Improvements in Car Couplers.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Mar.. 1892-Accepted, 23rd Apr., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Car Couplers.
I, JOHN THOMAS JONES, residing at 190 Farley Avenue, in the City of
Toronto, County of York, Province of Ontario, Canada, Painter, 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 that class of car-couplers in which the coupling pin is
pivoted in the draw-head in such a manner as to permit the link to displace it when
entering the draw-head and which will instantaneously return to its normal position
and prevent the withdrawal of the link the instant the link has cleared it, and the
object of the invention is to so construct the link and pin that they can be operated
from the side of the car and thus obviate the necessity of going between the cars to
either couple or uncouple the same, and the invention consists essentially of a pin
rigidly mounted on a spindle loosely journaled in suitable bearings formed in the
sides of the draw-head and projecting there beyond, said pin swinging rearwards
into the draw-head and turning the said spindle in its bearings when struck by the
link during its entrance into the draw-head, a lever connected to one or both ends
of said spindle for the purpose of turning the said pin rearwards when found
necessary to do so to release the link when uncoupling the cars, and a link con-
sisting of a U-shaped piece of metal the ends of which are bent to form eyes
through which passes a spindle loosely journaled in bearings formed in the side of
the draw-head and projecting there beyond, the said spindle flattened to provide a
means for turning the eyes of the link simultaneously with the said spindle, the
ends of said spindle being fitted to receive a lever or levers which project to
the side of the car, the whole being constructed and arranged as hereinafter
more fully set forth in the Specification and more particularly pointed out in the
claims.
In the drawings
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a draw-head showing the link, the spindle on
which the link is mounted, two slots in the lower part of the draw-head into which
the link drops when in its vertical position, the coupling pin, the spindle on
which the coupling pin is mounted and the levers for operating the coupling pin
and the link.
Figure 2 is a sectional view of two draw-heads showing them coupled by means
of the link and swing pin.
Figure 3 is a plan view showing the slots in the under side of the draw-head, the
link and the levers for operating the link and swing pin.
Figure 4 is a view of the spindle on which the link is mounted showing the
flattened surfaces.
Figure 5 is a view of the spindle on which the swing pin is mounted.
Like numerals of reference refer to like parts throughout the Specification and
drawings.
The draw-head I is of that type of draw-heads usually employed on freight cars
and cars of a like character. In the top of the draw-head 1 is a slot 2 to the rear
of the rib 4 at the front of the draw-head 1 and entering the elongated throat 3.
Formed in the sides of the draw-head 1 are two circular openings which form the
bearings for the spindle 5 fitted with a square or polygonal shoulder 6 on which is
mounted the coupling pin 7 provided with an opening 8 corresponding in size and
shape with the shoulder 6.
The coupling pin 7, as shown in the drawings, is somewhat after the shape of a

page_text: new moon and extends upwardly through the slot in the top of the draw-head 1,
the upper horn 7 resting upon the top side of the metal at the rear of the slot 2
and the lower horn 7 resting upon the lower inner side 1° of the draw-head 1.
Extending outwardly from each end of the spindle 5 is a lug 9 fitted to receive the
end of a key-lever 10 securely held in place by means of a pin 11 passing through
said key-lever and lug.
The lever 10 extends to the side of the car and is supported in suitable brackets
fastened to the car end. The end of the lever 10 is cranked to provide sufficient
purchase to readily operate the coupling pin 7. If found convenient a lever may
be attached to each end of the spindle 5 so that the coupling pin 7 can be operated
from either side of the car. Each draw-head is provided with a link 12 consisting
of a U-shaped piece of metal of any desired length and thickness bent at its inner
ends into eyes 12" flattened on their inner side at one or more points to engage
with the flattened surfaces 13" of the spindle 13 passing through them. The
spindle 13 is a cylindrical piece of metal having as before stated flattened
surfaces 13 with which engage the flattened surfaces of the eyes 12" and is
journaled in suitable bearings formed in the sides of the draw-head 1 and projecting
there beyond.
Extending outwardly from each end of the spindle 13 is a lug 14 fitted to
receive the end of the key-lever 15, similar in construction to the key-lever 10,
and extending to the side of the car. The turning of the key-lever 15 raises or
lowers the link 12 as the case may be, that is, when it is desired to couple two
cars the lever 15 is turned to bring the link opposite the mouth of the draw-head 1
and allow it to enter therein. The continued advancement of the link 12 swings
the lower end 7b of the coupling pin 7 to follow the curved dotted line shown in
the drawings until the end of the link 12 has cleared the end 7 of the coupling
pin 7, when the coupling pin 7 instantaneously drops back into its normal position
and allows the link to draw upon it. The drag of the link 12 upon the pin 7 causes
the horns 7 and 7 to bear respectively upon the upper side of the draw-head of
the lower inner side 1° of the said draw-head relieving the spindle 5 of a great
portion of the strain. When it is found necessary to uncouple the cars the cars
are backed down upon each other until the front ends of the draw-heads
meet. The lever 10 is then turned to swing the coupling pin 7 until the lower
end 7 clears the link 12 at which time the engineer can be signalled to pull
forward.
Immediately the link 12 has been withdrawn from the adjacent draw head of the
next car it drops into the vertical position shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, two
slots 16 being formed in the under side of the draw-head for that purpose.
The slots 16 are formed in the under side of the draw-head 1 and extend inwardly
from the front face of said draw-head and are so located as to receive the side
bars 12 of the link 12. By providing each draw-head with a link 12 the
inconvenience and annoyance of lost and broken links is entirely avoided as there
are always two links for each pair of draw-heads, and as the links are securely
fastened to their respective draw-heads it is impossible for it to be removed without
special tools for that purpose.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A car-coupler consisting of a draw-head, a slot formed in its upper side, a
coupling pin pivoted in the draw-head, one end of which rests upon the inner side
of the bottom of the draw-head and the other end extending through the said slot
and curved to rest upon the metal surrounding said slot, a U-shaped link the ends
of which are bent to form eyes, a spindle passing through said eyes and journaled
in the sides of the draw-head, the ends of said spindle fitted to receive a lever
extending across the end of the car to the sides and adapted to raise the link to
enter the adjacent draw-head of the next car, slots formed in the under side of the

page_text: draw-head to receive the side bars of the coupling link when the coupling link is in
its vertical position, substantially as described.
2. A car-coupler consisting of a draw-head having a slot formed in its upper side
to the rear of the rib at the front of said draw-head, a curved coupling pin mounted
on a spindle journaled in suitable bearings formed in the sides of the draw-head,
one or both ends of said spindle fitted to receive a lever extending across the end
of the car to the sides, said pin adapted to be turned rearwards and upwards by
said lever, a U-shaped link the ends of which are bent into eyes the inner sides of
which have one or more flattened surfaces, a spindle passing through said eyes
having flattened surfaces to engage with the flattened surfaces of the eyes, one or
both ends of said spindle fitted to receive a lever extending across the end of the
car to the side and adapted to raise the coupling link to enter the adjacent draw-
head of the next car, two longitudinal slots formed in the under side of said
draw-head which receive the side bars of the coupling link when in its vertical.
position, substantially as described.
3. A car-coupler consisting of a draw-head having a slot formed in its upper side
and to the rear of the rib at its front end, two slots formed in its under side
extending longitudinally inward from the front of said rib, a U-shaped coupling
link the ends of which are bent into eyes having their inner surfaces flattened, a
spindle passing through the said eyes and journaled in suitable bearings formed in
the sides of the draw-head said spindle having flattened surfaces to engage with
the flattened surfaces of the said eyes, a lug extending outwardly from one or both.
ends of said spindle fitted to receive the key-lever rigidly connected to said lug by
means of a pin passing through said key-lever and lug said key-lever extending
across the end of the car to the side and cranked at its free end, said coupling link
adapted to be raised into a horizontal position by the movement of said lever and
the side bars of the link enter the slots in the under side of the draw-head when
hanging in its vertical or normal position, a coupling pin located within the draw-.
head and having a polygonal opening therethrough through which passes a
correspondingly shaped spindle, the ends of said spindle journaled in bearings
formed in the sides of the draw-head, a lug projecting outwardly from one or both
ends of said spindle and fitted to receive a key-lever rigidly connected to the said
lugs by means of pins passing through the said key-lever and through the said lug,
said lever extending across the end of the car to the side and having its free end
cranked, said lever adapted to turn the coupling pin rearwards and upwards when
uncoupling the cars, said coupling pin extending upwardly through the slot in the
upper side of the draw head and curved to rest on the surrounding metal, sub-.
stantially as described.
4. The improved car-coupler herein before described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
c
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant..