Year: 1886

page_text: Wė, FRANCIS GOLIGHTLY and JOHN KENT GOLIGHTLY, Railway Wagon Builders,
and FRANCIS GOLIGHTLY, Junior, Apprentice, all of N° 9. Martin Street, Hooley
Hill near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature
of our invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference
being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of référence marked
upon the several views:-
:
Fig. 1. is a side exterior view of the ends of a pair of wagons shewing the draw-
bar hooks coupled together in accordance with our improvements and Fig. 2.
represents one of the same wagon ends uncoupled. Fig. 3. is a front sectional
view of Fig. 1. across the line a-b. and looking in the direction of the arrow, and
Fig. 4. is a plan view of the coupling apparatus shewn in Fig. 1.
In order to couple and uncouple railway wagons without requiring to pass
between the buffers as now practised we mount a shaft a. by preference transversely
across and in suitable bearings b. upon the under side of the body of the wagon,
and provide an operating handle c. at each extremity of such shaft. From the
centre of this shaft project a pair of arms d. which at their extremities are con-
nected or hinged to studs d upon the outsides of a pair of bearing bars e. These
bars e. on their inner sides are provided with projections or brackets f. through which
pass a pair of sliding rods g. which are connected in turn at their extremities to
pins or studs h. projecting from the sides of the ordinary coupling link i.
We make no further allusion in the present application to the mode or advantages
of connecting our improved coupling apparatus and by means of the sliding rods
to the coupling link as the same forms part of and is fully set forth in our original
Specification of Letters Patent No 3503. dated 12th day of March 1886.
These same bearing bars e. in this case, however, are also connected through a
liuk j on either side to radial arms k. projecting from an additional shaft l.
mounted in bearings upon the end of the wagon parallel to and above the
shaft a. and carrying at one extremity a counterbalance weight, m.
The action of this improved coupling apparatus may be described as follows:-
Assuming the wagons to be coupled together as seen in Fig. 1. by turning the
operating handle c. downwards in the direction of the arrow, the arms d. and
bearing bars e. become straightened and thus 'the connecting link i. is projected
sufficiently forward to enable the same to clear the draw-bar hook n.
The action

page_text: of the counterbalance weight m. is then to draw back the coupling which having
now passed the nose of the hook n. is free to be lowered by reversing the direction
of movement of the operating handle c. when the parts will, under the action of
the released counterbalance weight m. assume the form indicated in Fig. 2.
The coupling operation is simply a reversal of the action just described with the
exception that the finger o. affixed upon the shaft a. serves (in this coupling
operation) by coming in contact with and slightly lifting the counterbalance
weight m. to give an impetus to the link . to lift, itself on to the draw-bar
hook n.
It is found in practice that this.construction of mechanism constitutes an easy
and reliable coupling apparatus capable of being operated by a single lever and, if
desirable, by one hand of the attendant.
We wish it to be distinctly understood that we make no claim to the employ-
ment of a pair of shafts with arms connected to and operating the coupling chain,
save and except in combination with our improved sliding rods and counterbalance
weight.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of our invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we claim as our invention :-
1st The combination and arrangement of parts constituting an improved railway
wagon coupling apparatus substantially as herein before described and illustrated
on the accompanying drawing.
2nd In a coupling apparatus for railway wagons the application to the upper
shaft, of a counterbalance weight mounted and operating substantially as and
for the purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated on the accompanying
drawing.
".