IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLING APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES
Year: 1885

page_text: ARTHUR WILLIAM LOVELL REDDIE of the Office for Patents, 6 Bream's
Buildings Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent do hereby
declare the nature of the invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLING APPARATUS
FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
.
The present application relates to certain improvements in apparatus for
automatically coupling railway carriages which has been devised for the purpose of
rendering such apparatus stronger in use, more certain in its action, and less
liable to derangement.
.
An important feature of the present improvements consists in the use of
bell-mouthed coupling sockets of peculiar form made entirely of wrought iron,
and the invention further relates to certain improvements in the arrangement of
these wrought iron bell mouthed sockets and parts connected therewith.
"
The nature of the several improvements will be understood from the following
description reference being made to the accompanying Drawing in which Fig 1 is a
plan view of parts of two carriages X and Y coupled according to the improved
system, and Fig 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 1-2 of Fig 1.
The apparatus. consists of two sets of sockets or box casings A and B, each end
of a carriage being fitted with one set, so that a socket A at the end of one carriage
faces a socket B at the end of the other carriage, and vice versa.
The end of each carriage is provided with a draw bar C one end of which is
permanently fitted to the casing or socket A, the other end being adapted to enter
and be automatically locked within the casing or bell mouthed socket B on the end
of the adjacent carriage. It will be seen that according to the general arrangement
of these parts the carriages when coupled are held by a pair of draw bars, and that
no matter which ends of the carriages are brought together the coupling can
always take place.
The draw bars Care each formed of a rigid rod having a round eye a at one end,
and an elongated eye or loop b at the other end, and both eyes are arranged when
n use in a vertical plane, that is to say, a bolt passing through them will be in a.
horizontal position.

page_text: The bar C is secured within the casing or socket A by a bolt d passing through
the eye a, and this bolt d can move horizontally in grooves or slots cut in opposite
sides of the casing A. A spring r shaped like a lyre and secured to the inner end
of the casing A tends to hold the bar C constantly in a forward position.
The other end 6 of the bar C enters the corresponding socket B as above stated, 5
and is locked therein. The four sides or outer edges of the socket B are splayed or
of bell mouth form, so as to guide the end b of the bar C to the centre as it enters
the socket. In so doing the bar C pushes before it a hinged pawl or catch and
thereby liberates the locking bolt D which is forced by a powerful coiled spring R
to suddenly enter the loop or elongated eye 6 of the bar C.
To set this spring locking bolt ready for the coupling operation the following
arrangement is employed:-
1
Above the sockets A, B, is mounted horizontally a rod T held and guided in
sleeves c fixed to the carriage This rod is provided at each end with a handle p
for operating it, and carries at a suitable distance from its ends an extension piece 1
or arm T provided with an eye for the passage of the locking bolt D. This bolt D
is formed with a shoulder e and with a stem or prolongation which works through
a guide s firmly bolted to the casing or socket B, a powerful coiled spring R being
fitted around the said prolongation and bearing at each end against the guide 8 and
shoulder e respectively.
A stop g limits the movement of the rod T in the direction of the arrow.
It will now be perceived that by operating on the handles p of the rod T, which
may be done from one side or the other of the track, and clear of the line; and so
shifting the rod end wise in the direction of the arrows (Fig: 1) the locking spring
bolt D may be drawn or forced out of engagement with the loop b of the bar C,
and that as the bar C leaves the socket B it will allow the hinged pawl or stop v
to fall by its own weight and the said pawl or stop will block the passage of the
locking bolt and hold it back ready to shoot forward automatically at the next
coupling operation.
It should be observed that it is possible to turn the draw bar C around the pin d
and to support it either in a horizontal position ready for the act of coupling; or in
a vertical position, as when a single carriage is being shunted, or for other reasons.
To this end a hinged catch is arranged across the mouth of the casing or
socket A. By raising the bar and swinging up the catch i out of the way, the bar
may be dropped to the vertical position indicated by dotted lines in Fig 2. To
restore the bar to and hold it in a horizontal position it is only necessary to raise
the free end of the bar, causing the bar to lift and pass over the catch i, which will
drop of itself into place again beneath the bar and support it. in its extended
position.
The bar does not rest directly upon the hinged catch i, but on a sort of small
spring ledge or table i¹ the object of this arrangement being to prevent the bar
bending or twisting, or the catch being broken in the case of possible variations in
the level at which the couplings of a pair of wagons are mounted.
The sockets or casings of the coupling apparatus are formed by forging stamping.
or drawing and are shaped as indicated in the Drawing. They are connected by a
cross bar F to the middle of which the draw hook o and also a rod G are secured;
the other end of the rod G being connected by a powerful traction spring to the
carriage near its centre.
The rods t and th which are forged in one with the casings or sockets A and B,
and connect them with the cross bar F pass through guides in the frame of the
carriage so that the said casings or sockets are supported in the same horizontal
plane.
The rod G is divided at a suitable point to receive the tightening device which
comprises a counter shaft K with hand wheels M at each end and an endless
screw V in the middle.
The endless screw acts on a helicoidal wheel H secured to the right and left
handed screw threaded socket or sleeve h into which the two portions of the rod G

page_text: screw, and by these means the two sets of coupling boxes A B may be drawn
together more or less, according to the direction in which the hand wheels M are
rotated.
The shaft K is carried in bearings U mounted to slide in or on guides or ways
attached to the frame of the carriage, so as to adapt themselves to the strains of
traction.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
me by my Foreign Correspondents I declare that what I claim is
1. In a coupling for railway carriages the combination with the draw bar C
provided with a round eye a, of the wrought iron casing or socket A having
openings or slots on its opposite sides, pin d passing horizontally through the said
openings or slots, and spring such as r substantially as described with reference to
the drawing.
2. In a coupling for railway carriages the combination with the draw bar C and
slotted casing or socket A, of the pin d and hinged spring support, i, il as and for
the purpose set forth.
3. The combination with the wrought iron socket or casing B and draw bar C of
the spring-actuated locking bolt D arranged to pass horizontally through holes in
the sides of the said socket or casing and to be actuated by hand through a rod T
from either side of the line as and for the purpose set forth.
4. The combination with the socket or casing B, draw bar C, and horizontal
spring-actuated bolt D, of the pawl or catch v loosely hinged to the top of the
socket or casing B for holding the bolt D in its withdrawn position, ready for the
coupling operation.
5. The improved combination and arrangement of parts for effecting the proper
tightening up of the carriages when coupled, as described and shown in the
drawing,