Vehicles including Locomotives.
Year: 1885

page_text: Vehicles including Locomotives.
I EDWIN HARRY ALFRED HEINKE of N° 16 South View Villas, Anlaby Road,
Upper Teddington in the County of Middlesex Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY WAGONS,
AND OTHER VEHICLES INCLUDING LOCOMOTIVES to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to couple and to uncouple railway wagons and
other rolling stock from the side without the necessity of an attendant going
between the wagons or other vehicles for that purpose. According to my invention
I work the coupling as hereafter described by means of a cross shaft, having a loop
in the same or bent down, operated by a suitable lever at the side of the wagon or
other vehicle.
The main link is suspended from the ordinary draw-bar and this link at its
lower end works in the coupling link which latter is weighted at its tail end and
has a short link jointed to same, the latter being jointed to a longer link, the
opposite end of which works in a bracket connected to the headstock, a check
piece being provided in this link coming against the bracket to prevent the link
swinging back too far.
The combination of these four links (viz. the main link, the weighted coupling
link, the short link, and the longer link to the headstock bracket) form a com-
bination which according to my invention, makes up a coupling in its simple form
and applicable to trucks. .
To couple up, the main link is lifted by the bent down or looped portion of the
cross shaft (hereinafter called the lifter) to a horizontal position the coupling link
being also raised in a slanting direction by the action of the subsidary links, but
travelling clear of the hook on the opposite wagon, the centre at which the con-
nection between the short subsidary link and coupling link is made, being lower
than the centre of connection between the main link and coupling link, the
weighted end of the latter is raised and consequently the opposite end of the
coupling link is depressed and this takes place at the time when the coupling link
is in position (that is just above the hook) for coupling, the actual action of the
coupling link passing over the hook being accomplished by the attendant allowing
the lifter to descend and this action would be performed even when the difference.
of level between the trucks is say, three inches, the variation between the horizontal

page_text: centres of the draw-hooks, when the tracks are on a curve is provided for by the
coupling link being made sufficiently wide.
To uncouple, smartly raise the lifter by the side lever, whereby the coupling link
is raised out of the hook, and the link falls back into its normal position, which is
vertical, ready for coupling again, the check piece on the headstock link preventing
it going back too far.
The headstock link and short link would act as safety chains in the event of
the main link breaking, but until that occurs there is no strain whatever upon
them.
It should be noticed that as the main link is raised, and with it (as before
described) the other three links, that the coupling link is brought up in a slanting
position suitable for coupling but clearing the hook of the other wagon in its
upward path, thus enabling coupling to be performed when the buffers of two
wagons are touching one another, thereby obviating the necessity of any action
being performed by the attendant before the wagons are ready for coupling, also if
two wagons come together by accident the shock will not couple them, nor can any
fouling take place between the parts.
By my invention the existing parts in the wagons are not altered, the present
draw-bars and buffers remaining as before, the parts are few, not liable to get out
of order, they can be put together without much machining or fitting being
principally forgings in the rough, and at a small cost, advantages not to be
overlooked.

page_text: Improvements in Couplings for Railway Waggons and other
Vehicles including Locomotives.
I, EDWIN HARRY ALFRED HEINKE, of No 16 South View Villas, Anlaby Road,
Upper Teddington, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY WAGGONS,
AND OTHER VEHICLES, INCLUDING LOCOMOTIVES," and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, that is to say :-
The object of my invention is to couple and to uncouple railway waggons, and other
rolling stock, without the necessity of an attendant going between the waggons or
other vehicles for the purpose, and I will proceed to describe my invention by
reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a side elevation of a railway
waggon or track with the central portion removed for the economy of space, and
shewing also a portion of another waggon or truck fitted with my improved
couplings, one of the couplings being shewn disconnected, and the other in the
position for coupling up.
Figure 2 shews an end view of a waggon or truck with the same or similar
coupling fitted thereto. Figures 3, 4, and 5 shew the same coupling fitted with the
so called "Gedge's" hook, and the lifter whereby the side lever will return to its
vertical position after coupling, and be out of the way. Figure 6 shews in side
elevation an arrangement according to my invention for tightening the couplings,
the headstock being cut away to allow the draw bars to come back, and Figure 7
is a diagram view shewing my invention as applied to a locomotive, and worked
from the foot plate.
Similar letters of reference refer to like parts in all the figures:
According to my invention the coupling, as hereinafter described, is operated by
means of a cross shaft A having a depending loop arm B on the same, or bent down
therefrom, the said loop may at the base be divided as shewn at Figure 4, or it may
extend wholly across, as shewn at Figure 2. The base of the loop may be provided
with a ferrule or ferrules a; or there may be rollers of suitable section on the said
loop arm B.
The cross shaft A and loop arm are operated by a suitable lever Cat the side
of the waggon, or other vehicle. The main link D is suspended from the ordinary
draw bar, and this link D at its lower end works in the coupling link E, which has
à short link F jointed to same, the latter being itself jointed to a longer link G,
the opposite end of which works in the bracket H, best seen at Figure 2, connected
to the head stock H³, a check piece being provided on the head of said link G which
coming or working against the bracket prevents the link swinging back too far.
Sometimes the bracket H is dispensed with and the link G is then threaded on
to the cross-shaft A.
The combination of these four links (viz. the main link D, the coupling link E,.
the short link F, and the longer link G to the headstock bracket H or to the
cross
-2

page_text: shaft A) form a combination which, according to my invention, makes up a
coupling in its simple form.
To couple up, the main link D shewn at end marked X is lifted by the bent
down or looped arm B of the cross shaft A (hereinafter called the lifter) to the
horizontal position shewn at the end marked X1, the coupling link E being also
raised in a slanting direction by the action of the subsidiary links F. and G, but
travelling clear of the hook on the opposite waggon, as shewn at X¹ end of Figure 1 ;
the centre at which the connection between the subsidiary link F and coupling
link E is made being lower than the centre of connection between the main link D
and the coupling link E, the lower end of the latter link E is raised and conse-
quently the opposite end of the coupling link E is depressed, and this takes place at
the time when the coupling link is in position (that is just above the hook) for coupling,
the actual action of the coupling link E passing over the hook being accomplished
by the attendant allowing the lifter to descend, and this same action would be per-
formed even when the difference of level between the trucks is say three inches,
the whole being accomplished instantly and by one movement of the lever C. The
variation between the horizontal centres of draw hooks when the trucks are on a
curve is provided for by the coupling link E being made sufficiently wide. To
uncouple, smartly raise the lifter B by means of the lever C at the side, whereby
the coupling link E is raised out of the hook, and the link E falls back into its
normal position, which is vertical or nearly so, and is ready for coupling again
when required, the check piece on the end of the subsidiary link G, which is fixed
to beadstock bracket H, or to cross shaft A, preventing it going too far back.
The headstock link and short link act as a safety chain, in the event of the main
or suspension link D breaking, but until that event occurs there is no strain what-
ever upon them.
It should be noticed that as the main or suspension link D is raised, and with it
as above described, the other three links E, F, G, that the coupling link E is
brought up in a slanting position suitable for coupling, and prevented from falling
too far forward by the studs b b on coupling link E, the hook on the opposite
waggon thus enabling coupling to be performed when the buffers of two waggons
are touching one another, thereby obviating the necessity of any action being per-
formed by the attendant before the waggons are ready for coupling, also if two
waggons come togeth by accident, the shock will not couple them, and no fouling
can take place. The subsidiary links F G acting as a check to prevent the coupling
link rising out of the hook.
A tension arrangement, as shewn in Figure 6, may be provided for tightening
the couplings, composed of draw bara K K¹ with right and left hand threads
coupled by coupling nut L which has a wheel upon its outer circumference working
in worm M on a secondary shaft N to side of carriage, but any other suitable means
may be employed.
The diagram view of a locomotive, Figure 7, shews a means of coupling up a
waggon, from the foot plate of the locomotive itself. A lever R, placed in a con-
venient position for the operator to actuate, has connected therewith a connecting
rod S which latter has its front end bent or curved downwards, and is jointed to
the lever C which is adapted for that purpose.
By my invention the existing parts on the waggons are not altered, the present
draw bars and buffers remaining as before, the parts are few, forgings in the rough,
and not liable to get out of order, and can be put together without much machinery
or fitting, and at small cost.
These couplings can be easily fitted to existing stock, and without skilled labor.
I do not limit myself to the precise details before described provided the essential
features are maintained, so that the coupling is while being lifted maintained
throughout its course without the intervention of any secondary movement from
chains or otherwise, and operated instantly by the lever at side or other convenient
position,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
In couplings for railway waggons, carriages, and other vehicles including
locomotives the combination of movements produced by the levers G and F, link E,.
and main or suspension link D, operated by the lifter B, and appliances connected
therewith actuated by lever C, all instantly and by one movement of the said
lever C, substantially as hereinbefore described, and illustrated with reference to
the accompanying drawings.