure 2 a longitudinal
section of the coupling and uncoupling apparatus constituting my said Invention,
-and-which-consists of a metal or wooden tube a composed of two sections or pieces
joined or connected together by a screwed coupling piece b. One section a¹ of the
tube is closed at its outer end, and on the outer end of the other section a hook or
jaw c is screwed. At the interior and towards the closed end of the tube a spiral
spring d is situated, and one end of it is secured or connected to a pin passing
through the tube, whilst the other end is connected to an eye or block e screwed on
to the rearward end of a rod, bar, or tube f, whose other end projects through the
open end of the tube a. The forward end of the rod, bar, or tube f is preferably
provided with a renewable piece g screwed on to it and made of steel; Figure 3 is
a detailed view of the said piece, and Figure 4, a detailed view of the block or
eye e at right angles to Figure 2.
The rod, bar, or tube f is movable outwards and inwards through the open end
of the tube a, and such movement is effected by a bell crank lever / centred
between lugs or projections formed on the coupling piece b. The inner end of the
lever h passes through a slot in the coupling piece b into a slot or opening made in
the eye or block e, as more particularly seen at k, Figure 4, and acts upon the
movable rod, bar, or tube f so as to force the end of it outwards from the open
end of the tube a, when the other end of the lever is pressed by the hand of the
railway servant inwards or towards the tube a.
In using the apparatus constituting my said Invention the coupling link of the
vehicle is hooked into the jaw c, and the outer end of the bell crank lever h is then
pressed by hand inwards towards the tube a, whereby the movable rod, bar, or
tube f is forced outwards through the open end of the tube, and grips and securely
holds the coupling. link in the jaw c, which being effected the link may with

page_text: facility be placed on or removed from the hooked end of the draw-bar of the next
vehicle, after which the hand pressure on the outer end of the bell crank lever h is
released, and the movable rod, bar, or tube f is drawn back to its normal position
by the spiral spring d.
The hook c and the end piece g of the rod, bar, or tube fare preferably serrated
on the parts which come in contact with the coupling in order to afford a better
bolding or gripping surface.
Besides being used for the purposes hereinbefore described, the apparatus may be
employed for other coupling and uncoupling purposes.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the system, mode, or manner in or under which the same is or
may be used or carried out in practice, I would observe in conclusion that what I
consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to
me by the hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is,―
The new or improved coupling and uncoupling apparatus consisting of the
combination of the tube a, hook c, spring d, rod or tube f, and lever h, substantially
as herein before described and shown on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto appended.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Askew, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this, Sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty two.
Witness,
GEO. M. CRUIKSHANK, C.E.,
Patent Agent,
135, Buchanan St.,
Glasgow.
BENJAMIN ASKEW. (L.S.)