IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY COUPLINGS, PART OF SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING APPLICABLE TO THE BEARINGS OF SHAFTS, DATADV AND DECIPROCATING REARING SURFACES OLIDA LVD PROVISIONAL SP
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Atwood Barns of Camden Town in the County
of Middlesex for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY COUPLINGS,
PART OF SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING APPLICABLE TO THE BEARINGS OF SHAFTS,
DATADV AND DECIPROCATING REARING SURFACES
OLIDA
LVD
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Atwood Barns at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th September 1883.
HENRY ATWOOD BARNS, of Camden Town in the County of Middlesex,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY COUPLINGS, PART OF SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING
APPLICABLE TO THE BEARINGS OF SHAFTS, WHEELS, SLIDES AND OTHER ROTARY AND
RECIPROCATING BEARING SURFACES
"
My Invention relates to improvements in railway couplings, part of such
improvements being applicable to the bearings of shafts, wheels, slides, and other
rotary and reciprocating bearing surfaces. and as applied to railway couplings it
has for its object to enable the coupling and uncoupling to be effected without the
necessity of a man going between the vehicles, as is now done in connecting and
disconnecting the common form of coupling.
My improved couplings consist generally of two or more members or links or
pairs of members or links jointed together and to the draw hook in such manner as
to be flexible in one direction only and are combined with means whereby the end
inember or loop of the coupling may be engaged with or disengaged from the draw
bar hook of the next Carriage and in the case of carriages which are coupled
closely as in passenger trains, the coupling is provided with means of prolonging or
extending it sufficiently to enable it to be passed over the point of the draw bar
hook in coupling and uncoupling. The coupling for carriages which are closely
coupled as in Passenger trains is of U shape, and the two parallel branches are each
jointed at one two or more points of their length by means of pin joints so as to
render the coupling flexible in the vertical plane to enable the looped end member
of the coupling to be raised and lowered in order to pass over the draw hook of tho
adjacent carriage. The extremities of the two branches of this U shaped coupling

page_text: are not attached directly to the draw bar of its own carriage but are jointed to a
nut travelling on an externally screw threaded sleeve fitted to turn between collars
on a cylindrical part of the raw bar. The sleeve is rotated by a hand wheel
mounted at or near one side of the carriage and geared with the sleeve in order to
traverse the nut to and fro along the sleeve for the purpose of lengthening or
extending the coupling sufficiently to enable it to be passed over the point of the
draw hook in coupling and of shortening or retracting the coupling so as to tighteen
it up after it has been so coupled. The lifting of the end member of the coupling
on and off the draw-hook is effected by any suitable means, In order to lessen the
friction between the bearing surfaces of the draw bar and sleeve I flute or groove
the surface of the one with longitudinal grooves separated by alternate portions of
the cylindrical surface and I groove the surface of the other with circumferential
grooves with alternate cylindrical surfaces or other grooves crossing the grooves
of the first mentioned surface at any angle such that the bearing surfaces of the
two will work smoothly upon one another. These bearing surfaces may be faced
with steel or other metal to prevent wear, and the grooves may serve to hold
lubricating material.
1
I also apply this mode of constructing bearing surfaces to the bearings of shafts
and wheels for Vehicles of all kinds and to other rotary and reciprocating bearing
surfaces.
My improved coupling for goods waggons and shunting Engines consists of a
looped end member adapted to be engaged with the draw hook of the next waggon,
such looped end member being jointed by one or more pivot joints to the
extremities of a pair of parallel rods jointed at their other ends to either side of the
draw hook of the waggon to which the coupling belongs.
The coupling being thus jointed at any convenient point or points may be raised
as a rigid structure turning on the end pivots as a centre in order to pass its looped
member over the point of the draw hook of the adjacent waggon the coupling being
of sufficient length when thus straightened to admit of this being easily done when
the buffers of the two waggons are sufficiently close together whilst being flexible
in the vertical plane it is free to sag when so coupled up but not in tension so as
to ensure its remaining attached to the draw hook under all circumstances. The
looped end member may be counter balanced by a weight to prevent it trailing on
the ground and the operation of coupling be effected by any suitable means.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Atwood Barns in the Patent Office on the 29th March 1884.
HENRY ATWOOD BARNS of Camden Town in the County of Middlesex,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY COUPLINGS, PART OF SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING
APPLICABLE TO THE BEARINGS OF SHAFTS, WHEELS, SLIDES AND OTHER ROTARY AND
RECIPROCATING BEARING SURFACES
"
My Invention relates to improvements in railway couplings, part of such
improvements being applicable to the bearings of shafts, wheels, slides, and othor
rotary and reciprocating bearing surfaces. My invention as applied to railway
couplings has for its principal object to enable the coupling and uncoupling to bo
effected without the necessity of a man going between the vehicles, as is now dono
in connecting and disconnecting the common form of coupling.
My improved couplings consist generally of two or more members or links or
pairs of members or links jointed together and to tho draw hook in such manner as
to be flexible in one direction only and are combined with means whereby the end
member or loop of the coupling may be engaged with or disengaged from the draw
bar hook of the next carriage and in the case of carriages which are coupled closely
as in passenger trains, the coupling is provided with means of prolonging or
extending it sufficiently to enablo it to be passed over the point of the draw bar
hook in coupling and uncoupling.
The coupling for carriages which are closely coupled as in passenger trains is
represented in side elevation in figure 1 and in plan in figure 2, the buffer plank
being in section to show the parts. Figure 3 is a cross section through the
tightening screw. This coupling is of a long U shape as shown in figure 2 the two
parallel branches being each jointed at one two or more points of their length by
means of pin joints so as to render the coupling flexible in the vertical plane to
enable the looped end member of the coupling to be raised and lowered in order
to pass over the draw hook of the adjacent carriage. The coupling here shown
consists of a looped end member A and two pairs of members A' A jointed together
at a a'. The members A3 forming the extremities of the two branches of this
U shaped coupling are not attached directly to the draw bar hook B of its own
carriage but pass through the buffer plank and are pin jointed to a nut C travelling
on an externally screw threaded sleeve D fitted to rotate on the draw bar B¹. The
sleeve D is rotated by a hand wheel or wheels E mounted at or near one or both
sides of the carriage and geared with the sleeve by bevel gear F G in order to
traverse the nut C to and fro along the sleeve D for the purpose of lengthening or
extending the coupling sufficiently to enable the U shaped member A to be passed
over the point of the draw hook of the adjacent carriage in coupling, and of
shortening or retracting the coupling so as to tighten it up after it has been so
coupled. The sleeve D is represented as having shoulders d, d¹ which bear against
a collar plate h made in halves and fixed against the inner face of the buffer
plank H, to prevent any longitudinal motion of the sleeve, but it might be otherwise
arranged. The joint a has a shoulder a² on the knuckles of the end member A
which abuts against a corresponding shoulder a³ on the knuckles of the intermediato
members A' so that when the coupling is suspended by a chain or cord attached
to the members A¹ the end member A will remain in line with A' and the whole
turn on joint a¹ as a centre in lifting the coupling on and off the drawhook. The
lifting of the end member of the coupling on and off the drawhook is effected by
any suitable means, for instance by a chain or cord wound on or running over a

page_text: sheavo on a cross shaft mounted at the end of the carriage and extending to the
sides of the carriage where it is turned by handles as will be readily understood.
In order to lessen the friction between the bearing surfaces of the draw-bar and
sleeve D, I flute or groove the surface of the one with longitudinal grooves separated
by alternate portions of the cylindrical surface, and I groove the surface of the
other with circumferential grooves with alternate cylindrical surfaces or other
grooves crossing the grooves of the above mentioned surface at any angle such that
the bearing surfaces of the two will work smoothly upon one another, the grooves
serving to hold lubricating material.
I also apply this mode of constructing bearing surfaces to the bearings of shafts
and wheels for vehicles of all kinds and to other rotary and reciprocating bearing
surfaces, and I have illustrated this part of the invention in figures 4 and 5 as
applied to a shaft bearing from which its application to the draw-bar and sleeve
will be readily understood without further illustration. In these figures
B represents the journal of the shaft, or axlo, and D represents the bearing brasses
therefor. are oblique grooves in the one and K are circumferential grooves in
the other the grooves of each set being alternated with portions of cylindrical
surface. When applied to the draw-bar B and sleeve D they would be made in the
Bame way.
My improved coupling for goods waggons and shunting engines is represented in
sido elevation in figure 6 and in plan in figure 7. It consists of a looped end
member A adapted to be engaged with the draw hook of the next waggon, such
looped end member being jointed by a pivot joint a to the extremities of a pair of
parallel rods A' jointed at their other ends a¹ to cither side of the draw book B¹
of the waggon to which the coupling belongs. The joint a is substantially similar
to that described in reference to figures 1 and 2 being provided with shoulders a² a³
which abut together so that the coupling may be raised as a rigid structure turning
on the end pivot u as a centro in order to pass its looped member A over the point
of the draw book of the adjacent waggon, the coupling being of sufficient length
when thus straightened to admit of this being casily dono when the buffers of the
two waggons are sufficiently close together, whilst being flexible in the vertical
plane it is free to sag as represented in dotted lines in figure 6 when so coupled
up but not in tension so as to ensure its remaining attached to the draw hook
under all circumstances.
The looped end member A is in this case provided with a tail piece to which is
attached the lifting chain or cord, which is carried up to any suitable point for
raising the coupling. Or the chain may be attached to the other members of the
coupling at a short distance from the joint a¹ and be wound on a sheave carried by
a cross shaft mounted on the end of the waggon and worked by handles at the
sides as will be readily understood.
Having described the nature of the said invention and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein before in part recited Letters Patent is:
1 A Railway coupling constructed of members jointed together and to the draw-
bar or other point of attachment so as to be flexible only in the vertical plane the
flexibility of the joint connecting the looped end member to the adjacent member
or members being limited to one direction, substantially as herein described and
shown in the drawings for use in connection with a suitable means of supporting
and raising the coupling in the act of coupling and uncoupling for the purpose
specified.
2nd A railway coupling constructed of members jointed together so as to be
flexible only in the vertical plane as herein described in combination with a screw
adjustment substantially as herein shown and described operated by gear from the
side or sides of the carriage whereby the effective length of the coupling can be
varied to facilitate the coupling and uncoupling of closely coupled carriages as
specified.

page_text: 3rd The mode of reducing the friction between rotary and reciprocating bearing
surfaces and of providing for their more effective lubrication consisting in grooving
the two surfaces at right angles or nearly so substantially as herein shown and
described.
In witness whereof I the said Henry Atwood Barns, have bereunto set my
hand and seal this Twenty ninth day of March A.D. 1884.