IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR COUPLING AND UNCOUPLING RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Alonzo Everett, of the City, County, and
State of New York, in the United States of America, but at present
of 23, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR COUPLING AND UNCOUPLING
RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK."
•
Sealed the 27th February 1874, and dated the 30th December 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Alonzo Everett
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 30th December 1873.
I, GEORGE ALONZO EVERETT, of the City, County, and State of New
York, in the United States of America, but at present of 23, South-
ampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR COUPLING
and Uncoupling Railway Rolling Stock,” to be as follows:—
The Invention has for its object improvements in means for coupling
and uncoupling railway rolling stock, whereby a secure means of
coupling is obtained whilst the coupling and uncoupling are speedily

page_text: effected. For this purpose I fix to each end of a railway carriage a
buffer, in the head of which is formed a vertical slot or opening
corresponding in position with a coupling rod or bar provided with an
arrow head, and mounted in the opposite or adjacent buffer head so as to
enable it to turn therein. These arrow heads of the coupling bars are
bevilled in such manner as to enable them when presented in a horizontal
position to the slots to be turned by the sides of such slots into a
vertical position when they can pass through such slots, and then by
means of weights or springs be turned on their centres of motion so as
to bring their arrow heads at right angles across the insides of the slots
or openings.
I prefer to form each of my improved buffer head connections with a
slot or opening and with a coupling bar or rod, and the slots or openings
I form bell-mouthed in order to facilitate the entrance of the coupling
bars or rods therein. Thus by simply backing two carriages together
they will be instantly securely coupled together, whilst by means of
chains, cords, or wires, and suitable levers connected to the coupling
bars or rods the carriages can be readily uncoupled.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Alonzo Everett in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 30th June 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
ALONZO EVERETT, of the City, County, and State of New York, in the
United States of America, but at present of 23, Southampton Buildings,
in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George Alonzo Everett, Her special
license that I, the said George Alonzo Everett, my exccutors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Alonzo
Everett, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time

page_text: agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR COUPLING AND UNCOUPLING RAILWAY ROLLING
STOCK," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George
Alonzo Everett, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and [cause the
samo to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Alonzo Everett, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The Invention has for its object improvements in means for coupling
and uncoupling railway rolling stock, whereby a secure means of
coupling is obtained, whilst the coupling and uncoupling are spcedly
effected. For this purpose I fix to each end of a railway carriage a
buffer, in the head of which is formed a vertical slot or opening corre-
sponding in position with a coupling rod or bar provided with an arrow
head, and mounted in the opposite or adjacent buffer head so as to enable
it to turn therein. These arrow heads of the coupling bars are bevilled in.
such manner as to enable them when presented in a horizontal position
to the slots to be turned by the sides of such slots into a vertical position
when they can pass through such slots, and then by means of weights or
springs be turned on their centres of motion so as to bring the arrow
heads at right angles across the insides of the slots or openings.
I prefer to form each of my improved buffer head connections with a
slot or opening and with a coupling bar or rod, and the slots or openings
I form bell-mouthed in order to facilitate the entrance of the coupling |
bars or rods therein. Thus by simply backing two carriages together
they will be instantly securely coupled together, whilst by means of
chains, cords, or wires, and suitable levers connected to the coupling
bars or rods the carriages can be readly uncoupled.

page_text: And in order that my said Invention may be more clearly understood
and readily carried into effect, I will proceed aided by the accompanying
Drawings more fully to describe the same.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a portion of a railway carriage
having my Invention applied thereto; Figure 2 is a sectional plan
thereof; Figure 3 is an end view; Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7, are detail
views to a larger scale; and Figure 8 is another end view showing a
modification of some of the parts.
I
a is a portion of the body of a railway carriage; is the under
framing thereof; c is the draw bar; d are the buffer springs; and e are
the buffers such as are usually employed in railway carriages, but
instead of connecting the carriages together by means of screw couplers
or by chains, as is generally the case, I according to my Invention
connect to the ends of the draw bars, buffers f, which are capable of
sliding in suitable guides formed in the end framings of the carriages,
and are acted upon by springs to force them outwards in a direction
away from the bosses c¹ on the draw bars c except at the moment when
two carriages are backed together for the purpose of being connected
the onc to the other, when the springs will be compressed, and the
buffers caused to slide in their guides and on the draw bars c. These
buffers I form and provide as follows to enable them to act as
substitutes for the ordinary coupling means employed.
In the head of cach buffer f I form a vertical slot or opening / corre-
sponding in position with a coupling rod or bar i provided with an
arrow head ¹, and mounted in the opposite or adjacent buffer head ƒ so
as to enable it to turn therein. These arrow heads of the coupling
bars i are bevilled or formed into portions of screws so as to enable them,
when presented in a horizontal position to the slots or openings h, to be
turned by the sides of such slots or openings & into a vertical position
when they can pass through such slots or openings, and then by means
of weights acting thereon in the manner herein-after described or by
means of springs be turned on their centres of motion so as to bring
their arrow heads at right angles across the insides of the slots or
openings h

page_text: I prefer as shown in the Drawings to form each of my improved
buffer head connections with a slot or opening hand with a coupling
bar or rod i, and the slots or opening I form bell-mouthed in order to
of the coupling bars or rods i
facilitate the entrance of the heads
therein. By employing this arrangement any two carriages can be
instantly coupled together by simply backing them towards cach
other.
The coupling rods or bars i are placed in position by being passed
through suitable holes formed in the buffers f, and they are held in
O position by means of keys / passing through holes formed in the
buffers f, and between collars formed or fixed on the coupling bars or
rods i.
In order to facilitate the uncoupling of two adjacent railway carriages
by operating a single lever I form cach of the vertical slots or openings h
in a piece h¹ capable of rotating in each buffer f, and I mount on the
axis of cach piece ¹ a lever and on the axis of cach coupling rod or
bar i I mount another lever m, and cach pair of these levers I connect
together by means of a connecting rod which is also connected to
other levers o, p, placed in such positions that at whichever side of the
carriage it is desired to actuate the coupling mechanism to uncouple
adjacent carriages the uncoupling can be readily effected by moving one
or other of the levers o, p, through an angle of 90 degrees. On the axis
of the lever o is also mounted a lever o¹ to enable the uncoupling of two
adjacent carriages to be effected by the guard from the interior of a
3 carriage. Tho weights j are mounted on the axes of the levers o to cause
the parts to turn automatically to the position required for coupling two
carriages together, and to retain them in that position until the parts are
otherwise operated by means of the levers o, o', or p.
Instead however of forming the vertical slots or openings in pieces /¹
carried by the buffers and capable of rotating therein, they may be
formed in such buffers themselves, as shown at Figures 4 and 8, but this
arrangement necessitates the simultaneous operation of two levers or
bars, one of which is mounted on the end of each carriage to operate a
coupling rod or bar i, as shown at Figure 8, in which case the weight j
is mounted on the axis i, and is acted upon by a piece q' carried by a
sliding bar which is mounted in guides 23, and is provided with
handles q³ by which it can be moved in either direction. Thus by

page_text: sliding the bar q in one direction the piece q' will be brought against
the weight j, and will raise it to the horizontal position when it will rest
on the piece q¹ and will remain there until the bar 7 is slided in the
reverse direction, thus enabling trucks or carriages to be backed against
each other as many times as may be required for shunting purposes
without becoming coupled together. If desired the bar q can be operated
by a lever or levers fixed either inside or outside the carriage, or both.
In case it should be required at any time to employ the ordinary
screw couplings or chains I form openings f¹ in the buffers to enable
the screw couplings or chains to be hung on the hooks c³ of the draw
bars c.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the mode
in which I carry the same into effect, I would have it understood that I
do not confine myself to the precise details herein shown and described;
but what I do claim is, the employment of coupling bars or rods i provided
with heads and mounted in buffers f, such couplings bars or rods acting
in combination with slots or opening / formed in adjacent buffers f, and
--operating in manner substantially as herein shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Alonzo Everett, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of June,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.