Improvements in the Automatic Coupling of Railway and similar Vehicles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Aug., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 15th May, 1900-Accepted, 14th July, 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Automatic Coupling of Railway and similar
Vehicles.
I, GEORGE WASHINGTON MOON, of 16, New Burlington Street, in the Parish of
Saint James, Westminster, in the County of London, Honorary Fellow of the
Royal Society of Literature of Great Britain & Ireland, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows::
-
This invention for improvements in the automatic coupling of railway and
similar vehicles has for its object to provide an automatic coupling simple in
construction, readily applicable to the present rolling stock, not liable to crash
into the end of the adjacent vehicle on the vehicles coming together, and inde-
pendent of springs; and consists in attaching to the draw bar a hinged or
pivoted arm carrying a coupling hook, the hinge or pivot being at an angle of
about 45° to the horizontal or the vertical; in bifurcating the outer end of each
draw bar so as to form a cross-head or open jaw having in it a cross pin inclined
at the aforesaid angle against which pin a projection at the inner end of the
arın strikes, so as to prevent it from falling below an approximately horizontal
position but leaving it free to rise within certain limits, determined by another
projection at the inner end of the arm, when coming in contact with a hook on
a corresponding arm of an adjacent vehicle; in sloping the hook end of the arm
so as to form a guide to deflect the opposite hook when the vehicles meet; in
curving the inner face of the hook preferably so as to form an arc, the centre
of whose circle is the pin or pivot on which the arm moves, and in providing
the pivoted arm with a hook on the top. The object in having the inner face
of the hook curved to form an arc, as described, is that vehicles so fitted may be
uncoupled without being backed. The object of the hook on the top is to pro-
vide for the gradual adoption of this coupling, and to enable a vehicle fitted
with it to couple with one having only the old hook and chain.
When two vehicles fitted with my improved coupling come together, the
hooks come in contact, and under the influence of the pressure rise upward on
an inclined plane until they have crossed, when they automatically fall into
engagement.
The tendency of the hook is always to assume the lowermost position by reason
of its own weight, consequently no spring is required to keep the parts coupled.
They are uncoupled by drawing aside one of the hooks by means of a chain or
other suitable connection.
1
1000
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Automatic Coupling of Railway and similar
Vehicles.
I, GEORGE WASHINGTON MOOx, of 131, Bedford Court Mansions, Bedford
Square, in the Parish of St. Giles in the Fields, but late of 16, New Burlington
Street, in the Parish of Saint James, Westminster, both in the County of
London, Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature of Great Britain
and Ireland, 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 for improvements in the automatic coupling of railway and
similar vehicles has for its object the providing of an automatic coupling which
shall be simple in construction, readily applicable to the present rolling stock;
not liable to crash into the end of the opposite vehicle on their coming together;
independent of levers; which shall couple whichever way the vehicles be turned
round; and shall not need men to go between the vehicles to couple or un-
couple them; they shall couple by simple contact; and be capable of being
uncoupled without the vehicles being backed, and also while they are in motion
so that one or more may be easily slipped" and yet the coupling be perfectly
safe in its working.
"
In the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings:-Fig. 1 is a side eleva-
tion of a coupling constructed according to this invention shown in coupled up
position. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same, Fig. 3 an end elevation of one coupling
hook in its normal position and Fig. 4 is an elevation of a coupling hook and
drawbar end or jaw on a plane perpendicular to the axis of the hook joint.
A drawbar a as at present in use terminates in a bifurcated arm or cross-
head b at the outer end of which is a coupling hook sloped at an angle of
about 45° to the perpendicular consequent upon the axis of the hinge or pivot
being sloped at an angle of about 450 but in the opposite direction.
The angle
of the pivot axis may be sloped either to the right or to the left of the perpen-
dicular, but preferably sloped from the right, down to the left as you face it
when it is fixed; because then the act of uncoupling can be more readily per-
formed by the right hand. A projection d at the inner end of the coupling
hook prevents it from falling below an approximately horizontal position, but
leaves it free to rise within certain limits determined by another projection
at the top of the same end of the coupling hook when it comes into contact
with a similar hook on an adjacent vehicle, or when it is uncoupled by a chain
or other device attached to the hook at f.
C
The arm or crosshead band its coupling hook are so formed that their
common longitudinal axis is eccentric to that of the drawbar so that when two
vehicles in alignment are coupled the vertical plane containing the longitudinal
axis common to the drawbars of both vehicles passes through the point or centre
of the surfaces of contact of the two coupling hooks.
The outer edge g of the coupling hook is sloped so as to form a guide to
deflect the opposite hook when the vehicles meet and allow the said hooks to pass
each other; and the inner edge h of the coupling hook c is curved so as to form
an are of a circle whose centre is the axis of the bolt or pivot on which the
hook moves. Preferably the inner curve of the hook has a radius of 93 inches
while the outer curve g has a radius of 12 inches from a point which is at the
end of a line 24 inches perpendicularly above the centre of the top end of the
pivot bolt and then is carried at a right angle to the said perpendicular line
23 inches nearer to the said outer curve g: thus locating the starting point of

page_text: the radius at an angle of 45° from the centre of the top of the pivot bolt and
at 3/16 inches from it; thereby making the small end of the coupling hook c,
if continued, extend to a vertical line drawn from the starting point of the
radius of the outer curve 9 which covers about 75° of a circle; but I prefer to
make the small end of the coupling hook c to terminate at about inch short
of that line. However I do not confine the coupling hook to these dimensions;
I give them as approximate measurements, and as a guide to the making of the
two important curvatures; the outer one y regulating the automatic coupling
of the vehicles; and the inner one h the uncoupling of them without their
being backed and even while in transit.
A hook on the top of the bifurcated arm similar to that which is at present
on railway trucks is provided, the object of the said hook being to enable a
vehicle fitted with it and with the automatic hook e to couple with one having
only the old hook and the three link chain; in which case the automatic coupling
hook c is held back by the chain f attached to it; and a projection e at the
top of the inner end of the said hook c when so held back being made to impinge
upon a spring m on the bifurcated arm b the hook being thereby returned to its
horizontal position immediately that the chain is released. This arrangement
for supplementing the automatic coupling hook with a copy of the old hook
facilitates the gradual adoption of this automatic coupling without interfering
with the ordinary traffic while the change of coupling from the old to the new
is being made.
When two vehicles having my improved automatic coupling meet on the
same line of rails the hooks come into contact and under the influence of the
impact each rises on an inclined plane until their points have crossed when they
automatically fall into engagement: the tendency of the hook being always to
assume the lowermost position solely by reason of its own weight; consequently
no spring is required to make the hooks couple or to keep them coupled; nor
is any lever needed to put them into position for coupling, or to uncouple them;
so that no part of the coupling apparatus projects beyond the side of the vehicle.
They are uncoupled from either side by drawing a chain or other suitable con-
nection which is attached to the upper part of one of the coupling hooks and
to the end of the truck. The uncoupling may be done with one hand, thereby
leaving the other hand free for carrying a lamp or for any other purpose. The
stoker can uncouple his engine without getting down; and the guard his van
or one or more trucks without stopping the train.
The act of coupling being automatic and the uncoupling being as above
described, there is no necessity for anyone to go between the vehicles either to
couple or to uncouple them.
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:-
1. A coupling apparatus for railway trucks and similar vehicles substantially
as hereinbefore described.
2. In an automatic coupling apparatus, a coupling hook sloped and pivoted
to a crosshead at an angle of about 45° to the perpendicular and deflected from
a straight line with the centre of the drawbar, and having its edges curved
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
3. In an automatic coupling apparatus a bifurcated arm or crosshead having
a hook at the top and a spring for throwing back the automatic coupling hook
into its horizontal position, substantially as described.
Dated. this 15th day of Nov 1900.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.