An Improvement in Car Couplings.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 18th June, 1391
Complete Specification Left, 19th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 28th May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Car Couplings.
I, SAMUEL GEORGE TRINE of Pierre, in the County of Hughes, and State of
South Dakota, United States of America, Painter, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows :-
This invention relates to a coupling for railway vehicles of the American
type and the invention has for its object to provide a device which will couple
automatically and which may be uncoupled from the platform or roof of the
vehicle.
The drawhead is chambered at its front end to freely admit the coupling
link which enters far enough to engage with a pendent locking pin, and on the
chamber shoulders are formed by a suitable contraction in vertical width of the
throat or entrance to the chamber, which shoulders are in the same vertical
plane. A transversely-central longitudinal slot is formed in the top wall of the
drawhead aligning its front terminal with the shoulders and on the sides of said
slot there are two similar ears which support a lever and locking pin. This slot
is shorter than the chamber in the drawhead thus allowing a part of the top
wall of the drawhead to remain which projects forwardly from the rear wall of the
chamber. The locking pin vibrates freely in the slot, its length adapting it to
come against the overhanging portion of the top wall of the drawhead with its
free lower end portion when the pin is swung up, and when pendent said pin
is received in a longitudinal groove in the bottom wall of the draw head in
which it swings to assume a vertical position. The lever by which the pin is
carried consists of a bar which is flattened laterally where it is inserted between
the ears and has a knuckle-jointed connection with the upper end of the locking
pin. There are perforations in the ears for the reception of a fulcrum bolt for
the lever and the lever has an elongated hole near its inner end, said hole extending
lengthwise of the lever above the joint. The lever, is connected loosely at its
outer end with a rod that extends to the roof of the vehicle.
When the vehicles are to be coupled, the link which is of the usual form is
held projected from one drawhead by the pin whose contact with the overhanging
portion of the drawhead and the end of the link on its upper side holds the link in
this position as its body lies upon the lower shoulder of the drawhead when such
an adjustment is effected. The impingement of the projecting end of the link on
a pendent pin of the drawhead to be coupled swings said pin rearwardly until it
slides over the link end and falls into locked connection with the shoulders and
link end providing the lever is prostrate. By providing the elongated hole in the
lever head for its engagement with the fulcrum bolt the adjustment of the pin end
to engage a link end is permitted and when coupled with a link the draught strain
upon the latter will slide the pins so as to impinge on the shoulders, thus avoiding
the necessity for a link of more than ordinary length to effect an attachment of two
cars automatically. When cars are to be disconnected, the simple elevation of one
of the levers will draw the pin up and allow the link to be withdrawn from the
drawhead which can be effected by a manipulation of the lever directly or through
the rod as may be most convenient. In the ears there are opposite grooves of a
proper depth laterally in the inner faces of said ears to receive the body of an
ordinary coupling pin and in the lower wall of the drawhead there is a circular
hole that aligns with the grooves. The provision of the grooved ears and apertured
lower drawhead wall is for the purpose of allowing an ordinary cylindrical coupling
pin to be used if the pin and lever should be disabled or broken off by accident,

page_text: this provision converting the improved drawhead into one of the usual style as far
as connection with others is considered.
DT 10th 1001
S. G. TRINE,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Car Couplings.
I, SAMUEL GEORGE TRINE of Pierre, in the County of Hughes, and State of
South Dakota, United States of America, Painter, 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 :-
This invention relates to a coupling for railway vehicles of the American type,
and the invention has for its object to provide a device which will couple auto-
matically and which may be uncoupled from the platform or roof of the vehicle.
To these ends, my invention consists in the construction and combination of parts as
is hereinafter described and claimed.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, in which
Figure is a broken, longitudinal, partly sectional side view of two couplings
embodying the improvements, shewing one coupling supporting a link that is entered
within the adjacent coupling and about to be engaged by its pin.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal, partly sectional side view of two of the improved
couplings in coupled condition.
Figure 3 is a broken plan view of two connected couplings embodying the
improvements, one coupling being broken away on its upper side forwardly.
Figure 4 is a front end view of the improved coupling.
Figure 5 is a cross section of the coupling drawhead, on line 5-5 Figure 3.
Figure 6 is a detached perspective view of a coupling pin and a lever connected
therewith, that is part of the improvement, and
Figure 7 is a side view of an end portion of a car body shewing the improvement
thereon.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.
The drawhead A of the improved car coupling is chambered at its front end a
proper width to admit the coupling link B loosely, said chamber a extending
Tongitudinally within the drawhead to allow the link to enter far enough for its
engagement with a pendent locking pin b. The front edges of the drawhead A are
flared, to allow of the free introduction of the coupling link B and on the chamber a
the shoulders care formed by a suitable contraction in vertical width of the throat
or entrance to the chamber mentioned, which shoulders are in the same vertical plane.
A transversely central longitudinal slot d is formed in the top wall of the drawhead,
aligning its front terminal with the shoulders c and on the sides of said slot, two
similar ears e are erected, of sufficient proportionate size to afford a stable
connection for a lever C and locking pin 6 with the drawhead body. The slot d
is shorter than the chamber a below, which it intersects, thus allowing a part of the
top wall of the drawhead to remain, which overhangs forwardly of the rear wall of
the chamber as at g. The locking pin b is of such proportionate size as will allow it
to vibrate freely in the slot d, its length adapting it to engage the overhanging
portion or web g of the drawhead top wall with its free lower end portion when the
pin is swung to give it the position shewn in Figure 1 at the right side of said
view, and when pendent said pin is located in a longitudinal groove d' in the bottom
wall of the drawhead in which it swings to assume a vertical position. The lever C
(before mentioned) which affords support for the pin and means to operate it also,

page_text: consists of a metal bar that is flattened laterally where it is inserted between the
ears e of the drawhead, having a knuckle-jointed connection at h with the upper
end of the locking-pin b which joint is formed on the edge of the lever near the
end i that is preferably rounded edgewise. At a proper distance from the top wall
of the drawhead, opposite perforations m are formed in the ears e for the reception
of a fulcrum bolt n, and in the lever C an elongated hole n' is produced transversely
at a suitable distance from the curved edge i of the lever end to secure a proper
action of the connected parts, said hole extending lengthwise of the lever above
the joint h. The body of the lever C when the drawhead is in position on a car
frame, as shewn in Figure 7, projects toward the car front wall G and is connected
loosely at its inner terminal o with an upright rod I that extends to the car roof for
Inanipulation therefrom.
In service, when two approaching drawheads, having the improvements thereon,
are to be coupled, the link B of usual form is held projected from one drawhead
by the pin b which is adjusted as shewn in Figure 1 on the right hand drawhead, the
engagement of said pin with the web g of the drawhead and the end of the link B
on its upper side holding the link projected as its body lies upon the lower
shoulder c of the drawhead A. when such an adjustment is effected. The impinge-
ment of the projecting end of the link B on a pendent pin b of the drawhead to be
coupled, swings said pin rearwardly until it slides over the link end and falls into locked
connection with the shoulders c and link end, providing the lever C is prostrate, as
shewn in Figure 2. By providing the elongated hole n¹ in the lever head for its
engagement with the fulcrum bolt n, the adjustment of the pin end, as shewn in
Figure 1, to engage a link end is permitted and when coupled with a link, the
draft strain upon the latter will slide the pins b so as to impinge on the shoulders c,
thus avoiding the necessity for a link of more than ordinary length to effect an
attachment of two cars automatically. When cars having the improvement are to
be disconnected, the simple elevation of one of the levers C will draw the pin b into
the position shewn at the left side of Figure 1 and allow the link B to be freely
withdrawn from the drawhead A which can be effected by a manipulation of the
lever directly or through the rod I as may be most convenient.
Strength, simplicity, practicability, and efficiency in service, are claimed as
features pertaining to this device, which will couple cars of the same or different
heights from the track equally well.
In the ears e opposite grooves el are formed of a proper depth laterally in the
inner faces of said ears to receive the body of an ordinary coupling pin and in the
lower wall of the drawhead A, a circular hole e² that aligns with the grooves is
formed. The provision of the grooved ears and apertured lower drawhead wall, is
for the purpose of allowing an ordinary cylindrical coupling pin to be used if the
pin band lever C should be disabled or broken off by accident, this provision con-
verting the improved drawhead into one of the usual style, as far as connection with
others is considered.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is-
1. The combination with a forwardly chambered drawhead having a flared_front
end and a top and bottom shoulder within the throat of said chamber and also
slotted above to align with spaced ears thereon, of a pendent locking pin and a lever
pivoted between the ears to which the pin is jointed, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination with a forwardly chambered drawhead having a flared front
end, two opposite aligning shoulders formed above and below in the throat of the
drawhead chamber, a slot longitudinally extended from the shoulders rearward in
the top wall of the drawhead chamber leaving a transverse web therein and two
spaced ears laterally perforated to receive a fulcrum bolt and located in alignment
with the sides of the slot, of a lever having a cam rounded head and ears on one side
to pivotally engage the upper end of a pendent locking pin and further provided

page_text: with an elongated hole for engagement with the fulcrum bolt in the ears, said hole
extending in the direction of length of the lever, a locking pin, and means to
manipulate the lever from the roof of a car, substantially as set forth.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
S. G. TRINE,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.