IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY VEHICLES
Year: 1885

page_text: "
I ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the county of Middlesex,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY VEHICLES A communication from Carl Ludwig
Schulze of Berlin, German Empire and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:—
The hereinafter described railway coupling permits the coupling and uncoupling
of the vehicles from the sides without requiring the workman to pass between the
Carriages.
It differs from the constructions hitherto known for the same purpose by its
greater simplicity. This invention is represented in the accompanying drawings in
which
Figure 1 is a side elevation.
Figure 2 a longitudinal section showing the position of parts when two vehicles
are coupled.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal Section when the coupling is released.
Figure 4 plan of tigure 1.
Figure 5 transverse section on A. B. figure 2.
Figure 6 details of the tightening device.
a is the ordinary drawbar going through the entire carriage it, instead of carrying
the coupling hook carries the coupling link b attached thereto by a bolt c so as to
remain movable in a vertical plane (Figures 2, 3, 6).
In the buffer-beam C there is mounted, directly beneath the drawbar a, a rack d
to which the hook is firmly attached. The hook f also is fastened upon the rack d
by a bolt g allowing it to rotate as seen in figure 3.
The toothed bar or rack & is mounted in the bufferbeam C as stated and held in
a guide in such a manner that the book f when the rack is drawn back is forced
to assume a horizontal position (figure 2) and therefore engages with the coupling
link on the next vehicle, but when the rack is pushed outward, the drawhook f
automatically falls out of the link band assumes the position shown in figure 3.
and the coupling is thereby released.
The form of the coupling hook is correspondingly determined in such a manner
that it falls down when the rack d is pushed outwards the hook having such a
curvature that the inner or engaging surface of the same is a segment of a circle
struck from its centre of rotation or from the bolt g.

page_text: The backward and forward sliding motion of the rack d in the guide provided
in the bufferbeam C. is effected by a toothed wheel m fixed on the axle & in such
a manner that the wheel m and axle k can be rotated from the side of the vehicle
by means of the hand-lever o.
Now to retain the draw-bar in position when the cars are coupled, a latch or
bar p is provided on the buffer beam C; the said latch moves vertically and fits into
a recess (Figure 3.) of the rack d the lower end of the latch being toothed (see
figure 2).
This latch is moved up and down by a toothed wheel q fixed on a shaft r
which is carried by the longitudinal framing of the vehicle. On the said shaft ra
counter-weighted lever t so as to effect that the rack d be firmly held by the latch p
when the drawhook f is in a horizontal position (as shown in Figure 2) so that the
vehicles are coupled.
To effect the uncoupling from the side of the vehicle, the counterweight lever t is
first rotated through an arc of 90° so that the latch 2 releases the rack p By next
turning the lever o the rack d is pushed forward the guide i then no longer supports
the draw hook f and the latter by its own weight falls down (position shown in
figure 3).
To tighten this coupling up the drawbar a to which the coupling links pare
attached is divided (see figure 6) and the two parts united by an internally threaded
sleeve z. the ends of the parts of the draw-bar being correspondingly threaded.
To this end it will be convenient to use a righthanded thread for one part of the
rod a and a lefthanded thread for the other part so that when the sleeve is turned
the length of the draw-bar is rapidly diminished and the coupling is tightened.
As shown in the drawings (Figure 6) the sleeve z. can be screw threaded at the
outside also and a worm-wheel y gears therewith and is turned from the side of the
vehicle by means of a lever or a crank so that the sleeve z also turns.
Lastly a worm-wheel may be fixed on
spindle which is turned by the crank v.
the sleeve z and the screw be formed on the
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,
1. In a coupling for railway vehicles a divided rod or bar a carrying at each end a
link b the length of the rod being capable of adjustment by rotating the sleeve z
substantially as set forth.
2. In a coupling for railway-vehicles the hook fattached to a rack or toothed-
bar d both working in a suitable guide i in the buffer beam C the rack & being
operated by the toothed wheel m connected with the lever o substantially as and for
the purpose set forth.
3. In a coupling for railway vehicles the latch p gearing with the toothed
wheel operated by the counterweighted lever t and serving to fix the coupling
Չ
hook fin position substantially as set forth.
4. A coupling for railway-vehicles in which the coupling hook on one vehicle is
caused to rise or fall by means of a toothed bar or rack d operating in combination
with the guide i or equivalent so that the hook may engage with the link of the
other vehicle or release the same, substantially as and for the purpose set forth and
shown in the drawings.
700x