IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY COUPLINGS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Harrison, of Union Chambers, Newcastle-on-
Tyne, in the County of Northumberland, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN RAILWAY COUPLINGS."
Sealed the 26th January 1877, and dated the 30th November 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Harrison at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th November 1876.
RICHARD HARRISON, of Union Chambers, Newcastle-on-Tyne, in the County
of Northumberland. "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY COUPLINGS."
According to my present Invention I connect to the ordinary coupling hooks of
railway carriages or trucks a link or shackle working on a pin at the back of the
hook, and having attached to it at any convenient point or points of its length one
or more rods or chains passing up some distance and connected to a lever or crank
or other suitable mechanism, carried by the back of the carriage or truck, whereby
the link can be raised or lowered. The links are ordinarily held by the chain and
lever, so as to project out nearly horizontally from their hook, being by preference
slightly inclined downwards, so that when two carriages or trucks are brought
together for the purpose of being coupled the link of the one coupling will slide
over the other link and up the opposite hook, and in then falling over its beak will
be coupled thereto. The rods or chains, or their connection with the lever or link,
are made with a spring action of such strength as to prevent the one link from
being depressed as the other link passes over it, but to allow it to be depressed as
it passes under the opposite hook, while when the carriages are uncoupled again
the spring will cause the link to regain its original position. The lever is also so
arranged that when it is desired to uncouple the link the former can be turned so
as to put a tension on the spring of the rod or chain; and thus, when the carriages
or trucks are pushed together, so as to bring the link out of the hook, the link will
be drawn up away from the hook by the spring action of the rod or chain. Instead
of arranging the spring in connection with the rod or chain the lever may itself
be made as a spring. In order to insure the one coupling link riding up over the
hook to which it is to be coupled I prefer to form an incline across the link
at any convenient part, so that as the one link passes over the other in the act
of coupling, it will be raised up by this incline sufficiently to prevent it from
catching against the under side of the hook.
According to another arrangement, instead of suspending the links in the hori-
[Price 6d.1
2

page_text: zontal position by the means above described, they may be supported in that
position by means of a spring lever or arm projecting from the end framing of the
carriage below the link, and fixed on a spindle having a lever at the side of the
carriage, by which a tension can be put on the spring arm after the link has been
coupled for the same purpose as described with reference to the first arrangement.
In either of the above arrangements provision may be made for tightening up
the coupling by any suitable arrangement of screws, cams, or levers, whereby the
pin to which the coupling link is hinged may be moved nearer to the end of its
carriage after it has been coupled to the opposite hook.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Richard Harrison in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th May
1877.
RICHARD HARRISON, of Union Chambers, Newcastle-on-Tyne, in the County of
Northumberland. "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY COUPLINGS."
According to my present Invention I connect to the ordinary coupling hooks of
railway carriages or trucks a link or shackle working on a pin at the back of the
hook, and having attached to it at any convenient point or points of its length one
or more rods or chains passing up some distance and connected to a lever or crank,
or other suitable mechanism carried by the back of the carriage or truck, whereby
the link can be raised or lowered. The links are ordinarily held by the chain and
lever, so as to project out nearly horizontally from their hook, being by preference
slightly inclined downwards, so that when two carriages or trucks are brought
together for the purpose of being coupled the link of the one coupling hook will
slide over the other link and up the opposite hook, and in then falling over its
beak will be coupled thereto. The rods or chains, or their connections with the
lever or link, are made with a spring action of such strength as to prevent the one
link from being depressed as the other link passes over it, but to allow it to be
depressed as it passes under the opposite hook, while when the carriages are
uncoupled again the spring will cause the link to regain its original position. The
lever is also so arranged that when it is desired to uncouple the link the former can
be turned so as to put a tension on the spring of the rod or chain; and thus, when
the carriages or trucks are pushed together, so as to bring the link out of the hook,
the link will be drawn up away from the hook by the spring action of the rod or
chain. Instead of arranging the spring in connection with the rod or chain the
lever may itself be made as a spring. In order to insure the one coupling link
riding up over the hook to which it is to be coupled I prefer to form an incline
across the link at any convenient part, so that as the one link passes over the
other in the act of coupling it will be raised up by this iucline sufficiently to prevent
it from catching against the under side of the hook.
According to another arrangement, instead of suspending the links in the hori-
zontal position by the means above described, they may be supported in that
position by means of a spring lever or arm projecting from the end framing of the
carriage below the link and fixed on a spindle having a lever at the side of the
carriage, by which a tension can be put on the spring arm after the link has been
coupled for the same purpose as described with reference to the first arrangement.
In either of the above arrangements provision may be made for tightening up
the coupling by any suitable arrangement of screws, cams, or levers, whereby the
pin to which the coupling link is hinged may be moved nearer to the end of its
carriage after it has been coupled to the opposite hook.
Figs. 1 to 3 of the Drawings shew one arrangement of my before described
improved coupling; Fig. 1 shews a side elevation; Fig. 2, a front view; and Fig. 3,
a plan.

page_text: The drawhook A of the carriage or truck has pivotted to it the link B, which is
usually held extended in the position shewn in full lines by means of a lever C and
supporting rod D, the lever being fixed on a spindle E and held in the position
shewn by entering the notch of a spring catch F, as seen more clearly at Fig. 2.
The two carriages or trucks to be coupled being brought together with their links
extended, as shewn, the one link will slide over the other and up the beak of the
hook A, into which it will then fall, the rod D by which the link is supported
being formed with a loop as shewn to allow of such rising up of the link, as shewn
by the dotted position of the latter B.
In order to prevent the nose of the link from striking against the beak of the
hook an incline G is fixed inside the link, up which the nose of the opposite link
is obliged to ride. Other inclines H are also provided at the back of the draw
hook, up which the link is caused to ride when the carriages are pushed close
together, thereby preventing it from hooking over the shoulder at the back of the
look. When the carriages are pulled on starting, the link slides down the
inclines H and enters the hook, the lever C by which the link is held is formed
as a spring, so that, assuming the link to be the undermost one when the carriages
are pushed together, the spring lever will allow it to be deflected on coming in
contact with the under part of the hook, and to pass underneath the latter.
A guard I is also provided for preventing such deflected hook from catching on
the under shoulder of the hook. On the shaft E of the lever C are fixed two
levers K, one on each side of the carriage, by means of which when the link B is
coupled on to its hook and it is desired to uncouple it the shaft E may be turned
slightly, so as to raise the inner end of the spring lever C slightly, thus putting a
tension on the same, tending to raise the link into the dotted position B¹, so that
when the carriages are pushed close together for the purpose of uncoupling, the
link on passing out of the beak of its hook will automatically spring up out of
gear with the same. The lever C is raised into such tension position by being made
to enter an upper notch in the spring catch F. The latter is drawn out of gear
with the lever C when required by means of a rod L provided with a handle at
cach side of the carriage, and having studs L' actuating the catch. The link B
when not in use may if desired be held either in the raised position shewn in
dotted lines at B by turning the shaft E, so as to raise the lever C into the upper-
most notch of the catch F, or it may be allowed to fall into the dotted positions B³.
Instead of forming the incline G between the two limbs of the link an incline may
be formed on one or both limbs, as shown at Fig. 4.
It will be evident that a similar arrangement of spring lever and catch may be
arranged above the draw hook and link instead of below then, the link B in this
case banging in the bottom of the loop of a rod suspended from the lever.
Figs. 5 and 6 shew respectively a side view and plan for tightening up the
coupling operating in the above described manner. The link B instead of being
pivotted directly to the hook A is pivotted to two cheeks M, which are pivotted
at M to the hook, and connected at M² to rods N. The upper ends of these rods
are connected to levers O on a shaft P extending across the carriage and provided
with hand levers outside. From this arrangement it will be seen that if the link
is in the forward position indicated in dotted lines at the time of hooking it on to
its hook, then by turning the checks M into the position shewn in full lines by
means of the rods N and levers O the pivotted end of the link will be moved
nearer its carriage, thus tightening up the coupling. The parts may be secured in
this or any other intermediate position by any suitable locking contrivance, such
as a toothed quadrant and spring catch on the outside levers. For uncoupling, the
cheeks are turned so as to bring the link in the forward position again. This
arrangement for tightening up the coupling may be employed in combination with
any other arrangement of links connected to one draw hook and coupled on to the
opposite one.
When in either of the foregoing arrangements the links are used without the
incline G a double coupling may be effected by first raising the link of the one

page_text: carriage into the position shewn in dotted lines at B, Fig. 1, and after the other
link has been coupled on to its hook in any of the ways above described, allowing
the first named link to drop on to the other hook.
In the first described arrangement the incline G may be dispensed with, in which
case the link B must be supported in such a position that it will be sure to strike
against the upper and not the under part of the opposite hook in coupling. The
lever C may also be constructed rigid instead of with spring action, as described.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the saine
is to be performed, I claim in respect of railway couplings,-
First. The use in combination with a draw hook of a link held extended in a
horizontal or nearly horizontal position by means of a lever or equivalent mechanism
in such manner that when two carriages or trucks are brought together the said
link is free to slide up the beak of the opposite draw hook, and will then fall into
the same, the supporting lever, or equivalent device, being provided with spring
action, whereby while the coupling link of the one carriage operates as above
described the opposite link of the other carriage can be deflected so as to pass
underneath the other draw hook, substantially as herein described.
Second. In coupling apparatus constructed as described in the preceding claim
providing the coupling link with an incline or inclines in order to guide the
opposite link upwards, substantially as herein described.
Third. In coupling apparatus constructed as described in the first claim the
provision of means whereby when the link is coupled on to a draw hook a tendency
to move upwards may be imparted to it, so that when the carriages or trucks are
pushed together for the purpose of uncoupling them the link will automatically rise
up out of its hook, substantially as herein described.
Fourth. In railway couplings consisting of a link connected to the draw hook of
its own carriage and coupled on to the opposite draw hook, the provision of means
whereby the pivotted end of the link can be moved backward relatively to its own
draw hook for the purpose of tightening up the coupling, substantially as herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Harrison, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
R. HARRISON. (L.S.)