Year: 1885

page_text: Hallway Y EMCIES.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 automatic coupling apparatus for railway
vehicles, and consists in the novel construction hereinafter described with reference
to the accompanying drawing.
The said coupling apparatus consists of the main coupling A A figures I and II
and of the safety coupling B B Figures I and III.
The main coupling A A is attached to the hook of the draw-bar in the usual
manner, and comprises the bars 1, 1, the front ends of which carry a guide socket 3
turning on journals 2. Longitudinally through the centre of this socket passes a
rack 4, which is provided with guide grooves at both sides for its entire length.
These grooves receive lugs on the socket 3, and support the rack therein so that
the said rack can only move forward and backward in the said socket. Lugs 4ª
provided on one end of the rack 4, prevent the rack from moving above the
bars 1, 1, and will, except when the coupling is in the position shown in Figure XII
move in the direction of the bars 1. 1.
The guide socket 3 contains a stop or catch 5 which moves vertically therein at
right angles to the rack and is provided with teeth which engage with the teeth of
the rack. This stop or catch is represented in longitudinal section in Figure IV
and in transverse section and also detached in Figure V. A projection 5* and a
book 5b on the lower end of the stop or catch form a groove which serves to guide
the coupling, the front part of an arm 10 sliding in this groove.
At the front end of the rack is an eye 6, to which the shackle 8 is attached by
a bolt 7 the said shackle catching onto the draw-hook of the adjacent vehicle to
be coupled. On the eye 6 is formed the plate 9, the object of which is hereinafter
described.

page_text: The safety coupling B B Figures I and III consists mainly of the arm 10, the
bars 11 and the hooks 12. The. arm 10 which primarily serves to lift the
coupling A A is at its rear end fixed upon the shaft 13 by means of a key. The
front part of the said arm is slotted and carries upon a cross-bar the stops 18. In
the slot of this bar 10 slides the bolt 14 which is formed with two flattened
surfaces and carries the bars 11. Each bar 11 has a rearward extension, which
éxtensions serve as guides and are connected together by the piece 17. One of
these extensions is formed into a hook 16.
On the front ends of the bars 11 are fixed the studs 15 having two flattened
surfaces upon which the books 12 having slots therein can move forward and
backward. The stops 20 formed on the bars 11 prevent the hooks 12 from turning
in any but an upward direction and this movement is only allowed when the
studs 15, as shown, have entered the lower ends of the guide slot which are
widened. The hooks 12 have at their rear ends the bent prolongations 19.
The lifting and disengaging device for the coupling is represented in Figures VI
to VIII.
The shaft 13. is, by means of bearings, fixed on the lower surface of the buffer
beam of the vehicle. On the outer end of the said shaft is firmly secured the
lever 21; on which is formed or secured the segment 22 having the slot 23 the
hook 24 and the projection 25.
.
One bearing 26 of the shaft 13 is drilled through transversely at the rear end to
receive one end of a bolt 27 which can be moved in a horizontal direction and by
the pressure of the spring 28 is caused to project beyond the surface of the bearing.
The other end of the bolt 27 is supported in the other bearing and carries the
pin 27a
For disengaging the bolt 27, that is to say, for drawing it back I employ the
lever 30 having the cam-shaped projection 30° and bearing against the end of a buffer
bar. Through a perforation on the lower end of the lever 30 passes the bolt 27...
If the buffer is forced inwardly and the buffer-rod P thereby moved backwards
the lever 30 turns to the position shown in dotted lines at e Figure VI and the
cam shaped projection 30 acts upon the pin 27a thereby drawing back the bolt 27.
For disengaging the bolt in disconnecting two vehicles the lever 31 is employed.
This lever is located in a slot on the bearing 26 Figures VI to VIII and can be
turned on the pin 32. If the lever 21 is turned downwards the projection 25 on
the segment 22 pushes the outer end of the lever 31 outward so that the other end
of the said lever acts upon an inclined projection on the bolt 27, thus moving the
latter back.
The operation of the improved coupling apparatus is illustrated in figures IX
to XII.
On account of the smallness of these figures all the letters of reference are not
marked thereon, but the parts can be easily found by comparison with the other
figure.
Figure IX shews the complete coupling hanging from a railway truck in an
inoperative position. In this position, the main and safety couplings are connected
with each other, by the hook 5° on the stop or catch 5 Figure V, and by the
hook 16 of the safety coupling Figures I and IIL A quarter of a revolution of
the lever 21 to the right brings the couplings into the position shewn in
Figure X, in which position the couplings are held by the bolt 27 which enters
the slot 23 of the segment 22. In the upward movement the safety coupling is
extended by the extensions 5 and 5b pressing upon the rear part of the bars 11
and causing the latter to slide in the slot of the bar 10. The bars 11 are caused to
slide in the plane of the arm 10 by the connecting piece 17. By the forward
motion of the bars 11, the prolongations 19 leave the stops 18 and the hooks 12
assume a position in line with the bars 11 in which position they are retained by
the stops 20. The hook 5b has now also become disengaged from the rear hook 16
of the safety coupling so that the coupling proper and the safety coupling are
separated.

page_text: The adjacent truck to be coupled now pushes with the draw-hook upon the front
plate 9, and thereby causes the rack 4 to move back in the socket 3, thus
shortening the coupling.
When the rack is pushed back so far that the lugs 4* thereon impinge against the
projections 10 (Figure 1) on the arm 10, as shewn in Figure XI, the guide socket
is slightly lifted so that the stop or catch is liberated below and comes into
action, whereby the advance of the rack is prevented. As soon as the buffers of
the two vehicles being coupled come into contact, the lever 30, is, by the pressure
of the buffer-rod P, pushed back, whereby the disengagement of the bolt 27 from
its slot takes place as already described. The coupling then falls down and the
shackle 8 engages with the draw-hook of the adjacent vehicle.
In the same manner that the said shackle engages with the draw-hook, the
hooks 12. of the safety coupling engage with projections on the said draw-hook.
A double coupling is thereby effected as represented in Figure I.
Figure XII shews the position of the coupling when the buffers of two vehicles
are pressed together.
In order to uncouple the vehicles the lever 21 is turned to the right.
The arm 10 is thereby moved upward, in which motion the bars 11 and safety
hooks 12 participate. In this upward movement the hook 16 first impinges
against the hook 5 of the stop or catch 5, as shewn in dotted lines in Figure I,
whereby the latter is pressed upward, liberating the rack 4. During the continued
turning of the said lever the rack is pushed forward, that is to say, the coupling is
lengthened so that the shackle can be lifted out of engagement with the draw-hook.
At the same time the safety hooks 12 are disengaged from the lugs on the coupling,
the uncoupling is thus completed and one truck can be moved away from the
other.
The coupling is now again held by the bolt 27 in the position shewn in Figure X.
A slight turning of the lever 21 to the right effects the disengagement by the
lever 31, as already described.
If the lever 21 is liberated, the coupling falls down; the look 5 of the stop 5
and the rear hook 16 engage with each other, the safety coupling is shortened, the
bars 11 being again pulled upward; and the hooks 12 are brought into a horizontal
position by the pressure of the stop 18 upon the prolongations 19 as shewn in
Figure IX. When the guide socket 3 reaches the projecting portion 10% of the
arm 10 the stop or catch 5 is disengaged and the rack 4 falls down, so that the
shackle 8 is brought into a horizontal position by the hooks 12.
When the hooks and shackle are in this position the necessary distance between
the lowest part of the coupling and the level of the upper surface of the rails is
obtained.
On the coupling falling down, the segment 22 turns upward again, and the
hook 24 pulls back the pin 31 into its normal position, so that the bolt 27 can
move freely again and the operation be repeated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is
First. A coupling for railway vehicles comprising a guide socket, a rack moving
therein, and a stop or catch arranged in the said socket and capable of being
engaged with and disengaged from the said rack.
Second. Shortening the coupling, or pushing back the said rack, by the
impingement of the draw-hook of the adjacent vehicle to be coupled against a
front plate attached to the said rack.
Third. Lengthening the coupling by the mechanical disengagement of the stop
or catch from the rack.
Fourth. The means whereby the coupling shackle is automatically turned
during the lowering of the coupling.

page_text: Fifth. A safety coupling which together with the coupling proper is lengthened
and shortened, and operated with the latter, and the hooks of which engage with
lugs on the draw-hook of the adjacent vehicle to be coupled.
Sixth. The mechanism indicated by the numbers 27 to 30 inclusive which
mechanism when moved by the buffer, disengages the coupling and safety coupling,
in order that the same fall into engagement with the opposite draw-hook.
Seventh. The improved coupling apparatus consisting of the parts constructed
and combined substantially as described with reference to the accompanying
drawing, and operating as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Dated this 14th day of December 1885.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.
For the Applicant.