COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY & OTHER VEHICLES
Year: 1885

page_text: ROBERT STONE 83 Lawrence Hill Bristol Watchmaker I Robert Stone do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY &
OTHER VEHICLES to be as follows:-
This invention relates to an improved Coupling for Railway & other Vehicles
& is so designed as to effect the Coupling and uncoupling of Railway Vehicles
with simplicity and security and without necessitating the handling of the
Couplings.
At the end of each Vehicle is fixed to the draw bar or shackle pin twin jointed
bars or (cradle) which is raised by means of a chain or rope, passed through a
twin pully, fixed on the end or wall of each Vehicle.
The twin jointed bars or (cradle) passing through two swivels, fixed on the
farthest link of present Couplings.
The whole of the present Couplings, being utilised in their entirety, both on
Goods Wagons and Passenger Coaches.

page_text: Coupling
WHE
I, ROBERT STONE, of 83, Lawrence Hill, in the City and County of Bristol,
Watchmaker, 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 consists in improvements in means for coupling and uncoupling
railway vihicles. It is applicable also to vehicles for tramways.-According to
this invention, coupling and uncoupling of such vehicles may be effected without
necessity on the part of the Attendant by whom the operation is performed of.
going between the vehicle and exposing himself to possible injury or loss of life.
The ordinary screw couplings and coupling chains are retained. Each coupling
or coupling chain is connected to a frame or cradle made up of bars divided at or
about midway in the cradle and pivotted or hinged to one another. The outer
ends of the side bars of the cradle are passed through eyes, swivels or sockets
attached to the end link of a coupling chain or to the outer shackle of a screw
coupling. In those vehicles where the chain coupling is suspended from a pin
passed through the draw bar behind the hook, the cradle is carried on the said pin.
Most vehicles used for conveyance of goods have such pins.
In passenger carriages and in such other vehicles as have not shackle pins, the
cradle is carried on a pin passed through a collar or clamp secured on the draw
bar by a bolt or screw passed through the clamp or collar below the bar. The
cradle is kept in proper position on the pin by means of short pieces of tubing
through which the pin is passed and which bear at their inner ends against the
draw bar, and at their outer ends against the side bars of the cradle.
For operating the cradle to cause the vehicles to become coupled or uncoupled,
I have, in the Provisional Specification left with my application for Letters Patent
to this invention, specified, as a means, a rope or chain passing over a pulley fixed
to the ends of each vehicle. I have, however, found that 'a 'crank actuated through
the medium of a hand lever or of hand levers is more suitable and I therefore
prefer to adopt it instead of the rope or chain and pulley.
Referring to the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings, Fig. 1 represents a
side elevation of part of two passenger carriages A, A' fitted with the improved
means for coupling and uncoupling in which this invention consists. The buffers
are not shown. Fig. 2 represents a cradle and screw coupling in plan. The outer
shackles of the screw couplings a are connected to the cradles b by the eyes,
swivels or sockets c through which the outer ends of the side bars of the cradles
are passed. The side bars of the cradles 6 are divided and are hinged as at e.
They are tied together by the bars g. The cradles b are carried on the pins h
passed through the collars i bolted around the draw bars x. The cradle is kept in
position by means of the short pieces of tubing y through which the pins h are
passed, as seen at Fig. 2. This method of attachment of the cradles is adopted
where, as in passenger vehicles and some goods wagons, a shackle pin is not found.
Fig. 3 represents a side elevation of part of two trucks K, Ki fitted with the
improved means for coupling and uncoupling constituting this invention. Fig. 4

page_text: represents a cradle and coupling chain in plan. The cradles b are carried on the
pins h passed through the draw bars x behind the hooks. The outer links of the
coupling chains a are connected by the eyes, swivels or sockets c to the side bars of
the cradles b, the side bars being hinged or jointed as at e as shown.
For operating the cradles to cause the vehicles to be coupled or uncoupled,
I prefer to adopt a crank such as with levers m. Toothed racks n are fixed to
each side of each vehicle to receive the levers m, when the crank has been operated
to raise the cradle into position for coupling, as seen at truck K Fig. 3.
The crank of the truck K is shown holding the cradle so that the coupling
chain a is in the required position to mount over and take into the hook of the
truck K. After the truck K has been coupled to the truck K¹, the crank and
levers are moved to the position shown at truck K¹.
Similarly after the carriages A and A¹ Fig. 1 have been coupled by means of the
cradle of the carriage A, the crank and levers are moved to the position shown.
The cranks are maintained in such position by the chains p fixed to each side of
each vehicle. In order to uncouple the vehicles the crank of that vehicle by the
cradle of which the vehicles are connected is actuated to raise the end link or outer
shackle, and the vehicles being made to approach nearer to one another by the
engine or other means, the link or shackle is freed from engagement with the
coupling hook.
It will be seen that the cradle of ons vehicle only is used in coupling or
uncoupling, the cradle of the other vehicle being unemployed and held in the
position shown at passenger carriage A/Fig. 1 and truck K¹, Fig. 3.
The cranks by which the cradles are actuated are furnished with arms o as seen
more particularly in plan at Fig. 5, to assist in uncoupling when the buffers are
short and the space between the vehicles narrow. In this case the arms o will,
in uncoupling, bear upon the underside of those members of the cradle by which
attachment is made to the draw bar or collar i, and the other member will raise
the link or shackle out of the coupling hook, the front end of the crank bearing on
the underside of the second member.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First. The use in connection with ordinary screw couplings or coupling chains
of railway vehicles of a jointed cradle or frame such as b constructed and arranged
to carry such couplings or coupling chains and designed to be operated for the
purpose of assisting in effecting coupling and uncoupling such vehicles, sub-
stantially as herein before described and shewn in the accompanying sheet of
illustrative drawings.
Second. The combination of a jointed cradle or frame such as b eonnected to
ordinary screw couplings or coupling chains of railway vehicles, and a crank such
as or the equivalent thereof for operating the same to assist in coupling or
uncoupling the vehicles, substantially as herein before described and shewn in the
accompanying sheet of drawings.
D