IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY ENGINES AND CARRIAGES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Barnes Redman, of East Greenwich,
and Edmund Craft Siggery, of Plumstead, both in the County of
Kent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY
ENGINES AND CARRIAGES."
Scaled the 6th July 1875, and dated the 23rd January 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Barnes
'Redman and Edmund Craft Siggery at the Office of the Com-
missioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 23rd January.
1875.
We, THOMAS BARNES REDMAN, of East Greenwich, and EDMUND
CRAFT SIGGERY, of Plumstead, both in the County of Kent, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS, IN COUPLINGS
FOR RAILWAY ENGINES AND CARRIAGES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to an improved self-acting coupling for railway
engines and carriages, waggons, -or -trucks, which will also serve to
support the carriage in the event of a fracture of any of the wheels or
axles.

page_text: The coupling consists of a horizontal plate of iron of considerable
width and length, and of sufficient strength to support the end of the
carriage by its connection with the adjoining carriage or truck in the
event of a wheel or axle giving way. This plato terminates in semi-
circular ends, and at the centres from which the ends are described holes
are made through the plate for the passage of vertical bolts fitted at
the ends of the carriages or vehicles.
As both ends of the coupling plate arc alike, and are similarly
connected to the carriage or vehicle, it will be sufficient to describe one
only.
The end of the plate is received in a horizontal slot in the buffer plank
or end of the under framing, and between the upper and lower plates of
a traction bar, extending from end to end of the carriage, and composed
of two plates bolted the one upon the other. The coupling plate enters
this slot until its curved end abuts against a metal frame curved to
correspond with the curved end of the plate. The hole in the plate
then coincides with similar holes in the parts of the traction bar above
and below it, through which the vertical bolt above mentioned is then
caused to drop, thus locking the two together.
The bolt is fitted to work in guides directly over the holes in the
traction bar, above which it is raised or set by a hand lever connected
to a stud on the bolt and pivoted to the end of the carriage. There'
may be two of these hand levers projecting one on cither side of the
carriage, so that the bolt may be raised without any person going between
the carriages.
The bolt is sustained in its raised position by an elbow frame jointed
to the bolt and provided with a roller running on a plate, which is
inclined in order that the jolting of the carriage may not release the
bolt. The arms of this frame project downwards on cither side of the
traction bar, so that the coupling plate as it enters will come in contact
with the frame and force it backwards, thereby releasing the bolt, which
drops through the holes in the traction bar and the coupling plate,
· locking the latter as above described.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Barnes Redman and Edmund Craft
Siggery in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd July 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
BARNES REDMAN, of East Greenwich, and EDMUND CRAFT SIGGERY, of
Plumstead, both in the County of Kent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors;
give and grant unto us, the said Thomas Barnes Redman and
Edmund Craft Siggery, Her special license that we, the said Thomas
Barnes Redman and Edmund Craft Siggery, our executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas
Barnes Redman and Edmund Craft Siggery, our executors, adminis-
trators, 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, excrcise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS
FOR RAILWAY ENGINES AND CARRIAGES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said Thomas Barnes Redman and Edmund Craft Siggery,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our,.
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
Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Thomas Barnes Redman and.
Edmund Craft Siggery, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 accompanying Sheet of Drawings and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say).:-
Our Invention of improvements in couplings for railway engines and

page_text: 1
carriages of all kinds has for its object to avoid accidents arising from
two distinct causes, namely, those which frequently occur to railway
servants by their going between the carriages to couple and uncouple them
in the ordinary way, and those resulting from the dropping of a carriage
to the ground on the breakage of a wheel or axle.
The Invention consists of an improved self-acting coupling, con-
structed of a horizontal plate of iron of considerable width and
length, and of sufficient strength to support the end of the carriage
by its connection with the adjoining carriage or truck in the event
of a wheel or axle giving way. This plate terminates in semi- 1
circular ends, and at the centres from which the ends are described holes
are made through the plate for the passage of vertical bolts fitted at the
ends of the carriages or vehicles.
'
As both ends of the coupling plate are alike, and are similarly
connected to the carriage or vehicle, it will be sufficient to describe one
only.
The end of the plate is received in a horizontal slot in the buffer
plank or end of the under framing, and between the upper and lower-
plates of a draw bar composed of two plates bolted the one upon the
other. The coupling plate enters this slot until its curved end abuts a
against a metal frame curved to correspond with the end of the
plate. The hole in the plate then coincides with similar holes in the
parts of the draw bar above and below it, through which the vertical
bolt above mentioned is caused to drop, thus locking the two together.
The bolt is fitted to work in guides directly over the hole in the
draw bar, above which it is raised.or set by a hand lever connected to a
stud on the bolt and pivoted to the end of the carriage. There may be
two of these hand levers projecting one on either side of the carriage,
so that the bolt may be raised without any person going between the
carriages.
The bolt is sustained in its raised position by a detent jointed to the
bolt and provided with a roller running on a plate, which is inclined in
order that the jolting of the carriage may not release the bolt. This
frame projects downwards on either side of the draw bar, but so that the
coupling plate as it enters will come in contact with the detent and force
it backwards, thereby releasing the bolt, which drops through the holes

page_text: Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of the framework of a
railway carriage fitted with the improved self-acting coupling of our
Invention; Figure 2 is a horizontal section or plan of the same; and
Figure 3 is an end elevation showing the means for disconnecting the
coupling without going between the carriages.
a is the coupling made of the form shown in Figure 2, and con-
structed preferably of an iron plate about 2 feet 6 inches in width and
2 inches in thickness, or of such other material and dimensions as may
be considered suitable for the purpose.. It has semicircular ends and
holes b, b, for the coupling bolts or pins c to pass through, the said
holes coinciding with the centres, from which the semicircular ends
are struck to facilitate the passage of the carriages round curves. d is
the draw bar, to which the coupling plate is attached. This draw bar
consists of two iron plates bolted the one upon the other with a space
between them at the outer extremity for the reception of the end of the
coupling plate a, they being made with flared ends, as shown, to
facilitate the introduction of the said coupling, which is inserted through.
a slit or opening in the end of the carriage framing to a sufficient.
distance to support the end of the carriage, should a wheel or axle give
way. e is a metal frame, against which the end of the coupling. plate a
abuts. It is fixed between the upper and lower parts of the draw bar d,.
and is curved to correspond to the end of plate a, as shown. The draw
bars may or may not have a draw spring. Both arrangements. are
shown in Figure 1 at opposite ends of the carriage. I will first describe
that without a spring, which is shown at the right-hand end of Figures 1.
and 2. In this case the draw bar is rigidly connected to the carriage
framing, and extends from end to end of the same.
The coupling bolt c is fitted to slide up and down in guides f fixed to
the end of the carriage. The bolt c passes down through the end or
buffer plank of the carriage frame and through holes in the draw bar,
with which the hole 6 of the coupling plate a coincides when the latter
is introduced, the bolt passing completely through the draw bar and
coupling plate, as shown. 9,.9, are hand levers pivoted at n to the end
of the carriage, and connected with, the bolt.c by a pin i received in

page_text: on
slots in tlic ends of the levers, whose other ends project beyond the
sides of the carriage for disconnecting the coupling. is a detent
composed of two similarly shaped side pieces 7. This detent is jointed
to the bolt c at m, and rests by the cross bar n (which may be furnished
with a friction roller) on an inclined plate o. The bolt is shown in
dotted lines in Figure 1 as set in readiness for coupling up. It will be
noticed that the lower extremities of the detent 1, 1, project downwards
either side of draw bar d so as to be forced back by the plate a on
entering, whereby the bolt c is released, and drops down through the
hole in plate a, and secures the coupling in a self-acting manner.
If the draw bar d be provided with a spring, as at r, Figure 1, it is
necessary to modify the arrangement of the bolt c to allow of the
movements of the spring draw bar d. In this case the bolt does not
pass through the buffer plank or end frame as before, but through a
guides outside the same, the said guides being attached to and moving
with the draw bar d, so that the bolt will always coincide with the holes
in the draw bar, and to this end also the bolt is jointed at t and m¹ near
its lower extremity.
Having described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we declare that what we claim as the Invention:
to be protected by the heroin-before in part recited Letters Patent
is,
1
1st. A railway coupling consisting of a horizontal plate having semi-
circular ends received in frames and draw bars' constructed as specified,
and connected thereto by bolts, all substantially as shown and
described.
2nd. The combination with vertical locking bolt c of the detent 1,
operated substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Barnes Redman and
Edmund Craft Siggery, have hereunto set our hands and' seals, a
this Twenty-first day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.