Improvements in Couplers for Railway Carriages, Wagons, and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Jan., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 26th Oct., 1898-Accepted, 21st Jan., 1899
Improvements in Couplers for Railway Carriages, Wagons, and
the like.
I, EDWARD WILLIAM WHEATLEY, of 1, Parkside Cottage, Beauchamp Road, East
Molesey, Surrey, Builder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention for improvements in couplers for railway carriages, wagons and the
like has for its object to provide an improved construction of apparatus whereby
the vehicles are readily coupled and uncoupled while there is no necessity for going
between the vehicles.
At each end of the vehicle is provided a hooked rod and a socket formed with an
elongated opening.
.
When two vehicles are brought together the hooked rod on one passes into the
socket on the other. Suitable mechanism is then operated and both hook and
socket are turned until at right angles to one another so that the hooked end
within the socket is out of line with the elongated opening and engages with the
edges of said opening and secures the vehicles together. It is immaterial upon
which vehicle the hook is operated, the effect being the same whether hook or socket
is turned.
A suitable means for operating said hooked rod and socket consists in arranging
upon the draw bar which is suitably constructed for the purpose, a series of spur
and bevel wheels operated by means of a handle at either side of the vehicle. The
hooked rod and socket rod are provided with feathers so that they can move through
the toothed wheels which communicate motion to them against springs so as to
give slightly when two vehicles are brought together. The whole arrangement
is also arranged so that a little sideways or up and down movement is permitted to
allow for unequally loaded vehicles or for slight difference between them.
When using this coupling for passenger trains and when coupling engines to
trains and in cases where the coupling requires to be drawn tight, a right and left
handed screw nut operated by suitable means is arranged upon the draw-bar whereby
the hooked rod and socket can be drawn inwards to tighten the coupling.
Dated this 26th day of January 1898.
Improvements in Couplers for Railway Carriages, Wagons, and
the like.
I, EDWARD WILLIAM WHEATLEY, of 1, Parkside Cottage, Beauchamp Road, East
Molesey, Surrey, Builder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what
Price 8dl

page_text: manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
This invention for improvements in couplers for railway carriages, wagons and
the like has for its object to provide an improved construction of apparatus
whereby the vehicles are readily coupled and uncoupled while there is no necessity
for going between the vehicles.
At each end of the vehicle is provided a hooked rod and a socket formed with an
elongated opening.
When two vehicles are brought together the hooked rod on one passes into the
socket on the other. Suitable mechanism is then operated and both hook and
socket are turned until at right angles to one another so that the hooked end
within the socket is out of line with the elongated opening and engages with
the edges of said opening and secures the vehicles together. It is immaterial
upon which vehicle the hook is operated, the effect being the same whether hook
or socket is turned.
In order that this invention may be more clearly understood reference is had to the
accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings on which
Fig. 1 is a plan showing a coupling arrangement constructed according to
this invention fitted to two railway vehicles near to but not coupled up to one
another.
Fig. 2 is an elevation of the arrangement on one of the vehicles.
Fig. 3 is a cross section showing the vehicles coupled up.
The vehicles A A¹ are each provided with a hooked rod B B and with a socket G C¹³,
each socket having an elongated opening C2 C3 through which the hooked rod on the
other vehicle can pass when in the proper position. The hooked rods and sockets BC
aud B C are attached to spindles bc b c supported in brackets D D¹ mounted on
the draw bars E E¹. On the spindles bc b₁ c helical toothed wheels F F F¹ F¹ are
mounted and helical pinions G G G G mounted on the rods H H¹ gear with them so
that when the rods H are turned by means of the handles h h h h¹ the wheels F F F F
and consequently the spindles bc b₁ c¹ are caused to rotate.
The spindles H H₁ are supported in brackets d d d d on the brackets 1) D¹.
The sockets C are provided as above mentioned with elongated openings C2 C3 and
also with side openings c² 3.
When it is desired to couple two vehicles together the hooked rods and
sockets B C B₁ C¹are turned by means of the handles hhhh¹ into the proper
position so that the hooked rod B on one vehicle can pass through the opening C³
of the socket C¹ on the other vehicle and similarly with the hook 131 and the socket C.
The rod H or the rod H¹ is then turned and it will be readily seen that the corre-
sponding hooked rod and socket are turned through a right angle so that the hooked
rods B B engage across the edges of the sockets C¹C thus coupling the vehicles A A¹
together.
To uncouple, either the rod H or the rod H¹ is turned to move the corresponding
hooked rod and socket through a right angle when the hooked rods B B are free to
pass through the openings C2 C3 allowing the vehicles to separate.
Although on the drawings helical gear wheels are shown, bevel or other gear may
also be used.
The draw bars E E¹ are preferably provided with hooks e e¹ so that vehicles fitted
according to this invention can be coupled with vehicles not so fitted. They can also
be used for safety chains.
When the vehicles are coupled up, the buffers should be slightly pressed together.
This is especially desirable with passenger trains.
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). An improved coupler for railway carriages, wagons and the like comprising a

page_text: hooked rod and socket, a bracket mounted on the draw bar for carrying the same,
toothed wheels mounted on the same spindles with the hooked rod and socket, pinions
gearing with the said toothed wheels and handles for operating the pinions to cause
the hooked rod and socket to turn through a right angle, thus causing the hooked rods
on the adjacent vehicles to engage or disengage with the sockets opposite them, sub-
stantially as described and for the purposes specified.
(2). Improvements in couplers for railway carriages wagons and the like, sub-
stantially as described with reference to the drawings and for the purposes specified.
Dated this 26th day of October 1898.
GEO. H. RAYNER,
37, Chancery Lane, London, Agent for the Applicant.