Improved Automatic and Non-Automatic Couplings for Railway Carriages, Trucks, and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Aug., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 18th May, 1900-Accepted, 30th June, 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Automatic and Non-Automatic Couplings for Railway
Carriages, Trucks, and the like.
I, THOMAS CLOKE, of No. 144, Pomeroy Street, New Cross, London, S.E., Cork
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to certain improvements in automatic and non-auto-
matic couplings for railway carriages trucks and the like and is constructed as
follows: I have a link with shoulders at one end and projecting from the
centre of these I have a tang or tongue or I may dispense with the tongue
from the centre of the shoulder and have two tongues one on either side of the
shoulders. I have also a pair of shackles and on these near the ends I have
bevelled shoulders raised. The tang or tangs of the link before mentioned is
or are secured by a bolt or pin through the shoulders of the shackles yet loose
enough to admit of the necessary play. The ends projecting below the shoulders
are intended to support the link in its required position and each end is opened
out so as to correspond with the opening in the link thus admitting of a free
course. I may dispense with the shackles before described and in place thereof
may have a pair of shackles with studs or projections from the sides in place
of the raised shoulders & holding up the link in its required position by means
of the ends of the tangs of the link coming in contact with the side studs or
projections on the shackles. The shackles are secured by bolts pins or by other
means to a draw hook which has a bevelled tooth quadrant at the back beyond
the pin which secures the hook to the draw bar. This draw bar is formed to
receive a bevelled rack admitting of its coming in contact with and holding
in position the toothed quadrant of the draw hook. The ends of the rack are
slightly raised with a handle formed at each end and may be of sufficient length
to reach the sides of the truck or shorter as may be required and may be placed
above or below the buffer block but preferably above and secured to the truck
by keeps. I have also a lever bar with handles at both sides of the truck
bent in such a manner in the centre as to enable me to lift the shackles with
the link held in position so as to drop into the draw bar hook of the opposite
truck and thereby couple the trucks together. I may also have an additional
har corresponding to the ends of the rack supported by upright standards of any
required length and attached to the rack by any suitable method of fastening
such as bolt rivet or pin. This bar may also operate the rack by the shunter
using it from off the truck. In order that the foregoing apparatus should be
automatic in its action I have a bar secured to the side of the truck by keeps.
On this bar I have a lip formed on one side while at each extreme end of the
bar I have a tongue or tang projecting. The tongue on the inside or behind
the buffer head in the case of spring buffers and which in the case of wood
buffers is in front of the buffer is pressed forward when required to be in
motion so as to come close to the buffer inside and in wood buffers in front
while the lip holds the handle of the lever in the required position to support
the shackles with the link suspended. Immediately the truck to be coupled is

page_text: - brought into contact the buffer operates on the tongue or tang of the bar and
releases the lever thereby releasing also the shackle and link which drop imme-
diately into the opposite draw bar hook. I may also have a second lever bar
with a handle at one end carried across the end of the truck and connected
through a loop formed on the automatic bar and by means of which the operator
can manipulate the coupling automatically from either side of the truck.
Dated this 18th day of August 1899.
Improved Automatic and Non-Automatic Couplings for Railway
Carriages, Trucks, and the like.
I, THOMAS CLOKE, of No. 144, Pomeroy Street, New Cross, London, S.E., Cork
Manufacturer, 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
y the following statement:-
I
This invention relates to certain improvements in automatic and non-automatic
couplings for railway carriages, trucks and the like and is constructed as follows:
I have a link with shoulders at one end and projecting from the centre of
these I have a tang or tongue or I may dispense with the tongue from the centre
of the shoulder and have two tongues one on either side of the shoulders. I
he also a pair of shackles and on these near the ends I have bevelled shoulders
raised. The tang or tangs of the link before mentioned, is or are secured by a
bolt or pin through the shoulders of the shackles, yet loose enough to admit
of the necessary play. The ends projecting below the shoulders are intended
to support the link in its required position and each end is opened out so as
to correspond with the opening in the link, thus admitting of a free course.
may dispense with the shackles before described and in place of these I may
have a pair of shackles with studs projecting from the sides in place of the
raised shoulders holding up the link in its required position by means of the
ends of the tangs of the link coming in contact with the side studs or projec-
tions on the shackles. The shackles are secured. by bolts pins or by other means
to a draw hook which has a bevelled toothed pinion at the back beyond the pin
which secures the hook to the draw bar. This draw bar is formed to receive a
bevelled rack admitting of its coming in contact with and holding in position
the toothed pinion of the draw hook. The ends of the rack are slightly raised
with a handle formed at each end, and may be of sufficient length to reach
the sides of the truck or shorter as may be required and may be placed above
or below the buffer block, but preferably above, and secured to the truck by
keeps. I have also a lever bar with handles at both sides of the truck bent in
such a manner in the centre as to enable me to lift the shackles with the link
held in position so as to drop into the draw bar hook of the opposite truck and
thereby couple the trucks together. I may also have an additional bar corre-
sponding to the lower ends of the rack, supported by upright standards of any
required length and attached to the rack. by. any suitable method of fastening,
such as bolt, rivet or pin. This bar may also operate the rack by the shunter
using it from off the truck.
In order that the foregoing apparatus should be automatic in its action I have
a bar secured to the side of the truck by keeps. On this bar I have a lip
formed on one side while at each extreme end of the bar I have a tongue or tang
projecting. The tongue is on the inside or behind the buffer head, in the case

page_text: of spring buffers, and in the case of wood buffers the said tongue is in front
of the buffers and is pressed forward when required to be in motion so as to
come close to the buffer inside and in wooden buffers in front, while the lip
holds the handle of the lever in the required position to support the shackles
with the link suspended. Immediately the truck to be coupled is brought into
contact, the buffer operates on the tongue or tang of the bar and releases the
lever thereby releasing also the shackles and link which drop immediately into
the opposite draw hook. I may also have a second lever bar with a handle at
one end carried across the end of the truck and connected through a loop formed.
on the automatic bar and by means of which the operator can manipulate the
coupling from either side of the truck.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I will now
proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings accompanying this
specification in which Eig. 1 shews the end of a truck provided with coupling
mechanism constructed according to my invention. Wooden buffer blocks are
shewn in this view. Fig. 2 shews a detached view of coupling link and draw
hook. Fig. 3 shews two ends of a truck (in side elevation) one end being fitted
with spring and the other end with wooden buffers.
The same letters denote the same parts in all the views.
a shews a link secured by a pin 6 to two arms or shackles which are
pivotted at d to the hook e of the draw-bar. f shews eccentric projections or
shoulders formed at the ends of the arms c c. g shews a cross piece on the
link a thus when the arms ee and link a are turned in an upward direction,
the cross piece is in contact with the shoulders f. h shews a bevelled toothed
pinion formed in one with the draw hook e. The hook e is connected by a
pivot i to the forked end j of the draw bar as shewn clearly at Fig. 2. k shews
a bevelled rack engaging with and holding in position the toothed pinion h.
m m shew arms extending from the rack to the sides of the truck. nnare
handles for operating the rack k. The arms m m are shewn resting upon the
buffer blocks o.
shew keeps or hasps for supporting and guiding the
arms m m. 7 shews a lever bar formed as shewn at Fig. 1. It will be seen on
reference to Figs. 1 and 3 that the bowed portion of the lever bar rests
against the shoulders f on the arms c.
The mechanism above described would be non-automatic in its action. In
order that it may be rendered automatic, I have a bar r held in place at the
side of the truck by keeps or guides s, shews a tongue at one end of the bar r,
the tongue fits in a slight recess u formed in the wooden buffer block o.
vand 10
shew two projections on the bar r. shews an eve formed with or fixed to the
bar r.
y shews a lever or rod, one end 2 of which is bent down and passes
through the eye, the other end 1 is also bent down so as to come immediately
in front of the handle 2 of the lever bar g. 3 shews the other end of the lever
bar bent round as shewn for the purpose hereafter described.
With reference to the truck end fitted with spring buffers, shewn at Fig. 3,
it will be seen that the bar r is fitted to come behind the buffer head. The
arrangement of the lever ends 1 and 2 is also shewn at this end of the truck.
The coupling link a is actuated as follows:
By pushing or pulling either of the handles n (according to the direction in
which it is desired to turn the link) the toothed pinion h is turned by means of
the rack and the link is swung round. This operation is performed when
the trucks to be coupled are so close together that it is necessary to swing the
link a to one side before raising it. The link is raised by turning the handle 2
of the lever bar g. Then, if necessary, the link a may be swung back by means
of the rack k and pinion h until it is immediately over the draw hook of the
truck opposite to be coupled. Upon releasing the handle 2 the link engages
with the draw-hook on the other truck. While the link a is being raised it
turns rigidly with the arms c c on account of the cross piece 9 resting against
the shoulders f: but when raised into position the link is free to fall into the

page_text: opposite hook when the handle 2 is released. The foregoing is the non-auto-
matic action. The automatic device operates as follows: -
-
The handle 2 is first turned to raise the link a and this action also turns the
end 1 of the lever y. The other end of the lever y which passes through the
eye pushes the bar r forward so that the tongue t projects beyond the end of
the buffer block o. At the same time the other end 3 of the lever turns
downwards and comes beneath the projection of the bar r. This position of
mechanism is shewn in heavy dotted lines at Fig. 3. When the mechanism is
so set, the contact of the buffer of another truck causes the bar to be pushed
back thus releasing the lever end 3 from the projection so that the ink a shall
fall on the draw-bar hook of the other truck.
my
said
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The automatic and non-automatic couplings for railway carriages, trucks and
the like, constructed substantially as set forth.
2. In coupling mechanism, the combination with a pivotted draw-hook and
coupling link of shackles or arms provided with shoulders, substantially as and
for the purpose set forth.
3. The combination with a forked draw-bar and pivotted draw-hook formed
with a toothed pinion, of a rack, all constructed, arranged and operated substan-
tially as and for the purposes set forth.
4. The automatic mechanism substantially as set forth.
BROWNE & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant, 9, Warwick Court, Gray's Inn, London, W.C.