Improvements in Couplings for Railway Carriages and Waggons.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application. 29th Dec., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 27th Sept., 1889-Accepted, 28th Dec., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Couplings for Railway Carriages and Waggons.
A communication to me from abroad by EWALD MÜLLER, of Soran, in the Empire of
Germany, Locksmith.
I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the firm of Edwards and Co., Patent Agents and Engineers,
of 35, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the couplings used for connecting together the different
carriages or other vehicles upon Railways, and it has for its object novel methods of
constructing, arranging, and using such couplings, so that there is no danger to the
persons coupling or uncoupling the carriages, as is the case with ordinary couplings,
the process is very easy and simple, and the couplings are cheap and effective.
The coupling hooks at the ends of the carriages remain the same as those
ordinarily used, but the ordinary screw shackle or coupling is dispensed with and
in its place a coupling yoke or loop is used, the inner end of which is carried
upon a transverse bar or shaft turning in bearings fixed to the end of the carriage
whilst its outer or looped end engages with the hook upon the next adjoining carriage.
The inner end is not litted directly upon the transverse bar, but it has a ring formed
upon it which fits freely upon an excentric formed or fixed upon. the shaft.
If when the loop of the coupling is engaged with the adjoining book as described,
the excentric is turned round so that its longest radius is toward the latter, the loop
will be practically lengthened so that it lies loosely in the hook.
If, on the other hand, the excentric is turned half round (by means of a lever
or handle at either end of the transverse shaft which carries it) so that its longest
radius is away from the hook, the loop will be drawn tightly back in the hook,
the buffers being at the same time drawn together, and the two carriages tightly
coupled together.
To uncouple the carriages; the lever is turned back half round, so that the
excentric releases the loop until it can be readily lifted off the hook. For this
purpose two collars are fixed upon the transverse shaft, one upon each side of the
excentric, and are provided with projections which when the shaft is turned further
round come against lateral projections upon the sides of the yoke or loop and raise the
latter out of the hook, lifting it into a nearly vertical position.
In this position the yoke or loop may be locked and prevented from falling by
means of a sliding bar working in guides across the end of the carriage and having
near its centre a projecting piece which engages with lugs upon the collars upon the
transverse shaft and so prevents the latter from turning back and the yoke from
falling down.
In this position the lever upon the shaft cannot be moved until the sliding bar has
been first withdrawn so as to free the shaft and allow the latter to be turned round
until the loop falls over the opposite book, after which the lever is turned still further,
so as to draw the coupling tight as already described.
The lever, at the end of its downward movement comes against a stop upon the
carriage frame, and the projections or lugs upon the collars are then in such a position
that the sliding bar can be again pushed in until the projection upon it engages
with the lugs and prevents then from moving and the carriages from being uncoupled
until the sliding bar (which is provided with a handle at each end) has been
withdrawn.
The yoke or loop may be arranged so that when it is turned up by the lever
into a vertical position as described it presses back a spring fixed upon the end of
the carriage. If the lever be then turned quickly down, the loop will be thrown

page_text: forward over the opposite hook by the force of the spring, and by continuing the
downward movement of the lever the excentric will be turned until the coupling is
tight as already described, and the shaft and excentric can then he locked in their
position by the sliding bar
Dated this 20th day of Disambar 1988
EDWARDS & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Couplings for Railway Carriages and waggons.
I EDMUND EDWARDS of 35 Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane London in the
County of Middlesex Patent Agent (a communication to me from abroad by Ewald
Müller of Soran in the Empire of Germany) do hereby declare the nature of this
nvention 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 improvements in railway couplings operated from the
ide of the vehicle provided therewith. In couplings constructed according to tliis
nvention the link is made to engage with the hook or draw-bar by a crank at the
side of the vehicle it being disengaged and held up, and also secured in position when
n engagement.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:
Fig. 1) shows in longitudinal section portions of two vehicles with tliis invention
applied thereto the coupling being shown in action.
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2) is a front elevation of the coupling.
3) is a plan corresponding to figure 1.
4 to 8) show details of construction namely,
4) shows the link and its attachment to the excentric on the crank-
spindle.
5) shows one of the cams provided at the two sides of the excentric upon the
spindle serving as lock-cams for the link, in side elevations.
6) front elevation thereof.
7) shows the device for raising the link and locking it in position when
engaging the book.
8) plan of the stop for the link.
The construction of this improved coupling is as follows:
On the outside of the vehicle, parallel to the width thereof, is provided a spindle or
shaft & upon which the link a is loosely mounted. The link is attached to an excentric c
keyed upon or welded to the spindle. The position of the excentric is such that when
the link engages with the hook of a second vehicle, and the spindle is turned by the
crank-handle the widest part of the excentric is at the back, see fig. 1 and the link is
firmly drawn against the hook. This position shown in full lines in figures 1 and 3 is
that which the parts assume when the coupling is in action.
To release the coupling the crank d is turned through an arc of 180°. By this
motion the link is caused to lay loosely on the corresponding hook. In order to
allow the link to be raised and lifted clear of the hook cam-discs fare mounted
on spindle by the side of the excentric e the discs having each a cam o. The
cams are arranged as shown so as to work conjointly with the cranks d and so as
to bear against shoulders on the link a and lift it when the crank is raised from
the horizontal to the vertical position as indicated by the dotted lines in figure 1. A
suitable catch is provided to maintain the link a in its raised position. The con-
struction of such catch is shown in figures, 2, 3, and 7. The catch consists of a plate g
having a shoulder or projection. A spring n (Figure 1) presses said plate g outward
towards the coupling. A ringh with projection is also provided. At the side the
plate 9 carries a stud . Now when spindle is brought into the position shown
dotted in fig. 1 the ring he will carry the bevelled projection against the plate g, the

page_text: further movement of the spindle thus causes the plate to be pushed back and the
projection 7 engages with stud . This prevents the link a falling back by accident.
If the crank dis moved into the position shown in dotted lines to the left of fig. 1
(i.e. horizontal and close to the body of the vehicle) the link is securely locked in the
hook of the carriage next adjoining and firmly drawn against such hook. To retain
the hand-cranks d in this position is the object of the discs. As will be seen in fig. 1
these discs press against the bent end of plate gand thus prevent the falling back of
the cranks into their lowermost position and thus accidental loosening of the coupling
is prevented. For releasing the coupling the plate g has to be moved out of the way
of the cams on the discs and the stud i must also be freed. To this end the
spindle is fitted with handles e. By turning these handles the plate g is moved
back against the pressure of the spring and the spindle b can then be operated.
In coupling together two vehicles the handles e are first turned until projection lis
no longer held by the stud and then spindle b is operated so that the link a engages
with the corresponding hook.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
A coupling for railway vehicles provided with a spindle carrying the cam discs f
the excentric c and ring h, the spindle being fitted with band cranks in combination
with the link.a mounted on the excentric c and capable of engagement with the hook
or draw-bar of an adjoining vehicle and in combination with the plate g on spindle k,
all arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose set forth and illustrated
in the drawings hereunto annexed.
Duted this 97th dore of Santarüber 180U
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton. Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Patentee.