Improvement in Automatic Car Couplings.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Sept., 1897-Accepted. 30th Oct.,
1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Automatic Car Couplings.
We, LEON JOSEPH YARNELL, Carpenter, and JOSEPH HENRY SCHMIDT,
Mechanical Engineer, both residing at Deepwater, in the County of Harris, and
State of Texas, 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 has relation to automatic car couplings, and the object is to
provide a simple, reliable and effective device of this kind; and to this end the
novelty consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of the same
as will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the
claims.
In the accompanying drawing the same reference characters indicate the same
parts of the invention.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of our improved automatic car coupling;
Figure 2 is a vertical section of one of the draw-heads, on the line a-a of
Fig. 1;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the coupling pin detached from the draw-
head; and
Figure 4 is a similar view of the coupling link.
1 represents the approximately rectangular draw-head formed with flaring
jaws 22 to facilitate the entry of the link 3. 4 represents an integral enlarged
boss on the top face of the draw-head, through which extends a square vertical
orifice 5, below which is a similar aligned orifice 6 in the bottom of the draw-head.
7 represents the rectangular coupling pin, formed with a head or handle 8 and
a horizontal flange 9, said pin being adapted to engage the vertical aligned
orifices in the draw-head, and secure the link in place. The inner upper face of
the bottom of the draw-head is provided with two parallel V-shaped rails 10-10,
which are slightly inclined forward and downward from their rear ends to the
front end of the draw-head.
12 represents a loose ball or sphere rolling on said forwardly-inclined rails 10-10
and when normally at rest, is adapted to come in contact with the transverse
shoulder 13 on the bottom of the draw-head, and remain stationary in line with
the vertical orifices 5 and 6, and form a support for the coupling pin 7, so that
when the link 3 is inserted, it forces the ball 12 backward and allows the pin
to drop through the link and into the orifice 6, and secure the link in place in
said draw-head.
When the pin 7 is raised to uncouple the cars, and the link removed, the ball 12
rolls down the V-shaped rails 10-10 and comes to rest under the pin, which is
then allowed to drop on the ball, which supports it in the elevated position shown
on the left of Fig. 1.
The link is provided at one end with a longitudinally projecting bevel edged
toe 14, and when said link is inserted in the draw-head for the purpose of coupling
with another car, as shown on the right of Fig. 1, the link pushes the ball 12

page_text: backwards, its toe 14 supporting the ball, while its forward end rests on top of
the shoulder 13 so as to support the link in a horizontal position, with its pro-
jecting end in position to enter the draw-head on the opposite car, and auto-
matically couple the same when the cars come together.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. A car coupling comprising the draw-head 1 provided with the integral
boss 4 having a vertical rectangular orifice 5, an aligned orifice 6, and a con-
tiguous shoulder 13 in the bottom of said draw-head, in combination with the
ball 12, the rectangular coupling pin 7, and the link 3 provided with a longitudinal
projecting bevel edged toe 14, substantially as shown and described.
2. A car coupling comprising the draw-head 1, provided with the integral
boss 4 having the vertical rectangular orifice 5, an aligned orifice 6, a contiguous
transverse shoulder 13, and the parallel forwardly inclined rails 10-10 in the
bottom of said draw-head, in combination with the rectangular coupling pin 7,
and the link 3 provided with the forwardly projecting bevel edged toe 14, sub-
stantially as shown and described.
Dated this 14th day of September 1897.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane London, W.C., Agents.