IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Arthur Williams, of Torquay, in the County of
Devon, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY
ROLLING STOCK."
Sealed the 15th April 1879, and dated the 13th December 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Arthur Williams at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th December 1878.
GEORGE ARTHUR WILLIAMS, of Torquay, in the County of Devon. IMPROVE-
MENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK."
86
My Invention relates to automatic or self connecting railway couplings, and con-
sists in several modifications or arrangements, in all of which a peculiarly shaped
hook is employed in combination with an eye or link, and with other parts, as here-
after described.
One arrangement is as follows:-To the end of the draw bar a crosshead is fixed,
and from one end of this crosshead a slightly_curved fixed arm projects in a hori-
zontal direction towards the next carriage. To this arm the hook above mentioned
is jointed on a vertical pivot and is pressed up against the side of the fixed arm by
a spring, the point of the hook being received in a notch in the said arm so as to
close the hook or form a complete link or loop to prevent the coupling becoming
detached. The extremity or head of the hook is formed with an inclined surface so
disposed that on being pressed or struck by a fixed link on the next carriage the
spring of the hook will be overcome and the latter be forced back away from the
fixed arm until the link slips over the point of the hook, when the latter is imme-
diately closed again by its spring. To the other extremity of the crosshead above
mentioned is fixed a link which also projects towards the next carriage.
This link is fixed in a vertical plane, and has an opening of considerable width to
allow for the variation in height of the couplings on adjacent carriages.
Both ends of every carriage being provided with apparatus, as above described,

page_text: when two carriages are brought together the hook on the end of each comes opposite,
and is pressed open by and connects itself to the link on the end of the other, as
above described, the coupling thus being double. For the purpose of uncoupling the
carriages without getting between them a lever handle is mounted at each side of
the carriage, and the said levers are connected by chains or cords passing over suit-
able guide pulleys with the arm of a bell crank whose other arın is connected to the
coupling hook, so that by pulling the lever at either side of the carriage the hook
may be disconnected, and the levers on two adjacent carriages are sufficiently con-
tiguous to enable both to be operated at once to disconnect both hooks of the double
coupling.
In a modified arrangement of the double coupling the fixed arm against which
the book closes is dispensed with, and the extent of motion of the hook is limited
by the form of its joint. The hooks are acted on by springs and are disconnected
by levers, and the links which engage with the hooks are all as before described.
With the double couplings above described it is immaterial which end of the
carriages are brought together.
Another modification consists in a pair of hooks like those above described
mounted face to face and one above the other on the same pivot, their points crossing
one another and the two hooks together forming a complete loop or link. The
hooks are pressed together by their springs, and the inclined surfaces at the
extremities of the hooks cross and together form a V into which the link on
the other carriage comes, and so presses the hooks apart until the link has quite
entered between the hooks, when the latter close together again and engage
with the link. In this case the two hooks only are on the draw bar of the
one carriage and the link on the draw bar of the other carriage, so that the
carriages can only be coupled when the appropriate ends are brought together.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said George Arthur Williams in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
13th June 1879.
GEORGE ARTHUR WILLIAMS, of Torquay, in the County of Devon.
MENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK."
❝ IMPROVE
This Invention has for its object improvements in couplings for railway rolling
stock whereby far greater facility is afforded for coupling and uncoupling railway
carriages, trucks, and waggons, while the risk to life hitherto attendant upon
this operation is totally obviated and a great saving of time effected. In order
to effect these objects I make my improved coupling automatic or self connecting,
and I employ a coupling hook of a special configuration with a suitable eye
or link and other parts as hereafter described. My Invention admits of various
modifications of arrangement without departing from the principles thereof, one of
which arrangements is as follows:-To the end of the draw bar a crosshead is fixed
horizontally, and from one end of this cross head a slightly curved fixed arm pro-
jects in a horizontal direction towards the next carriage. To this arm the hook
above mentioned is jointed on a vertical pivot, and is pressed up against the
side of the fixed arm by a spring, the pivot of the hook being received in a
notch in the said arm so as to close the hook and form a complete link or
loop. The extremity or head of the hook is formed with an inclined surface
so disposed that on being pressed or struck by a fixed link on the next car-
riage the spring of the hook will be overcome and the latter so forced back
away from the fixed arm until the link slips over the point of the hook, when
the latter is immediately closed again by its spring.
To the other extremity of the horizontal crosshead above mentioned is fixed a
link, which also projects towards the next carriage. This link is fixed in a vertical
plane, and has an opening of considerable width to allow for the variation in height
of the couplings on adjacent carriages. Both ends of every carriage being provided
with apparatus, as above described, when two carriages are brought together the
hook on the end of each comes opposite, and is pressed open by and connects itself
to the link on the end of the other, as above described, the coupling thus being
double. For the purpose of uncoupling the carriages without getting between them
a lever handle is mounted at each side of the carriage and the said levers are con-
nected by chains or cords passing over suitable guide pulleys with the coupling
hook, so that by pulling the lever at either side of the carriage the hook may be
disconnected, and the levers on two adjacent carriages are sufficiently contiguous
to enable both to be operated at once to disconnect both hooks of the double
coupling.
In a modified arrangement of the double coupling the horizontal crosshead and
the fixed arm against which the hook closes is dispensed with, and the extent of
motion of the hook is limited by the form of its joint. The hooks are acted on by
springs and are disconnected by levers, and the links which engage with the hooks
are all as before described.
With the double couplings above described it is immaterial which end of the
carriages are brought together.
Another modification consists in a pair of hooks like those above described
mounted face to face and one above the other on the same pivot, their points crossing
one another, and the two hooks together forming a complete loop or link. The
hooks are pressed together by their springs, and the inclined surfaces at the
extremities of the hooks cross and together form a V into which the link on the.
other carriage comes, and so presses the hooks apart until the link has quite entered
between the hooks, when the latter close together again and engage with the link.
In this case the two links only are on the draw bar of the one carriage and the link
on the draw bar of the other carriage, so that the carriages can only be coupled
when the appropriate ends are brought together.

page_text: Indicare corresponding parts, and which Drawings
I will now proceed to describe.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews the apparatus, which consists of the hook a and the spring b
which presses against the back of the hook a and is fastened by a bolt and nut at 611;
the hook a being attached to the arm c at the joint d is pressed firmly against it by
the spring b, forming a loop or link. The loop or link e on coming in contact with
the inclined surface of the head of the hook a forces it open backwards until the
point of the hook slips over the end of the loop, when by the action of the spring b
the look instantly closes upon the arm c, forming a perfect coupling.
The apparatus is fixed to the carriages in the following manner:-To the end of
the draw bar ff, is fixed a horizontal crosshead g by a nut and screw h or other
secure fastening, to one end of the horizontal crosshead g is fastened by a screw and
nut or other secure fastening, the arrangement consisting of the hook, arm, and
spring a, b, c, d; on the other end is fixed by the same means the link e, the position
of the respective parts being reversed on the opposite ends of a carriage; upon the
ends of two carriages coming together the links e, e, come in contact with the
inclined surfaces of the heads of the hooks a, a, and the coupling is effected as
described above.
For uncoupling, two small chains are fastened to the back of the hook a by the
link i, one of which passes round the wheel j and is attached to the lever k, the
other passes under the staple or shield of the wheel j to the lever k¹¹; thus the
uncoupling may be effected from either side of the carriage by simply drawing back
the respective lever, and may be kept open by securing the lever behind a small pin
or notch p for the purpose, and upon releasing the lever the hook flies back into its
original position and is ready again for coupling.
Figure 2 shews a modified arrangement of the apparatus in which the horizontal
crosshead g and the arm c, shewn in Figure 1, are dispensed with, and the hook a
working on the pivot d and the link e are fastened on the opposite sides of the draw
bar ff, which is made to project through the stock head of the carriage a sufficient
distance for the purpose by means of a square bolt and nut h or other secure fastening,
the spring b being also secured by the same bolt. The coupling is effected the same
as in Figure 1. The uncoupling is also effected in the same way, and this view,
Figure 2, also shews an arrangement for tightening the coupling after it is connected.
The shank of the link e is left long enough for the purpose, and a strong screw
thread cut into it to fit the screw wheel l, which is grooved to carry a chain. The
screw wheel is placed in a strong slot or pair of jaws m secured to the drawbar by
the bolt h. The shank of the link e passes through the wheel and the jaws m, and
is drawn backwards or forwards by the action of the screw according to which way
the wheel is turned.
The shank of the link e passes through a hole in the stock head of the carriage on
being drawn backwards. An iron rod or guide is fixed to one of the corners of the
link e to keep it in its proper position, and which also passes through a hole in the
stock head of the carriage.
To turn the screw wheel on the shank of the link e two larger grooved
wheels n, n, are fixed on the same pins on which the levers k, k, are worked,
one on each end of the stock head of the carriage, having handles to turn them.
A small endless chain o, o, is passes round the screw wheel and over the two
wheels n, n, on turning either of which the screw wheel is turned on the shank of
the link e, drawing it backwards or forwards, according to the way it is turned. The
two grooved wheels n, n, should be much larger, say, four or five diameters, than
the screw wheel l, so that three or four turns would be sufficient to tighten up the
coupling or slacken it to unfasten,

page_text: The coupling apparatus, as represented in Figure 2, may be used without the
tightening arrangement, in which case the link e is fastened by its shank, bent
sufficiently for the purpose, to the side of the draw bar opposite to that on which is
the hook a by the bolt h; or the tightening arrangement may be adapted to the
apparatus shewn by Figure 1.
Figure 3 shews a front view of link e, seen in Figure 1. Figure 4 shews a front
view of tightening screw link e, seen in Figure 2.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner of carrying the same into operation, I would have it under-
stood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein-before described, as
the same may be varied without departing from the principle of my Invention, what
I claim is,-
1°. The automatic or selfacting coupling for rolling stock, consisting of the
hook a, spring b, and arm c, in combination with the link or other mechanism, all
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings.
2°. The chain and lever arrangement for uncoupling the carriages, substantially
as herein before described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying
Drawings.
3°. The mechanical arrangement, consisting of a screw link and screw wheel,
together with the endless chain and pullies for tightening and coupling, all sub-
stantially as described and illustrated in Figure 2 of the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Arthur Williams, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
GEO. A. WILLIAMS. (L.S.)