Railway and Tramway Vehicles.
Year: 1885

page_text: Railway and Tramway Vehicles.
I, WILLIAM CARTER the Younger of 122 West Campbell Street, Glasgow, in
the County of Lanark, North Britain, Lithographer do hereby declare the nature
of the said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COUPLING AND
UNCOUPLING RAILWAY AND TRAMWAY VEHICLES to be as follows:-
This Invention, which relates to improvements in apparatus for coupling and
uncoupling railway and tramway vehicles, consists in operating the coupling chains
at each end of a railway or tramway wagon or other vehicle independently that is
to say, from a shaft adjacent to each coupling chain, and to enable any one of the
chains to engage with an opposite coupling hook that is to say, the coupling hook
of the next vehicle, whether the vehicles be situated on a straight or curved part of
the railway or tramway.
In carrying the present improvements into practice a shaft is supported trans-
versely across the vehicle and adjacent to each coupling chain. This shaft which
is capable of being moved longitudinally in its bearings, rigidly carries a fork,
the ends of which constitute levers which are jointed to connecting rods or
their equivalents, the opposite ends of which are forked and engage with pins
formed in part with or secured to the outer link of the coupling chain, the latter
form being especially applicable for existing coupling chains.-The forked ends of
the connecting rods or their equivalents enable the pins to be drawn outwards
in the event of the coupling chain being broken so that the said forked ends may
be straightened after any such emergency. A metal bar is so bent and secured to
the vehicle as to present cam surfaces which cause the transverse bar and its
attachments, when being lowered, to assume their normal or central position after
they have been moved longitudinally from such position for the purpose of coupling
on a curved line.
For the purpose of coupling two vehicles which, fitted with spring or short
puffers, have been brought very close together, the aforementioned connecting rods
FD.
077

page_text: are attached to the ends of ropes, chains or their equivalents. These ropes or their
equivalents pass through eyes to the sides of the vehicle where, by drawing them,
the coupling chains are foreshortened and the coupling may be thus effected. The
transverse bars are each provided at its ends under the tram or frame of the
vehicle with hand levers which may be fixed or formed of the shaft itself bent at
an angle, or which hand levers may be loose upon the shaft but capable of engaging
with a hook secured to the said shaft, this latter construction enables the said hand
levers when not in use, to be pivoted upwards and carried on brackets at the side
of the vehicle.

page_text: Railway and Tramway Vehicles.
I, WILLIAM CARTER the Younger of 122 West Campbell Street, Glasgow, in
the County of Lanark, North Britain, Lithographer do hereby declare the nature
of my said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COUPLING AND
UNCOUPLING RAILWAY AND TRAMWAY VEHICLES, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My Invention, which relates to improvements in apparatus for coupling and
uncoupling railway and tramway vehicles, consists in operating the coupling chains
at each end of a railway or tramway wagon or other vehicle independently that is
to say, from a shaft adjacent to each coupling chain, and to enable any one of the
chains to engage with an opposite coupling hook that is to say, the coupling hook
of the next vehicle, whether the vehicles be situated on a straight or curved part of
the railway or tramway.
In carrying the present improvements into practice a shaft is supported trans-
versely across the vehicle and adjacent to each coupling chain. This shaft which
is capable of being moved longitudinally in its bearings, rigidly carries a fork,
the ends of which constitute levers which are jointed to connecting rods or
their equivalents, these ends as also the opposite ends, of the said connecting rods
being forked and engaging with pins formed in part with or secured to the outer
link of the coupling chain, the latter form being especially applicable for existing
coupling chains. The forked ends of the connecting rods or their equivalents
enable the pins to be drawn outwards in the event of the coupling chain being
broken so that the said forked ends may be straightened after any such emergency.
A metal bar is so bent and secured to the vehicle as to present cam surfaces which
cause the transverse bar and its attachments when being lowered to assume their
normal or central position after they have been moved longitudinally from such
position for the purpose of coupling on a curved line.
For the purpose of enabling two vehicles which, fitted with spring or short
buffers, have been brought very close together, the aforementioned connecting rods
are attached to the ends of ropes, chains or their equivalents. These ropes, chains
or their equivalents pass through eyes to the sides of the vehicle where, by drawing
them, the coupling chains are foreshortened and the coupling may be thus effected.
The transverse shafts are each provided at its ends under the tram or frame of the
vehicle with hand levers which may be fixed or formed of the shaft itself bent at
an angle, or which hand levers may be loose upon the shaft but capable of engaging
with a hook secured to the said shaft, this latter construction enables the said hand
levers when not in use, to be pivoted upwards and carried on brackets at the side
of the vehicle.
.

page_text: In order that my said Invention may be properly understood and readily carried
into effect, I will now proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1, is a side clevation of two railway wagons coupled together and fitted
with the coupling apparatus constructed according to and constituting my present
Invention a portion of one of the wagons being represented as broken away in
order the better to illustrate my said Invention.
Figure 2, is an end elevation of a railway wagon fitted with my improved
coupling apparatus the said apparatus being represented in its uncoupled condition.
In carrying my present improvements into practice, I support the shaft a,
transversely across the vehicle A, and adjacent to the coupling chain b, thereof.
This shaft a, which is capable of being moved longitudinally in its bearings c,
(Figure 2) rigidly carries a fork, the said fork being secured thereto by bolts and
nuts, rivets or their equivalents. The ends or arms d, of this fork as shewn more
particularly at Figure 1, constitute levers which are jointed by the pins or short
shafts to the connecting rods f, or their equivalents. These connecting rods f, as
shewn at Figure 1 are forked or split at g, and h, that is to say at the ends thereof
which respectively engage with the pins c, and the pins i. The pins i, may be
formed in part with the outer link of the coupling chain b; or when my said
improvements are applied to existing coupling chains as represented upon the
annexed drawings, these pins i, are formed on clips ;, which may be secured to
the said outer link by means of the bolt and nut k, or the equivalents thereof; or,
as is obvious the said pins i, may be secured upon the said outer link in many
other different ways. The connecting rods f, are secured together in pairs by
the transverse rods 1, (Figure 2) to which they are riveted or otherwise firmly
attached, and the forked or split ends g, and h, enable the pins c, and i, to be
drawn out therefrom in the event of the coupling chain b, being broken and
without materially damaging the said rods, as the said forked ends thus opened or
forced apart may, upon being heated, be readily closed and brought to their original
form. A metal bar is so bent and secured by the screwed bolts m, (Figure 1) to
the vehicle A as to present cam surfaces at its front or forward part. These cam
surfaces, the form of which is more particularly shewn at n, (Figure 2) project
outwards so that the arms d, on being lowered, after the operation of coupling has
been completed, are caused to assume their central or normal position.
For the purpose of enabling two vehicles which, fitted with spring or short
buffers, have been brought very close together, the connecting rods f, are attached
to the ends of the chains o, ropes or their equivalents. These chains o, pass over
the pulleys p, and through the eyes q, outward to the sides of the vehicle where, to
prevent the said chains swinging, their ends may be passed over or suspended on,
the hooks r, all as shewn at Figure 2 of the annexed drawings. Each of the
transverse shafts a, is provided, at its ends under the tram or frame s, with hand
levers t, which may be fixed or, as represented upon the annexed drawings formed
of the shaft a, itself bent at an angle; or the said hand levers may themselves be
loose, that is to say, free to rotate upon the shafts a, but capable of engaging with
hooks or the equivalent thereof which are rigidly secured upon the said shafts .
This latter construction of lever admits of their being pivoted upwards when not in
use and carried or supported in such inoperative position upon brackets fixed at
the sides of the vehicle.
For effecting the coupling together of two vehicles provided with my improved
apparatus and which are stationary at an ordinary distance apart, the operator,
standing at one side of the vehicles, grasps with one hand the lever t, of either
of such vehicles while with the other hand he secures the end of the chain o
thereof. By swinging the lever t, downwards the operator then raises the coupling
chain b, and to enable the outer link thereof to pass up in front of the opposite
coupling hook u, he draws upon the chain o, and in this manner foreshortens the
said coupling chain b, which thereupon passes up, and upon releasing the chain o,
pivots over the point of, and into the opposite coupling hook u, as is represented

page_text: at Figure 1. Should the two vehicles to be coupled together, by reason of their
being fitted with spring or short buffers, be very close together the operator draws
upon the chain o, to a greater extent than otherwise and thus foreshortens the
coupling chain b, to a corresponding extent.
Should it be necessary to couple together two vehicles standing on a curved part
of the railway or tramway, or in which, from defect of construction or other causes,
the coupling hooks u, thereof are not opposite each other, the operator, after having
raised the coupling chain b, above the level of the point of the opposite coupling
hook, pushes or pulls the transverse shaft a, longitudinally in its bearings c, until
such time as the outer link of the coupling chain is over it, at which time, by
releasing the chain o, and the lever t, the coupling operation is completed as
hereinbefore explained.
For uncoupling two vehicles provided with my improved apparatus the lever t,
is pulled forward and the chain o, drawn until the outer link of the engaged
coupling chain is poised between the two coupling hooks u, when the lever t, and
chain o, being released by the operator the said coupling chain drops down into its
disengaged position, at which time, should the shaft a have been previously moved
longitudinally from its central position it is drawn back into such central or normal
position by the arins d, which are secured thereto, falling upon and being shifted
sidewise by the curved or cam-like surfaces n, Figure 2.
For the coupling together of two such vehicles when approaching each other it
is obviously unnecessary to draw upon the chain o, for the coupling chain b, having
been previously raised may be lowered into the opposite coupling hook u, so soon
as it is within coupling distance.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
First. The improvements in apparatus for coupling and uncoupling railway and
tramway vehicles consisting of the shafts a, and arms d, rigidly secured thereto,
the connecting rods f, with their split ends g, and h, the pins i, clips j, the chains o,
and the levers t, and their attachments all substantially as and operating in the
manner hereinbefore set forth with reference to the annexed drawings or the
mechanical equivalents of all or any of the parts thereof.
Second. In apparatus for coupling and uncoupling railway and tramway
vehicles, the combination of the mechanism claimed in the preceding claiming
clause with the cams n, all substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set
forth with reference to the annexed drawings.