IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLING APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY AND SIMILAR VEHICLES
Year: 1884

page_text: I, JOHN DARLING, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN COUPLING APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY AND SIMILAR VEHICLES" to be as
follows:-
This Invention, which relates to improvements in coupling apparatus for Railway
and similar Vehicles is a development of the Inventions for which Letters Patent
were granted to the said John Darling No 331, dated 20th January A.D. 1883 and
No 3449, dated 13th July A.D. 1883.
In carrying this Invention into practice, the shank of the improved coupling
hook, which is pivoted to the existing hook of ordinary chain couplings, is provided
at its undersido with a pivoted eye fitted loosely into the said shank. Through
this eye there passes one end of a tongue piece or lever which is carried at its
other end upon a shaft held in bearings secured to the buffer beam or other
equivalent part. This shaft passes through a tubular part formed on and at right
angles to the said tongue piece or lever. At the underside of this tubular part
there is formed a projecting piece for engaging with a clutch device hereinafter
described. At one end of the tubular part before mentioned there is a portion
cut away, and between the two faces formed by the cutting away of. such portion,
a short lever, projecting out from the shaft passing therethrough, is caused to work.
This short levers operates at its outer end as a cam upon a pivoted plate of the
clutch device before referred to. Through this plate an opening is formed for the
reception of the projecting piece before mentioned. A spring bears upon the
opposite end of this pivoted plate, so as to retain the tongue piece or lever in
position until the projection is released from the opening formed in the pivoted
plate, by means of the said plate being depressed at this end by the action of the
short lever bearing upon it when the shaft is turned by means of hand levers, one
of which is provided at either or both sides of the Vehicle to which these improve-
ments are applied. At such time one side of the short lever abutting against one
of the faces before mentioned, the tongue piece, or lever, is caused to operate and
the coupling hook thereby raised or lowered.

page_text: In applying these improvements to existing coupling apparatus, the draw-bar is
preferably divided at the portion between the draw-spring and the hook. On the
inner end of the hook bar there is fitted a transverse cotter working in guides
formed on the end of the draw bar connected to the draw-spring. At the back of
this cotter there is provided a spiral or other equivalent spring exerting its pressure
in such a direction as to keep the cotter at the outer extremity of the guides before
mentioned.

page_text: I, JOHN DARLING, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN COUPLING APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY AND SIMILAR VEHICLES and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
My Invention, which relates to improvements in coupling apparatus for Railway
and similar Vehicles is a development of the Inventions for which Letters Patent
were granted to the said John Darling N° 331 dated 20th January A.D. 1883 and
No 3449 dated 13th July A.D. 1883.
At one
In carrying my Invention into practice, the shank of the improved coupling
hook, which is pivoted to the existing hook of ordinary chain couplings, is provided
at its underside with a pivoted eye fitted loosely into the said shank. Through
this eye there passes one end of a tongue piece or lever which is carried at its other
end upon a shaft held in bearings secured to the buffer-beam or other equivalent
part. This shaft passes through a tubular part formed on and at right angles to the
said tongue piece or lever. At the underside of this tubular part there is formed
a projecting piece for engaging with a clutch device hereinafter described.
end of the tubular part before mentioned there is a portion cut away, and between
the two faces formed by the cutting away of such portion, a short lever, projecting
out from the shaft passing therethrough, is caused to work, This short lever
operates at its outer end as a cam upon a pivoted plate of the clutch device before
referred to. Through this plate an opening is formed for the reception of the
projecting piece before mentioned. A spring bears upon the opposite end of this
pivoted plate, so as to retain the tongue piece or lever in position until the
projection is released from the opening formed in the pivoted plate, by means of the
said plate being depressed at this end by the action of the short lever bearing upon
it when the shaft is turned by means of hand levers, one of which is provided at
either or both sides of the Vehicle to which these improvements are applied. At
such time one side of the short lever abutting against one of the faces before
mentioned, the tongue piece, or lever, is caused to operate and the coupling hook
thereby raised or lowered.
In applying these improvements to existing coupling apparatus, the draw-bar is
preferably divided at the portion between the draw-spring and the hook. On the
inner end of the hook bar there is fitted a transverse cotter working in guides
formed on the end of the draw bar connected to the draw-spring. At the back of
this cotter there is provided a spiral or other equivalent spring exerting its pressure
in such a direction as to keep the cotter at the outer extremity of the guides before
mentioned.
In order that my said Invention may be properly understood and readily carried
into effect I will now proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1. is a plan of the upper side of a pair of couplings constructed according
to my present Invention.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the satne.

page_text: Figure 3, is a plan of the underside of the same and Figure 4, is a side elevation
of a modified form of a detached portion of the same.
In carrying out these improvements, the stocks a, of the improved coupling
device are pivoted to any buffering projection that may be provided on the buffer-
beam 6, or preferably, as shewn on the accompanying drawings, to the existing
hook c, of the ordinary link coupling.—The draw-bar d, of this hook c, is provided
with the cotter e, which is free to slide inwards against the pressure of the spring f.
(Figure 3,) along the slots g.-These slots g, are formed in the forked end of the
draw-bar h, whose inner or opposite end is secured to the draw-spring i (Figure 3,).
When this improved coupling is applied to hard-buffer Vehicles the spring f, is
placed in front of the cotter e, and between that, and the back of the buffer
beam b-The improved coupling hooks j, are formed with the vertical hinged
joints k, and they are hinged to the stocks a, of the couplings by the pins l,
which are secured within the same by means of the split cotters m.-The
springs n, are caused to bear upon the hooks j, in a forward direction or in
such a direction as to return the said hooks to the position in which they
are represented on the accompanying drawings, after they have been deflected
from such position either when coupling with each other or from any other
causes. The springs n, are rivetted or otherwise secured to the stocks a,
their free ends bearing upon the back of the coupling hooks j,-The stocks a,
are provided with the projections o, to prevent the coupling hooks j, disengaging
with each other by any movement other than the vertical movement, which
is imparted to the said coupling hooks by means hereinafter described.―The
projections o, enable the hooks j, to couple themselves automatically when any two
vehicles, fitted with the said couplings, approach each other; under these circum-
stances, the forward ends of the hooks j, come against and pivot in the hollows p.
formed in the forward ends of the said projections o, of the respectively opposite
couplings, and the points of the hooks j thereby pass over and couple with each
other.
The vertical motion, herein before referred to, is imparted to the couplings by
means of the levers q, which are carried upon the shafts 7,-These shafts 1, are
supported in bearings 8, formed in the plates t, which are preferably formed in two
parts and are sccured to the underside of the buffer beams b,-The shafts r, which
are supported transversely across the vehicle to which these improvements are
applied, may be further supported at their ends in bearings of any suitable
construction.These shafts 7, have the cams t', formed upon them, and by means
of these cams the levers q, are caused to operate. The tubular parts u, (Figure 3)
of the levers q, have portions of their circumference cut away at one of their ends
and between the two faces presented by such construction, the cams t', are caused
to operate, so that the levers q, remain at rest while the shafts r, rotate until such
time as the said cams t¹, bear against either of these faces, at which time the
levers q, are caused to move with, and in the same direction as, the shafts r,—The
levers q, are connected to the stocks a, by means of the pivoted links or eyes v,
which are preferably screwed loosely in, and to the underside of the said stocks a,—.
Upon the underside of the tubular parts u, (Figure 3) the projections w, are
provided, and when the couplings are in a horizontal position these projections
enter openings formed in the plates x, and are thereby locked in such position.―
These plates x, are pivoted to the plates t, and upon their rearward ends y, the
springs z, are caused to bear, while at their forward ends, the said plates a, may be
depressed by means of the cams t¹-The draw-bars d, are preferably passed
through and guided in the boxes a¹, or other analogous castings, which are fitted
into the buffer-beams b, and the plates b¹, are secured to the front of the said
buffer-beams b, and over the cam motions, in order to prevent any dust or other
injurious matter from falling into such mechanism.
The operation of the improved coupling herein before described is as follows:-In 5
coupling two vehicles fitted with these improvements, the couplings are raised into
and locked by the projections w, and plates a, in a horizontal position, and the two

page_text: vehicles are caused to approach each other, and the hooks j, couple themselves
automatically, the forward ends of the said hooks pivoting in the hollows p, formed
in the forward ends of the respectively opposite stocks a, and the points of the
said hooks passing over each other and completing the coupling operation.
In uncoupling two vehicles fitted with these improvements, one of the shafts r,
is rotated in the proper direction by means of the hand levers c¹, (Figure 3,) or
their equivalents, provided at both sides of the said vehicles. The projection w, is
thereby released from the opening in the plate x, and the cam t', which has by this
time come against one of the before mentioned faces of the tubular part u,
(Figure 3,) causes the lever q, and with it, the stock a, and coupling hook j, to be
lowered into the position represented in dotted lines at Figure 2.
With reference to the modified construction of lowering apparatus represented at
Figure 4, of the accompanying drawings, it is seen that the lever q, is shortened,
and is allowed to slide within the, tube c¹, which is pivoted to, or suspended from
the underside of the stock a, so that when the coupling hook is lowered, the lever
slides forward in the said tube c¹, into the position in which it is represented in
dotted lines at Figure 4.
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 coupling and uncoupling apparatus herein before described, constructed and
operating in combination with the locking device consisting of the cam t¹,
projection w, plate, springs z, and their attachments or the mechanical equivalents
of all or any of the said parts all substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore
set forth with reference to the annexed Drawings.
Dated this thirteenth day of February 1005