Improvements in Couplings for Railway and other Vehicles.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 19th Dec., 1889-Accepted, 8th Feb., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Couplings for Railway and other Vehicles.
I, FREDERICK WALKER, of 4 Little Moorfields, London, E.C. Engineer
communicated by Percy Isaacs, of Malvern P.O. Jamaica, W.L. doj hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
My invention has for its object the production of a coupling for railway vebicles,
that may be automatically closed or coupled, and disengaged when necessary while
the train is in motion, or, when said train is standing, the operations of coupling or
uncoupling may be carried out without rendering it necessary for a man to pass
between the vehicles, thereby avoiding the danger to life and limbs that obtains
with the manipulation of such couplings as hitherto constructed.
In carrying my invention into effect, I place a bearing bar, with suitable guides
to allow of the action of a spiral or other spring, the tension of which balances the
tractive force applied in the propulsion of the vehicles. Said bearing bar is supported
by the guides under the floor of the vehicle, and carried longitudinally across it.
The draw bar, preferably of square or rectangular cross section, passes through the
end of the vehicle, under the bearing bar, and is furnished with a suitable screw
thread formed upon the extremity thereof, which is rounded down for that purpose.
Said screwed portion passes through a boaring block, upon the bearing bar, and a
suitable nut is provided, to which rotary motion may be imparted by means of a
mitre or bevil wheel attached to it, driven by a corresponding wheel keyed upon a
transverse shaft, which is supported by the hearing bar at one end, and by a suitable
bearing attached to the side of the vehicle at the other end. A handle, or other
device upon the free end of the transverse shaft allows of the proper tension being
applied to the draw bar from the side of the vehicle, thus rendering it unecessary for
the operator to risk life by standing between the buffers as hitherto.
The end of the draw bar is furnished with a balanced catch, provided with a
counter weight, and is suitably pivotted so as to fall, and release the shackle or link
of the opposite vehicle when required, and yet to automatically engage with said
shackle or link when the vehicles approach close to each other. Said catch is
locked in position by means of a wedgo pioce, which is forced into an angular notch
in the catch by means of a spiral spring, thus locking said catch when the latter has
automatically engaged with the shackle or link of the opposite vehicle, and
rendering it sufficiently rigid to resist the strain imposed by the traction. A small
barrel, supported by a transverse shaft, the free end of which is provided with a
handle situated at the side of the vehicle; enables the wedge piece to be withdrawn,
and the catch released, by means of a cord or chain attached to said wedge piece
and wound upon the barrel before mentioned.
By means of the contrivance according to my invention, the vehicles become
automatically coupled when placed together so that the buffers are touching, and
the release of the barrel above described, allows the wedge piece to lock the catch,
and the proper tension may be obtained by operating the transverse shaft under the
vehicle by means of the handle at the side, whereby the draw bar is contracted by
the action of the nut, and the strain of traction is then imparted to the vehicle by
means of the bearing bar herein before referred to, and by the spring attached
thereto.
When it is desired to uncouple the vehicles, the tension is relaxed by the operation
of the same handle, and the wedge piece may then be withdrawn by means of the
second handle in connection with the transverse shaft, barrel and cord before
mentioned

page_text: The two handles, upon the free ends of the transverse shafts, are arranged upon
the same side of the vehicle, so that a train may be coupled or uncoupled from the
side of the track.
Dated this 19th day of March 1889
FREDK. WALKER & HYDE,
4, Little Moorfields, London, E.C., Agents for Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Couplings for Railway and other Vehicles.
I, FREDERICK WALKER, of 4 Little Moorfields, London, E.C. Engineer
communicated by Percy Isaacs, of Malvern P.O. in the island of Jamaica,, West 1
Indies 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 has for its object the production of a coupling for railway vehicles,
that may be automatically closed or coupled, and also disengaged when necessary
while the train of vehicles is in motion, or when said train is standing, the operations
of coupling or uncoupling may be carried out without rendering it necessary for a
man to pass between the vehicles thereby avoiding the danger to life and limbs that
obtains with the manipulation of such couplings as hitherto constructed.
In order to render the description of my said invention perfectly clear, I have
appended the accompanying sheet of drawings in which Figure 1 is a sectional
elevation of a portion of two trucks or vehicles fitted with the improved coupling.
Figure 2 is a plan view of the same, and Figures 3 and 4 are views of the principal
device, drawn to a larger scale, and showing the position of the parts when coupled
and uncoupled respectively. Similar lotters of reference indicate corresponding parts
throughout the several views.
In carrying my invention into effect I employ a bearing bar A, working within
suitable guides under the base or floor B of the vehicle, so as to allow the action of
a spiral or other spring to balance and compensato the irregularity of the tractive
force applied in the propulsion of the vehicles. A draw-bar C, preferably of square
or rectangular cross section passes through the end of the vehicle, and is furnished
at one end with a suitable screw thread. Said screwed portion passes through a
divided bearing block D, upon the bearing bar A. between the gap of which is placed
a bevel wheel E, the bore of which is furnished with a screw thread so as to act
as a nut for the screwed end of C. Said bevel whool E is driven by a corresponding
wheel F, keyed upon a transverse shaft G, which is supported at one end by a
socket bearing in the bar A, and at the other end by a bearing in the side of the
truck or vehicle. A handle H, or other device upon the free end of said shaft G
allows of the proper degree of tension being applied to the drawbar from the side
of the vehicle, thus rendering it unecessary for the operator to risk life or personal
injury by standing between the buffers as hitherto practised.
The end of the drawbar C is provided with a balanced catch I, with a counter
weight J, pivotted at K between the cheeks forming the head of the draw bar C.
Said catch is rigidly retained in position when coupled to the link L of
the opposite vehicle, by a sliding wedge M, upon a spindle N, supported
by a bracket Q upon the cheeks of the bar C. A spiral spring O serves
to hold said wedge M in position SO as to lock the catch I and resist
the pull of the link L as shewn by Figure 3, the oporation of coupling being
automatically effected by the contact of the vehicles when the train is made up. A
cord c is attached to the wedge M, and passes round a pulley p to a drum or
barrel & mounted upon a transverse spindle or shaft & upon the front of the truck
or vehicle, said shuft being provided with a handle h or other device so that the
wedge M may he withdrawn from the notch in the catch I, from the side of said
truck or vehicle, thus releasing the link L in the manner shewn by Figure 4.

page_text: By means of the improved coupling according to my invention, the vehicles
become automatically coupled when placed together so that the buffers are touching,
and the release of the barrel d allows the wedge M to lock the catch I, and the proper
tension may be obtained by operating the handle H in the manner herein before
described, whereby the drawbar O is contracted by the action of the nut wheel E,
and the strain of traction is imparted to the body of the vehicle by the bearing bar A,
which is retained or checked by a spring, which does not form any part of my
invention. When it is desired to uncouple the vehicles, the tension of the drawbar C
is relaxed by turning the handle H in the opposite direction, and the wedge M may
then be withdrawn by means of the second handle h, in connection with the transverse
shaft, barrel and cord before mentioned.
The two handles H and are preferably arranged so as to be operated upon the
same side of the vehicle, so that a train may be coupled or uncoupled from
one side.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is,
First. In a coupling for vehicles, the combination of a draw bar C, catch I, wedge M
cord c and drum or barrel d, substantially as and for the purposes herein described,
with reference to the drawings.
Second. In a coupling for vehicles, the combination of a draw bar C and tension
device shewn by the wheels E and F, shaft G and handle H, substantially as and for
the purposes herein described, with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 18th day of December 1980
FREDK. WALKER & HYDE,
4, Little Moorfields, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.