IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN COUPLING RAILWAY CARRIAGES TO EACH OTHER
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Chippindale, of Harrogate, in the County
of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN
COUPLING RAILWAY CARRIAGES TO EACH OTHER."
Sealed the 25th June 1867, and dated the 3rd January 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the William Chippindale at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd
January 1867.
I, WILLIAM CHIPPINDALE, of Harrogate, in the County of York, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
EMPLOYED IN COUPLING RAILWAY CARRIAGES TO EACH OTHER," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus employed in
coupling railway carriages to each other. For these purposes in place of the
coupling links being as at present so formed and arranged as to require a
man to enter between the rails and between the ends of two carriages which
are to be coupled or uncoupled, according to the present Invention the
coupling liuks and apparatus combined therewith are so arranged as to admit
of the coupling links being raised and lowered on either side of a railway
carriage, whether it be a passenger or truck or other form of carriage. In
place of each pair of coupling links being combined by screws as heretofore
the draw bars are each constructed in parts capable of being drawn together

page_text: or moved away from each other by a screw, on which there is a long screw
pinion acted on by a screw of very slight pitch, in order that the pinion may
slide freely when the draw bar is acted on by its spring. The screw shaft is
acted on by a handle at each end, or the movement of the parts of a draw bar
may be otherwise accomplished in order to tighten or slacken the coupling of
the carriages. Across the end of the carriage and from side to side thereof is
a shaft for lifting and lowering the coupling links, which shaft is capable of
being acted on by a lever handle or other suitable instrument at each end, so
as to turn the shaft partly round in its bearings; on the shaft are cranks or
arms to which short connecting rods or links are attached, and also to the
coupling links, so that on turning the shaft the coupling link will be lifted out
of the hook on the draw bar of the next carriage or lowered into it, as the
case may be. The ordinary side chains are dispensed with and two links
similar to the draw links are used acted on by cranks or arms on the same
shaft, but such two side links will ordinarily be slack so long as the coupling
link is holding and unbroken. The hooks of the side coupling links are
as heretofore fixed as when using side chains with them. The draw bars
are arranged to have a side motion, but are held in their central position
when the carriages are both on the line of rails; the draw bars will not be
broken when one carriage goes off the line in consequence of the end of
each draw bolt being able to move out of the central position in either
direction.
.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Chippindale in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd July 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CHIPPINDALE, of Harrogate, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
William Chippindale, Her special licence that I, the said William Chippin-
dale, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Chippindale, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,

page_text: exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN COUPLING RAILWAY CARRIAGES TO EACH OTHER," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Chippindale, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, aud cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Chippindale, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus employed in
coupling railway carriages to each other. For these purposes in place of the
coupling links being as at present so formed and arranged as to require a man
to enter between the rails and between the ends of two carriages which are
to be coupled or uncoupled, according to the present Invention the coupling
links and apparatus combined therewith are so arranged as to admit of the
coupling links being raised and lowered on either side of the railway carriage,
whether it be a passenger, or truck, or other form of carriage. Across the
end of the carriage and from side to side thereof is a shaft for lifting and
lowering the coupling links, which shaft is capable of being acted on by a
lever handle or other suitable instrument at each end, so as to turn the shaft
partly round in its bearings. On the shaft are cranks or arms which on
turning the shaft act on the coupling link to lift it out of the hook on the
draw bar of the next carriage, or lower it into the hook, as the case may be.
On Sheet 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed is shown such a combined
arrangement of apparatus for coupling railway carriages to each other. The
Drawings show the couplings applied to the frames of two trucks; in this
case it is not necessary to make any provision for tightening up the couplings,
when, however, the apparatus is applied to passenger carriages then I make
the draw bars of the carriages capable of being contracted in their length, so
as to tighten the couplings or make other provision for effecting this object.
Figure 1 shews in vertical section the end portions of the frame of two
railway trucks; Figure 2 is a plan view of one of the same.
In these Figures a, a, are the draw bars of the trucks, carrying at their
ends coupling hooks a', as is usual. To the forward end of each bar

page_text: just in rear of the hook is pin-jointed a link b, to the lower end of which is pin-
jointed the coupling link b¹; the coupling links have attached to them balance
weights, by which when free they are caused to stand up vertically or nearly
so above the pin joint upon which they turn.. The two positions of the
coupling links when in and out of action are shewn at Figure 1. c is the
shaft at the end of the carriage and passing across from side to side thereof.
The shaft is supported at its centre in a narrow bearing d, and each of its
ends is supported in a horizontal slot formed in guide pieces d', so that the
bar may to some extent pivot around the central bearing as well as turn in
it; on each end of the shaft c is a lever handle c', by which it can be turned,
or in place of a lever handle other provision may be made for turning the
shaft; on the shaft is also a crank arm c, the lower end of which is made
with a fork which comes on either side of the links b; to the ends of the
fork is pin-jointed a bent loop e, the object of which is to turn the coupling
link over on to the draw book.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-When two trucks have been
brought together end to end as near as the buffers or projections with which
they are provided will allow of the axis at the end of one of the trucks
is turned by one or other of its lever handles; the end of its crank arm c² will
thus be brought against the link band will turn it up so as to raise the
coupling link carried at its lower end, the coupling link whilst being thus
raised will retain a vertical position, or nearly so, until it has been brought
into the position shown at Figure 3; the bent loop e will then come into
action, and as the link is still further raised by turning the axis c it will
turn down the coupling link b¹ into a horizontal position, or nearly so, and
will so link it over the draw hook of the other truck; the axis c is then
allowed to turn back to its original position. The ordinary side chains are
dispensed with, two links similar to the draw links may be used in place of
them, and be acted on by cranks or arms on the same shaft; such two side links
would ordinarily be slack, so long as the coupling link is holding and un-
broken. The hooks of the side coupling links are, as heretofore, fixed as
when using side chains with them.
On Sheet 2 of the Drawings are shown two arrangements by which when
apparatus such as is above described is employed for coupling up passenger
carriages the couplings may after coupling up be tightened by contracting the
length of the draw bar; the tightening of the couplings may, however, be
otherwise effected. In the arrangement shown in the Drawings for con-
tracting the length of the draw bar an intermediate length or portion of the
draw bar is in each case furnished with right and left handed screws, which

page_text: screw respectively into corresponding screw threads in the two end portions of
the draw bar. The central length of the draw bar is free to turn, whilst the
two ends are prevented from doing so, so that if the central portion of the
draw bar be turned in one or other direction the draw bar will either be
lengthened or shortened.
In the arrangement shewn at Figure 4 the central length of the draw bar
carries a worm wheel a, into which gears a worm 6 on an axis c which passes
from side to side of the carriage, and is at its ends furnished with hand wheels,
by which it can be turned. The central length of the draw bar is as shewn
free to slide to and fro through the worm wheel a.
In the arrangement shewn at Figure 5 bevil wheels, acted on by axes
passing to the sides of the carriage, are employed in place of a worm and
worm wheel; in other respects the apparatus is similar to that shewn at
Figure 4.
I also according to my Invention arrange the ends of draw bars so that
they may have a side motion, but are ordinarily held in their central position
by means of springs when the carriages are both on the line of rails; the
draw bars will not be broken when one carriage goes off the line in con-
sequence of the end of each draw bolt being able to move out of the central
position in either direction. To effect this the end portion of the draw bar,
which is made capable of turning on a pin joint at 1, is made to project
backwards beyond this pin joint, and the portion so projecting back beyond the
pin joint is acted on on either side by springs y, by which the draw bar is
ordinarily held in a central position; the springs will, however, allow the end
of the draw bar to turn on its pin joint, as occasion may require. The
forward portion of the draw bar is supported between horizontal guides
which are of sufficient length to allow of such front portion turning upon its
pin joint.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Chippindale, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
WILLIAM CHIPPINDALE. (L.S.)