Improvements in Car Couplings.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Jan., 1896-Accepted, 2nd May, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Car Couplings.
I, WILLIAM SILVER, of Tamworth, in the Colony of New South Wales,
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 :-
This invention relates to couplings for use in connection with railway and
tramway vehicles, but more especially with freight-cars and goods-trucks.
Referring to Sheet 1 of the annexed two sheets of explanatory drawings, Fig. 1
is a side elevation of a fragment of a freight-car, showing the coupling in the
released position, and hanging free; Fig. 2 a similar view of two cars about to be
coupled; Fig. 3 a plan of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 an enlarged side elevation of the coupling
hanging free by one end; Fig. 5 a similar view of the coupling in the locked
position; Fig. 6 a plan of Fig. 5.
1 is the car frame, 2 drawhooks thereof, 3 clutch jaws or slots therein, 4 buffers,
5 pivoted link, 6 link with counterweight 7 made integral with or fastened to it,
8 square body pin on which the parts 6 and 7 are fixed, its turned ends 9 carrying
the eyes of the swinging link 5, 10 reduced part of link 5, 11 hand lever on the
coupling shaft or spindle 12, 13 operating arm or fork, 14 bearings for part 12.
The invention is readily adaptable for use on vehicles on which the ordinary
drawhook is fitted, and the drawing illustrates such an arrangement.
jaw or slot is cut in the shank or neck of the hook, in which jaw or slot the end of
the link 5 is placed. The other link 6 engages in the jaw of the drawhook on the
adjacent vehicle.
A clutch
The link 6 and the counter-weighted arm 7 are either formed in one piece or are
connected together through the square part of the pin 8 so as to ensure their moving
in unison with one another. The link 5 is pivoted to the parts 9 and is free to
swing thereon.
The slot or jaw 3 formed in the shank of the drawhook 2 is contracted at its
mouth, but in the main part is large enough to allow of the end of the link 5
working in it; the part 10 of the link 5 is ovaled or reduced in section in order
that the link can be entered or withdrawn from the jaw; the link 5 is thus kept
locked in place and its end portion caused to act as a hinge or pivot, whilst the
coupling gear is being operated.
The method of operation is as follows:-The vehicles having been brought close
to one another, the hand lever 11 is lifted smartly so as to move the lifting fork 13
upwards, thereby swinging up the coupling from the jaw 3 as a centre; in this
Inovement the weight 7, which is set at an angle to the link 6, swings backward,
thereby canting up the link 6 and so lifting it up between the hooks; the return
swing of the weight 7 lowers the end of the link 6, and the lever 11 being at the
same time allowed to fall, that link drops into the hook 15, and the weight takes
up the slack of the coupling.
Uncoupling is effected by raising the lever 11, and drawing the cars apart,
whereby the link 6 is freed from its book.
The success of the action depends inter alia on the proper manipulation of the
hand lever, by which the pendular swing of the weight 7, and consequently the
position of the link 6 depends.
The fork 13 of the operating gear is shaped so as to check such coupling from
moving sidewise, any such tendency is readily rectified by jerking the lever 11
whereby the coupling is brought to the central position.

page_text: Referring to Sheet 2 of the drawings, Fig. 7 is a side view of an alternative
design of coupling in which the lifting fork acts on the heel of the outer link;
Fig. 8 a plan of same; Fig. 9 another side view, illustrative of the position of the
parts at the time of locking; Fig. 10 a side view of the outer link separate from
the other parts; Fig. 11 a plan of same; Fig. 12 a plan of the lifting fork;
Fig. 13 a side view, and Fig. 14 a plan of same.
In this modification, the rear ends of the link 6 are continued beyond the pin 9
to form heels or lifting pieces 16, and the weighted end 7 is put in line with the
link 6. The action of lifting the link 6 into the hook 2 is fully explained by the
drawings; the hand-lever 11 being swung upwards, the lifting fork 13 catches and
slides along the under surfaces of the heels 16, thereby lifting the whole coupling
about the part 3 as a centre, and at the same time bringing the two links nearly
into line as indicated in Fig. 9. In operating this design of coupling it is not
essential to jerk the lifting lever 11,-the parts will fall into position if it be
raised sufficiently.
The couplings may be used independently of the gear.
In this case the operator
would be required to go between the cars in order to couple and uncouple. By
preference the spindle 12 is provided with a hand lever 11 at both ends whereby
the coupling is made operatable from either side of the track.
I am aware that there is no novelty in a car coupling provided with mechanism
for closing and opening it from the side of the track, and I therefore disclaim
this broad feature as a novelty.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A car coupling consisting of two links pivotally joined to one another,
whereof one is counterbalanced by a weight as shewn, and the outer end of the
other pivotally held in a clutch jaw formed at the end of the drawbar, in com-
bination with mechanism whereby the last-mentioned link is movable in such a
way as to throw the counterbalanced link into position to couple, substantially as
described with reference to Sheet 1 of the accompanying drawings.
2. A car coupling wherein a coupling link is acted upon conjointly by manual
gear and a counterweight to cause it to enter its drawhook, substantially as
described.
3. The combination with a pair of drawbars, in the end of one of which a
clutch jaw 3 is formed, of links 5 and 6, and counterweight 7, and mechanism
such as 11, 12, and 13, acting on the link 5 to couple the link 6 to the
drawhook 15, substantially as described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
4. The combination of the parts marked 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 13, drawhooks,
and mechanism for moving the part 13, substantially as described with reference to
Sheet 1 of the accompanying drawings.
5. A car coupling consisting of two links pivotally joined to one another,
whereof one is counterbalanced by a weight as shewn, and formed with heel
pieces on the counterbalanced end, with which pieces a lifting fork engages to
extend the coupling and lift it bodily about the outer end of the other link,
which is held pivotally in a clutch jaw formed in the end of the drawbar of the
car, substantially as described with reference to Sheet 2 of the accompanying
drawings.
6. The combination with a pair of drawbars, in the end of one of which a
clutch jaw 3 is formed, of links 5 and 6, the latter having a counterweight 7, and
heel pieces 16, and mechanism consisting of a hand lever and a lifting lever
acting on the heels 16 to extend the links and couple the link 6 to the
drawhook 15, substantially as described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
7. The combination of the warto mankend 2
"
° ሰ 10
10

page_text: drawhooks and mechanism for moving the part 13, substantially the same as
described with reference to Sheet 2 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 8th day of January 1896.
G. G M. HARDINGHAM,
191, Fleet Street, London, E.C., Associate Agent.