Improvements in Couplings for Railway and similar Vehicles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 11th July, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 11th Apr., 1894-Accepted, 23rd June, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Couplings for Railway and similar Vehicles.
I, WILLIAM ALFRED GREEN of Llanbadarn Road, Aberystwyth, Mining
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to coupling gear such as is used for wagons and other
vehicles used on railways and tramways for roads, mines, sugar plantations and the
like, in which a loop or link on the one vehicle is made to engage with a hook on
the contiguous vehicle.
According to my invention I construct the links or loops of such coupling gear
so that they are prevented from. sinking below a horizontally projecting position
while they are free to turn upwards, so that when brought together with another
vehicle, the link or links or loops will automatically engage with the hook or hooks
thereof and thus avoid the danger to which the operatives are exposed when
coupling vehicles with ordinary coupling gear. For this purpose according to one
arrangement the coupling link or loop is provided with a heel or projection on its
underside, below the pivot, so formed that when the link is in the horizontal
position or nearly so, it bears against an abutment on the underframe, and is thus
prevented from sinking lower than this position.
The coupling hook on the contiguous vehicle is provided with a suitable incline
so that the link in riding up such incline will automatically drop into and engage
with the hook, which is so formed as to secure the link in the coupled position.
According to another arrangement the coupling link or loop is held suspended
in the horizontal position by a chain attached at one end thereto and at the other
end to an eye on the end of the vehicle at a suitable height above the pivot
of the link, or in place of chains may be used slotted or looped suspending rods.
Dated this 11th day of July 1893.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Couplings for Railway and similar Vehicles.
1, WILLIAM ALFRED GREEN, of Llanbadarn Road, Aberystwyth, Mining
Engineer, 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 :-
My invention relates to couplings such as are used for wagons and other vehicles
used on railways and tramways for roads, mines, sugar plantations and the like, in
which a loop or link on the one vehicle is made to engage with a hook on the
contiguous vehicle.
According to my invention I construct the links or loops of such couplings
so that they are prevented from sinking below a horizontally projecting position
while they are free to turn upwards, so that when brought together with another
vehicle, the link or links or loops will automatically engage with the hook or
hooks thereof and thus avoid the danger to which the operatives are exposed
when coupling vehicles with ordinary coupling gear. For this purpose the
coupling link or loop is provided with a heel or projection on its underside, below
027

page_text: the pivot, so formed that when the link is in the horizontal position or nearly so, it
bears against an abutment on the under-frame, and is thus prevented from sinking
lower than this position.
The coupling hook on the contiguous vehicle is provided with a suitable
incline so that the link in riding up such incline will automatically drop into and
engage with the hook.
The accompanying drawings shew the construction of my improved coupling
which I prefer to employ.
Fig. 1 shews on the left hand side a side view of the coupling of a railway
wagon, with the coupling link ready for engagement with the draw hook of the
contiguous waggon and on the right hand side a sectional side view of the coupling
of the contiguous truck, with the coupling link shewn in section on line A B Fig. 2,
in the raised position, for leaving the hook free to engage with the link of the
other truck.
Fig. shews a plan of the two couplings in the positions corresponding to Fig. 1,
the right hand link being shewn in section on line E F Fig. 1 ;
Fig. 1 shews a front view of the click K for holding the link in the raised
position.
Fig. 3 shews an elevation and plan of the draw bar,
Fig. 4 shews an elevation and plan of the draw hook enlarged;
Fig. 5 shews a sectional elevation and plan of the link, and
Fig. 6 shews sectional elevation, plan and end view of the tongue piece enlarged.
The draw bar, which may be of any known construction and secured either to
springs or to the under framing, has a forked head N, shewn at Fig. 1 in section
on line. G G Fig. 2, within the fork of which is pivotted the draw hook M; to the
same pin which secures the hook is also pivotted the link L, both the hook and
the link being free to turn in an upward direction, but being prevented from
dropping below the horizontal position shewn, the hook, by its heel V, bearing
against an inner abutment surface in the fork N, and the link by its heels H bearing.
against the end abutment surfaces of the fork N.
The link L has extensions W beyond its pivot, that act as a counterpoise for
balancing to a certain extent the weight of the link and thus rendering it easier to
lift. Within the link may also be provided. a tongue piece T pivotted in lugs L¹
of L and formed with projections that rest in notches L formed on the link, so as
to hold the tongue piece in the position shewn at Fig. 1; when the link is engaged
with the hook, the end of the tongue T will be situated immediately behind the
nose of the hook, and will thus more or less prevent any relative longitudinal
motion between the two parts, thereby preventing longitudinal jolting and
accidental disengagement of the coupling, while freely allowing the link to be raised
off the hook.
When the coupling is applied to rough waggons where jolting is not objectionable,
the tongue piece T can be dispensed with.
The hook M is provided with a pivotted tip O, which is ordinarily maintained in
the position shewn in full lines at Figs. 1 and 4, but which, on raising the link off
the hook, will readily turn on its pivot into the dotted position, so as to allow the.
link to pass off freely. The surface of the hook against which the link L bears
may either be made with a slight outward inclination, as at Figs. 1 and 4, or vertical
as at Fig. 44, or with an inward inclination or curve, as at Fig. 4B. b b are the
buffers, which may be of any known construction.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A coupling for railway and similar vehicles wherein the pivotted coupling link
or loop is provided with a heel or projection on its underside below the pivot, so
that when disengaged from the coupling hook of another vehicle it will be main-
tained by such heel in a more or less horizontally projecting position, so as to engage

page_text: automatically with the coupling hook of another vehicle when brought in contact
therewith, substantially as described.
2. Couplings for railway and similar vehicles of the kind referred to in the
preceding claim constructed and operating substantially as described with reference
to the accompanying drawings.
Dated thin 11th Inn of Al 1001
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for Applicant.