IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND OTHER ROLLING STOCK
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Threlkeld Edwards, of Cannon Street, in the City
of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY
CARRIAGES AND OTHER ROLLING STOCK." A communication from abroad by
Edward Goodman Sheward, of Negapatam, in the Presidency of Madras,
India
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Threlkeld Edwards
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st May 1879.
HENRY THRELKELD EDWARDS, of Cannon Street, in the City of London. " IM-
PROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND OTHER ROLLING STOCK."
[A communication from abroad by Edward Goodman Sheward, of Negapatam; in
the Presidency of Madras, India.]
This Invention relates more particularly to couplings used on narrow gauge
railways, where the draw bar and buffer are combined and placed in the centre of
the carriage, the object being to provide a means for adjusting or tightening up the
couplings between two carriages or other vehicle with facility.
In carrying out this Invention the buffer head is fixed to the draw bar, which is
threaded for a short distance to receive a nut or threaded collar capable of being
turned on the draw bar by a lever or handle attached thereto.
This nut or collar bears against the rear ends of two links placed one on either
side of the draw bar, and when it is turned round pushes forward, the links and
with them a pin which is inserted through the outer ends of the links, and serves
as the pivot on which the drag hook, or link, or chain is secured. This pin slides
in a slot formed in the buffer head, and the buffer head is further hollowed out to
receive the drag hook, or link, or chain. The rear ends of these links are turned
up at right angles to their plane to form a claw or stop against which bears one
end of a coiled spring. The other end of this coiled spring presses against a collar
or washer secured to the draw bar or the back of the buffer head.
When it is desired to couple up two carriages the nut is screwed up, thereby
pressing forward the links, and the spring is compressed and the pin with drag
hook attached is advanced in the slot of the buffer head, thereby bringing the drag

page_text: hook sufficiently forward that it may fall casily over a pin suitably placed in the
buffer head of the adjoining carriage. On reversing the motion of the nut the
hook is drawn back by the spring and a firm connection is secured.
The spring in this arrangement may also be made to take all or part of the
thrust or draw from the buffer head or the coupling by placing a collar, or plate, or
key, or any other means on the draw rod between the spring and the head stock or
the framing of the vehicle.
As a modification of the above arrangement the links may be prolonged so as to
project beyond the head stock or framing of the vehicle and inside the vehicle, and
thus carry the spring on the draw rod and between the claws of the links and the
head stock or the framing of the vehicle. The spring may be enclosed in a casing
of suitable character to preserve it from the action of the weather, climate, or dust,
or other causes of corrosion and derangement.
In either of the above arrangements the action of the nut working upon the
screw is to actuate the links and thus compress the spring, giving a reciprocatory
motion to the pin on which is fixed the drag hook, or link, or chain aforesaid.
In adapting this Invention to ordinary or broad gauge railways where the buffers
are placed at the sides of the vehicle a slot is made horizontally in the end of the
draw rod through which a pin is carried having a link, or hook, or chain attached
to it. The pin or the link itself is held in a recess inside of the nut, which, by
travelling forwards and backwards on the screw on the draw rod, communicates
reciprocatory motion to the link, or hook, or chain.
Or the draw hook, or link, or chain may be attached directly to the nut in any
suitable manner, and by leaving the end or the ends of the draw rod free to revolve
reciprocatory motion is communicated to the nut by turning the draw rod itself
round and round through the thread in the nut. The resultant of the action of
these various methods being to admit of the draw hook, or link, or chain passing
over a pin or hook on any other vehicle approached to it, and thus by reciprocatory
motion being made either rigidly tight, or clastic, or slack, as may be desired.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Threlkeld Edwards in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st November 1879.
HENRY THRELKELD EDWARDS, of Cannon Street, in the City of London. "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES AND OTHER ROLLING STOCK."
A communication from abroad by Edward Goodman Sheward, of Negapatam, in
the Presidency of Madras, India.
This Invention relates more particularly to couplings used on narrow gauge
railways, where the draw-bar and buffer are combined and placed in the centre of
the carriage; but it applies also to broad gauge railways. The object of tho
Invention is to provide a means for slackening and tightening up the couplings
between two carriages or other vehicle with facility.
In the accompanying Drawings Sheet I., Fig. 1, shews the Invention as applied
to narrow gauge railways, being a side view of the improved coupling; Fig. 2, a
plan view partly in section; and Fig. 3, a front view of the same; Figures 4 and
5 are respectively a side view and plan view partly in section of a modification ;
and Fig. 6 is a cross section taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 4. Similar letters refer
to corresponding parts in all the Figures in this Sheet.
A is the buffer head formed in one with or secured to the draw rod B, which is
flattened at its opposite sides to permit of a pair of links C, C, lying snugly against
it; the forward ends of these links are formed with eyes, and they project into the
buffer head to receive a coupling pin D which passes transversely through the buffer,
slots a being formed therein to allow of the free play of this rod in the line of the
draught. This pin D carries the coupling hook E which projects through the
buffer, a slot being made through the head thereof for that purpose.
The rear
ends of the links C are bent outwards to receive the pressure of a nut F which
works upon a screw thread cut upon the draft rod B. This nut is provided with
a handle for turning it for the purpose to be presently explained.
Surrounding the links and draw rod, and occupying the space between the buffer
and the turned up portions of the links, is a coiled spring G, the tendency of which
is to press back the links and thus draw the coupling hook E towards the buffer
head. For the purpose of coupling up or uncoupling two carriages it is necessary
to project this hook E beyond the buffer head; for this purpose the nut F is
advanced and caused to compress the spring G and force forward the links C, C.
This movement, by advancing the coupling hook, will bring it over the coupling
pin of the adjoining carriage, and when the coupling is effected the nut is moved
backward to allow of the coiled spring G tightening up. the coupling.
As a modification of the above arrangement the links C, C, are prolonged, see
Figures 4 and 5, so as to project past the head stock or framing H of the vehicle.
In this case the spring G is placed between the turned up ends of the links C, C,
and the back of the head stock or the framing H of the vehicle. The spring G
may be enclosed in a casing of suitable character to preserve it from the action of
the weather, climate, or dust, or other causes of corrosion and disarrangement. In
this modification the nut F overrides the links, see Fig. 6, and bears against
shoulders a¹ formed on the links in rear of the eyes. The remaining parts are
similar to those already described, and the inode of working is also the same.
In Sheet II. of the accompanying Drawings the Invention is shewn as adapted to
ordinary or broad gauge railway carriages, the buffers being situate one on either
side of the carriage. Fig. 1 is a front view of the coupling; Fig. 2, a side view;
Fig. 3, a plan view partly in section; and Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the saine
on the line 1, 2, of Fig. 2. A is the draw bar with drag hook attached. The draw
bar is threaded for a short distance to receive a nut B which is provided with a
lever or handle. Two short links C, C, similar in construction to those shewn in
Figures 1 and 2, Sheet I., are placed in grooves a, a, cut in opposite sides of the

page_text: draw bar A. To the outer ends of these links C, C, a drag chain or shackle D is
connected by the pin E. A longitudinal slot b is made in the draw bar through
which the pin E passes, and thus the pin will be free to move under the action of
the advancing and receding nut B.
The inner ends of the links C, C, are turned up to form flanges c, c, which take
into an annular recess formed on the nut B, see Fig. 4, and by turning the nut B to
the right or left on the thread of the draw bar an advancing or receding motion is
given to the links C, C, and the pin and shackle connected therewith. By this
means the coupling link or shackle can be brought forward, so that it may be
readily placed over the drag hook of the adjoining vehicle, and then tightened up
with facility, as already explained.
Having now described the Invention of "Improvements in Couplings for Railway
Carriages and other Rolling Stock," as communicated to me by my foreign corre-
spondent, and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it
to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim
constructing the couplings of railway carriages with a traversing hook, shackle,
or equivalent attaching instrument in the manner and for the purpose above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Threlkeld Edwards, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twentieth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
H. T. EDWARDS.
(L.S.)