Year: 1887

page_text: I, GEORGE FREDERICK STICKINGS of Hawley Mill near Dartford in the County of
Kent, Manager of Paper Mills, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows
--
The invention has for its object a novel arrangement and construction of apparatus
to facilitate the coupling and uncoupling of railway rolling stock and to obviate the
necessity for an attendant to place himself between adjacent vehicles when effecting
such operations.
In carrying my invention into effect I utilise the ordinary screw coupling which I
modify as follows. I cut off the lug or projection carrying the pivotted weighted arm
and I turn the centre part between the two screws to a cylindrical form preferably of
the same diameter as the summit of the screw thread. I also cut along one of the
screws and along the cylindrical part as far as the commencement of the second screw
a slot or groove to receive a key or feather hereinafter referred to.
On the cylindrical part of the screw I mount a bevel pinion or when applying my
invention to an engine I use a double bevel pinion having the teeth facing in two
opposite directions. This bevel pinion is provided with the key or feather herein-
before referred to fitting the groove or slot in the screw so as to enable said pinion
to give motion to said screw and yet permit the latter freely to move to and fro
through the pinion. One face of such double bevel pinion is in gear with two bevel
pinions fixed on cross shafts extending one to each side of the vehicle and provided
with crank handles by which they can be rotated from either side so as to give
motion to the coupling screw in either direction as required for coupling and
uncoupling.
The nuts of the coupling links are mounted between suitable guides carried by a
tube or frame fixed to one end of a vehicle and suitable bearings are provided for
the cylindrical portion of the coupling screw and for the cross shafts. Another bevel
pinion gears into the teeth on the opposite face of the double bevel pinion and it is

page_text: provided with connections which are so arranged as to be readily operated by the
engine driver.
A spring is interposed between the nut of the outer coupling link and the bearing
of the coupling screw.
The outward coupling link has a curved or inclined plate fixed thereto which is
bent round and provided with a hook or other connecting means to which one end of
a chain is attached the other end of which is attached to one of the operating shafts.
By these means the engine driver or an attendant at either side or at other part of
the engine or other vehicle can by rotating one or other of the operating shafts either
raise the outer coupling link for the purpose of coupling or uncoupling and give
motion to the screw so as to tighten the coupling after the outer coupling link has
been placed over the hook of the adjacent vehicle which operation can be effected by
the approach of said vehicles causing said link by the incline attached thereto coming
into contact with the outer face of the hook to rise and pass over said hook.
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page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means or Apparatus Employed in Coupling and
Uncoupling Railway Rolling Stock.
I GEORGE FREDERICK STICKINGS of Hawley Mill near Dartford in the County of
Kent Manager of Paper Mills 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 :-
The invention has for its object a novel arrangement and construction of apparatus
to facilitate the coupling and uncoupling of railway rolling stock and to obviate the
necessity for an attendant to place himself between adjacent vehicles when effecting
such operations.
In carrying my invention into effect I utilise the ordinary screw coupling which I
modify as follows. I cut off the lug or projection carrying the pivotted weighted
arm and I turn the centre part between the two screws to a cylindrical form preferably
of the same diameter as the summit of the screw thread, I also cut along one of the
screws and along the cylindrical part as far as the commencement of the second screw
a slot or groove to receive a key or feather hereinafter referred to.
On the cylindrical part of the screw I mount a bevel pinion or when applying my
invention to an engine I use a double bevel pinion having the teeth facing in two
opposite directions. This bevel pinion is provided with the key or feather herein-
before referred to fitting the groove or slot in the screw so as to enable said pinion
to give motion to said screw and yet permit the latter freely to move to and fro
through the pinion-One face of such double bevel pinion is in gear with two beve!
pinions fixed on cross shafts extending one to each side of the vehicle and provided
with crank handles by which they can be rotated from either side so as to give
motion to the coupling screw in either direction as required for coupling and
uncoupling.
The nuts of the coupling links are mounted between suitable guides carried by a
tube or frame fixed to one end of a vehicle and suitable bearings are provided for the
cylindrical portion of the coupling screw and for the cross shafts. Another bevel
pinion gears into the teeth on the opposite face of the double bevel pinion and it is
provided with connections which are so arranged as to be readily operated by the
engine driver.
Springs are employed to normally retain the outer coupling link in its forward
position.
The outward coupling link has a curved or inclined plate fixed thereto which is
provided with a hook or other connecting means to which one end of a chain is
attached the other end of which is attached to one of the operating shafts.
And in order that my said invention may be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed aided by the accompanying drawings more fully to
describe the same.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a sectional end view, Figure 2 is a plan partly in section with the top
of tube or frame removed and Figure 3 is a sectional side view representing my
improved coupling apparatus applied to an engine ar tender.
A represents a portion of the end frame of a locomotive or tender, B represents the
coupling link of the locomotive or tender and C represents a tube or frame constructed
in two parts longitudinally and fixed to one end of the locomotive or tender, a wood
or other suitable packing C being preferably interposed between the parts.
In carrying my invention into effect I utilise the ordinary screw coupling which I
modify as follows. I cut off the lug or projection hitherto employed upon the centre
part a for carrying the well known pivotted weighted arm and I turn the centre
part a³ between the two screws a¹, a² to a cylindrical form preferably of the same
diameter as the summit of the screw threads, I also cut along one of the screws (the
screw a¹) and along the cylindrical part a³ as far as the commencement of the screw a³
a slot or groove a to receive a key or feather hereinafter referred to.
On the cylindrical part a³ of the screw I mount a bevel pinion or when applying
my invention to an engine or tender as shewn in the drawings I use a double bevel
pinion 6 6 having the teeth facing in two opposite directions. This bevel pinion is
provided with the key or feather herein before referred to fitting the groove or
slot a' in the screw a¹ so as to enable said pinion b b to give rotary motion to said
screw and yet permit the latter freely to move to and fro through the pinion 6 b¹---
One face (b) of such double bevel pinion is in gear with two bevel pinions c. c. fixed
on cross shafts e¹ c' extending one to each side of the vehicle and provided with crank
handles c² ² by which they can be rotated from either side so as to give rotary motion
to the coupling screw a in either direction as required for coupling or uncoupling.
The outer ends of these shafts c¹¹ are supported in bearings carried by the engine
or other vehicle, as the case may be, and springs c³ carried by such shafts are employed
to compensate for any variation in the position of the coupling screw and connected
parts when the vehicle is passing round a curve.
The nuts de¹ of the coupling links d, e, are mounted between suitable guides f. f.
carried by the tube or frame C and suitable bearings g, y, and h, k, are provided,
respectively for the cylindrical portion a³ of the coupling screw and for the cross
shafts c, c, the bearings g. g being preferably flat as shown to permit of slight side-
way motion to the coupling screw and connected parts.
Another bevel pinion gears into the teeth of the double bevel pinion and it is
fixed on a shaft if provided with a crank handle 2 by which it is operated, or it may
be provided with other connections which are so arranged as to be readily operated
by the engine driver when on the foot plate or at other convenient part of the engine
or tender.
Springs j. jare used for the purpose of keeping the coupling link e in a forward
position in order to insure the link e striking and rising over the draw hook D when
coupling one vehicle to another. One end of each of the springs j, j, is connected to
the link d and the other end to the top of the tube C.
The outward coupling link e is extended laterally as shown, to enable the coupling
apparatus to work on sharp curves and said link has a curved or inclined plate
fixed thereto which is provided with one or more eyes e³ or other connecting means
to which one end of a chain k is attached, the other end of which is attached to the
operating shaft. As shown in the drawings the eyes e³ are connected by branch chains
to the chain k which latter is attached to the operating shaft but in cases where
such shaft is dispensed with the eyes may have a chain k. attached to each of them
in which case such chains would pass, the one to the underside, the other to the upper
side of the shafts c'e' to which they would be connected and by which they would
be operated so as to raise or lower the outer end of the link e evenly as required.
In figure 2 I have represented a bevel pinion c fitted with a key which takes into
a corresponding feather way in the shaft c¹ which pinion gears with a bevel pinion /

page_text: fixed on a shaft l' which may be employed to operate the coupling apparatus. In
such latter case the shaft may be led to any convenient position to be operated by
the engine driver or other person.
By these means the engine driver or an attendant at either side or at other part of
the engine or other vehicle can by rotating one or other of the operating shafts either
raise or lower the outer coupling link e for the purpose of coupling or uncoupling and
at the same time give motion to the screw so as to tighten the coupling after the
outer coupling link has been placed over the hook D of the adjacent vehicle, which
latter operation can be effected by the approach towards each other, of said vehicles
causing said link by the inclined plate e² attached thereto coming into contact with
the outer face of the hook D of the adjacent vehicle to rise and pass over said hook.
The action of the apparatu is as follows:
In the drawings the apparatus is shown coupling two vehicles together and tautened
up in readiness for traction.
In the above position of the parts when it is desired to slacken the coupling and
uncouple the vehicles motion is given to either or both of the crank handles e² to the
left or to the crank handle to the right when the chain k will be unwound from the
shaft and thus be slackened and the link e by the consequent rotation of the coupling
screw a will be advanced along the screw a² until the part 2 of the link e strikes
against the inclined part of the hook D by which it will be slightly raised and then
in the continued motion, in the same direction, of the crank handle c² or the chain k
will be wound up upon the shaft taughtening the chain and raising the link e
above the hook D thus leaving the vehicles free to be separated.
In order to place the parts again in position to couple two vehicles together either
of the hand wheels or must be turned in the contrary direction until the chain is
slackened and the link e falls into its horizontal position, when upon the two vehicles
being run together the link e will rise over the nose of the hook D and upon con-
tinuing the motion of either of the crank handles in the last described direction the
coupling will be tautened up in readiness for traction.
I will be understood that when the apparatus is applied to a railway carriage or
truck the bevel wheels and i and the bevel wheel and their operating or connected
parts may be dispensed with and in this case the bevel wheel & would be formed with
a flange b² shown by dotted lines in figures 2 and 3 to abut against the bearings fin
order to keep the bevel wheel b in proper relation to the pinion c.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The peculiar arrangement and combination of parts substantially as herein shown
and described and for the purpose stated.
2. The coupling screw modified as herein described in combination with bevel
pinions and operating shafts and with chain or chains and extended coupling link
substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose stated.
3. The combination of tube or frame C, carrying bearings ƒ and g coupling screw a
having groove or channel a' formed therein, pinions b, b1 with corresponding feather,
pinions c, inclined shafts c¹, pinion i shaft i link e formed with projection e² springs
and j and chain or chains k all in manner substantially as herein shown and described
and for the purpose stated.
Dated this 0th day of Theamhan 1007