Improvements in Automatic Couplings for Railway and Tramway Rolling Stock.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, lɔth June, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 21st Feb., 1900-Accepted, 14th Apr., 1900
Date of Application, 15th June, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 21st Feb., 1900-Accepted, 14th Apr., 1900
Improvements in Automatic Couplings for Railway and Tramway
Rolling Stock.
I, PATRICK ALPHONSUS MARTIN, of 31, Westfield Road, Edgbaston, in the City
of Birmingham, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention has relation to automatic couplings to trucks coaches and
other railway and tramway rolling stock, and has for its object, to provide a
simple, cheap and efficient automatic coupling capable of being readily applied
to existing vehicles, particularly to waggons and trucks fitted with hooks adapted
to be engaged by loose links of the coupling chains.
In carrying out one form of my invention, each end of a truck is provided with
a curve or incline fronted coupling hook having upon the top side of its shank,
inward of the primary or draw hook, a seating or shallow secondary hook, within
which the after end of a loose link, maintained in a horizontal plane by a tail
stop, as hereinafter fully described, engages. This loose link constitutes the
automatic coupling, and consists of an elongated loop or shackle, with its fore
end or lip curved slightly upwards and its after end engaging with the seating
or secondary hook, whilst the said loop or shackle is provided with a depending
and loop-shaped tail stop, the lower end of which impinges against the attach-
ment plate of the hook or an end of the vehicle and maintains the shackle in such
a horizontal position as to admit of it being lifted into engagement with the
primary draw hook of another vehicle (on two vehicles coming together) by the
curved lip of the said shackle striking against, and riding up and over the curved
front of the head of the said opposed hook, after which the engagement of the
shackle and primary hook are ensured by the weight of the former.
In fitting the loose coupling link or shackle in place, the looped tail stop, when
in an inclined position, is threaded over the head and shank of the draw hook
and then the inner end of the link is dropped into its seating behind the draw
hook, in which it is retained by the branches or sides of the looped angle tail
stop, embracing the sides of the said shank and its lower end bearing against the
vehicle.
It is to be understood that each of the coupling hooks of a vehicle is provided
with a shackle link, so as to prevent the possibility of two unshackled hooks
coming together, although the coupling operation is efficiently and automatically
performed by the aid of one shackle only, and that when two shackles come
together, only one of them engages with the hook of the other vehicle, whose
shackle is idle or inoperative.
Instead of preserving the shackle in its proper position by a tail stop abutting
against the end of a vehicle, this may be maintained by a counterpoised arm
connected to the inner end of, and depending below the said shackle.
The disengagement or releasing of the shackle of one vehicle from the draw
hook of another may be effected by means of a lever, arranged preferably upon

page_text: the side of the vehicle and connected with suitable means for acting on the
tail stop in such a manner as to rock the shackle upon its inner end, which has a
bearing in the secondary hook as before described.
Instead of the shackle being detachable from the hook, it may be jointed to
the shank thereof, with the tail stop, or balance weight arm depending from one
side of the joint end of the shackle. Or instead of the tail stop or balance
weight being used, the shackle link may be prevented from falling too low by a
rest stop on the side of the hook.
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1
Improvements in Automatic Couplings for Railway and Tramway
Rolling Stock.
I, PATRICK ALPHONSUS MARTIN, of 31, Westfield Road, Edgbaston, in the City
of Birmingham, Manufacturer, 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 has relation to automatic couplings for trucks, coaches and other
railway and tramway rolling stock, and has for its object to provide a simple,
cheap and efficient automatic coupling capable of being readily applied to existing
vehicles, particularly to waggons and trucks fitted with hooks adapted to be
engaged by loose links of the coupling chains.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in side elevation, the ends
of two railway trucks fitted or provided with automatic couplings constructed and
arranged in accordance with my invention. The near side buffers of the trucks
are removed in order to represent more clearly the arrangement of the couplings,
which, in this view, are drawn in the positions they assume when disconnected,
or before the vehicles come together.
Figure 2 is a similar view to Figure 1, but showing the trucks or vehicles
coupled together and with the several parts in the positions they assume under
such conditions.
Figure 3 represents a top side plan of Figure 1, and Figure 4 a similar plan of
Figure 2 showing the trucks coupled.
Figure 5 is a sectional view of the fittings, showing the parts in the act of being
disconnected for uncoupling the two trucks or waggons.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the said Figures 1
to 5.
The coupling fittings of each vehicle are identical and perfectly interchangeable
and I will describe my invention as applied to two railway waggons or trucks A¹,
A³, of which the fittings or couplings are respectively marked B1, B2, in the
drawings. Thus each end of both waggons A1, A2, is provided with a fixed
hook a, having an incline or slope a¹ at the front end, whilst the top side of its
shank a³, inward of the primary or draw hook a, has a seating or gap, within
which a cross bar b', at the after end 2. of a loose shackle b, maintained in a
horizontal plane by a tail stop 63, as hereinafter fully described, engages or takes
a bearing. This loose shackle constitutes the automatic coupling, and consists
of an elongated link (the configuration of which in plan is clearly shown in
Figure 3) having a loop 6 at the front end adapted to drop over and engage with

page_text: the fixed draw hook a, of the other vehicle, that is, the loop 6 at the front of the
shackle of the coupling 13 carried by the one end of the vehicle A is adapted to
engage with the hook, of the fittings B2, attached to the opposite end of the
vehicle A. Further the shackle of each vehicle has its extreme forward end or
tip 65 slightly curved or inclined and its after end rests or engages within the
seating or bearing provided for it by the gap ³, in the shank of the hook, whilst
the rear part of each shackle is continued downwards at right angles to form the
depending tail stop 63, the lower end of which impinges against a suitable abut-
ment on the end of the vehicle and maintains the shackle in such a horizontal
position as to ensure that the shackle b of the one vehicle shall be lifted over the
point of the draw hook a of another vehicle (on two vehicles coming together) by
the curved tip of the said shackle striking against, and riding up and over the
inclined front of the head of the said opposed hook, (the said shackle being
free to turn in the bearing gap of its own hook with the pivot cross bar 62 as
the centre) after which the engagement of the shackle with the said draw hook
is ensured by the weight of the said link causing it to fall by gravity into the
gap of the hook a, thus making an efficient coupling or connection between the
two vehicles.
The gap or clearance 66 at the back end of each shackle is provided both for the
purpose of permitting the tip of the opposite shackle to strike against the incline
of the hook by which it is lifted prior to dropping into engagement with same,
and also to facilitate the mounting of the loose shackles in their respective
positions, for which purpose the tail stop is also made in a looped form, so that in
applying this shackle, the looped tail stop, when in an inclined position, is
threaded over the head and shank of the draw hook and then the inner end or
pivot cross bar b' of the link is dropped into its seating behind the draw hook, in
which it is retained by the branches or sides of the said looped tail stop, embracing
the sides of the said shank and its lower end bearing against its abutment.
The disengagement or releasing of the shackle of one vehicle from the draw
hook of another is, in this arrangement, effected by means of cams or excentrics c,
carried upon a shaft c¹, running along the end of the vehicle and having a lever
at c³, disposed so as to come upon one side of the vehicle. These excentrics
normally form the abutments against which the tail stops bear when the shackles
are in their coupling or engaged positions, but when the lever is operated the
cams act in such a manner upon the tail stops as to rock the shackle upon its
inner end, and lift the forward loop out of the hook with which it is in engage-
ment.
It is to be understood that the coupling shackles and hooks are provided
in duplicate or on both ends of each vehicle only for the purpose of preventing
the possibility of two unshackled hooks coming together, as the coupling operation
would be efficiently and automatically performed by the aid of one shackle
mounted in the manner herein described on the end of one vehicle, and a simple
hook with an inclined or sloping front on the opposite end of another vehicle,
it being understood that when two shackles come together. only one of them
engages with the hook of the other vehicle, whose shackle is idle or inoperative.
In order to prevent the two loose shackles fouling one another during the
coupling operation, and to keep the idle one clear of the other when the latter is
engaged with a hook, each shackle or link is provided on the underside, with a
depending boss or block d, having an inclined or curved surface d. at the forward
end. When the shackles come together as the trucks meet the tip of the one, say
for instance, that if the coupling B2, passes underneath the fore end of the shackle
of the coupling B₁, and by striking against the inclined face of the boss on the
said shackle of B', the latter is tilted or raised out of the way and into a position
which permits of the gapped front of the shackle of the coupling B. passing
through the loop 66 of the coupling B', and striking against the incline of, and
passing into engagement with, the opposed hook a on the vehicle A¹, whilst when
the connection of the vehicle has been duly made the idle shackle is held up out

page_text: of the way (see Figure 2) by its depending boss or block d, resting upon the top
of the operative shackle.
Where this clearing block is not employed, the shackle may be in the form of
a long loop of suitable dimensions. fashioned into a tail stop at the inner end
and having a cross bar at the junction of the tail stop with the body part adapted
to drop into the gap or open topped bearing in the shank of the fixed draw hook
and form the centre upon which the shackle is turned for coupling or uncoupling
it.
Instead of the tail stop resting against the uncoupling cams as represented and
described. they may hear against any other suitable abutment which will ensure
the shackles lying in a horizontal plane when uncoupled, and in this case, the
uncoupling lever may be arranged to operate, directly or through the medium of
cams or other mechanism, upon the body of the shackle instead of the tail stop
in order to impart the necessary movement for effecting the disengagement, of it
from the draw hook.
Instead of preserving the shackle in its proper position by a tail stop abutting
against the end of a vehicle, this may be maintained by a counterpoised arm con-
nected to the inner end of and depending below the said shackle, whilst instead
of making the shackles detachable from their hooks, they may be jointed to the
shanks thereof, with a tail stop, or balance weight arm depending from one side of
the joint end of each shackle. Or instead of the tail stop or balance weight being
used, the shackle link as shown in Figure 6 may be prevented from falling too
low by rest stops b³ on the opposite sides of the hook a, coming underneath the
shackle. The shackle may be raised for uncoupling by a bell crank or armed
lever, by lifting cams or any other suitable means.
Instead of the draw hooks which carry the shackles being fixed to the frames
of the vehicles as represented in Figure 1 to 6, they may, according to a modifica-
tion, be carried by spring draw-hars e. Such a construction is shown in Figure 7.
with the parts in their coupled positions and with the hars e, drawn out as they
would be when the vehicles were travelling, and the arrangement admits of
shorter and consequently lighter shackles being employed.
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
:-
First An automatic coupling for railway and tramway rolling stock, com-
prising a pivoted shackle or link, carried on one vehicle, and provided with a
tail stop, balance weight or other means for preserving it in a horizontal plane
when not in use; and a hook on the other vehicle, with which the said shackle
is engaged, on the two vehicles coming together through the medium of inclines
either on the end of the shackle, or upon the end of the hook, or upon both,
substantially as herein described and also as set forth in the accompanying
drawings.
Secondly-In automatic couplings for railway and tramway rolling stock,
providing both ends of each vehicle with a draw hook and a pivoted shackle,
whose horizontal position (when uncoupled) is preserved or ensured by a depend-
ing tail stop, balance weight, block stop or the like, the arrangement being such
that on two vehicles so fitted coming together, the shackle of one of them is made
to engage with the draw hook on the opposite end of the other by striking against
and being lifted by an incline on the said hook, whilst the uncoupling is effected
by lifting the shackle by levers, cams or other mechanical means, substantially
as herein described and also as set forth in the accompanying drawings.
Thirdly-In-automatic couplings of the type referred to the preceding claim,
pivotedly mounting the shackle (which has a tail stop or equivalent means for
preserving its horizontal position when disengaged) upon the draw hook, with
the cross bar or pivot of the same resting and turning within an open-topped

page_text: gap or bearing in the shank of the said hook, substantially as and for the purpose
herein described and also as set forth in the accompanying drawings.
Fourthly In automatic couplings for railway or tramway rolling stock, the
construction, arrangement and combination of the parts operating in the manner
and for the several purposes substantially as herein described and also as set forth
in the accompanying drawings.
T: 041 If 1000
PATRICK ALPHONSUS MARTIN.
By Henry Skerrett,
24, Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.