Improvements in Car Couplings.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 20th May, 1890-Accepted, 19th July, 1890.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Car Couplings.
I, NELSON NEWMAN, of 631 South Eighth Street, Springfield, County of Sangamon
State of Illinois, United States of America Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature
of the said invention to be as follows:
My invention relates to Improvements in Car Couplings.
In a coupling embodying this invention the draw heads have their outer ends flared
and are arranged and guided between pairs of guide beams which are secured and
arranged longitudinally under the end portions of the cars. The upper sides of the
draw heads bear against the lower sides of the cars and plates are bolted to the lower
sides of the guide beams, connect the same in pairs and extend under the drawheads.
Thereby the latter are adapted to move longitudinally between the guide beams.
Arranged at a suitable distance in rear of the drawheads are cross plates which
connect the pairs of guide beams and from the rear ends of the drawheads extend
shanks which pass through and are guided in openings in the cross plates.
Coiled extensile spring are arranged on the portions of the said shanks between
the rear ends of the drawheads and the cross plates and other similar extensile
coiled springs are arranged on the rear portions of the shanks and bear against
the cross plates and against washers which are retained in place on the shanks by
pins extending through transverse openings in the latter.
The said springs act as buffers to lessen the shock of concussion when the cars are
run together in making up a train and to cause the cars to move forward easily and
without unpleasant jerks and jars when the train starts and is in motion.
Arranged in the throat of each drawhead and adapted to move longitudinally
therein is a link holder having an inward or rearward extending stud.
Coiled extensile springs are arranged in the inner ends of the drawheads and have
their front ends fitted on the studs last mentioned and bearing against the rear or
inner sides of the link holders the said springs serving to normally force the link
holders towards the open ends of the drawhead.
Each link holder has a horizontal transverse open slot adapted to receive one end of
a link and a vertical longitudinal open slot through which and also through the link
passes a coupling pin.
The link holders are thereby adapted to move longitudinally on the said pins and
one of the links is at all times ordinarily attached to each drawhead. The said
coupling pins pass through and are normally retained in vertical openings in the
upper and lower sides of the drawheads and register with the slots when the link
holders are pressed inward.
The drawheads are further provided at a suitable distance in advance of the vertical
openings above mentioned with other vertical openings adapted for the reception of
coupling pins. On the upper sides of the drawheads are bolted vertical cylindrical
pin guides in which the heads of the coupling pins are adapted to play. The upper
ends of the said pin guides are partly closed to prevent the pins from being entirely
disengaged and thereby the said pins are at all times retained in alignment with the
said openings ready for instantaneous operation when coupling or un-coupling
the cars.
Endwise moving rods are provided at their ends with longitudinal slots and are
arranged transversely on the ends of the cars. Bolts or pins work in the said slots,
are attached to the ends of the cars and form guides for the rods.
At the ends of the rods are handles by which they may be operated by persons
standing on the ground on either side of the train. From the lower side of each rod

page_text: near one end thereof depends an arm and from the upper side of each rod near the
opposite end thereof extends another vertical arm.
A lever arm has its inner end pivotally attached to each end of each car at a slight
distance above the end wise moving rod and the outer end of the said lever arm is
attached to the upper end of the proximate coupling pin by means of a chain which
plays in the upper end of the pin guide. A chain connects the said lever arm to the
depending arm of the endwise moving rod and is guided on an anti friction pulley
and another chain connects the said lever arm to the other arm of the rod and is
guided on another antifriction pulley. A hand lever is pivoted on the end of the car
by a pin or bolt that works in a slot of said lever and the lower end of the latter is
pivotally connected to the upper end of the one arm of the endwise moving rod.
BERNH
DUKES,
226, High Holborn, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Car Couplings.
1 NELSON NEWMAN of 631 South Eighth Street, Springfield County of Sangamon
State of Illinois Gentleman 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 :-
My invention relates to an improvement in car-couplings and it consists in the
peculiar construction and combination of devices that will be more fully set forth
hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a car coupling embodying my improvements.
Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same.
Fig. 3 is a detailed perspective view of one of the link holders.
The draw heads A have their outer ends flared and are arranged and guided
between pairs of beams B which are secured and arranged longitudinally under the
end portions of the cars. The upper sides of the drawheads bear against the lower
sides of the cars and plates C are bolted to the lower sides of the guide beams B
connect the same in pairs and extend under the drawheads. Thereby the latter are
adapted to move longitudinally between the guide beams.
Arranged at a suitable distance in rear of the drawheads are cross-plates D which
connect the pairs of guide beams and from the rear ends of the drawheads extend
shanks E which pass through and are guided in openings in the cross plates.
Coiled extensile springs F are arranged on the portions of the said shanks E
between the rear ends of the drawheads and the cross-plates and similar extensile
coiled springs G are arranged on the rear portions of the shanks E and bear
against the cross plates and against washers H which are retained in place on the
shanks by pins I which extend through transverse openings in the latter.
The said springs F G act as buffers, to lessen the shock of concussion when the
cars are run together in making up a train and to cause the cars to move forward
easily and without unpleasant jerks and jars when the train starts and is in
motion.
Arranged in the throat of each drawhead and adapted to move longitudinally
therein, is a link-holder K, having an inward or rearward extending stud L.
Coiled extensile springs M are arranged in the inner ends of the drawheads and
have their front ends fitted on the studs L and bearing against the rear or inner sides
of the link holders, the said springs serving to normally force the link holders towards
the open ends of the drawheads.
Each link holder has a horizontal transverse open slot N adapted to receive one end
of a link O and a vertical longitudinal open slot P through which and also through the
link, passes a coupling pin R.

page_text: The link holders are thereby adapted to move longitudinally on the said pins and
one of the links O is at all times ordinarily attached to each drawhead. The said
coupling pins R pass through and are normally retained in vertical openings S in the
upper and lower sides of the drawheads and which register with the slots P when the
link holders are pressed inward against the tension of the springs M.
The drawheads are further provided at a suitable distance in advance of the
openings S with vertical openings T adapted for the reception of coupling pins U.
On the upper sides of the drawheads are bolted vertical cylindrical pin guides V which
are over the openings T and in which the heads of the coupling pins U are adapted to
play. The upper ends of the said pin guides are partly closed to prevent the pins U
from being entirely disengaged from the openings T and thereby the said pins are at
all times retained in alignment with the said openings, ready for instantaneous
operation when coupling or uncoupling the cars.
Endwise moving rods W are provided at their ends with longitudinal slots X and
are arranged transversely on the ends of the cars. Bolts or pins Y work in the said
slots, are attached to the ends of the cars and form guides for the rods as will be
readily understood.
At the ends of the rods are handles Z by which they may be operated by persons
standing on the ground on either side of the train. From the lower side of each
rod W near one end thereof depends an arm A¹ and from the upper side of each rod
near the opposite end thereof extends a vertical arm B¹.
A lever arm Chas its inner end pivotally attached to each end of each car at a
slight distance above the rod W and the outer end of the said lever arm is attached
to the upper end of the proximate coupling pin U by means of a chain D' which
plays in the upper end of the pin guide. A chain E' connects the said lever arm to
the depending arm A¹ of the rod W and is guided on an anti friction pulley F¹ and a
chain G¹ connects the said lever arm to the arm B₁ of the rod W and is guided on an
antifriction pulley H¹. A hand lever I' is pivoted on the end of the car by a pin or
bolt K¹ that works in a slot L of said lever and the lower end of the latter is
pivotally connected to the upper end of the arm B¹.
The operation of my invention is as follows:-
Before running the cars together the levers are turned in the direction indicated
by the arrow in Fig. 1 which causes the rods W to move in the opposite direction,
slacken the chains E' and tighten the chains D'G' and thereby elevate the coupling
pins U. The links enter the opposing drawheads when the cars come together and
are arranged one above the other as shown in Fig. 2 and the levers I¹ being then
moved to the position shown in Fig. 1, the chains E¹ tighten, draw down on the lever
arm C and cause the pins U to descend and engage the coupling links and thereby
securely connect the cars together.
In the event that one link or pin should break the other link and remaining pins
will prevent the train from parting. The spring pressed link holders yield when the
cars rush together while in inotion and in a great degree relieve the coupling links of
violent strains.
By removing the pins R the springs M are caused to force the link holders
outward until the inner ends of their slots P bear against the coupling pins U
and said link holders force the links outward, a corresponding distance thus
increasing the length of those portions of the links that project beyond the draw-
heads and hence enabling a car provided with my improved drawhead and coupling
devices to be coupled to a car of much greater or less height.
It will be apparent that the coupling devices herein before described may be
operated by persons on the tops of the cars or on either side thereof and without
the necessity of risking life or limb by going between the cars.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
ion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination of the drawheads having the pairs of coupling pins U R one

page_text: in advance of the other, the spring pressed link holders K arranged in the drawheads
and having the transverse open slots N to receive and retain the inner ends of the
links and vertical open slots P for the pins R to enable said pins to retain said inner
ends of the links in the holders, said slots N being of greater depth than the said
slots P and the pair of coupling links O, substantially as described.
2. In a car coupling the combination with the drawhead and coupling pin of the
longitudinally movable bar W, the vertically movable lever arm C¹ the chain
connecting the latter to the coupling pin, the hand lever I connected to the bar W
and the chains connecting the lever arm (to said bar at opposite ends of the latter
and at points above and below the lever arm C', substantially as described.
3 In a car coupling the combination with the draw head and coupling pin, of the
lever arm C¹ the chain connecting the same to the pin, the longitudinally movable
rod W having the arms A¹ B' extending from its lower and upper sides the chains
connecting the lever arm C to the extremities of said arms A' B and the guides for
said chains, substantially as described.
Dated this 20th of Mov 1800
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.