IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH COUPLINGS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Lishman, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED
WITH COUPLINGS."
Sealed the 7th February 1879, and dated the 12th August 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Lishman at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th August 1878.
THOMAS LISHMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Engineer.
"IM-
PROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH COUPLINGS."
This Invention relates to improvements in and connected with couplings, the
object being to facilitate the connecting of the carriages and to obviate the necessity
of men going between them.
In carrying my Invention into effect I fit or place a bar or small shaft across the
end of the carriage and support it in brackets preferably on the body frame. At
or about the centre of this bar I key or otherwise fix two levers, each having a slot
at its free end. Depending from each of these slots is a link, the lower end of
which is connected to the draw bar or link of the carriage. This draw link may be
jointed in one or more places with a hinge-like joint to enable it to be folded in one
direction only (preferably upward). By this means short or long coupling may be
effected with the same link, it being only necessary to fold over the link at the
joint or joints and cause the hook of the adjoining carriage to take on to the joint
pin to effect short coupling, while for long coupling the link is extended to its full
length.
The ends of the cross shaft are fitted with handles to actuate the shaft, and
thereby put the coupling mechanism into and out of gear.
Another feature of my Invention consists in fitting a cross shaft under the body
frame of the carriage or truck and carried in brackets. This cross shaft is provided
at or about its centre with a screw thread and nut, the latter being arranged to
slide in one end of a slotted lever, the other end being keyed to a vertical spindle
carried in a bracket directly beneath the draw hook. The top of this spindle is
077

page_text: provided with a wiper which can be caused to act upon the inner shoulder. of the
hook, and so wipe or force it out when required by simply revolving the cross shaft.
It will be seen that this arrangement would be very advantageous in uncoupling
vehicles not provided with spring buffers, as the forcing out of the hook slackens
the coupling and enables it to be easily drawn off the nose of the said hook.
The third and last part of my Invention relates to an arrangement for drawing
the vehicles close together and enabling short coupling to be effected. It consists
of a frame fitted to the sole of the carriage or other vehicle, the frame carrying a
cross shaft on which two sheaves are keyed or otherwise fixed. This shaft carries
a bevel wheel taking into a similar wheel on an intermediate shaft; the latter
shaft carrying a worm wheel which is put in motion by a worm spindle running
across the carriage. This spindle is provided with handles so as to be actuated
from the outside, as in the case of the cross shafts before mentioned.
Chains are attached to the sheaves having at their outer ends hooks or their
equivalents for connection to the adjoining carriage.
By rotating the worm shaft the whole mechanism is put in motion and the
turning of the sheaves acting upon the chains draws the carriages together.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Lishmau in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th
February 1879.
THOMAS LISHMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Engineer.
PROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH COUPLINGS."
"IM-
This Invention relates to improvements in and connected with couplings, the
object being to facilitate the connecting of the carriages, and to obviate the necessity
of men going between them.
The Invention will be clearly understood by the following description with
reference to the annexed Drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2 represent in elevation
and plan an end of a railway truck with part of my improvements applied..
In carrying my Invention into effect I fit or place a bar or small shaft A across
the end of the carriage B and support it in brackets C on the body frame or other
available part of the truck or vehicle. At or about the centre of this bar A I key
or otherwise fix one or two levers D, D, each having a slot a or single eye at its free
end. Depending from each of these slots or eyes is a link E, the lower end of which
is connected, as shown, to the two link pieces F, F, forming the inner end of the
coupling of the carriage, the upper end of the link E being free to move in the
aforesaid slot or cye a.
This coupling is jointed at G with a hinge-like joint to
enable it to be folded in one direction only, preferably upward, a stop piece b being
provided on each of the link pieces F at the bottom side to support the next link
or shackle, enabling it to work on the principle of an ordinary foot-rule joint. By
'this means short or long coupling may be effected with the same link, it being only
necessary to fold over the outer end H of the link at the joint G (or joints) and
cause the hook of the adjoining carriage to take on to the joint pin to effect short
coupling, while for long coupling the link is extended to its full length.
The ends of the cross shaft are fitted with handles I, I, to actuate the shaft, and
'thereby put the coupling mechanism into and out of gear.
The levers D, D, and links or levers E, E, may be dispensed with, and the coupling
links worked by a lever E¹ with a forked end arranged to work the links, as shown
in Figure 1ª.
:
Another feature of my Invention consists, as will be seen by reference to Figures
3, 4, and 5, Sheet 3, in fitting a cross shaft J under the body frame of the carriage
or truck and carried in brackets K. This cross shaft is provided at or about the
centre with a screw thread c and nut d, the latter being arranged to slide in one
end of the slotted lever L, the other end being keyed to the vertical spindle M
carried in the bracket N directly beneath the draw hook O. The top of this
spindle M is provided with a wiper P (shown separately in Figure 5), which can be
caused to act upon the inner shoulder of the hook O, and so wipe or force it out
when required by simply revolving the cross shaft J, the latter being acted upon by
a removable handle. It will be seen that this arrangement would be very advan-
tageous in uncoupling vehicles not provided with spring buffers, as the forcing out
of the hook slackens the coupling and enables it to be easily drawn off the nose of
the said hook.
The third part of my Invention, which will be understood by reference to
Figures 6 and 7, relates to an arrangement for drawing the vehicles close together,
and enabling short coupling to be effected. It consists of a frame R fitted to the
sole or other available portion of the carriage or vehicle, the frame carrying a cross
shaft S on which two sheaves T, T, are keyed or otherwise fixed. This shaft carries
a bevil wheel U taking into a similar wheel V on an intermediate shaft W, the
latter shaft carrying a worm wheel X which is put in motion by a worm spindle Y,
clearly shown in Figure 7, running across the carriage. This spindle is actuated by
handles so as to be put in motion from the outside, as in the case of the cross shafts
before mentioned.

page_text: Chains, not shown in the Drawing, are attached to the sheaves T, T, having at
their outer ends hooks or their equivalents for connection to the adjoining carriage.
By rotating the worm shaft Y the whole mechanism is put in motion and the
turning of the sheaves acting upon the chains draw the carriages together.
Figure 8 shows a modification of the last-mentioned apparatus. In this Figure
it will be seen that the bevil wheels U and V are dispensed with, as well as the
cross shaft S, the vertical central spindle W being fitted with a barrel e to which
are affixed two separate chains (not shown in the Drawing), these chains being led
one around the sheave f and the other around the sheave g, their free ends carrying
hooks or their equivalents by which they can be attached to an adjoining carriage.
The vertical spindle W is fitted into a worm wheel X geared into by the worm Y,
as in the previous arrangement, and the whole can be put in motion by rotating the
worm shaft Y as before."
Figures 9 and 10 show a further modification, and differs from Figure 8 in
dispensing with the central barrel e and its spindle, and in fitting each of the shafts
of the sheaves f and g with a worm wheel X; the shaft Y being provided with two
worms for the purpose of rotating the said worm wheels.
Figures 11 and 12 show an apparatus capable of being bolted to the floor of a
guard's van for uncoupling or slipping a carriage while the train is in motion, and
consists of a screw h which can be rotated by the gearing i, j, put in motion by the
handle k. The screw h is provided with a nut at its free end capable of sliding in
a guide m, m. The link piece n through its connection with the lever o imparts
motion to the rod p when the handle k is rotated. By running a line or rope along
the train attached at one end to the handle I of the cross bar A (as seen in Figures
I and 2), and at the other end to the rod p, it is evident that a carriage could be
slipped or uncoupled by the guard in his van. This apparatus is also applicable for
continuous breaking of carriages.
Figure 13 shows the mode of connecting the break bars between each vehicle;
the screw is for the purpose of adjusting the breaks, the same being bolted to a flat
or other rod, which rod is attached to the arm on the break shaft of the carriage.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
First. The arrangement and combination of parts herein-before severally described,
and shown in the Drawings, constituting my "Improvements in and Connected
with Couplings."
Secondly. I claim as a special feature of my Invention forming a coupling with
one or more joints (similar in their action to ordinary foot-rule joints) for the
purpose of effecting long or short coupling as desired.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Lishman, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eighth day of February, One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-nine.