Improvements in Car Couplings.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 15th May, 1890-Accepted, 12th July, 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Car Couplings.
I, ALEXANDER MCDOUGALD of the Township of Bajat in the County of Renfrew,
Province of Ontario, Canada, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion 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 certain improvements in car couplings, and the invention
consists in certain novel features of construction and in combinations of parts more
fully described hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.
Referring to the accompanying drawings;
Figure 1 is an elevation of two approaching coupling heads provided with iny
invention.
Figure 2 is a front elevation of the right hand coupling head of figure 1.
Figure 3 is a perspective of the rear upper portion of the head with the parts
arranged as in figure 2.
In the drawings, the reference letter a, indicates a coupling head of the link and
pin style carried by a draw bar as ordinarily.
A vertically swinging frame or lever b, embraces the front end of the coupling head
and is pivoted to opposite sides of the same at c c.
This frame extends a distance
above the head, and also is provided with the inwardly turned ends dd, a distance
below the head. The frame above the head is continuous and provided with the
curved buffer plate e, at its upper end secured to the upper end of said frame, and
extending downwardly therefrom and at its lower portion braced by the cross bar f,
secured to the sides of the frame above the pin hole of the coupling head. This cross
bar is provided with a recess in its rear side. At one side of said recess an armi g
extends rearwardly from the cross bar, and a right angled lever at its
horizontal
upper
arm his pivoted to said arm to swing horizontally and so that said horizontal arm
will extend parallel with the cross bar and along the rear edge of the same, past said
recess in the bar, and the vertical arın i of the lever will extend behind one side of
the buffer.
The horizontal arm h, is provided with a recess j, to register with said recess of the
cross bar. The lower end of arm i of said lever has a vertically movable spring
latch k, pivoted thereto at its rear end, while its free end. extends forwardly through
an opening 1, in one side of said buffer plate. On its under side this latch is pro-
vided with several notches to engage the lower edge of said opening and thereby hold
the same and the angle lever. The latch is yieldingly held against said lower edge by
a spring m, interposed between the upper edge of said latch and cross bar f. The
latch normally projects forwardly beyond one side of the front of the buffer plate, and
on the opposite side of the front of said buffer a vertical projecting lug or portion n is
located, increasing in thickness from the top downward.
A vertically swinging link lifter o, is located beneath the coupling head and is
loosely carried at its rear end by a cross bar carried by a band p, embracing the
coupling head. This link lifter extends forwardly and is bent up at its front end to
engage and lift the link. At its rear ends the lifter is secured to a pair of slotted
plates '9', curved on their rear edges. This lifter is held in its normal position by
said inturned ends d, upon which the lifter normally rests out of the way below the
open end of the coupling head.
The operation of the device is as follows;-
The lever or frame of the coupling head containing the link (left hand head figure 1)
is swung forward to its limit of movement with its front end projecting a distance in
front of the head, and with its lower ends thrown rearwardly behind the pivot plates q¹
of the link lifter allowing said link lifter_to.drou as shown....

page_text: The frame or lever of the head to which the link is to be coupled is swung into an
upright position (see right hand head figure 1) the backward swing of the upper
end of the frame being limited by the stops 1, so that the opening formed by the
registering recesses in the cross bars f, and arm h, will be directly above the pin hole
of the coupling head. The arm of the lever is then held tightly against cross bar f,
by pressing the latch forward through its opening in the buffer plates so that its last
notch will catch and hold the parts. The coupling pin s, is then slipped down into
the pinhole through the opening formed by said recesses and the pin will be held
suspended by its head resting on cross bar f, and arm h.
When the two bumpers come together the top end of the left frame comes in
contact with and is raised by the buffer of the right frame, thereby immediately
throwing up the free end of the link lifter and lifting the link so as to enter the open
end of the other head, as the heads come nearer together the upper end of the raised
portion n, of the left coupler head strikes upwardly against the projecting end of the
pivoted spring latch thereby lifting and releasing the same and forcing it back, thereby
swinging back the angle lever and releasing the dropping pin.
As the operating lever is swung back its inturned lower ends bear against the
rear curved edges of the link lifting plates and then slip around beneath the
lifter.
The lugs n are so shaped that they lift and throw the latches rearwardly.
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
.
1st. The herein described car coupling.
2nd. The combination with a link and pin coupling bead, of a swinging link lifter
. carried by the head, and a swinging operating lever carried by the head and adapted
to be swung by the opposing coupling head to swing up said lifter and hence raise
the link and guide the same into the opposite head, substantially as described.
3rd. In a car coupler, the combination with a link and pin coupling head, of a
swinging pin holding lever carried by the same, and provided with an automatic
pin dropping device, and a swinging link lifter operated by said lever, said pin
dropping device and said lever adapted to be operated by the opposing coupling head,
as set forth.
4th. The combination with a coupling head, of an operating lever or frame extend-
ing above and below the head and pivoted within its length to swing back and forth
in a vertical plane, said lever being provided with means above the head to carry and
automatically drop a coupling pin, and a link lifter pivoted at its rear end at the
under side of the head, and having its front end supported by said lever and adapted
to be swung by the lever to engage and raise the link, as set forth.
5th. A swinging operating lever carried by a coupling head and extending above
and below and adapted to have its upper end swing in front of the head, and a link
lifter on the underside of the head and pivoted at its rear end and having its free
end bent up and adapted to extend up in front of the head and engage the link, the
free end of the link being supported and swung by the lower end of the lever, sub-
stantially as described.
6th. A coupling head having a pin hole, in combination with a lever or frame above
the extending head and hole and having a cross bar provided with a recess to receive
the pin, and a spring arm to hold the pin in the recess and in readiness to drop into
said hole, said arm being provided with a projection extending forwardly through a
buffer on said frame, for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 15th dow of Mow 1800
A. MCDOUGALD,
Per L. W.