Improvements in the Automatic Coupling of Railway and other Carriages.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 26th July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 27th Apr., 1891-Accepted, 27th June, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Automatic Coupling of Railway and other
Carriages.
I, GEORGE WASHINGTON MOox, of No. 16 New Burlington Street, in the
Parish of Saint James, Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, Honorary
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature of Great Britain and Ireland do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
For the purpose of facilitating the coupling and uncoupling of railway and
other carriages without the necessity of men having to go between them, I attach
to the existing hook which is at the end of the draw-bar, and is in common use in
this country, or to the draw-bar itself, a hinged arm which is bent over at the end;
and which, in virtue of the said hinge being sloped between the vertical and the
horizontal, moves upward on an inclined plain, when under pressure from the
opposite coupling, consequent upon the meeting of the carriages, or when pulled
back to uncouple the carriages; and, when released, the said arm falls to its
original position by its own weight in consequence of the slope of the hinge. The
advantage of this movement, over one that is horizontal, is that no spring is needed
to keep the arm in position.
Dated this 26th day of July 1890.
GEORGE WASHINGTON MOON.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Automatic Coupling of Railway and other
Carriages.
1 GEORGE WASHINGTON MOOx, of 16 New Burlington Street, in the Parish
of Saint James' Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, Honorary Fellow of the
Royal Society of Literatu.e of Great Britain and Ireland, 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 for improvements in the automatic coupling of railway and other
carriages has for its object to provide an automatic coupling simple in construction,
readily applicable to existing rolling stock, not liable to crash into the end of the
adjacent vehicle on the vehicles coming together and independent of springs and of
the different heights of the vehicles to be coupled, and consists essentially in attaching
to the draw bar by means of a spherical or ball and socket joint, a coupling hook which
is free to move about its centre to a limited extent so as to accomodate its direction
to the line of force when coupled to the hook of the adjacent vehicle, and also
to permit of its displacement when meeting the said adjacent hook in the act
of coupling up the two vehicles, and of an improved mode of connecting the draw
chain to the draw bar.
When two vehicles fitted with this improved coupling approach one another
the hooks come in contact and displace each other, and rotate around their
centres in a plane inclined at about 45 degrees to the horizontal and vertical
planes until their points have crossed, when they automatically fall by their own
weight into such positions, that on the vehicles being started they couple them-
selves without any person having to go between the vehicles.
The tendency of the hook is always to assume the lowermost position by reasor
of its own weight, consequently no spring is required to keep the parts coupled.

page_text: They are uncoupled by slightly backing the vehicles and drawing aside one of the
hooks by means of a chain or other suitable connection.
In the accompanying two sheets of-illustrative drawings,
Fig. 1. represents a vertical 'section of a coupling hook and attachment constructed
according to this invention.
Fig. 2. is an end elevation showing the coupling hook in section.
1
Fig. 3. is a plan partly in section of a pair of engaged coupling hooks on
adjacent vehicles and
'
Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the arm a carrying the hook is attached to the
draw-bar head by means of a spherical or ball and socket joint comprising the
spherical enlargement e held in place by the socket block d slid into the draw-bar
head, where it is securely retained by the lips e and set screws f. The socket
block d is formed with a slot or way cut, at an angle of about 45 degrees to the
horizontal or vertical to permit of a limited motion of rotation of the hook in
that direction, so that, when two adjacent vehicles approach one another the
hooks cross each other and fall into engagement. A clearance space is also
provided vertically above the arm a to permit of a sufficient movement of the
arm to accomodate its direction to the line of pull of the hooks. Clearance
recesses are formed in the draw-bar head to permit of the free turning of the
spherical enlargement cas clearly shown. A feather key in the enlargement c
works in a corresponding seat or keyway m and prevents the arm a from turning
about its axis.
In the back of the draw-bar head is cut a recess or notch in which is placed
the end link of the draw chain, thus dispensing with the links and pin ordinarily
employed to secure it.
In order to uncouple two adjacent vehicles they are forced together sufficiently
near to allow of the hooks clearing each other, when they are withdrawn by means
of the chains p or their equivalents from the outside of the vehicle, thereby avoiding
the liability to accident attending the passage of the operator between them.
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. In apparatus for automatically coupling railway vehicles, hinging the arin
carrying the coupling hook by means of a spherical joint and guiding it so that
when displaced it moves in a plane making an angle of about 45 degrees with the
horizontal or vertical, or approximately so, substantially as described.
2. Attaching the end link of the draw chain to the draw-bar head, by placing it in
a recess or notch in the back of the same substantially as described.
3. The construction of automatic coupling apparatus for railway vehicles sub-
stantially as described with reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings.
Dated this 27th day of April 1891.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.