Improvements in Car Couplings.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Aug., 1899-Accepted, 28th Oct., 1899
DE MULLICATION.
Improvements in Car Couplings.
I, JAMES TIMMS, of Columbus, County of Franklin, State of Ohio, United
States of America, Inventor, 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:-
My invention relates to an improvement in car couplings and more parti-
cularly to that class of couplings having hooks designed to be coupled by links
and also having automatic couplings of the vertical plane type, such as are
universally used on railways in the United States, and my invention consists
particularly in mechanism for actuating the locking block of the automatic
coupling.
In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the
combined coupling, the chain leading to the locking block of the automatic
coupling being broken away, and showing the automatic coupling in position
for use. Figure 2 is a plan view of same. Figure 3 is a view in side elevation,
showing the automatic coupling out of its operative position, exposing the hook
coupling, and Figure 4 is a view in front end elevation showing the automatic
coupling in its operative position.
a corre-
1 represents a draw-bar suitably mounted in the frame of a car and provided
at its outer end with a hook 2 adapted to be coupled up to a car having
sponding hook by means of a link not shown. Owing to the extensive intro-
duction of the automatic couplings of the vertical plane type, such as is now
commonly used in the United States, it has been found desirable to provide the
hook coupling 2 with an automatic coupling so that cars thus equipped may be
coupled up to cars provided with either the hook and link coupling and also
to cars provided with the automatic couplings and my invention relates simply
to the mechanism for actuating the locking block of the automatic coupling.
In the construction shown in the drawings the automatic coupling 3 is bifur-
cated at its rear end, as shown in Figure 2, to receive the front or hook end of
the hook coupling 2 and is pivoted at the point 4 to said hook coupling and
provided with a removable pin 5 located in a position to rest in the hook when
the automatic coupling is in its operative position, as shown in Figure 1. The
pin 5 is provided at its free end with a hinged section 6 pivoted thereto, as
clearly shown in Figure 1. By turning up the section 6 so that it aligns with
the shank of the pin, the latter is free to be withdrawn thus permitting the
automatic coupling to fall to the position shown in Figure 3. When the pin
is replaced in position, whether the automatic coupling be up, as shown in
Figure 1, or down, as shown in Figure 3, the pivoted end 6 of the pin drops
and locks the pin in position.
Automatic couplings are all provided with a locking block, not shown, for
locking the pivoted jaw 7 of the automatic coupling, in its closed position. In
order to release the pivoted jaw or knuckle of the coupling it is necessary to
first raise this block so as to permit the tail of the knuckle to pass under same
and as before stated my improvement relates solely to the mechanism for raising
this block and my invention comprises the bar 8 having a handle 9 and the
bracket 10 secured to the front sill of the car and adapted to support the bar
in several of its positions. This bar, as clearly shown in Figures 2 and 4,

page_text: extends from a point adjacent to the coupling to one side of the car so that it
may be operated by the train hands without entering between the cars. The
bar 8 is provided at its inner end with the arm 12 at right angles to the bar
and the arm 12 is connected to chain 11. The outer or handle end 9 of the bar
is also bent at right angles to the body of the bar 8 and also at right angles to
the bent end 12 of the bar. The outer end of the bar is supported in the
bracket 10, which latter is provided with a recess 13 adapted, when the bar is
in position for actuating the locking block of the automatic coupling, to
receive the handle 9 and thus prevent the bar from moving endwise. The
bracket 10 is also provided with the flange 14 adapted, when the bar 8 is
moved endwise inwardly to take under the handle 9 of said bar and thus hold
the end 12 and the chain 11 and locking block carried thereby in an elevated
position, the locking block being above the tail or inner end of the knuckle
so that the latter may freely open.
It is common practice in freight and car yards to push the cars from a main
track onto side tracks, hence by uncoupling the cars at the start and holding
the jaw in its unlocked position as it is when the arm 12 of the bar 8 is elevated,
the cars can be quickly shifted without necessitating the entrance of the train
hands between the cars to uncouple them and hence without danger or injury.
The vertical movement of the locking block is slight, hence the movement of
the bar 8 in unlocking the knuckle is also slight and as the chain connecting
the arm 12 of the bar 8 with the locking block is necessarily short it will be seen
that means must be provided whereby the bar can be turned sufficiently to
permit the automatic coupling to be swung below the hook and the arm 12 be
moved out of the way of the hook so as not to interfere in the slightest with
the link when the hook coupling is in use. In order to provide for this addi-
tional movement I have mounted the bar 8 in bearings constructed to permit
the bar to slide outwardly therein, the bearing being located sufficiently far
from the arm 12 and handle 9 to permit of such movements. By moving the
bar so that the handle end thereof projects beyond the end of the sill it will be
seen that the arm 12 will be moved up close to bearing 15 and out of the way
of hook 2 while the handle 9 will be moved beyond the end of the sill, thus
permitting it to be turned upwardly to nearly a horizontal position, as shown
in Figure 3, and the arm 12 be turned down to nearly a vertical position. When
the automatic coupling is in use the bar 8 is slid inwardly until the handle 9
thereof rests within the groove 13 in the bracket 10.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The combination of a coupling, an automatic coupling pivoted thereto and
means for sustaining the automatic coupling in a horizontal position, of a sliding
bar having bent arm 12 and a handle and a chain connecting the end of the arm
with the locking block of the automatic coupling.
2. The combination with a hook coupling, an automatic coupling pivoted
thereto, of a sliding bar provided at one end with a handle and at the other end
with an arm at right angles to said handle, a chain connecting the arm and
locking block of the automatic coupling and a bracket supporting one end of
said bar said bracket having a recess adapted to receive the arm and a rib or
shoulder adapted to support the arm in an elevated position, substantially as
set forth.
T
11041
Ր
1900
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London.