Year: 1888

page_text: I, WILLIAM JAMES, of 79 Eldon Street South Shields, in the County of Durham,
Blacksmith, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
--
This invention relates to an improved railway coupling and uncoupling pole.
Hitherto the device used for this purpose has consisted of a curved or twisted hook
secured to the end of a pole or shank without any arrangement for effectively gripping
the coupling link with the result that the link occasionally slips off the hook whence
of course arises delay.
According to my invention I so construct the socket of the hook as to leave space
for a moveable tooth which is operated by a rod preferably sunk into the pole or
shank and communicating with the handle end. of the latter reciprocating motion
being given to the rod and tooth by means of a curved lever or handle suitably
centred and controlled by a spring substantially analogous to the arrangement
of locking device on a locomotive reversing lever.
Under normal conditions the spring keeps the face of the tooth within the socket
and on engaging a link for the purpose of coupling or uncoupling the compression of
the spring by the hand of the attendant projects the tooth against the link firmly
gripping the same against the side of the hook which can then be manipulated with
greater ease and certainty than has hitherto been found to be practicable the release
of the spring by withdrawing the tooth towards the socket disengaging the grip and
allowing the link and hook to become again disconnected.
Dated this 28th day of March 1888.
A. CRAWHALL CHAPMAN,
2, St. Nicholas' Buildings, Newcastle-on-Tyne,
Patent Agent for Applicant.

page_text: I, WILLIAM JAMES of 79 Eldon Street South Shields in the county of Durham
Blacksmith 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 relates to an improved railway coupling and uncoupling pole.
Hitherto the device used for this purpose has consisted of a curved or twisted hook
secured to the end of a pole or shank without any arrangement for effectively
gripping the coupling link with the result that the link occasionally slips off the hook
whence of course arises delay. According to my invention I so construct the socket
of the book as to leave space for a movable tooth which is operated by a rod preferably
sunk into the pole or shank and communicating with the handle end of the latter
reciprocatory motion being given to the rod and tooth by means of a curved lever or
handle suitably centred and controlled by a spring substantially analogous to the
arrangement of locking device on a locomotive reversing lever.
Under normal conditions the spring keeps the face of the tooth within the socket
and on engaging a link for the purpose of coupling or uncoupling the compression of
the spring by the hand of the attendant projects the tooth against the link firmly
gripping the same against the side of the hook which can then be manipulated with
greater ease and certainty than has hitherto been found to be practicable the release
of the spring by withdrawing the tooth towards the socket disengaging the grip and
allowing the link and hook to become again disconnected. I will now fully describe
my invention having reference to the accompanying drawings in which the left hand
portion of Fig. 1 shows the hook and socket end of a railway coupling and uncoupling
pole in longitudinal sectional elevation the handle end or right hand portion of this
figure being shown in longitudinal elevation. Figs. 2. 3 and 5 are cross sections on
the lines WX, Y Z and UV in Fig. 1 respectively and Fig. 4 is a cross section of
the movable tooth d hereinafter again referred to. Throughout the following
description similar letters of reference in the specification and in the drawings
designate corresponding parts.
a is an ordinary wooden pole substantially similar to those now in use for railway
coupling and uncoupling on which the hook b is fitted, by means of the socket c in any
well known manner. dis an iron hoop encircling the pole a near the handle end of
the same and terminating on its upper side in a pair of lugs or horns d¹ between
which the curved lever is mounted on a pin d. To the end d of short arm d³ of
lever one end of rod de is attached by means of a double eye or otherwise the
outer end of this rod being attached to the tooth & situate in a recess in the hook-end
of pole a and underneath the hook socket c.
This rod d which may be of three-sixteenths round iron works in a groove formed in
the pole a and it is protected and guided therein by means of a brass or other plate d³
secured to the pole as shown clearly in Fig. 3.
-

page_text: The long arm of lever is controlled by a spring d¹0 so arranged at to exert the
pressure due to its resilience in an upward direction so as to keep d' raised up from
pole a the effect of which is to keep the short arm d³ in an inward position (as shown
in Fig. 1) and as d³ is connected by rod d to tooth d' the latter is also normally kept
in an inward position as shown in Fig. 1.
The operation of my invention is thus as follows: The operator holding the pole in
his two hands having slipped the hook 6 over a coupling link such as e shown
in section he then depresses din opposition to the spring pressure as shown by
dotted lines in Fig. 1. the immediate effect of which is to project the tooth d' against
the link as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The link is thus jambed between the
outer jaw of the hook band the tooth d with the result that the link can be
manipulated with greater ease and certainty than has hitherto been found to be
practicable.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is :
(1) The combination with a railway coupling and uncoupling pole and hook of a
movable tooth such as d' operated from the handle end of the pole so as to grip the
link the several parts being arranged and operating substantially in the manner and
for the purposes herein before set forth.