Improvements in and Connected with Couplings for Railway Carriages and the like.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Mar., 1887.
Complete Left, 6th May, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 7th June, 1887.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Connected with Couplings for Railway
Carriages and the like.
I, WILLIAM GEORGE STUART, of 58 Kimberley Road, Nunhead, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to couplings such as are employed between rail or tramway
carriages or waggons or between the engines and the carriages.
The object of the invention is to provide an improved coupling which may be made
to act automatically on the buffers upon one carriage being brought into contact with
those on the carriage next in order whilst the coupling can be disconnected from the
side of the carriages and thus much danger to life may be prevented.
The invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts as hereinafter
described. Along the end of the carriage is placed a bar or shaft mounted in
suitable bearings and carrying external weighted levers or other ready means for
iurning same. Mounted upon said shaft is a pinion or gear working in a corresponding
rack the motion of which serves to push out or draw in a species of supplemental
buffer-plate. The shaft also carries one or more arms which directly or through a
supplemental support serve to raise and hold the coupling link above the level of the
hook so long as the supplemental buffer plate is in its outward position.
If it be desired to couple or connect two carriages the shaft upon one is so
turned as to raise the coupling links and push out the supplemental buffer plate when
the two carriages are run together and the force of contact will push in the
supplemental buffer plate and lower the supporting arms of the coupling link which
will fall over the hook upon the second carriage the coupling thus being automatically
effected by the ends of the two carriages simply being brought into contact.
coupling be long enough and the carriages not so close together as to prevent the
supplemental buller plate from being pushed out without moving the carriages the
coupling may be disengaged by again turning the shaft so that the link supporting
arms may raise the coupling link clear of the hook but as this position of the
If the

page_text: carriages would in practice rarely be found I propose to employ a second shaft carrying
arms adapted to engage with the link or with projections thereon and to lift it clear
of the hook without in any way operating on the supplemental buffer plate.
When rigidly mounted links are used I prefer to form them with projecting hooks
thereon the link of one carriage engaging with the hook on the link of the carriage
next in order the coupling in this case being effected by raising both links by
means of the shafts as before described while the disconnection is effected by first
raising one link slightly and then raising the second clear of the first and allowing
both to drop. The coupling may also be effected by first raising one link and then
the second and allowing the first to fall back into engagement but this can only be
effected when the buffers of the carriages happen to be in immediate contact.
Should a carriage with a loose link be attached to a carriage with a rigidly
mounted link the disconnection is effected by means of the arms on the second shaft
engaging with the lugs or projections on the loose link as before described.
Dated this 14th day of March 1887.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London,
Applicant's Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Connected with Couplings for Railway
Carriages and the like.
I, WILLIAM GEORGE STUART of 58 Kimberley Road Nunhead in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, 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 relates to couplings such as are employed between rail or tramway
carriages or waggons or between the engines and the carriages.
The object of the invention is to provide an improved coupling which may be made
to act automatically on the buffers upon one carriage being brought into contact with
those on the carriage next in order whilst the coupling can be disconnected from the
side of the carriages and thus much danger to life may be prevented.
The invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts as hereinafter
described, reference being made to the accompanying drawings which form part of
this specification and in which
Fig. 1 represents in side elevation a coupling in its elevated position before the
ends of the carriages come into close contact.

page_text: Fig. 3 represents a plan view of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 represents in side elevation the coupler when being uncoupled.
Fig. 5 represents in side elevation the coupler, when formed of a rigid link and
hook, in its raised position.
Fig. 6 represents in side elevation the same coupling when coupled.
Fig. 7 represents a plan of Fig. 5.
Fig. represents a side elevation of the coupling when being disconnected.
り
Fig. 9 represents a side elevation of the loose link coupler when meeting the rigid
link coupler of the engine or car next in order.
Fig. 10 represents the same when in engagement.
Fig. 11 represents a plan of Fig. 9 and
Fig. 12 represents the coupler when being detached.
For the sake of clearness of illustration parts of the apparatus shown in the other
Figures are omitted from Figures 4, 8 and 12. Along the end of the carriage A is
placed a bar or shaft a mounted in suitable bearings and carrying external weighted
levers b, or other ready means for turning same. Mounted upon said shaft is a
pinion or gear a working in a corresponding rack a², the motion of which serves
to push out or draw in a species of supplemental buffer plate B. The shape a also
carries one or more arms c which directly or through a supplemental pivoted
support d, serve to raise and hold the coupling link D above the level of the hook E
so long as the supplemental buffer plate B is in its outward position as shown in
Figs. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11. When the supplemental support d is used it is pivoted
at about the same level as the links and carries lugs d, adapted to form a support for
lugs d, on link D.
If it be desired to couple or connect two carriages, the shaft a upon one is so turned
as to raise the coupling links D and push out the supplemental buffer plate B when
the two carriages are run together and the force of contact will push in the
supplemental buffer plate B, turn the shaft a, and lower the supporting arms c, when
the supplemental support d will fall, and the coupling link D will fall over the hook E,
upon the second carriage, the coupling thus being automatically effected, as shown in
Fig. 2, by the ends of the two carriages simply being brought into contact. If the
coupling be long enough and the carriages not so close together as to prevent
the supplemental buffer plate from being pushed out without moving the carriages,
the coupling may be disengaged by again turning the shaft a by means of lever b,
so that the link supporting arms c, d, may raise the coupling link D, clear of the
hook E, but as this position of the carriages would in practice rarely be found,
I propose to employ a second shaft, carrying arms e, el, adapted to engage with
the link D or with projections d' thereon, and to lift it clear of the hook E, without
in any way operating on the supplemental buffer plate. Shaft e being operated by
levers, at the side or end of the carriages and a link being disengaged in this manner
is shown in Fig. 4.
When rigidly mounted links are used I prefer to form them with projecting
hooks E, thereon as shown in Figs. 5 to 10, the link D of one carriage engaging
with the hook E on the link of the carriage next in order, the coupling in this case
being effected by raising both links D by means of the shafts a and supporting arms c,
as before described, while the disconnection is effected by first raising one link
slightly by means of lever of shaft g operating arms g, and then raising in the
same way the second link clear of the first and allowing both to drop as shown in
Fig. 8. The coupling may also be effected by first raising one link and then the
second, and allowing the first to fall back into engagement, but this can only be
effecied when the buffers of the carriages happen to be in immediate contact.
Should a carriage with a loose link be attached to a carriage with a rigidly mounted
link as illustrated in Figs. 9 to 12, the disconnection is effected by means of the
arms e on the second shaft e engaging with the lugs or projections d', on the loose
link D, as before described.
The lover & may carry a sliding weight b so that in whichever position the shaft a

page_text: may be, the tendency is for it to so remain. Instead of the rack and pinion a jointed
lever may be employed for connecting the supplemental buffer plate to the shaft a
but I do not consider this such an efficient construction. When using the supplemental
buffer with an ordinary spring buffer the plate may be forked so as to embrace the
buffer rod.
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 :-
1st. The combination with a rail or tramway coupling of a supplementary buffer,
the motion of which actuates the link supporting arms substantially as set forth.
2nd. In a rail or tramway coupling the combination with the link supporting
arms of an actuating lever with an adjustable weight thereon substantially as
set forth.
3rd. In a rail or tramway coupling the combination with the link of the
supplemental shaft e and disengaging arms el substantially as described.
4th. In a rail or tramway coupling the combination of a link D formed with
lugs or projections with a supporting plate or arm d adapted to raise and hold said
link substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
5th. In a rail or tramway coupling the combination with the links of the
supplementary hook E¹ constructing and operating substantially as hereinbefore
described.
6th. In a rail or tramway coupling the general arrangement and combination of
paris substantially as set forth.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London,
Applicant's Agent.