Improvements in Car Couplers.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 6th July., 1897-Accepted, 21st Aug., 1897
Improvements in Car Couplers.
We, ROBERT HILLIARD WILLIAMS, farmer, of Powellton, Leigh Heath Raney,
Merchant, FRANK BUFORD, Merchant, and EDWARD PRICE BUFORD, Lawyer, of
Lawrenceville, all of Brunswick County, and State of Virginia, one of the United
States of America, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement: -
Our invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in car couplers,
the object of the same being to provide a coupler which is self-locking and can be
unlocked from either the side or top of the car.
The invention consists of a draw head having a longitudinal recess in its upper
surface, a lever pivoted in said recess and having a shoulder formed in its outer
end, a spring engaging the rear end of said lever for holding it normally in closed
position, a pair of releasing levers pivoted together, one of the same being secured
to the under side of the draw head and the other adapted to engage the rear end
of said clamping lever, the said release levers extending outwardly to the side
of the car and one of them connected to a rod or wire extending to the top of the
car.
The invention also consists in other details of construction and combination of
parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.
In the drawings forming part of this specification:
Figure 1 represents a top plan view of the end of a car with my improvements
applied thereto.
Figure 2 is an end view of the same.
Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through the draw heads of two
adjacent cars.
Like reference numerals indicate like parts in the different views.
Each of the draw heads 1-1 is formed with a longitudinal recess 2 in its upper
surface. Fulcrumed upon a rod 4 passing through said recess 2 is a lever 5 having
a central lug or projection 5* through which said rod passes and formed with a
shoulder 6 on its under side near its outer end. Engaging the inner end of said
lever is a coil spring 7 which normally holds said lever in its closed position
with the top surface thereof flush with the top of the draw head 1.
8-9 repre-
sents two release levers pivoted together at an intermediate point between their
ends, the lever 8 being secured at one end to the under side of the draw head 1
and the lever 9 being formed with a tooth or projection 10 thereon which is
adapted to engage the upper surface of the rear end of the locking lever 4 when
the outer ends of the release levers 8-9 are compressed. The said levers 8-9
extend outwardly toward the sides of the car and the lever 9 has secured to it a
rod or wire 11 which projects through an opening 12 in the lever 8 and extends
upwardly to the roof of the car, being formed with a handle 13 upon its upper
end. The securing link 14 is formed with a wedge-shaped head 15, with a
shoulder 16 between said head and the body portion of said link 14. This is
adapted to be inserted into the end of the draw head I and be engaged by the
shoulder 6 on the locking lever 5. In order to release the link 14, it is merely

page_text: necessary to depress the outer arms of the levers 8-9 which forces the inner end
of the lever 9 down upon the inner end of the locking lever 5, raising the upper
end thereof and permitting the link 14 to be withdrawn from engagement with the
draw head 1. The said release levers 8-9 may be operated from the top of the
car by drawing up on the rod 11
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:
1. In a car coupler the combination with a draw head, a locking lever ful-
crumed therein and a link 'engaged by a shoulder or projection on said lever, of
a pair of release levers pivoted together at points intermediate of their outer ends,
one of said levers secured at its inner end to the under side of said draw head and
the other engaging the rear end of said locking lever the said release lever
projecting outwardly to the sides of the car.
2. In a car coupler, the combination with a draw head, a locking lever ful-
crumed therein and a link engaged by a shoulder or projection on said lever, of
a pair of release levers pivoted together at points intermediate of their outer
ends, one of said levers secured at its inner end to the under side of said draw head
and the other formed with a tooth or projection thereon engaging the rear ends
of said locking lever, the said release levers extending outwardly to the sides of
the car, substantially as and for the purpose described.
3. In a car coupler, the combination with a draw head, a locking lever ful-
crumed therein, and a link engaged by a shoulder or projection on said lever, of
a pair of release levers pivoted together at points intermediate of their outer ends,
one of said levers secured at its inner end to the under side of said draw head and
the other engaging the rear end of said locking lever, and a rod or wire secured
to the outer end of one of said levers and extending upwardly to the top of the
car, substantially as and for the purpose described.
Dated this 6th day of July 1897.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.