Improvements in Couplings for Railway Vehicles.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 24th Jan., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 24th Jan., 1891-Accepted, 21st Mar., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Couplings for Railway Vehicles.
We, LUCIEN BARNES, Sr., Inventor, of 218, North West Street, and CHARLES
OSCAR BARNES, Manufacturer, of No. 1720, Park Street, both of Syracuse, in the
County of Onondaga, in the State of New York, United States of America,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of our invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN CAR COUPLINGS, 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 the class of car-couplings in which an arm, usually
called "knuckle," is pivoted to the draw-head and adapted to interlock with a similar
knuckle on the draw-head of an approaching car.
The objects of the invention are, first, to dispense with the supplemental arm
which has hitherto been formed on the knuckle, thereby reducing the weight of said
knuckle; secondly, to afford a freer inward and outward movement of the knuckle,
and thus facilitate its coupling and uncoupling action; thirdly, to enable the
knuckle to retain its closed position and resist the draft thercon independent of the
pin upon which it slides, and, fourthly, to relieve the aforesaid pin from concussion
incident to the collision of the knuckle with another car-coupling and to these ends
the invention consists in the improved construction and combination of parts, as
hereinafter fully described, and specifically set forth in the claims.
In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a car-coupling embody-
ing our improvements. Figs. 2 and 3 are horizontal transverse sections on line aa,
Fig. 4, showing the knuckle in the various positions it assumes in its operation, and
Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section on line yy, Fig. 3.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A represents the draw-head, which is formed with the usual horn h on one side
and with the recess a in a projection A of the opposite side of the draw-head.
Said recess is V-shaped, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, and the
vertical walls - thereof are preferably curved in a horizontal plane. Vertically
through the recess a of the draw-head, preferably at a point about midway
between the ends of the side walls of the recess, is inserted a cylindrical pin c
which is thus sustained eccentrically in relation to the vertical walls of the
recess a.
C denotes the knuckle, which consists of a single arm, the rear end of which
is curved toward the draw-head and terminates with vertical faces, which intersect
each other V-shaped to conform to the vertical walls -' of the recess a into
which the rear end of the knuckle is inserted. The rear end portion of the
knuckle is provided with a vertical slot d which is elongated diagonally in relation
to the outer end portion of the knuckle, or toward the intersection of the rear
end faces of the knuckle, and receives through it the pin c. Said knuckle is
thus enabled to slide longitudinally, and consequently directly into and out of
contact with the vertical walls of the recess d, when the knuckle is thrown into
and out of its coupling positions, as represented in Fig. 2 of the drawings. This

page_text: liberation of the knuckle from frictional contact of its rear end allows the same
to move freely in the aforesaid direction, and when the knuckle C is thrown into
its open position, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the slot d
is in such a position lengthwise as to be nearly parallel with the draw-bar B.
This effectually relieves the pine from the concussion incident to the collision
of an ordinary car-bumper with the outer end of the knuckle set into its open
position, and aside from this the space between the rear end of the knuckle and
inner faces of the recess a allows the knuckle to recede and at the same time
swing to its closed position.
The vertical edge of the outer side wall of the recess « forms a stop a¹ which
limits the outward movement of the knuckle C as shown by full lines in Fig. 2 of
the drawings. The aforesaid wall of the recess is also formed with a rearwardly
facing abutment, and the top and bottom plates of the aforesaid recess are each
formed with a forwardly facing abutment and a straight front bearing and the
knuckle C is formed with a forwardly-facing shoulder rearwardly-facing shoulder
and a straight rear bearing in such positions as to cause them to come in contact,
respectively, with the abutments and bearing when the knuckle is in its
closed position, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and thus the inward movement
of the knuckle C is arrested and the concussion resisted by five abutments on the
draw-head is, the two inner vertical walls of the recess a, the two abutments/'1
and the straight bearing. In throwing the knuckle into its closed position the
shoulder of the knuckle first comes in contact with the abutment as shown by
dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Said abutment serves as a fulcrum on which
the knuckle turns, and by which the knuckle is drawn into the recess and into its
locked position, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the slot d allowing the aforesaid
movement of the knuckle.
The rear end of the knuckle C is formed with a notch n, the opposite sides of
which serve as locking-shoulders to engage with the key o which is arranged in the
draw-head, movably vertically and laterally toward and from the knuckle. The
rear face of said key is beveled and rests on an inclined guide as shown in Fig. 4
of the drawings. The key slides by gravity down on the inclined way, and is
thereby carried automatically toward the knuckle C and when the latter is in its
closed position the key o enters the notch n and this engagement, together with
that of the abutments f and locks the knuckle in its closed position independent
of the pin c.
By means of a chain connected to the top of the key and passing
through a hole in the top of the draw-head the key can be lifted to release the
knuckle when desired to uncouple the car.
It will be observed that in our improved car-coupler the usual supplemental arm
on the knuckle is dispensed with and thus the weight and cost of the coupler are
reduced.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1. The single-armed knuckle C terminated at its rear end with vertical faces inter-
secting each other V-shaped, and provided at said end with a vertical slot elongated
in a direction diagonally of the knuckle, in combination with the draw-head formed
on one side with a V-shaped recess for the reception of the rear end of the knuckle,
a pin passing vertically through the recessed portion of the draw-head and through
the slot of the knuckle, and a key connected to the draw-head and adapted to lock
the knuckle in its closed position, as set forth and shown.
2. The combination of the single-armed knuckle C terminated at its rear end
with vertical faces intersecting each other V-shaped, and provided with the slot d
and with the shoulder on its outer side, the draw-head formed with the V-shaped
recess a and abutment ƒ", the pin c passing through the draw-head and slot d, and
the key o engaging the rear end of the knuckle, substantially as described and
shown,

page_text: 3. The combination of the single-armed knuckle C formed V-shaped at its rear
end and provided with the notch n and slot din said end, and with the forwardly
facing shoulder i, rearwardly facing shoulder and straight rear bearing " with
the draw-head provided with the V-shaped recess a, rearwardly facing abutment /1
forwardly-facing abutment and straight front bearing, the pin c passing through
the recess a and slot d and the key o adapted to enter the notch n, all constructed
and combined substantially as described and shown.
Dated this 10th day of January 1891
LUCIEN BARNES, SR.
CHARLES OSCAR BARNES.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicants.