Improvements in Locomotive Tender Couplings.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Locomotive Tender Couplings.
I, STEPHEN JONES MEEKER, of No. 95, Clay Street, in the City of Newark, Essex
County, State of New Jersey, United States of America, Foundryman, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates particularly to couplings for use on locomotive tenders.
It is desirable that couplings of this class should be supported in connection with
the tender so as to be capable of having a lateral movement when the train is
passing on a curve, and, after being uncoupled from a connecting coupler, be left
in a central position relative to the tender and in proper position to receive a
coupler in connection therewith. Having this in mind, my invention consists in
the novel construction and arrangement of parts whereby the desirable features
above mentioned are secured.
To explain more in detail, a bracket plate is adapted to be secured by bolts or
other suitable fastening means upon a locomotive tender in proper position to
support a coupler. This bracket plate is provided with a chamber in its face side
in which the shank of a coupler is pivotally supported by means of a pin which
passes through the walls of the bracket plate and through an opening in the
coupler shank. The coupler, which may be of any suitable construction, prefer-
ably consists of a draw-head of the vertical-plane type having a guard arm, a
pivoted swinging knuckle, and a suitable locking pin or bolt.
According to my invention, the pin hole in the coupler shank is made elongated,
so as to allow a longitudinal movement of the shank within the chamber of the
supporting bracket, whereby the coupler, when drawn to its outward limit of
movement as allowed by said elongated opening, may have a lateral movement,
and, when moved backward to its limit in the opposite direction, will be caused to
assume a substantially central position to insure its proper coupling with another
coupler.
The chamber in the bracket plate is of such width at its rear end as to receive
the coupler shank freely therein without binding, but sufficiently close to co-
operate with the pivot pin and cause the coupler, when moved backward into the
chamber, to assume a central position for coupling with another coupler. The
sides of the chamber gradually increase in width towards its front end so as to
allow the coupler, when drawn outward or forward, to have a desired lateral
movement.
The upper and lower walls of the chamber in the bracket plate are each formed
with a projecting curved edge, and the coupler is formed with correspondingly
curved shoulders on its upper and lower surfaces which are adapted to engage
with the said projecting edges of the bracket plate and limit the backward thrust
or movement of the coupler when the cars are brought together in the act of
coupling or otherwise. The adjacent surfaces of the coupler and bracket plate
are so formed relative to each other that the said projecting edges of the bracket
plate receive the full backward thrust of the coupler, the elongated pin opening

page_text: in the coupler shank also being so arranged that its front end will not engage
with the pivot pin, thus relieving the latter of any strain thereon upon the back-
ward movement of the coupler."
In operation, it will be understood that the coupler, during the drawing of a
connected car or train, is drawn outward to its full limit, whereby it may have
any desired lateral movement, and, when the cars are brought together in the
stopping of a train for the purpose of uncoupling, the coupler is thereby moved
backward into the chamber of the bracket and caused to assume a central position
relative to the tender in the manner described; whereby it will be in proper posi-
tion to insure its ready and proper coupling with another coupling.
Improvements in Locomotive Tender Couplings.
I, STEPHEN JONES MEEKER, of No. 95, Clay Street, in the City of Newark, Essex
County, State of New Jersey, United States of America, Foundryman, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates particularly to couplings for use on locomotive tenders.
It is desirable that couplings of this class should be supported in connection with
the tender so as to be capable of having a lateral movement when the train is
passing on a curve, and, after being coupled from a connecting coupler, be left
in a central position relative to the tender and in proper position to receive a
'coupler in connection therewith. Having this in mind, my invention consists in
the novel construction and arrangement of parts as hereinafter set forth in detail
and pointed out in the claims, whereby the described features above mentioned
are secured.
Referring to the drawings:-
Figure 1 is a side view of a tender coupler and its supporting bracket embody-
ing my invention, the same being partly broken away.
Figures 2 and 3 are plan views of the same with the bracket in section, showing
different positions of the coupler.
To explain in detail, a represents a bracket plate which is adapted to be secured
by bolts or other suitable fastening means upon a locomotive tender in proper
position to support a coupler. This bracket plate is provided with a chamber a
in its face side in which the shank b¹ of a coupler 6 is pivotally supported by
means of a pin c, which latter passes through the walls of the bracket plate and
through an opening 62 in the coupler shank as shown. The coupler b, which may
be of any suitable construction, consists, as herein shown, of a draw-head of the
vertical plane type having a guard arm b³, a swinging knuckle 64, and a vertically
movable locking pin 65.
According to my invention, the pin hole 62 in the coupler shank is made elon-
gated, so as to allow a longitudinal movement of the shank within the chamber a¹,
whereby the coupler, when drawn to its outward limit of movement as allowed by
said elongated opening, may have a lateral movement, and, when moved back-

page_text: ward to its limit in the opposite direction, will be caused to assume a substan-
tially central position to insure its proper coupling with another coupler.
The chamber a¹ in the bracket plate a is of such width at its rear end as to
receive the coupler shank freely therein without binding, but sufficiently close
to co-operate with the pivot pin c and cause the coupler, when moved backward
into the chamber as shown in Figure 3, to assume a central position for coupling
with another coupler. The sides of the chamber a gradually increase in width
towards its front end so as to allow the coupler, when drawn forward or outward
as shown in Figure 2, to have a desired lateral movement.
The upper and lower walls of the chamber al in the bracket plate a are each
formed with a projecting curved edge a³, and the coupler is formed with corres-
pondingly curved shoulders 66 on its upper and lower surfaces which are adapted
to engage with the said projecting edges of the bracket plate and limit the back-
ward thrust or movement of the coupler when the cars are brought together in
the act of coupling or otherwise. The adjacent surfaces of the coupler and the
bracket plate are so formed relative to each other that the said projecting edges a²
of the bracket plate receive the full backward thrust of the coupler, the elongated
pin opening in the coupler shank also being so arranged that its front end will
not engage with the pin c, as shown in Figure 3, thus relieving the latter of any
strain thereon upon the backward movement of the coupler.
In operation, it will be understood that the coupler during the drawing of a
connected car or train is drawn out-ward to its full limit, as shown in Figure 2,
whereby it may have any desired lateral movement, and, when the cars are brought
together in the stopping of a train for the purpose of uncoupling, the coupler is
thereby moved backward into the chamber al and caused to assume a central
position relative to the tender in the manner described, whereby it will be in
proper position to insure its ready and proper coupling with another coupler.
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 car-coupler, the combination with a draw-head provided with a shank
having an opening therein, of a supporting bracket having a chamber to receive
said shank of the draw-head, a pivot-pin connected with the bracket-plate and
extending through said opening in the coupler-shank, the said opening being
elongated to permit of a longitudinal movement of the coupler relative to the
pin, and the side walls of the said chamber being tapering and co-operating with
the pivot-pin in centering the coupler upon the backward movement of the latter.
2. In a car-coupler, the combination, with a draw-head provided with a shank
having an opening therein, of a supporting bracket having a chamber to receive
said shank of the draw-head, a pivot-pin connected with the bracket-plate and
extending through said opening in the coupler-shank, the said opening being
elongated to permit of a longitudinal movement of the coupler, and the walls of
the said chamber being tapering to permit of a lateral movement of the coupler
when drawn outward, and co-operating with the pivot-pin in centering the
coupler when moved backward, and means for limiting the backward movement
of the coupler to prevent strain upon the pivot-pin in such direction.
Dated this 22nd dox of December 1899
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.