IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES FOR COUPLING AND UNCOUPLING RAILWAY VEHICLES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Brown, of Barrow in Furness, in the County of
'
Lancaster, Engineer, and John Esplen, of the same Place, Shipping Agent,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES FOR
COUPLING AND UNCOUPLING RAILWAY VEHICLES."
*
Sealed the 16th March 1880, and dated the 18th September 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Brown and John
Esplen at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th September
1879.
JAMES BROWN, of Barrow in Furness, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, and
JOHN ESPLEN, of the same Place, Shipping Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
AND APPLIANCES FOR COUPLING AND UNCOUPLING RAILWAY VEHICLES."
The object of our Invention is to so support, construct, and operate couplings for
railway vehicles, mainly wagons, that the operations of coupling and uncoupling
any two can be effected from outside, over side buffers, and hence the necessity
which at present exists of sending guards and porters between vehicles is
avoided.
The
For that purpose we suspend couplings with links or loops and hooks of the
ordinary kind, or of any equivalent construction, by a bridle from an overhead
bracket or stud secured to the end of the vehicle over the draw bar hook.
said bridle is forked so that it hangs free of the hook on each side thereof, and is
connected or secured to the outer link or loop by a chain or chains. Attached to or
formed on the said outer link or loop, or the chain or chains of the suspending
bridle, is a catch hook or catch hooks, two are preferred.
г
The appliance for raising or lowering the coupling, supported as above mentioned,'
consists of a plain lever or bar, usually of wood, which when passed over the buffer
or buffer stem engages the catch hook or hooks, the buffer or buffer stem serving
as a fulcrum.
:
When the links form part of a coupling, and such is the case with most of those.
now in use, the outer link has the suspending bridle, connected thereto. The central
link is usually formed with a cross stud or stop to prevent interlocking of
the links.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Brown and John Esplen in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 18th March: 1880.
'
JAMES BROWN, of Barrow in Furness, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
and JOHN ESPLEN, of the same Place, Shipping Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES FOR COUPLING AND UNCOUPLING RAILWAY VEHICLES."
The object of our Invention is to so support, construct, and operate couplings
for railway vehicles, mainly wagons, that the operations of coupling and uncoupling
any two can be effected from outside, over side buffers, and hence the necessity
which at present exists of sending guards and porters between vehicles is
avoided.
For that purpose we suspend couplings with links or loops and hooks of the
ordinary kind, or of any equivalent construction, by a bridle from an overhead
bracket or stud secured to the end of the vehicle over the drawbar hook. The said
bridle is forked so that it hangs free of the hook on each side thereof, and is con-
nected or secured to the outer link or loop by a chain or chains. Attached to or
formed on the said outer link or loop, or the chain or chains of the suspending
bridle, is a catch hook or catch hooks; two are preferred.
... !!
The appliance for raising or lowering the coupling supported as above mentioned
consists of a plain lever or bar, usually of wood, which when passed over the buffer
or buffer stem engages the catch hook or hooks, the buffer or buffer stem acting as
a fulcrum.
When three links form part of a coupling, and such is the case with most of those
now in use, the outer link has the suspending bridle connected thereto. The central
link is usually formed with a cross stud or stop to prevent interlocking of
Fig. 1 is a plan view, Fig. 2 an end view, and Fig. 3 a side view, all of apparatus
or appliances for coupling and uncoupling railway vehicles. 1, vehicles; 2,
coupling chains of the ordinary kind; 3, bridle attached to the coupling links 4 by
the chains 5. The bridles 3 are suspended from the overhead brackets or studs 6
secured to the carriages or vehicles 1, over the drawbar hooks 7, 8, catch hooks
attached to the coupling links 4. The central link 9 of the coupling chain is formed
or fitted with a stop 10 to prevent interlocking of the links.
Fig. 4 is a side view illustrative of a modification of coupling apparatus or
appliances, here the brackets 6 are placed over the draw bar hooks, but with their
projecting ends slightly to one side thereof, so that the suspending chain and bridle
3 shall hang free from the draw bar hooks..
Fig. 5 is a plan view; Figs. 6 and 7 are end views, and Fig: 8 is a side view, all
of a further modification of our Invention suitable for use when it is desired to
double or overlap couple both chains. In Figs. 6 and 7 the chains are shown
uncoupled; and in Fig. 7 the coupling bar or lever 11 is shown in position for
raising the links; in Figs. 5 and 8 one chain is shown coupled, and in Fig. 8 the
coupling lever or bar 11 is shown in the position occupied when the coupling link
has been lifted and passed over the hook 7. The other chain is in position to be
caught by the coupling lever or bar. In the above arrangement the brackets 6 are
jointed or hinged at 12, and are placed at an angle so that their outer ends will take
the positions shown in Figs. 6 and 7, and prevent one chain from interfering with
the coupling of the other.
Fig. 9 shows a modification of apparatus in which the jointed or swinging bracket
G is attached to a stud 11.

page_text: Fig. 10 is a view of a modification of apparatus in which the swinging bracket
and stud are attached to the drawbar hook 7.
In Figs. 5 and 7 the coupling lever or bar is shown resting on the buffers and in
the best positions for raising and coupling the links. The coupling may be effected
with the lever or bar in other positions, say from beneath the buffers, but the
operation would not be so conveniently or easily performed.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention in such
manner that others will be enabled to carry our improvements into effect, we
claim,―
First. Apparatus or appliances for coupling and uncoupling railway vehicles
constructed, combined, and arranged to be operated substantially as set forth.
Second. Coupling links, suspending bridles or chains and brackets, combined and
arranged substantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Esplen, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Fifteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty.
JOHN ESPLEN. (L.S.)