Improvements in Railway Vehicle Couplings.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Apr., 1897-Accepted, 8th Jan.,
1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Vehicle Couplings.
I, ALBERT FLAND GUHL of Landisville, County of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.,
Farmer, 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 :-
This invention has for object to provide means for securely coupling railway
vehicles together in making up trains, as well as for uncoupling the same without
the attendant having to go between the vehicles to guide or disengage their links.
In the accompanying drawing Figs. 1, 2, 3, are respectively a longitudinal vertical
section a plan and a front end view of a drawhead embodying the invention. Figs. 4
and 5 are views similar to Figs. 1 and 3 but of a slightly modified construction.
Fig. 6 is a central longitudinal section of a drawhead with portions of securing devices
and uncoupling mechanism. Fig. 7 an underneath view of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 a horizontal
section on line Y-Y of Fig. 6. Fig. 9 a view similar to Fig. 1 shewing the
coupling block and lift cam in the position for uncoupling with a part of the block
cut away. Fig. 10 a detail view of the two parts of which the coupling block is
composed.
Referring to Figs. 1 to 5, A is the body of the drawhead adapted to be secured to
the ends of railway vehicles. a a connecting pin or bolt provided with buffer
springs by means of which the drawhead is secured in place. Near the forward
bell mouthed end A' of the drawhead is a vertical orifice a' through which a pin of
the known kind is passed when the old style link is used to couple a carriage provided
with the old style coupling. A2 is a plate recessed into a side of the drawhead and
fixed by screws or bolts a².and adapted to close the coupling block chamber A³ and
confine said block therein, this block and chamber constituting the chief features of
the invention.
B is the coupling block fitting closely into the lower part of the chamber A³, the
rounded rear end 6 capable of working against the correspondingly concaved surface a³
of the chamber and the curved front parts b', 6', respectively working against the
surfaces a', a. In the forward end of the block is a recess B¹ to receive the end of
any suitable coupling link B* and above at the forward end of the recess is a lip or
hook 6' to engage the upper side of, or a notch in, the link coupling whilst the
bottom part b is adapted to raise the link in uncoupling, the recess being just deep
enough, allowing some freedom to the link and, to abut against and assist in coupling
the opposite drawhead.
A spring B² having one end secured to the drawhead by a screw 6' and bearing
downward on the coupling block as at 6' serves to keep said block pressed down and
the link in place when the coupling operation is being carried out.
A central ridge or hook D may be formed in the mouth of the drawhead (Figs. 4, 5),
on the upper lip of the coupling block, and on the lower slope of the drawhead, when
a closed or ordinary link D₁ may be used in coupling and which link will be held
entirely by the coupling hook D in the lower slope of the drawhead.
A lifting arm or cam C acts, through a slot c in the bottom of the drawhead,
against the under side of the coupling block, said cam being fixed on a shaft Ci

page_text: carried in bearings on the underside of the drawhead in such a way that the cam
may, from a lever or handle C³, be moved upwards in the slot c against the
resistance of the spring B2 for the purpose of uncoupling. This construction of the
lifting device is preferred because the drawhead will then be closed on top and water
or sleet prevented from entering the coupling chamber.
.
In the modified construction of Figs. 6 to 10, 1 is an ordinary drawhead attached
in the usual way to the front and rear ends of railway vehicles but has at the back
end across its upper face a recess 2 (Figs. 6, 9) in which an iron block 2ª (Fig. 6)
engages. This block is rigidly fixed by bolts 2b or in any other approved manner to
the body of the vehicle and serves to hold the drawhead in pulling and to receive its
impact in coupling in both cases preserving the elasticity or resiliency of the buffer
spring.
1ª, 1, 2, 2d, are brace bars having their upper ends secured in any approved
manner to the bottom of the vehicle ends (not shewn) and designed to hold the front
and rear ends of a drawhead suspended in place.
3 is a portion of a bolt which secures the rear end of a drawhead to the cross beam
of the vehicle in the usual way and 3ª is a portion of the usual buffer spring on said
bolt.
4 is a portion of a vertical shaft mounted to rotate at the ends of a vehicle and
extending upwards to the top thereof or to the platform where it may be provided
with a hand wheel or crank handle to rotate it and its lower end is provided with a
winding drum 4ª.
5 is a portion of a horizontal shaft extending across the body of the vehicle and
journalled in hangers 5* secured underneath the same and having on each end a
crank handle 5b for rotating it and on its body a winding drum 5°. Either of the
drums 4 or 5° may be used in uncoupling.
9 is an inwardly sloping and narrowing orifice opening into the coupling block
chamber 6 (Fig. 9) for the passage of a coupling link, and through the body of the
drawhead near its mouth 8, is a vertical orifice 10 for the reception of a pin for
coupling vehicles together as with the known closed link. In the lower part of the
rear of the chamber is a recess 11 which receives the pivot axle 12 of the coupling
block and 13, 14, are concave faces at the front end of the drawhead which are joined
by a curved face 15, this latter supporting the upper front end of the coupling
block when the coupling is completed. Within the mouth or orifice 9 is an upwardly
sloping central ridge 16 forming with the face 14 a hook to engage the closed end of
the link.
17 are downwardly projecting lugs on the under side of the drawhead. These carry
a shaft 18 having fixed on each end a grooved pulley 19 to which pulleys are secured
the outer ends of chains 20, their other ends being secured respectively to the winding
drums 4 and 5° whereby either drum will serve to rotate the shaft 18 for uncoupling,
for which purpose, between the lugs 17 a lever arm or lifting cam 21 is secured to
said shaft to lift the coupling block.
22 is a pin carried in the sides of the drawhead and having coiled upon it a two
armed spring 23 one arm pressing against the top of the drawhead and the other 25
against the top of the coupling block. In the bottom opening in the drawhead is
fixed a plate 26 by screws 27. The forward end of this plate has a recess 28 for the
cam 21 to work in while strips 28 at the sides of the recess rest on the shaft 18 to
support the forward end of the plate, with the forward ends of the strips abutting
against the body of the drawhead. The plate therefore closes the bottom of the
drawhead.
The coupling block 29 is in two parts 30, 31, rule jointed at one end but without a
pivot pin, and the front end of the upper part 30 is provided with a guide 32 for the
spring arm 25. In the front end of both parts of the block is formed a recess 33 into
which the link enters in coupling. This recess in the front end of the upper part 30
forms a hook and behind this is a shoulder 35 to press on the top of the coupled end
of the link and hold it in position to enter the mouth of an opposite drawhead.
Through the part 31 is an aperture 36 for the passage of a lug or stud 37 on the

page_text: under side of the part 30 said stud being engaged by the cam 21 which in its move-
ment lifts the stud and the upper part 30 to a greater height than the lower part 31
thereby lifting the hook 34 from the head 39 of the link.
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:
The general construction, arrangement and combination of parts constituting the
railway vehicle coupling substantially as described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3 to
Figs. 4 and 5 and to Figs. 6 to 10 of the drawings.
A
WELTO
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LON
THOMAS R. SHILLITO.
THOMAS R. SHILLITO.
89 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
THOMAS R. SHILLITO.
89 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.