Improvements in and relating to Automatic Couplings for Railway Vehicles.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 28th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 18th Nov., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by GEORGE JOHNSTON, of Durban, in the Colony of
Natal, South Africa, Engine Smith.]
Improvements in and relating to Automatic Couplings for Railway
Vehicles.
I, JOSEPH SINCLAIR FAIRFAX, of 433 Strand, in the County of London,
Patent Agent and Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention, as communicated to me, relates to an improved automatic coupling
for railway rolling stock, whereby railway vehicles may be automatically coupled
together when brought in contact. Means are also provided for uncoupling, from
the side of the vehicles; to avoid sending a man between them.
The invention consists of a guide box secured in a central position to the end
framing of a vehicle, in any convenient manner. The guide box is bored or
otherwise adapted to receive a socket combined with a pulling bolt secured in any
known manner to the under frame. A turned buffer is fitted within the socket and
connected therewith by a vertical pin in such a manner that the buffer is free to
move through a horizontal arc upon the pin as a centre, a little play being allowed
in the hole. The buffer carries a spiral spring and washer, the latter being wedge
shaped vertically and fitting correspondingly to the front portion of the socket
which arrangement tends to keep the axial line of the buffer quite central (through
the action of the spring); while the pin allows a slight radial movement thereof
under pressure to adapt the parts to the curvature of the rails. The head of the
buffer is funnel shaped, and it carries a coupling hook forked at the bottom where
it is pivoted to the horizontal pin the front end of the hook passing through an
orifice in the top of the buffer head.
The horizontal pin also carries a pivoted coupling link having a slight depression
on its upper face to receive the nose of the coupling hook, which latter is lifted
from that position by the shackle and attached chain when actuated by the
uncoupling gear. The coupling link with its depression, is so formed as to facilitate
the sliding action of a similar link and coupling hook over its surface, when brought
together for automatic coupling, and the shape of its pivoted ends tends to keep it
(to some extent) in a horizontal position. The inner part of each buffer head is
funnel shaped, thus facilitating automatic coupling by guiding each opposite coupling
link into a central position, in a manner well known.
The uncoupling device consists of a bar sliding in guides mounted transversely
on each vehicle end so as to be actuated on either side thereof by pulling or pushing
a handle at either end. A lever.is pivoted to one of the guides and carries at its
free extremity an eyebolt whose circular shoulder rests in a V shaped cam
depression made in the central part of the sliding bar. On actuating the slide bar
by one of the handles, the pivoted lever is raised up from its lowest position to its
highest and holds the bar against vibratory movement by an inclined shoulder
resting against the circular shoulder of the eyebolt. A small chain connects the
eyebolt with the shackle on the coupling hook, and lifts the latter in uncoupling
when actuated by the sliding bar.
Dated this 28th day of December 1892.
FAIRFAX & WETTER,
433, Strand, London, Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMELLIN SELETATION.
Improvements in and relating to Automatic Couplings for Railway
Vehicles.
I, JOSEPH SINCLAIR Fairfax, of 433 Strand, in the County of London,
Patent Agent and Consulting 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, as communicated to me, relates to an improved automatic coupling
for railway rolling stock, whereby railway vehicles may be automatically coupled
together when brought in contact. Means are also provided for uncoupling, from
the side of the vehicles, to avoid sending a man between them.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing the ends of two railway vehicles each provided
with a coupling buffer and uncoupling gear.
Fig. 2 is a plan, and Fig. 3 a face elevation, of the uncoupling gear.
Fig. 4 is an elevation (partly in section) of a coupling buffer, and Fig. 5.is a plan
of the same.
Fig. 6 is an elevation, and Fig. 7 a plan, of a coupling link.
In the drawings, a guide box a is secured in a central position to the end framing
of a vehicle, in any convenient manner. The guide box a is bored or otherwise
adapted to receive a socket combined with a pulling bolt'c secured in any known
manner to the under frame. A squared or other suitably formed buffer d is fitted
within the socket and connected therewith by a vertical pin e in such a manner
that the buffer d is free to move through a horizontal are upon the pin e as a centre,
a little play being allowed in the hole. The buffer d carries a spiral spring and
washer 9, the latter being wedge shaped vertically and fitting correspondingly to
the front portion of the socket b, which arrangement tends to keep the axial line of
the buffer d quite central (through the action of the spring), while the pin e
allows a slight radial movement thereof under pressure to adapt the parts to the
curvature of the rails. The head of the buffer d is shaped as shown, and it carries
a coupling hook h, forked at the bottom where it is pivoted to the horizontal pin i,
the front end of the hook passing through an orifice in the top of the buffer head,
as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.
The horizontal pin i also carries a pivoted coupling link j, having a slight
depression on its upper face to receive the nose of the coupling hook, which latter
is lifted from that position by the shackle k and attached chain when actuated by
the uncoupling gear. The coupling link with its depression, is so formed as to
facilitate the sliding action of a similar link and coupling hook over its surface,
when brought together for automatic coupling, and the shape of its pivoted ends
tends to keep it (to some extent) in a horizontal position. The inner part of
each buffer head is funnel shaped, thus facilitating automatic coupling by guiding
each opposite coupling link into a central position, in a manner well known.
The uncoupling device consists of a bar m sliding in guides n mounted trans-
versely on each vehicle end so as to be actuated on either side thereof by pulling
or pushing either handle o. A lever pis pivoted to one of the guides n, and
carries at its free extremity an eyebolt y whose circular shoulder rests in a V shaped
cam depression made in the central part of the sliding bar m. On actuating the
slide bar m by one of the handles o, the pivoted lever p is raised up from its lowest
position to its highest (as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3) and holds the bar
against vibratory movement by an inclined shoulder resting against the circular
shoulder of eyebolt q. A small chain / connects the eyebolt with the shackle k on
the coupling hook h, and lifts the latter in uncoupling when actuated by the sliding
bar m, as shown on the left side of Fig. 1.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is ;-
1. An automatic coupling having in combination a funnel shaped bufferhead and
turned body d, pivoted on vertical pine to socket b, sliding in guide box a, spring ƒ
and wedge shaped washer g, pivoted coupling hook, horizontal pin i, coupling
link j, operating substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and described.
2. An uncoupling device comprising in combination a transversely arranged
sliding bar m having a central cam depression, guides n, pivoted lever p, eyebolt q,
chain, coupling hook h, operating substantially as and for the purpose herein
described.
3. In a coupling, a coupling link of a flattened tongue like shape, flat at the
bottom and having a horizontal eye through the upturned root portion of the said
link, a sunken recess on the upper face, and a vertical coupling hole through the
outer end thereof, substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and described.
Dated this 27th day of September 1893.
FAIRFAX & WETTER,
433, Strand, London, Agents for the Applicant.