IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLING AND DISCONNECTING CARRIAGES ON RAILWAYS, AND IN MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Archibald Brooman, of No. 166, Fleet
Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLING AND DISCONNECTING CARRIAGES ON RAILWAYS,
AND IN MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN."-A communication from abroad
by Bartolomé Castellvi, of Madrid, Spain.
Sealed the 6th November 1863, and dated the 11th May 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Archibald
Brooman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 11th May 1863.
I, RICHARD ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLING AND DISCONNECTING CARRIAGES ON RAILWAYS,
AND IN MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
In this Invention the coupling is engaged by the simple coming together of
the carriages without the aid of any attendant. The disconnecting is effected
from the outside of the line of rails, without the attendant having to pass
inside the buffers.
This coupling is more secure than by the ordinary method from the fact

page_text: that in case of the breaking of a part there is another part to take its
place, and that without producing any shock. Practice shews that when the
ordinary coupling breaks the coupling chains also give away from the violence
of the shock when they become rigid. The power or force of traction takes
place here horizontally or parallel to the line, whereby the evils arising from
the difference in height of the carriages are avoided.
Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying Drawings represent a horizontal and
a vertical view of the machinery; Figure 3 is a face view of part thereof.
The coupling draw apparatuses are composed of hooks and rods A, and of
links B, united by hooks a, a', and to the draw springs. Both ends of the
carriage frames are furnished with similar parts, and the coupling takes place
from the books on one frame taking into the links on the other. The links B
move and slide over one another until the parts become engaged. In order
that the links B may meet they are mounted slightly inclined on one side of
the frame, in order to meet in case of need every inclination between the
carriages, while compensation is established on the other side of the frame by
small curved rods on the lower part and by a circular movement around the
axes a. For this purpose some openings are made all along the frame to
allow of horizontal action taking place freely, the wood being strengthened at
that part by sheet iron. When the parts play the openings are maintained
and compressed by a variable power exerted by caoutchouc rings pressed in
tubes at the upper ends of the rods D, and communicating through jointed
forks with axes on the arms of the hooks A. In the event of one of the
small curved rods failing, and in order to avoid any unintended disconnection,
small rods c, fixed upon the axes above mentioned, press upon the outside of
the links B. When junction is effected these small rods, occupying an
inclined position, slide upon the fore part of the links until they have entered
into their box, then descend by the action of weights E, disconnection of the
carriages is effected, as before stated, at the sides of and outside of the rails.
It is necessary to give one of the rods D about a quarter of a revolution by
means of the weight E, in order that a wing resting against the support d may
escape; continuing the motion the small bar c is raised and separated from the
link to leave it free; then in like manner the other bar c, connected to the
front of the carriage, is raised, and the links being thus free the carriages can
be separated.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Archibald Brooman in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 11th November 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Richard Archibald Brooman, Her special licence that I, the said
Richard Archibald Brooman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, should at any time 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 COUPLING AND DISCONNECTING
CARRIAGES ON RAILWAYS, AND IN MACHINERY EMPLOYED THEREIN," (communicated
to me from abroad by Bartolomé Castellvi, of Madrid, Spain,) upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that the said Richard Archibald Brooman, 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 same 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 Richard Archibald Brooman, 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say:-
In this Invention the coupling is engaged by the simple coming together of
the carriages without the aid of any attendant. The disconnecting is effected
from the outside of the line of rails without the attendant having to pass
inside the buffers.
This coupling is more secure than by the ordinary method from the fact
that in case of the breaking of a part there is another part to take its

page_text: place, and that without producing any shock. Practice shews that when the
ordinary coupling breaks the coupling chains also give way from the violence
of the shock when they become rigid. The power or force of traction takes
place here horizontally or parallel to the line, whereby the evils arising from
the difference in height of the carriages are avoided.
Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying Drawings represent a horizontal and a
vertical view of the machinery; Figure 3 is a face view of part thereof. The
coupling draw apparatuses are composed of hooks and rods A, and of links B,
united by hooks a, a, and to the draw springs. Both ends of the carriage
frames are furnished with similar parts, and the coupling takes place from the
hooks on one frame, taking into the links on the other. The links B moves
and slide over one another until. the parts become engaged. In order that the
links B may meet they are mounted slightly inclined on one side of the frame,
in order to meet in case of need every inclination between the carriages, while
compensation is established on the other side of the frame by small curved
rods on the lower part, and by a circular movement around the axes a¹. For
this purpose some openings are made all along the frame to allow of horizontal
action taking place freely, the wood being strengthened at that part by sheet
iron. When the parts play, the openings are maintained and compressed by a
variable power exerted by caoutchouc rings pressed in tubes 6 at the upper ends
of the rods D, and communicating through jointed forks with axes on the arms
of the hooks A. In the event of one of the small curved rods failing, and in
order to avoid any unintended disconnection, small rods c, fixed upon the axes
above mentioned, press upon the links B. When junction is effected these
small rods, occupying an inclined position, slide upon the fore part of the
links until they have entered into their box, then descend by the action of
weights E.
Disconnection of the carriages is effected, as before stated, at the sides of
and outside of the rails. It is necessary to give one of the rods D about
a quarter of a revolution by means of the weight E, in order that a wing
resting against the support d may escape; continuing the motion the small
bar c is raised and separated from the link to leave it free, then in like
manner the other bar c, connected to the front of the other carriage, is raised,
and the links being thus free the carriages can be separated. In order to
facilitate the disconnection of the carriages the weight E may be replaced by
a lever of the second order, turning on a vertical axis fixed to the interior of
the frame, and which permits the lever arm to descend vertually, and bear
upon a piece fixed to the frame of the carriage, and thus resist the action of
the springs. To disconnect, it is sufficient to place the lowered part in a

page_text: vertical position to free it from the piece on which it bears. This mechanism
is represented in Figure 4.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim coupling and dis-
connecting carriages on railways, substantially in manner and by machinery
constructed, arranged, and operating as herein-before described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of November, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-three.
R. A. BROOMAN. (L.S.)