Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Mar., 1886.
"Complete Left, 18th Dec., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 18th Jan., 1887.
Vehicles.
I JOHN WILLIAM HADWEN of Fairfield near Manchester in the County of Lancaster
Clerk do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
:-
My said Invention relates principally to the coupling and uncoupling of railway
wagons or vehicles by means which render it unnecessary for the operator to enter
between the wagons to be coupled or uncoupled. The apparatus .constituting my
invention can be operated by one hand and the parts are arranged as follows:-
A cross shaft is mounted in bearings attached-to the framework of the vehicle and
is provided at each end or at one end with a handle or hand lever. Upon the said
cross shaft is fixed a lever which is connected by means of a forked link or of a
pair of links with the outer link of the coupling chain of the wagon which outer link
is for convenience of connection provided with trunnions. The said outer link is
also connected by means of a radius link or connecting rod with one end of a radius
arm which is hinged to a fixing which is secured to the buffer plank or other suitable
part of the framework. A hinged detent or catch is carried by a fixing which is
secured to the buffer plank or framework and when the coupling chain is lowered
into its vertical position or thereabouts this detent engages with a projection upon
the aforesaid radius arm. This detent is by preference so formed or mounted as to
give the arm some play to permit the coupling chain to swing to some extent.
When the wagons are uncoupled and the coupling chain is hanging down the said
radius arm is detained by the said detent so that when the cross shaft is turned by
one of the handles the joint pin at the outer end of the radius arm acts as
pivot upon which the said radius link carrying the outer link of the coupling chain
turns as a centre the said outer link moving through a curve or arc the radius of
which is determined by the length of the said radius link. The effect of this
arrangement is that the chain coupling link is brought close up to and in front of
the draw bar hook of the wagon. The said radius link has now become folded inward
toward the radius arm the tendency of the levers to fall forward with the weight of the
[Price 8d.1
fixed

page_text: chain having been resisted by the said detent. At this point in the operation an incline
or a finger or projection upon the radius link raises or disengages the said detent. The
said radius arm being now free yields to the tendency to swing forward thus launching
forward the outer end of the radius link and the sustained chain coupling link the joint
which the said connecting link makes with the lever becoming the centre of movement.
This movement of the outer coupling link causes it to engage with the draw hook of
the next wagon whereby the coupling of the wagons is effected. If necessary the links
and levers or other parts may be made adjustable so as to regulate the coupling
movements and where it is found that the weight of the slack of the chain coupling
hinders the extension of the chain when the radius arm is disengaged I may provide
means for supporting the said slack link or links and assisting them upward or forward
as for example I may use fingers on the levers or links or a special lever on the rocking
shaft.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester,
Agents.

page_text: Improvements in Means for Coupling and Uncoupling Railway
Vehicles.
I JOHN WILLIAM HADWEN of Fairfield near Manchester in the County of Lancaster,
Clerk, 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 and accompanying drawings:
My said Invention relates principally to the coupling and uncoupling of railway
waggons or vehicles by means which render it unnecessary for the operator to enter
between the waggons to be coupled or uncoupled. The apparatus constituting my
invention can be operated by one hand and the parts are arranged in the manner
hereinafter described and as shown on the annexed sheet of drawings. Fig. 1 of the
said drawings is a side elevation showing a portion of the ends of two waggons in contact
and the coupling chain and coupling apparatus in the position they assume when the
waggons are uncoupled. Fig. 2 is a view of part of a waggon end at right angles to
Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the coupling chain and apparatus in an
intermediate position during the act of coupling and Fig. 4 is a similar view showing
the coupling operation completed. In the said Figs. a cross shaft a is mounted in
bearings 6 attached to the framework of the vehicle and is provided at each end or at
one end with a handle or hand lever d. Upon the said cross shaft is fixed a lever. e
which is connected by means of a forked link (shown separately at Fig. 5) or of a
air of links with the outer link g of the coupling chain of the waggon which outer link
is for convenience of connection provided with trunnions h. The said outer link is
also connected by means of a radius link or connecting rod i with one end of a radius
arm which is hinged to a fixing which is secured to the buffer plank k or other suitable
part of the framework. A hinged detent or catch is carried by a fixing m which is
secured to the buffer plank or framework and when the coupling chain is lowered into
its vertical position or thereabouts as shown at Fig. 1, this detent 7 engages with a
projection n upon the aforesaid radius arm j. This detent is by preference so formed
or mounted as to give the arm some play to permit the coupling chain to swing to some
extent. When the waggons are uncoupled and the coupling chain is hanging down
as in Fig. 1 the said radius arm is detained by the said detent which has fallen in
front of the projection n so that when the cross shaft a is turned by the handle d the
joint pin o at the outer end of the radius arm jacts as a fixed pivot upon which the
said radius link i carrying the outer link g. of the coupling chain turns as a centre, the
said outer link g. moving through a curve or are the radius of which is determined by
the length of the said radius link. The effect of this arrangemeut is that the chain
coupling link g. is brought close up to and in front of the draw bar hook of the waggon
as illustrated at Fig. 3 of the drawings. The said radius link i has now become folded
inward toward the radius arm the tendency of the levers to fall forward with the weight
of the chain having been resisted by the said detent 7 which holds the projection n. At
this point in the operation an incline or a finger or projection p upon the radius link i
raises or disengages the said detent 1 by coming into contact with a pin or projection q
.

page_text: on the said detent. The detent is thus raised clear of the projection n and the said
radius arm i being now free, yields to the tendency to swing forward thus launching
forward the outer end of the radius link i forked lever and the sustained chain
coupling link g through a path similar to that indicated by the dotted curve, Fig. 3,
the joint which the said connecting link makes with the lever becoming the centre of
movement. This movement of the outer coupling link causes it to engage with the
draw hook of the next waggon whereby the coupling of the waggons is effected as
shown at Fig. 4. If necessary the links and lovers or other parts may be made
adjustable so as to regulate the coupling movements and where it is found that the
weight of the slack of the chain coupling hinders the extension of the chain when the
radius arm is disengaged I may provide means for supporting the said slack link or
links and assisting them upward or forward as for example I may use fingers on the
levers or links or a special lever on the rocking shaft.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
:-
(1) The general arrangement and combination of parts forming the complete
apparatus for coupling and uncoupling railway vehicles, substantially as hereinbefore
described and shown.
(2) In apparatus of the indicated nature the lever e extending from the operating
shaft and connected to a forked lever for to parallel levers which take hold of the outer
link of the coupling chain, the said outer link being further connected by jointed
links and j, to a second fixed point or pivot on the waggon frame, in combination
with
etent and the means for operating the same, all arranged and acting
ally in the manner hereinbefore described and shown.
sur
The radius link i provided with a catch n to engage with the detent 7 and
co dected to the folding link j carrying a projection which at times raises the detent/
so as to cause it to release the levers at a given time so as to effect the coupling of two
vehicles, substantially as described and shown.
(4) The detent 1 for the purpose and arranged and acting substantially as described
and shown.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester,
Agents.