Year: 1886

page_text: I HERMANN LOEBER of Egeln in the Kingdom of Prussia Merchant 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:
The couplings heretofore employed for railway vehicles render it necessary for
the persons employed in operating them to stand between the vehicles whence
serious and fatal accidents frequently arise especially when one or both the
vehicles happens to be in motion as is frequently the case. It is the object of the
present invention to provide an apparatus which being operated from the sides of
the vehicles renders such accidents impossible. In the case of railway carriages
or vans or tram cars provided with end platforms this improved coupling herein-
after described can be operated from such platform by suitably modifying the
arrangements of the parts.
And in order that my said 'Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the several figures
on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a longitudinal section of the
under frame of a railway vehicle provided with a coupling according to this
Invention and Figure 2 represents the same in plan.
Figure 3 drawn to a larger scale, represents certain of the parts in the coupled
position and Figures 4 and 5 represent the said parts in the positions which they
occupy in the operations of uncoupling and coupling respectively.
As indicated in the plan, Figure 2, the vehicle is provided at each end with a
draw hook a and with a link b. The former is capable of moving in a horizontal
direction only, the latter moves in a horizontal direction and is also capable of
turning upon a hinge joint so as to admit of being lifted as hereinafter described
but is prevented by a stop from dropping below the horizontal position as indicated
in Figures 4 and 5. At or about the middle of the under frame there is provided
a transverse shaft e capable of being rotated by means of a crank handle at each
extremity that is to say at each side of the vehicle. This shaft transmits motion
to bevel gear g for the purpose of tightening up the draw bars as hereinafter
explained. When the vehicles are brought together for the purpose of being
coupled or connected as indicated in figure 1 by means of the hooks a and links b
herein before referred to the link b slides up the incline on the hook a as indicated
in figure 4 and then drops into the hook (figures 1 and 3). The link is provided
at each side with a pin or projection 61 and a transverse shaft & situated above

page_text: the buffers and provided at each extremity with suitable crank discs or handles
carries a safety hook c which when the link has dropped into the hook as aforesaid
is turned down upon the said pins or projections 6 by turning the shaft d by
means of one of the crank handles on either side of the vehicle. This safety hook
when turned down as indicated in figures 1, 2 and 3 prevents the link b from
escaping accidentally from the hook a during the journey and at the same time
allows for the necessary amount of play or elasticity in the connection when
travelling. For still greater security the shaft carrying the safety hooks may be
provided with devices for preventing it from turning backwards.
The operation of tightening up or compressing the buffer springs is performed
as hereinafter explained with reference to figures 1 and 2. The transverse shaft e
and bevel gear ƒ hereinbefore referred to impart rotary motion to a longitudinal
shaft g provided with right and left screw threads at its extremities. Plates or
bars h provided with corresponding female threads work on the ends of this shaft
and press upon springs interposed between the plates, and bars or plates i capable
of sliding freely over the shaft g. These plates i are connected to the hooks a and
links b by draw bars a³ and 6°. By screwing up the plates h after the said hooks
and links are caused to engage as herein before described the vehicles can be
drawn together and the buffer and draw springs compressed to the desired extent
by simply turning the crank handles on the shaft e from either side of the train.
In order to uncouple the vehicles the hooks and links are first loosened by
turning the shaft e in the reverse direction and afterwards by turning the shaft d,
the links b are lifted out of engagement with the hooks a by means of the safety
hooks c acting on the lateral projections b¹ on the said links as indicated in
Figure 4. The vehicles are thus uncoupled and entirely disconnected. The safety
hook is thus employed for securing or locking the link b in position as well as for
lifting it out of the hook in the operation of uncoupling.
It is evident that the details of arrangement and construction herein before
described and illustrated in the drawing by way of example may be modified in
various ways without affecting the spirit of the invention so long as the essential
features and mode of action are retained.
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
First: In a coupling for railway or other like vehicles operated from the side
of the train or from the end platforms of the vehicles, the hooks a connected to the
plate and links bhaving lateral pins or projections in combination with the
shaft d carrying safety or locking hooks c substantially as herein before described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Second-In a coupling constructed and operated as herein before described and
claimed in the first claiming clause a tightening apparatus operated from the side
or end of the vehicle and consisting of the shaft in combination with the bevel
gear f, shaft g and the longitudinally sliding bar or plate i acting upon springs
interposed between it and the bar or plate h all substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.