Improvements in the Automatic Coupling of Railway and other- similar Vehicles.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 15th June, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 16th Mar., 1896-Accepted, 18th Apr., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Automatic Coupling of Railway and other-
similar Vehicles.
I GEORGE WASHINGTON Moon, of 16 New Burlingtou Street, St. James',
Westminster, in the County of London, Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society
of Literature of Great Britain and Ireland, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows :--
This invention for improvements in the automatic coupling of railway and other
similar vehicles has for its object to facilitate the coupling and uncoupling of
railway and other vehicles without the necessity of the operator having to go
between the vehicles, and consists essentially in the particular arrangement of a ball
and socket joint for attaching the coupling hook to the draw bar so that it is free
to rise at an angle. When the hooks on two vehicles approaching each other
meet, the hooks rise upward at an angle until the edges have passed each other
when they fall automatically into engagement. A ball on the end of the coupling
hook is received into a hollow spherical box made in two halves and fixed on the
end of the draw bar and provided at the front with an inclined opening through
which the arm of the hook passes. This opening is protected from the entrance of
grit and dirt by an enlargement which is in the arm of the hook and which covers
the opening. The angle of the opening is preferably 45 degrees. Each half of
the box is solid with the corresponding half of the draw bar, and is provided with
a recess to receive an ordinary link, the opening into the recess being closed by the
end of the vehicle when the draw bar is in position.
Dated this 15th day of June 1895.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE, .
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.
Improvements in the Automatic Coupling of Railway and other
similar Vehicles.
I GEORGE WASHINGTON MOON, of 16 New Burlington Street, St. James'
Westminster, in the County of London, Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society
of Literature of Great Britain and Ireland, 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 for improvements in the automatic coupling of railway and other
similar vehicles has for its object to facilitate the coupling and uncoupling of
railway and other vehicles without the necessity of the operator having to go
between the vehicles, and consists essentially in the particular arrangement of a ball
and socket joint for attaching the coupling hook to the draw bar so that it is free
to rise at an angle. When the hooks on two vehicles approaching each other meet.
the hocks rise upward at an angle until the edges have passed each other when.
they fall automatically into engagement.

page_text: In the accompanying sheet of drawings:
Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of the shank ends of a coupling hook and draw bar
end and Fig. 2 is a sectional end elevation of the same.
Figs. 3 and 4 show perspective elevations of vehicles coupled together by two
different shaped coupling hooks constructed according to this invention.
A ball a on the end of the coupling hook 6 is received in a hollow spherical box
made in two halves c, d secured together by bolts e, as shown, and fixed on or
forming a part with the end of the draw bar f and provided at the front with an
inclined opening g through which the arm h of the hook passes. This opening is
protected from the action of grit and dirt by an enlargement i on the arm of the
hook, and which covers the said opening. The angle of the opening g is preferably
45 degrees. Each half of the box c d is preferably solid with the corresponding
half of the draw bar f as shown and is provided with a recess 1 to receive an
ordinary link m, the opening into the recess being closed by the end of the vehicle
when the draw bar is in position.
C
A chain n is connected to each hook, and led to the side or end of the vehicle, in
order to allow of its withdrawal from the outside when uncoupling,
The hook may be made in various forms: That shown in Fig. 3 is vertical,
while Fig. 4 shows a hook having its point b sloped backwards towards the
carriage.
It will be readily understood that when the hooks of two vehicles approaching
each other meet they ride upwards until their points or edges pass each other when
they automatically fall into engagement.
In order to uncouple two adjacent vehicles they are forced together sufficiently
near to allow of the hooks clearing each other when they are. withdrawn by means
of the chains n, or their equivalents, from the outside of the vehicle, thereby
avoiding the liability to accident attending the passage of the operator between
them.
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. In apparatus for automatically coupling railway and other similar vehicles,
hinging the arm carrying the coupling hook by means of a spherical joint and
guiding it in a slot or opening so that when displaced it moves in a plane making
an angle of about 45 degrees with the horizontal or vertical, or approximately so,
substantially as described.
2. The construction of automatic coupling apparatus for railway and other similar
vehicles substantially as described with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 12th day of March 1896.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.