Improvements in Car Couplings.
Year: 1889

page_text: Improvements in Car Couplings.
We WILLIAM CASWELL WATSON, Manufacturer, of 73 Main Street, Paterson in
the state of New Jersey, United States of America, and THEODORE YOUNG KINNE,
Physician, of 310 Broadway, Paterson, aforesaid, 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 carrying out our improvements, we employ drawheads within which are
arranged coupling hooks pivotted near their rear ends, so that they may be swung
from side to side of the draw-heads.--Springs operate to move the hooks in one
direction, and they are moved in the other direction by mechanism operated from the
side or top of the car. The coupling hooks are held in engagement by the said
springs, but they may be moved into other positions where they will not engage.
We will describe a car coupling embodying the improvements in detail, and then
point out the novel features in claims.
In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a vertical section of portions of cars, and
a coupling embodying the improvements.
Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the coupling.
Fig. 3 is a similar view showing two cars in dotted outline, and the position of the
coupling due to the movement of the cars.
Fig. 4 is a bottom plan of one member of the coupling.
Fig. 5 is an end view of a car, showing one member of a coupling embodying the
improvements.
Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the parts in different position from that shown in
Fig. 5.
Fig. 7 is still another similar view showing the parts in a third position.
Fig. 8 is an end view of a coupling of modified form.
Fig. 9 is a horizontal section of the same.
Referring first to Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive, A designates the draw-heads. These draw-
heads are of frame-like construction, and are hollow.-They are capable of movement
in the direction of the length of the car, and are guided in such movement by means
of guides a upon the bottom of the car. We have shown their rear ends as provided
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page_text: with turn-buckles. These turn-buckles bear, near their rear ends, coiled springs,
which bear against a portion of the turn buckles, and also against a guide a¹,
secured upon the bottom of the car, and through which the rear portions
of the turn-buckles are adapted to slide.-These springs offer resistance to
the backward movement of the draw-heads. B designates the coupling hooks. These
coupling hooks are wholly contained within the draw-heads. They are pivotted near
their rear ends upon pivots b, which pivots are mounted in the draw-heads.
Springs C, connected near one of their ends to the rear portions of the coupling hooks
and bearing, near their other ends, against the inner side of the draw-heads, tend to
force the coupling hooks into such position that they will engage upon two adjacent
cars, or into such position that their engagement will be impossible.
In this coupling, it is impossible for the coupling hooks to abut end to end, and the
hooks also occupy three different positions. In the first of such positions, they may
be readily coupled. In the second of such positions, they will, when two cars are
brought together, pass by each other upon one side without coupling, and in the third
of such positions, they will, upon the coming of two cars together, pass each other
upon their rear sides without coupling. When two cars have been coupled together,
they cannot be uncoupled except the member of the coupling upon each of the cars
be operated. In the position of the coupling illustrated in Fig. 5, if two cars he
brought together, a coupling will be effected such as is more clearly illustrated in
Figs. 2 and 3, the tendency of the spring being. to maintain the members in such
coupling position. When thus coupled, as will be more clearly seen by reference to
Fig. 3, a very wide range of lateral movement may be permitted to the cars without
in any way effecting the coupling or endangering its detachment. When it is desired
to uncouple the cars, the coupling hooks are rocked out of engagement against the
resistance of the springs C. They may be rocked so far against the resistance of the
springs that, if the two cars were again brought together, the faces of the hooks would
pass by each other without engaging the hooks. We have illustrated this position
more clearly in Fig. 7. The movement of the hooks in such direction is effected by
means of a lever D, here shown as cross-shaped, or provided with four arms.-This
lever is fulcrummed upon the end of the car. One of its arms extends upwardly
above the car, so that the lever can be rocked from above, and its other two arms
extend laterally to the sides of the car, so that the lever may be rocked from either
side. The other, or downwardly extending arm of the lever, is pivotally connected to
a slider bar D¹ working in bearings d'upon the ends of the car. This slider bar is
'provided with a downwardly extending arm D2, which arm extends, near its lower
end, through a suitably formed aperture in an outwardly extending portion of a pull
rod or plate D³. This pull rod works through bearings in the sides of the draw-
heads. When the lever D, is shifted into either of the positions illustrated in
Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the slider bar D', through the medium of the arm D², causes a longi-
tudinal movement of the pull rod D³, whereby the coupling hook is shifted to one
side or the other. In order to maintain the coupling hooks in their three several
positions, we employ a locking device E. This locking device, in the present
example of the improvements, consists of a rocking arm pivotted about midway in its
length to the end of the car. This arm is provided, on its under side, with teeth e e¹.
The upper side of the slider bar D, near the end thereof which is adjacent to the end
of the rocking arm bearing the tooth e¹, is provided with a tooth e². The other end of
the slider bar D¹, or that portion which is adjacent to the end of the rocking arm
bearing the tooth e, is provided with a tooth e. The rocking arm E, as shown, is
provided, near its extremities, with projections or handles e e. When thèse handles
are grasped, the arm may be rocked in either direction, and from either side of the
car. Assuming that the projection or handle e be grasped and the arm be rocked
downwardly at that end, the tooth e¹ will be brought into engagement with the
tooth e, the spring Coperating to throw the slider bar into a position where such
an engagement will be effected. The parts will then occupy the position illustrated
more clearly in Fig. 5, or in other words, will be in coupling position. If the pro-
jection or handle e be grasped, and that end of the arm E be moved upwardly, so as

page_text: If
to cause a disengagement of the teeth el e², the slider bar will be moved along, by the
action of the spring C, into the position shown in Fig. 6. If this operation shall
bave been performed upon both cars, it will be clearly seen that, should the two cars
come together, the backs of the coupling hooks will pass by each other without
effecting an engagement of the hooks.-In order to restore the coupling hooks, from
the position last named, to a coupling position, or to bring them into such a position
that the faces of the hooks will pass by each other, should two cars be brought
together, it is necessary to shift the coupling hooks against the resistance of the
spring C, by means of the lever D. This, as has been previously stated, may be
effected either by operating the lever D, from above, or from the sides of the car.
the lever be grasped, and moved, it will occupy substantially the position shown in
Fig. 5. The rocking arm E may of course be moved into such position as to again
engage the teeth e¹ e, and to maintain the coupling hooks in a locking position. If a
still more extended movement of the lever D he effected, and the hook be moved into
the position shown more clearly in Fig. 7, the teeth e 3 will become engaged, and the
coupling hooks will be maintained in such position that their faces will pass by each
other without effecting an engagement. The engagement of the teeth e e³ may be
effected by means of a weight e upon the adjacent end of the arm E, which will
cause the rocking of said arm in such direction as to cause the engagement of said
teeth.
It will be seen from the foregoing, that the springs C, tend to throw the coupling
hooks into two of their positions, and that in the other of their positions, they are
maintained against the resistance of the springs C, by the rocking arm E.-It will
also be seen that into any of the positions into which the coupling hooks may be
adjusted, such adjustment may be effected either from the sides or the top of the car,
and therefore it is unnecessary for a brakeman to pass in between the cars to either
couple or uncouple them.
It is to be observed, also, that when the coupling hooks occupy the position shown
in Fig. 5, or in other words, are in their coupling position, and the two cars are brought
together, the deflection of the coupling hooks necessary to cause their engagement,
will cause such a movement of the slider bars D' as will release the teeth ele³. The
slider bars, and consequently the coupling hooks, will then, of course, be permitted to
move freely in either direction, and to assume a position analogous to that shown in
Fig. 3, being always maintained firmly coupled by means of the springs C.
car.
In Figs. 8 and 9, we have shown that instead of using lovers to shift. the coupling
hooks, we may use a wheel O mounted on vertical shafts O¹, and arranged above the
These shafts have a crank connection with pull rods D³ connected to the
coupling hooks. By rotating the wheels O, the coupling hooks may be shifted, and
kept in place by stop pieces o on the wheels, and notches m n in a segment plate G
secured to the car.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a car coupling, the combination with a drawhead, of a coupling hook
provided thereon and a spring provided between them, substantially as herein
described, whereby, when the coupling hook is unlocked and left free, it is thrown
over by the spring with its back beyond the central position, substantially as and for
the purpose herein set forth.
2. In a car coupling, the combination with a drawhead, of a coupling hook within
the drawhead, a spring for moving the coupling hook in one direction, a pull rod,
and a lever or wheel for moving the pull rod, substantially as specified.
3. In a car coupling, the combination with a drawhead, of a coupling hook within
the drawhead, a spring for moving the coupling hook in one direction, a slider bar,
a pull rod, a connection between the slider bar and the pull rod, and a lever for
moving the slider bar, substantially as specified.
4. In a car coupling, the combination with a drawhead, a coupling hook within the

page_text: drawhead, a spring for moving the coupling hook in one direction, a slider bar, a pull
rod, a connection between the slider bar and the pull rod, a lever for operating
the slider bar, and a stop for maintaining the slider bar in a position into which it
may be adjusted, substantially as specified.
5. In a car coupling, the combination with a drawhead, of a coupling hook
within the drawhead, a spring for moving the coupling hook in one direction, a slider
bar, a pull rod, a connection between the slider bar and the pull rod, a lever for
operating the slider bar, and a stop having portions extending to opposite sides of the
car, and adapted to engage either of the end portions of the slider bar, to maintain
the latter in a position into which it may be adjusted, substantially as specified.
6. In a car coupling, the combination with a drawhead, of a coupling hook within
the drawhead, a spring for moving the coupling hook in one direction, a slider bar, a
pull rod, a connection between the pull rod and the slider bar, and a lever for
operating the slider bar, said lever having projections extending to opposite sides of
the car, and a projection extending above the car, substantially as specified.
Dated this 5th day of February 1889
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicants.