IMPROVEMENTS IN CAR COUPLERS
Year: 1886

page_text: I NELS W. HAWKENSON of Litchfield Meeker County, State of Minnesota
United States of America, Carpenter, do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CAR COUPLERS" 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 a new coupler for automatically coupling freight or other
cars, and the objects I have in view are to provide an attachment for a car that
will form an automatic coupling while making use of an ordinary draw-head, link,
and coupling-pin.
:
To the above ends my invention consists generally in the construction and
combination of devices herein-after described, and particularly pointed out in the
claims.
In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of two of my improved couplers in position for
coupling, showing by dotted lines the link partially raised.
Figure 2, is a section of two of the couplers with the parts coupled together..
Figure 3, is a detail.
In the drawings A A. represent the draw-heads, B. B. the coupling pins, and
C. the coupling link, all of ordinary construction. The means for coupling consist
of two principal parts; the device for holding the pin in an elevated position, and
permitting it to pass through the link after the link has entered the draw-head,
and the means for raising the link and directing it into the draw-head.
D represents a suitable casing for the attachment; it is preferably of the
rectangular form shown, and of nearly the same length and width as the draw-
head, and it is secured beneath the draw-head by any suitable means.
E represents a spring-buffer by which the link-lifter is operated; this buffer is
arranged in the lower part of the casing and projects therefrom; it is provided
with a projecting rod, which extends through the end of the casing, and is
surrounded by a spring f, which bears against the end of the casing and against a
shoulder on the buffer.
The buffer E. is provided upon its upper surface with a projection e, to which
the link-lifting arms are pivoted by a loose pivot d'; this pivot preferably consists
of a pin passing loosely through the projection e, and having eyes at its ends

page_text: through which the arms F. F. extend, being adapted to turn freely therein-In
the rear of the projection e, is a wheel G. mounted loosely on a pin g. which has
eyes h. at its ends through which the arms F. F extend, said arms being adapted
to turn freely therein, the rear ends of arms F. extend outwardly through the
slots I, in the casing D.
The forward or outer ends of the arms F are provided with the outwardly
extended and preferably curved portions, and these ends are preferably secured
together by a suitable link. The casing D is provided with the inclined projection
or surface K, in the rear of the normal position of the wheel G.
L, represents the pin-holder and lifter, consisting of a bent metal strip that
extends over the draw-head above the pin-hole, then down each side of the draw-
head and along the casing to about the rear end thereof, where it is pivoted either
directly to the casing, or to a projection therefrom.
The pin-lifter has the projections M, upon each side of the pin C, and in these
projections are the oblique slots l, through which a pin m, passes, this pin also
passes through a hole in the upper part of the coupling-pin C.
The buffer E, is also provided with the projections N, that extend laterally
beyond the walls of the casing, the pin-lifter L, has the downwardly projecting
wings O, which, when the buffer is projected, rest on the projections N, and hold
the coupling-pin in an elevated position; when the buffer is pushed into the casing
the wings on the pin-holder drop in front of the projections on the buffer, and
hold the buffer in its retracted position; when the pin-holder drops to this position
the coupling-pin drops through the link and holds it in the draw-head..
Suitable means are provided for raising the pin-holder, and with it the coupling-
pin, either from the side, or the top of the car.
I have shown one means for this purpose consisting essentially of a rod p,
provided with arms r. that are arranged to engage the pin-holder; this rod is
connected by suitable chains 8, with a rod t, that may be operated from either side
of the car, and with a vertical rod u, that can be operated from the top of the car.
The buffer E, is provided with a suitable head which engages the similar head on
,the buffer of the next car.
The operation of the device is as follows:
The coupling-link being held in one draw-head, the spring-buffer E, of that car
will be retracted, as shown at the left hand in fig. 1. The spring-buffer E, of the
other car encounters the similar buffer of the car carrying the link; this buffer is
pushed back and, as it moves back, the roll or wheel G, passes over the inclined
surface of the projection K, and the forward ends of the link-lifting arms F, are
thereby raised, and their curved ends are turned in toward each other, as the arms
at their opposite ends move in the slots in the walls of the casing. This movement
of the arms raises the end of the link and directs it into the draw-head, and
this will be done even though the cars are on a curve, or one draw-heap is out of
the centre so that the link is not presented to the centre of the opposite draw-
head, the curved arms bringing it into the proper position; the end of the link
passes into the draw-head under the end of the coupling-pin, and when the pro-
jections on the, buffer have passed from under the wings on the pin lifter, the pin
lifter and pin drop, and the pin passes through the link, the wings.drop in front of
the projections on the buffer, and hold the buffer in its retracted position till the
pin-lifter is raised, when the spring will throw the buffer out to its former position..
To raise the pin-lifter it is merely necessary to operate one of the rods extending to
the sides of the car, or the rod extending to the top of the car.
The diagonal slots in the projections on the top of the pin-lifter permit the pin
to be raised, and at the same time to maintain a vertical position.
When it is desired to couple a car that is not provided with the link-lifter, the
link may be guided into the draw-head by any suitable means and the buffer may
be pushed back to permit the pin to drop through the link.
The curved ends of the lifting-arms clasp the sides of the link and prevent its
being thrown too far up to enter the draw-head.

page_text: The coupler will work even though one car is considerably higher than the
other.
It will be seen that this coupler is exceedingly simple in construction, that the
attachment can be readily applied to any car having the ordinary coupler and that
its operation is entirely automatic.
The vertical rod u, is preferably provided with a ratchet and pawl, and by
means of this the rod may be set to hold the pin-lifter and pin in an elevated
position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1st In an automatic car-coupler, a link-lifter comprising a spring-buffer with
arms pivoted thereto, and a stationary inclined surface, whereby as said buffer is
pushed back, the forward ends of the arms are raised, substantially as described.
2nd In a car-coupler, the spring-buffer E, carrying the pivoted arms F, the
wheel G, and the stationary inclined surface K, substantially as described and for
the purpose set forth.
3rd In a car-coupler the casing D, having slots I and having the incline K, in
combination with the spring-buffer E, pivoted arms F, having the curved forward
ends, and the rear ends extending through the slots I, and the wheel G, all
substantially as described.
4th The combination with the draw-head A, of the spring-buffer E, carrying the
pivoted link-lifting arms F, and means for raising the forward ends of said arms,
as the buffer is pushed back, substantially as described, and for the purpose set
forth.
5th The combination in a car-coupler with the draw-head A, of the pin-lifter L,
pivoted beneath said draw-head and extending across the top thereof; the pro-
jections M, on said pin-lifter having the diagonal slots l, the coupling-pin B and a
pin passing through said pin and through said diagonal slots, all substantially as
described, and for the purpose set forth.
6th The combination in a car-coupler, with the spring-buffer E, having the
projections N, of the pin-lifter and holder L, having the wings O, and means for
raising said pin-lifter, all substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 15th day of December 1885