Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application,. 14th Jan..,. 1887
Complete Left, 3rd Nov., 1887
Complete Accepted, 23rd Dec., 1887

page_text: Trucks and Carriages.
coupling Railway
I CLEMENT SKIDMORE of No. 4 Matilda Place Crabtree Road Hockley Birmingham
in the county of Warwick, Engineer 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 consists of a combination pole and lamp, to be used for the purpose
of coupling and uncoupling Railway Trucks and carriages or tramway trucks or
carriages.
I will now proceed to describo with reference to the accompanying drawings the
manner in which my invention is constructed and used.
Figure 1 represents my combination pole and lamp in use over the buffer of a
railway truck.
Figure 2 represents an end view of figure 3.
Figure 3 is a side view of my combination pole and lamp.
Figure 4 represents an end view of figure 5.
Figure 5 represents a section of my improved pole.
Figure 6 represents a front view of wire shield for lamp.
Figure 7 represents an edge view of figure 6.
Figure 8 represents a front view of the swing hinge connection or joint supporting
a lamp handle.
Figure 9 represents an end view of figure 8.
Figure 10 represents the swing hinge connection in action, opening to allow the
lamp handle to pass out.
In carrying out my invention I may in some cases use an ordinary wood pole and
coupling-horn or hook such as is now usually used by railway companies for
connecting and disconnecting trucks and carriages in the day time, I connect to this.
wood pole, any suitable lamp; such a combination is part of my invention, but in
other cases I prefer to use a pole covered with a steel or metal tube as illustrated in
section at figure 5, my object in using the steel tube is that by the combination of the
ube with the wood core, a pole or rod is produced of small diameter equal in strength
o the ordinary pole now in use at the same time it may be lighter in weight and
maller in diameter; a represents the wood rod or core, 6 represents the plug end of
he horn or hook figure 4, c represents the linch pin or stud by means of which the
orn or hook figure 4 is secured to the tube. d represents the steel or metal tube.
Having provided my pole or rod I next proceed to select any suitable lamp and
hen cover the lamp-glass with wire gause or with perforated metal plate or other
quivalent shielding material, the lamp may be round, square or of any other suitable
onfiguration, but I prefer to utilize a signal-lamp provided with the usual revolving
rame, which supports green and red glass.
I next provide a ball and socket joint,.a universal joint, or a swing-hinge such as is

page_text: represented at figures 8-9 & 10 and connect it to the pole, to receive the lamp;
when using the swing-hinge joint I should next pass the handle e of the lamp into the
swing-hinge-clip as shown at e¹ figure 9.
My combined pole and lamp would then be ready for use, the shunter or other
person wishing to use it would approach a pair of trucks or carriages and pass the
pole over the buffer as indicated at f figure 1, the swing hinge would then be moved
by the weight of the lamp and cause the lamp to swing into the vertical position
shewn at g figure 1 and thus reflect light on to the link and the horn k, the operator
could then see to lift the link h into an horizontal position and place it over the hook
projecting from the next truck or carriage, the lamp would follow the pole, hanging
vertically and thus lighting the path of the pole-hook or horn.
In using the combined pole and lamp to uncouple trucks or carriages, the pole
would rest on the buffer, in the position shown in dotted lines at 1, the link m would
be lifted off the hook o by means of the pole hook or horn n, the lamp p would radiato
light on to the pole-hook n during its path from the truck or carriage hook o to
the hook of the next truck or carriago; the pole would then be slightly turned in
the hands of the operator, and the link m passed on to the hook of truck or
carriage.
When the shunter or other person using my combined pole and lamp had connected
the pair of trucks or carriages he could immediately pass the handle of the lamp off
the swing-hinge-clip in the manner represented at figure 10, the shunter or other
person could then use the lamp for signaling the engine driver; ho could carry the
pole in one hand and his ordinary signaling lamp in the other hand, use the lamp in
the ordinary way for for signaling the train and slip it on to the swing-hinge every
time he wished to couple or uncouple a pair of trucks or carriages.
In some cases where one man signaled the engine driver and a second man coupled
the waggons or carriages, the lamp and pole could be kept in continual contact and
may in some cases be secured to the swing-hinge-clip in such a manner that the lamp
cannot be lifted out of the clip.
I am fully aware that poles are in use without lamps during the day time
consequently I do not claim the old style wood pole when used without a lamp.
What constitutes my invention is the combination of a lamp with a pole for the
purpose of coupling and uncoupling trucks or carriages in the night time or any
other time when the sun is hidden from the trucks or carriages to be coupled or
uncoupled.
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
1st. The invention as illustrated and described.
2nd. The combination of a pole and lamp, the lamp being connected to the polo
in such a manner as to allow the lamp to swing or hang horizontally when the pole is
used in an angular position for the purpose of coupling or uncoupling trucks or
carriages.
3rd. In a pole for use in coupling and uncoupling trucks and carriages the
combination of a vertical metal tubo surrounding a wood core for the purpose of
forming a strong yet light rod or pole.
101 J
the 1907
ALFRED WILLIAM TURNER,
Cobden Buildings,
Corporation Street, Birmingham,
Agent for the Applicant.