IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE COUPLING of VEHICLES
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Henry Philip Hogton at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th November 1882.
HENRY PHILIP HOGTON of the City of Manchester in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING THE COUPLING of
VEHICLES
59
My Invention relates more particularly to the couplings of Railway wagons and
vehicles, and has for its object to enable the coupling and uncoupling to be effected
without the necessity for the operator to enter between the vehicles. My Invention
may be employed in the construction of new couplings and is also applicable to
existing couplings. I provide each end of the vehicle-say for example a railway
wagon with a link-carrier which takes the place of the human hand in the
operation of coupling The said link-carrier is hinged to an arm or to arms upon
a shaft or to a cranked shaft which is fitted to rock in bearings and is provided at
one end or at each end with a hand-lever. The said hand-lever is hinged or
jointed to the end of the said shaft or to a part fixed thereon so that the end of
the lever which is grasped by the operator can be moved towards and from the
wagon. The said hand lever is connected with the said link-carrier by means of
a chain or of rods and levers or of parts so acting as that when the said hand-lever
is moved upon the axis of the hinge joint the said link-carrier is caused to turn
upon its fulcrum so that its outer end is raised or lowered as the case may be.
The effect of the arrangement is that by means of the one hand-lever a compound
movement can be imparted to the link-carrier whereby it can be moved towards
and from the wagon and at the same time its outer end can be raised or lowered.
The said link-carrier is suitably formed to receive and carry the outer coupling
link in a position suitable for coupling. I do not confine myself to the form of the
said link-carrier but I will mention that it may have raised sides splayed outwards
to ensure the entry of the link and be formed with supporting surfaces for the two
sides of the link with a space for the entry of the hook and with a channel for the
end of the next inner link. I prefer to recess the carrier so that the link is
prevented from slipping. In what I consider to be a suitable arrangement the
said link-carrier is connected with the hand-lever at each end of the vibrating
shaft—which is made wholly or partly tubular-by means of chains passing through

page_text: portions of the shaft. A spring acting upon the link-carrier tends to depress the
outer and thereof. By means of the compound action of the band-lever the link-
carrier can be moved outwards to receive or take hold of the link which can then
be raised and advanced or withdrawn as required so that the coupling or uncoupling
can be effected even when the buffers of the two wagons are in contact. When
not in use I prefer to withdraw the link-carrier below the wagon and to provide
a catch to retain the parts in position when thus moved out of the way. I arrange
for the said catch to be released by an outward movement of the hand-lever.
When the said lever is turned to cause the catch to engage the said lever is brought
behind a finger which is upon a sliding rod which when the said lever is moved
outwards disengages the catch. To provide for variations in the couplings I may
arrange for the actuating shaft to slide in its bearings and I may employ springs
or cones or inclined surfaces to restore the shaft to its normal position after having
been moved endwise in one direction or the other.