IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY COUPLINGS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Louis Sterne, of 9, Victoria Chambers, in the
City of Westminster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN RAILWAY COUPLINGS."
Sealed the 4th August 1874, and dated the 26th February 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Louis Sterne at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th February 1874.
I, LOUIS STERNE, of 9, Victoria Chambers, in the City of Westminster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY COUPLINGS," to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to construct railway couplings in such
manner that they become coupled by the simple meeting or coming
together of two wagons or carriages, and that they may be readily
uncoupled without requiring the attendant to go between the vehicles.
My Invention consists in placing at each end of every wagon a fixed
hook and a spring hook so placed that when the ends of two wagons
-

page_text: meet the spring hook upon cach wagon engages into the fixed hook of
the other wagon.
The manner in which I prefer to arrange the hooks is to form the
fixed hook on the end of a central draw and buffer bar, and to attach the
spring hook to the back of the fixed hook by means of a vertical pin
which forms its centre or axis. A spring acting against the tail of tho
hook tends to force the hook inwards, so that when it meets the fixed
hook of another wagon the spring after first allowing it to "give" in
order that it may pass, the fixed hook at once causes it to engage with
the fixed hook.
To uncouple the hooks I attach to the tail of each spring hook a rod
which extends to both sides of the wagon, and is provided at each end
with a lever handle. It is only necessary for the attendant to pull the
lever handle connected with one hook, and to push the lever handle
connected with the other in order to release the coupling.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Louis Sterne in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 24th August 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LOUIS
STERNE, of 9, Victoria Chambers, in the City of Westminster, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Iler
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in
the thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Louis Sterne, Her
special licence that I, the said Louis Sterne, my executors, adminis-
trators and assigns, or such others as I, the said Louis Sterne, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY COUPLINGS," upon the condition (amongst

page_text: others) that I, the said Louis Sterne, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing, under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Louis Sterne, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, that is to say :—
The object of my Invention is to construct railway couplings in such
manner that they become coupled by the simple meeting or coming
together of two wagons or carriages, and that they may be readily
uncoupled without requiring the attendant to go between the vehicles.
My Invention consists in fitting at each end of every wagon a fixed
hook and a spring hook, so placed that when the ends of two wagons
meet the spring hook upon each wagon engages into the fixed hook of
the other wagon.
The manner in which I prefer to arrange the hooks is to form the
fixed hook on the end of a central draw and buffer bar, and to attach the
spring hook to the back of the fixed hook by means of a vertical pin
which forms the centre or axis. A spring acting against the tail of the
hook or at other convenient point tends to force the hook inwards, so
that when it meets the fixed hook of another wagon the spring after first
allowing it to give in order that it may pass, the fixed hook at once
causes it to engage with the fixed hook.
My self-acting coupling will be fully understood on reference to the
annexed Drawings, which represent several views of wagons with the
coupling applied thereto.
a, a', are two central draw and buffer bars belonging respectively to
two adjoining wagons; c, c², are the buffer heads each of which is
provided with a hook d, d', forming part thereof. At the back of each
hook d, , that is to say, at the opposite side of the buffer head another
hook e, e', is attached by means of a vertical pin f, f', on which it can

page_text: move horizontally. Each of the hooks e, e', is provided with a spring 9, 9',
acting against the tail of the hook so as to force the hook inwards.
It will be readily understood that when the two wagons meet each of
the spring hooks e, e¹, on the respective wagons will come against the
fixed hook d', d, of the other wagon and will be forced outwards, the t
springs 9, 9', yielding until the hooks have passed each other, when
the springs will cause them to engage together as seen in the Figures.
To uncouple the hooks I attach to the tail of cach spring hook c, e¹, a
rod h, h¹, which may be operated in any convenient manner. I shew
several ways in the Figures.
In the coupling scen towards the left hand of Figs. 1 and 2, the
rods, h, are connected to levers i, i, the position of which is
approximately vertical; these levers i, ³, work in guides h, k, on the
ends of the wagons, and may during shunting be retained in position by
pins (secured by chains) passed through one or other of the holes / seen 1
in the end view Figure 3, the left half of which corresponds with the
coupling seen at the left hand of Figures 1 and 2.
In order to release the coupling it is only necessary for the attendant
to pull the lever handle and to push the lever handle i¹.
In the coupling seen towards the right hand of Figures 1 and 2, and 2
in the right hand half of Figure 3, the rods h, h', are connected to bell
cranks m, m³, centred at n, n'. These bell cranks are provided with
handles o, o¹. In order to release the coupling the attendant lifts the
handle o¹, and depresses the handle o.
In Figures 4, 5, and 6, I show rods h, h', with handles which move in 2
and out horizontally.
The means employed for releasing the coupling will in every case bo
applied at one side or at both sides of the wagons as thought desirable.
In witness whereof, I, the said Louis Sterne, have hereunto set
hand and scal, this Seventeenth day of August, One thousand 8
eight hundred and seventy-four.
my
L STERNE (1.0)