IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILROAD CARRIAGE COUPLINGS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical
Draughtsman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILROAD
CARRIAGE COUPLINGS." · A. communication from abroad by Josiah
Crane, of Cranford, in the State of New Jersey, United States of
America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent
Newton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 19th May 1871.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
RAILROAD CARRIAGE COUPLINGS," to be as follows:
-
The first part of this Invention relates to the draw bolt and devices.
more immediately connected therewith for facilitating the entry of the

page_text: coupling link which connects one railroad carriage with another or the
locomotive with the train, and for securely holding the same when the
coupling is established.
and
This portion of the Invention consists in a novel construction and
arrangement of the draw bolt, together with a slotted lever from which
it is suspended, and which has its fulcrum on the draw head, so that
the forward end of the lever which carries the draw bolt drops with or
without the aid of a spring to retain the draw bolt to its position in the
draw head, but which lever is free to rise, as well as the draw bolt to
swing up and back on entering the coupling link within the head.
Said link is guided to its place within the draw head, every
facility afforded for the running of the carriages round curves by move-
able side guides having outwardly curving front ends, and arranged in
the mouth of the draw head subject to the control of springs operating
to force them towards each other, and the slotted connection of the
draw bolt with its lever is such as to relieve the lever of strain and
throw the friction or pressure on the draw head when the link is made
to pull upon the bolt. Thus constructed the whole forms an automatic
carriage coupling which is both simple and certain in its action on
running the carriages to be coupled together, is not liable to breakage
or to fly loose, and yet admits of the ready detachment of the carriages
when required.
The second part of the Invention consists in a certain construction
of the coupling and attachment of regulating devices to the draw head
thereof, whereby on merely slackening and tightening a wrench nut
said head may be set up or down, and be securely held to its adjustment
against slipping or working downwards while the carriages are in
motion, and whereby facility is afforded for adjusting the draw heads of
high and low carriages into line with each other, so that an ordinary
straight coupling link may be used to establish the connection.
The draw head is supported at its rear with freedom to rise and fall
on or in side guards forming a portion of the frame that carries the
draw head. The front part of this frame forms vertical guides for a
sliding block on which rests the draw head. The front part of the
frame is slotted transversely to receive a screw bolt carried by the
sliding block, and on a wrench nut being applied to this screw bolt the
sliding block is made fast to the frame at any desired level. To prevent
the block slipping downwards the sides of the frame are caused to

page_text: taper outwards towards their lower edges, and by this means the
draw head will be retained in any position in which it is desired to
set it.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 18th November 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special
licence that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent
Newton, my executors, administrators, 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 RAILROAD CARRIAGE COUPLINGS," being a communication
to me from abroad by Josiah Crane, of Cranford, in the State of New
Jersey, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 Alfred Vincent Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawing

page_text: hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say) :-
The first part of this Invention relates to the draw bolt and devices
more immediately connected therewith for facilitating the entry of the
coupling link which connects one railroad carriage with another or the
.ocomotive with the train, and for securely holding the same when the
coupling is established.
This portion of the Invention consists in a novel construction and
arrangement of the draw bolt together with a slotted lever from which
it is suspended, and which has its fulcrum on the draw head so that
the forward end of the lever which carries the draw bolt drops with
or without the aid of a spring to retain the draw bolt in its position
in the draw head, but which lever is free to rise, as well as the
draw bolt to swing up and back on entering the coupling link within
the head. Said link is guided to its place within the draw head and
every facility afforded for the running of the carriages round curves
by moveable side guides having outwardly curving front ends, and
arranged in the mouth of the draw head subject to the control of springs
operating to force them towards each other, and the slotted connection
of the draw bolt with its lever is such as to relieve the lever of strain
and throw the friction or pressure on the draw head, when the link is
made to pull upon the bolt. Thus constructed the whole forms an
automatic carriage coupling which is both simple and certain in its
action on running the carriage to be coupled together, is not liable to
breakage or to fly loose, and yet admits of the ready detachment of
the carriage when required.
The second part of the Invention consists in a certain construction of
the coupling and attachment of regulating devices to the draw head
thereof, whereby on merely slackening and tightening a wrench nut
said head may be set up or down and be securely held to its adjustment
against slipping or working downwards while the carriages are in motion,
and whereby facility is afforded for adjusting the draw heads of high
and low carriages into line with each other so that an ordinary straight
coupling link may be used to establish the connection.
Having thus specified the objects and nature of the Invention, its
description will be proceeded with in reference to the accompanying
Drawing,

page_text: Fig. 1 represents a front view of a carriage coupling constructed in
accordance with the Invention, and with regulating devices for adjust-
ment of the draw head detached; also showing the coupling link as
locked by the draw bolt; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the
same; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section thereof; and Fig. 4, a sectional
view in part showing the action of the draw bolt and its attached lever
on entering the coupling link within the mouth of the draw head.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the
several Figures of the Drawing.
A represents the draw head, which is supported in its rear with
freedom to rise and fall on or in bent side guards or braces B, B, connected
at their back ends with a casting C bolted to the platform or base of the
carriage, and at their front ends to a frame D, which may either be the
same or a separate casting with or from the portion C. In this frame D
is a vertically adjustable or sliding block E having a slot 6 in it open
above and through which the shank of the draw head passes so as to
rest when down on the bottom of the slot, but with a limited amount of
freedom to play up and down therein. Furthermore, this draw head is
free to be worked backwards as usual under the control of a spring c
applied between a rear cross head d carried by it and a loose bar e, both
of which are arranged to cross the rear of the guards or braces B, B, and
to be guided by the same, the loose bar e resting by a suitable reduction
of its ends within and against the back ends of said braces, and virtually
forming the fulcrum on which the draw head is free to play up and
down. This loose bar e also serves as a guide for the rear of the draw
head through it, while the block E serves as a guide for the forward end
of it in its longitudinal thrust or play as against the pressure of the
spring c. G is the draw bolt, which is forked at its upper end and works
on a pin f. This pin passes through eyes or holes in the jaws of the
bolt, and also through a longitudinal slot in the long end of a lever H
having its fulcrum as at g on the draw head, said long end of the lever
being inserted between the jaws or forked end of the draw bolt, which
is so jointed to the lever as to swing freely forward and back, and at
the same time the pin f can slide backward and forward in the slot, as
shown in Fig. 2. The lower end of the draw bolt G when the latter is
in its engaging position projects into a slot in the lower side of the
draw head. To the long end of the lever H is attached a chain I which
is passed upwards and connected with the carriage so as to be in con-

page_text: venient reach for lifting the lever and the draw bolt to disengage the
coupling. Between the upper and lower sides of the mouth of the draw
head are placed two moving side guides J, J, which are pivoted to the
draw head, as at i, i, in Fig. 3. The outer and free ends of these guides
are curved outwardly or laterally, as it were, and springs k, k, are
applied to press the guides towards each other. K is the coupling link,
which is straight and of ordinary construction, and which when esta-
blishing the coupling is guided to its place in the mouth of the draw
head by the movable guides J, J, that serve to hold it steady and to
provide for the running of the coupled carriages around curves.
The operation of the coupling is as follows:-The link K entering the
draw head pushes against the draw bolt G, causing it to swing back, and
also causing the lever H to rise with the bolt so that the link can pass
in and under the bolt, as represented in Fig. 4. The bolt then with
the lever takes its position as shown in Fig. 2, thus automatically
coupling the two contiguous draw heads of each adjacent pair of carriages
together. The slot in the lever H through which the pin f passes serves
to remove strain from the lever H and to throw the friction or pressure of
the draw bolt as caused by the pull of the link on to the draw head. To
regulate the coupling by varying the pitch of its draw head and attach-
ments up or down to suit carriages having their couplings at different
heights, the outer sides of the frame D are bevelled as shewn at m, m, Fig. 1,
and each side piece of the frame is slotted, as at n, Fig. 2. Through these
slots passes a screw bolt M, which bolt also passes through the up-and-
down sliding block E to fasten the block and keep it in its proper position
according to the height it is required to set the coupling. This bolt M
is secured by a simple wrench nut N so as to be at all times ready for
action. The bevels m, m, on the side pieces of the frame D prevent the
bolt from moving downwards while the carriages are in motion, and thus
keep the draw head and block E at their set position. By these means
the carriage couplings may be adjusted when one is above the other
so as to make them draw in a straight line, and so as to admit of a
straight link being used.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements
in Railroad Carriage Couplings," as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondent, and explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited
Letters Patent I claim,―

page_text: First. The combination and arrangement of the draw bolt G with its
pin f, the slotted lever H having its fulcrum on the draw head A, and
the pivotted side guides J, J, made elastic or controlled by springs,
substantially as specified.
Second. The combination with the draw head hung so as to be capable
of motion up or down as described of the sliding block E, the bolt M,
the slots n in the frame D, the nut N, and the bevels m, m, essentially
as and for the purpose or purposes herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Eighteenth day of November,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one.