Improvements in Car-couplers.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Sept., 1891-Accepted, 7th Nov., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Car-couplers.
We, MARK JOSEPH MCGOWAN, Laborer, residing at 116 Symington Avenue,
JOHN HARTNETT, Contractor, residing at 36 Delaney Crescent, FRANCIS
BERNARD MORROW. Broker, residing at 872 Dundas Street, and JOSEPH
WESLEY ST. JOHN, Barrister-at-law, residing at 194 Dunn Avenue, in the City
of Toronto, in the County of York, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, 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:-
The object of this invention is to construct a draw-head and pin by means of
which the cars when coming together can be automatically coupled as soon as the
link enters the draw-head and it consists essentially of forming a rectangular
shaped slot in the upper side of the draw-head, a pin rectangular shaped in cross
section entering draw-head through said slot, the said slot being of a size
sufficiently large to allow the pin to freely work therein; a bearing on each side of
the slot to receive the spindle of said pin; a shoulder in the lower face of the
mouth of the draw-head against which butts the lower edge of the front of said
pin; the mouth of the draw-head made bell-shaped, and the front of the same being
made as large as possible consistent with the strength of said draw-head, said mouth
tapering rapidly inward to front of said coupling pin, whence it extends rearward
and inward in a straight and horizontal direction with only sufficient space to allow
the free forward and rearward movements of the link; by making the mouth of the
draw-head as large as possible it will readily receive the links from cars of different
heights and rapidly lead them back into their proper position so that the pin can
drop down into said link and securely hold it, the whole being constructed and
arranged as hereinafter more fully set forth and more particularly pointed out in
the claims.
In the drawings:-
Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section showing my improved car-coupler.
Figure 2 is a plan view partly in section of the same.
Figure 3 is an elevation of my coupler showing it applied to a car and means for
operating the same from side and top of car.
Like numerals of reference refer to like parts throughout the Specification and
drawings.
In the drawings,
1, refers to my improved draw-head in the upper side of which is formed a
rectangular slot 2, sufficiently longer than the width of the pin 3, to allow the pin
to freely move in the same.
The pin 3 is provided with a spindle 4, journaled in bearings 5, placed one on
each side of the slot 2. The pin 3 consists of a piece of metal rectangular in cross
section having the lower end 6 curved to correspond to the curve of the groove 7
in the mouth 8 of the said draw-head, the said curve extending from the shoulder 9
in front of the coupling pin 3 to the top of the rear end of the slot 2, said curve 6
and 7 being struck with the centre of the spindle 4 as their centre.
It will be noticed by reference to Figure 1 that the pin 3 extends sufficiently
above the top of the draw-head 1 to prevent the said pin being turned out or lifted
out of its place, the extension 10 butting against the flange on said draw-head and
throwing the pin back into the slot 2. The pin 3 is so arranged in its bearings that
the upper portion of its front edge bears against the metal at the front end of the
slot 2, and the lower front edge of said pin bears against the shoulder 9 in the lower
face of the mouth 8.

page_text: The mouth 8 of the draw-head 1 is made bell-shaped, the front of said mouth
being as large as possible so that it will readily receive the links from cars of
different heights. The said mouth 8 tapers rapidly rearward until it reaches the
middle vertical line of the coupling pin 3 when hanging down, whence it extends
rearward in a straight and horizontal direction with only sufficient space for the free
rearward and forward movements of the link 11, thus it will be seen that said
link 11 will always be in a horizontal plane and will always pull horizontally on the
coupling pin 3, causing the heavier strain to always be upon the shoulder 9, and the
lighter strain to be on the metal at the front end of the slot.
It will also be noticed by reference to Figures 1 and 2, that the greater thickness
of the pin 3 is that which is submitted to the strain caused by the link 11, and it
can be readily understood that a pin constructed on this principle will stand at
least three times the strain than a pin constructed on any other principle containing
the same amount of metal. By providing the coupling pin 3 with spindles 4 and
journalling said spindles in bearings formed on the top of the draw-head and
curving the lower ends of the pin 3 and the inner face of the draw-head with arcs
struck with the centre of the spindles as their centre, the said pin will freely turn
in its bearings when struck by the coupling link 11, the lower end of said pin
turning rearward along the curve 9, and when the link 11 has passed back to the
full extent of the mouth 8, the pin 3 will drop back into its hanging position, and
the end of the link 11 will bear against the back edge of said pin and throw the
strain on the shoulder 9 and the metal at the front end of the slot 2. Connected
to the side faces of the coupling pin 3 near its rear edge is a clevis 12 to which is
connected a chain or connecting rod 13, extending upward to and passing over the
pulley 14 fixed to the end of the car vertically above the coupling pin 3. To the
end of the chain 13 above the pulley 14 is connected a chain 15 extending upward
to the top of the car, and a chain 16 extending outward to the side of the car on a
level with the pulley 14.
The object of this construction is as follows:-Pulling on either the chain 15
or 16 the coupling pin 3 is lifted clear of the link 11 allowing said link to pass out
of the mouth 8, and by fastening either the chain 15 or 16 in their uplifted position
the coupling pin 3 will be prevented from returning to its hanging thus keeping
it free from engagement with the coupling link 11.
By a construction of this kind it is not necessary for the man coupling the cars
to ever get between them for the purpose of coupling or uncoupling the same, the
pin 3 being worked on the same principle of gravity will always drop into its
hanging position the instant the chains 15 and 16 are released, and the end of the
link is out of the way, and being free to turn on its spindle it will always move out
of the way of the entering link, and will drop into the same as soon as the link has
cleared it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A car-coupler consisting of a draw-head having a slot formed in its upper side
large enough to permit the free working of the coupling pin, the coupling pin
provided with a spindle journalled in bearings formed on either side of said slot,
said coupling pin extending through said slot into the mouth of the draw-head, the
lower front edge of coupling pin butting against a shoulder formed in the lower
face of said mouth, and the upper front edge of said pin butting against the
metal at the front edge of said slot, and a link the end of which bears against
the rear edge of said pin, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2. A car-coupler consisting of a draw-head having a slot formed in its upper
edge large enough to permit the free working of the coupling pin, a coupling pin
extending downward through said slot into the mouth of the draw-head provided
with a spindle journaled in bearings formed one on each side of said slot, the lower
edge of said pin bearing against the shoulder formed in the lower face of said mouth,

page_text: and the upper front edge of said pin bearing against the metal at the front of said
slot, a link bearing against the rear edge of said pin and suitable mechanism for
raising said pin, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
3. A car-coupler consisting of a draw-head having a slot formed in its upper side
sufficiently large to allow of the free working of the coupling pin, said coupling
pin provided with a spindle journaled in bearings formed one on each side of said
slot, the coupling pin extending down through said slot to the lower face of the
month of the draw-head, and having an extension extending above said spindle to
butt against the upper face of said draw-head and prevent the coupling pin being
turned out of its position, the lower edge of said coupling pin butting against the
shoulder formed in the lower face of said mouth, the lower end of said coupling pin
curved with an are struck from the centre of the spindle and working in a groove
curved to correspond, the link bearing against the rear edge of said coupling pin
from top or side of car, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
4. A car-coupler consisting of a draw-head having formed in its upper face a slot
sufficiently large to allow of the free working of the coupling pin, a coupling pin
rectangular in cross section provided with a spindle working in bearings placed one
on each side of said slot the lower edge of said coupling pin curved by an arc
struck from the centre of said spindle and working in a groove in said draw-head
curved to correspond, a shoulder formed in the lower face of the mouth of said
draw-head in front of the front edge of said coupling pin, where it extends rear-
ward and inward with only sufficient space to allow of a free forward and rearward
movements of the link, a link bar to pull against the rear face of said coupling pin,
said pin provided with means for raising the same from the top and side of car,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
5. The improved car-coupler herein before described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 3rd day of September 1891.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.