Improvements in Railway Couplings.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 6th June, 1887,
Complete Left, 19th July, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 19th Aug., 1887..
[Communicated from abroad by JOSEPH GOODMAN CLARKSON (Lumberman), of
Arcadia, Iron County, in the State of Missouri, United States of America.]
Improvements in Railway Couplings.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows :-
:-
This Invention consists in the combination with a draw bar having a chambered
head, of a spring pressed follower and of a vertical coupling pin which is guided
in an aperture in the head of the draw-bar and is held by the follower, in position
to engage with the coupling link. The pin is cut away at its lower part, so as to
form a shoulder which rests on the follower, and it has a lug which rests on the
top of the draw-bar. The draw-bar is provided with a covering having a segmental
recess, to permit the pin to turn when raised. A groove in the aperture in which
the pin is fitted gives passage to the lug when the pin is raised or lowered.
The operation is as follows;-By raising the pin, so as to bring the lug in the
segmental recess of the covering and turning the said pin so as to bring the
flattened surface thereof against the upper edge of the head of the follower with
the shoulder resting upon the top of the said head, the pin is held in position
for engagement with the link carried by the adjacent coupling. When the link
enters the chambered head of the draw bar, it pushes back the follower and releases
the pin so that it drops through the link and effects the coupling of the cars. The
head of the follower is cut away or bevelled on its lower part to enable it to hold
the link in a suitable position so that it will enter the adjacent coupling. The
coupling is uncoupled by withdrawing the pin, by a rod extending to the top of the
carriage. The pin is provided with a T-shaped head, which rests in a transverse
notch in the covering and prevents the pin from turning when the cars are
coupled, thus always ensuring the engagement of the convex side of the lower
end of the pin with the lower part of the draw bar.
1.
1
T1007
A. MELVILLE CLARK.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
'
Improvements in Railway Couplings.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
153, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention (a communication to me from
abroad by Joseph Goodman Clarkson (Lumberman) of Arcadia, Iron County in the
State of Missouri, United States of America 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 provide a simple and effective device for coupling
railway cars which will be entirely automatic in its operation and will thus relieve the
train-men from danger in coupling the cars.
The Invention consists in the combination with the draw-bar having a chambered
head, of a spring-pressed follower adapted to hold a coupling pin in an elevated
position, also to hold the coupling link in position for engagement with the draw-bar
of the adjacent car.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specifica-
tion in which figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section taken on line - figure 4,
of a coupling constructed according to this improvement. Figure 2 is a front
elevation. Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the end of one of the
couplings taken on line y-y figure 4; and figure 4 is a partial plan view. Similar
letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
The chambered head A of the draw-bar B, is provided with a vertical aperture a
for receiving the pin C and in the chamber of the draw-bar is placed a follower b
having a head c between which and the rear wall of the chamber is placed a spring d.
The pin C inserted in the aperture a, is cut away at its lower end forming a shoulder e
and is provided with a lugf projecting laterally from one side in position to rest upon
the top of the draw-bar when the pin is withdrawn from the coupling link, and turned
slightly round, as shewn in figure 3. At the side of the hole a in the upper part of
the draw-bar, is formed a groove g which allows of the passage of the lug when the
pin drops after being released by the entrance of the link D into the draw-bar. Upon
the top of the draw-bar is arranged a covering for the lug f, which is provided
with a segmental recess which permits the said lug to turn through a part of a
revolution after being lifted through the top of the draw-bar head.
The operation of the coupling is as follows: By raising the pin C so as to bring
the lug into the segmental recess f₁ of the covering and turning the said pin so as
to bring the flattened surface thereof against the upper edge of the head c of the
follower b with the shoulder e resting upon the top of the said head, the pin C is held
in position for engagement with the link D carried by the adjacent coupling. When
the link D enters the chambered head A of the draw bar B, it pushes back the
follower band releases the pin C so that it drops through the link D and effects the
coupling of the cars. The head c of the follower bis cut away or bevelled on its lower

page_text: part to enable it to hold the link D in a horizontal position so that it will enter the
adjacent coupling. The coupling is uncoupled by withdrawing the pin C by means
of the rod extending to the top of the carriage. The pin is provided with a
T-shaped head which rests in a transverse notch k in the covering h, and prevents
the pin from turning when the carriages are coupled, thus always ensuring the
engagement of the convex side of the lower end of the pin C with the lower part of
the draw-bar.
To prevent wear in the interior of the draw head, a washer F is placed in the draw-
head and forms a guide for the follower b as well as an abutment for the spring d.
The coupling pin may be turned so that the coupling will not operate thus enabling
the train men to push the carriages without coupling them. The bevelled head of the
follower keep the link always at the bottom of the draw-head, thereby keeping
the strain on the pin near the bearing in the hole in the draw-head.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is ;-
1. The combination with the draw bar B provided with the chambered head. A of a
spring actuated follower b provided with the bevelled head the pin C provided with
the shoulder e and lug and the covering h adapted to retain the lug f and limit
the turning of the pin C, substantially as described.
Gr
2. The combination with the chambered head A of the draw bar B, of the pin C
provided with the T-shaped head j and the covering h having the transverse notch k,
substantially as described.
3. The combination with the draw bar B having the chambered head A provided
with the aperture a of the pin C having the shoulder e and T shaped head j, the rod i,
the spring-actuated follower provided with the bevelled head c and the covering h
having the segmental recess f¹ and the transverse notch k, substantially as described.
11-
1
TI
1007
A. MELVILLE CLARK.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.