Improvements in Railway Carriage Couplings.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Apr., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 8th Jan., 1900-Accepted, 24th Feb., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Carriage Couplings.
a
I, HERBERT SWAFFER WILLIS, of 20, Overcliff, Gravesend, in the County of
Kent, Plumber, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In order to admit of the coupling accommodating itself to the curves on
railway line and so do away with any lateral strain on the coupling I mount the
shank or bar which carries the link on a vertical pivot fixed to the underside of
the vehicle, and I provide lateral springs for bringing it into the normal position
after passing a curve. For the purpose of limiting the lift of the link and to
hold it up in the coupled position I provide a guard or holder device with a spring
or springs for bringing it down and keeping it in the horizontal position after
the coupling operation. This guard or holder may be made in one with the
shank or bar which carries the link and be formed with an upper arm to limit
the lift of the link above the horizontal line, and with a lower arm for the link
to rest on, and I provide a helical spring below the upper arm for the purpose
of holding down the link in its normal position. In combination with the above
I prefer to provide means for uncoupling without going in between the carriages.
This means may be in the form of a transverse shaft fitted with a lever handle at
each side of the vehicle said shaft being fitted with a lever which by a chain is
connected to an eye on the link. Or I may merely employ two levers actuated
by lever handles on the same cross shaft from either side of the vehicle, said
levers taking under the link or acting in an eye on the same.
Dated this 6th day of April 1899.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.
Improvements in Railway Carriage Couplings.
I, HERBERT SWAFFER WILLIS, of 20, Overcliff, Gravesend, in the County of
Kent, Plumber, 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 an improved form of coupling for railway wheels.
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows my improved coupling in
elevation, and Figure 2 is a plan thereof.
In order to admit of the coupling accommodating itself to the curves on a
railway line and so do away with any lateral strain on the coupling, I mount the
shank or bar a which carries the link on a vertical pivot b in the draw-bar c of
the vehicle. In order to hold the shank a in the normal or central position I
provide springs d preferably secured as shown to the draw-bar c.
In case one

page_text: spring of a pair may be somewhat stronger than the other, said springs, when
the shank is in the central position, bear against stops C on an extension c² of
the draw-bar c or it may be against stops secured to the underside of the frame
or the vehicle.
The shank a is forked, one leg being provided with a coupling hook a¹
while the other leg a³ carries the link a³ which is pivoted thereto at a* by an
eve a³.
For the purpose of limiting the lift of the link a3 and to hold it up when
uncoupled I provide on the leg a³ a guard or holder device with a spring or
springs for bringing it down and keeping it in the horizontal position after the
coupling operation. This guard or holder may be made in one with leg a² of
the shank which carries the link and be formed with an upper arm to limit the
lift of the link a³ above the horizontal line which may as shown take the form
of a pair of horns a and a lower arm or shoe as for the link a³ to rest on and I
prefer to provide a helical spring e below the upper arm or horns a for the
purpose of holding down the link a³ in its normal or horizontal position. The
spring e may be attached in any suitable manner, for example, as shown, it may
be secured to an eye on the underside of the link ³, and, passing through a hole
in the shoe a³, be put under suitable tension by means of a screw eye bolt and
nut e carried by a bridge piece ² on the underside of the shoe a.
The links are at the pivot end square ended with semicircular edges 46
which bear against the corresponding semi-circular roots of the horns so that
the links fall fair and square into the horizontal position for coupling.
The hook al is made sufficiently long to permit the links to slide thereon when
the buffers are compressed and "close up, while the nose of the said hooks is
inclined at such an angle as to automatically lift the link when coupling up.
In combination with the above prefer to provide means for uncoupling
without going in between the carriages. This means may be in the form of a
transverse shaft f fitted with a lever handle g and a suitable stop at each side
of the vehicle, said shaft being fitted with a lever h which by a chain con-
nected to an eye or eyes k on the link a³, or I may merely employ two levers
actuated by handles on the same cross shaft from either side of the vehicle, said
levers taking under the link a³ or acting in an eye on the same.
In place of the leaf springs d I may employ helical or spiral springs secured to
the underside of the frame of the vehicle.
0
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―
(1). In a coupling for railway vehicles the combination with a draw-bar of a
forked shank pivoted thereto, a coupling hook at the end of one leg of the said
shank a coupling link at the end of the other leg thereof, means for retaining the
coupling link in the horizontal position for coupling and springs to return the
forked shank to the central position, substantially as set forth.
(2). The improved coupling for railway vehicles substantially as described and
shown on the drawings.
Dated this 8th day of January 1900.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.