Improvements in means for Facilitating the Coupling-up and Uncoupling of Railway Waggons by the Pole System.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Sept., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 14th June, 1900-Accepted, 14th July, 1900
Improvements in means for Facilitating the Coupling-up and
Uncoupling of Railway Waggons by the Pole System.
I, EDWARD JACOB HILL, of 11, Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
My invention relates to the "pole" system of coupling up and uncoupling
railway waggons and has for its object to facilitate the operation and avoid the
liability of accidents which are of frequent occurrence owing to the buffer
standard, on which the shunter rests the pole in raising the chain, having a
rounded surface constituting an unstable fulcrum for the pole during the coupling
and uncoupling operation. As a consequence the pole is apt to slide along the
buffer standard support and fatal accidents often occur owing to the shunter
being jerked his feet and under the waggons.
According to my invention I employ a bracket provided with a hooked extremity
which forms a seat or fulcrum for the pole, such bracket being formed either
as a vertical hanger supported from the buffer standard or as a horizontal arm
bolted to the buffer plank or headstock of the waggon. In the former case the
bracket may be made from a plain metal bar whose ends are bent to form hooks
in two planes at right angles to one another, the hook on the upper end of the bar
being afterwards closed around the buffer standard so as to become permanently
attached thereto, whilst the hook on the lower end of the bar hangs so as to pre-
sent its open side to the shunter. In the latter case the bar forming the bracket
is bolted preferably to the underside of the buffer plank and extends outwards
horizontally under the buffer, the hooked outer end of the bracket being so
formed, by doubling the bar upon itself or otherwise, as to provide an abutment
for the pole against the pressure which is brought to bear on it in passing the
end of the link of the coupling chain over the draw-hook.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.
Improvements in means for Facilitating the Coupling-up and .
Uncoupling of Railway Waggons by the Pole System.
I. EDWARD JACOB HILL, of 11, Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster,
Civil 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:-
My invention relates to the "pole" system of coupling up and uncoupling
the loose chain couplings of a railway waggon and has for its object to facilitate

page_text: the operation and avoid the liability of accidents consequent on the pole slipping
upon the smooth and rounded surface of the buffer rod or its guide socket on
which it is usually rested as a fulcrum during the coupling-up and uncoupling
operations, the liability of the pole thus slipping being increased by the fact that
the fulcrum is at such a height relatively to the part of the coupling which is
engaged by the pole that the pole necessarily assumes a very inclined position
during the operation.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification wherein Figures 1 and 2 represent side views of two forms of pole
fulcrum, and Figure 3 illustrates the mode of using the pole for coupling-up or
uncoupling.
According to my invention I provide a hooked bracket as a fulcrum for the
pole, the said fulcrum being situated below the level of the buffers of such a
height relatively to the coupling and at such a distance from the headstock as
to enable the coupling to be most conveniently manipulated through the medium
of the pole as a lever without inclining the latter excessively in any direction.
Such a bracket may either be formed as in Figure by an arm A bolted
to the buffer plank or head stock of the waggon; or it may be a hanger such as
shown at B in Figure 2 dependent from the buffer rod guida socket.
In Figure 1 the bracket arm A is bolted preferably to the underside of the
buffer plank and extends beneath the buffer rod-guide-socket, the outer end
of the bracket being hooked as at a to form a cradle-like fulcrum for the pole C
to rest on. In order to resist the rearward thrust of the pole when the coupling
is supported by it in the extended position, the bracket arm is upwardly curved
as at a so as to provide an abutment as at a for the pole which will both
guide the pole into the hook a and prevent it being forced out therefrom by the
rearward thrust.
In Figure 2 the bracket B is made of a bar whose ends are bent to form hooks
in planes at right angles to each other, the lower hook 6 forming the fulcrum
for the pole C, and being presented in a fore and aft direction with its mouth
towards the buffer head in a convenient position for readily placing the pole on
the hook, whilst the upper hook 61 is adapted to rest upon and embrace the buffer
rod-guide-socket around which said hook may be tightly closed or clasped in
order to retain the bracket in position as a permanent rigid attachment.
The downwardly extending portion 62 of the bracket acts as an abutment to
resist the rearward thrust of the pole as in the other case.
The use of the pole and bracket is illustrated in Figure 3 in connection with
a special form of coupling link forming the subject of another application for
Letters Patent No. 16745 of 1899 and in connection with a special form of pole
Jever forming the subject of another application for Letters Patent No. 13398
of 1899, to which the present invention is especially applicable.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:―
Providing a railway waggon having a slack chain coupling with supporting
brackets hooked or otherwise adapted to serve as fulcra for the coupling operating
pole lever, the fulcra being situated beyond the headstock and below the level
of the buffers, substantially as specified.
A. M. & WM. CLARK.
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.