Improvements in Railway Vehicle Couplings.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Aug., 1897-Accepted, 25th Sept.,
1897
Improvements in Railway Vehicle Couplings.
I, JOHN HARRIS JR. of Frackville, County of Schuylkill, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.,
Miner, 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:-
The automatically acting railway vehicle coupling of this invention is shewn
in the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 being a side elevation of the same, Fig. 2
a central vertical section, Fig. 3 a plan view, and Fig. 4 a view of the coupling
pin for use only on certain occasions.
1 is the drawhead having a recessed outer end 2 in the usual manner. In the
rear of the recess 2 is a pocket 3 to receive an end of the link. The top of the
drawhead is formed with an aperture 4 through which passes the locking jaw 5
which is pivotted to the upper part of the drawhead by a transverse pin 6." The
locking jaw extends downwardly through the recess 2 and when at the lower limit
of its movement rests against the rear face of said recess, whilst its lower end 7
takes within an aperture 8 in the bottom of the drawhead. The locking jaw is
free to turn on the pivot 6 so as to couple automatically, and it is provided at top
with a link and hook 9 by which it is in connection with a lever 10 mounted on
the vehicle for raising said locking jaw. At the ton of the drawhead on opposite
sides of the aperture 4 are notches 11 to receive the head 12 of the coupling pin 13
that can be used in case of fracture of or injury to the locking jaw 5.
It will be seen that when a link from another coupling enters the recess of the
drawhead and strikes against the jaw 5 this latter will rise to allow the end of the
link to pass into the pocket 3, the jaw then dropning into the link and locking it.
It will also be seen that by means of the pocket 3 and jaw 5 a link can be held in
a substantially horizontal position to he guided into an opposite drawhead.
A railway vehicle coupling of the above construction is very simple, consisting
practically of but three parts, viz., drawhead, jaw and pivot.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
-
1. A railway vehicle coupling consisting of a recessed drawhead having a
pivotted locking jaw and transverse notches in its upper face adjacent to tho
forward end of the opening therein in which the locking jaw is located, said trans-
verse notches being adapted to receive the T head of a pin, substantially as
described and shewn.
2. A railway vehicle coupling consisting of a recessed drawhead having an
opening in the top and bottom sides, a pivotted locking jaw located in said open-
ings and recess and permanently connected therewith, and transverse notches on

page_text: the top of the drawhead near the forward end of the opening therein, said trans-
verse notches being adapted to receive the head of a T shaped pin, substantially
as described and shewn.
Dated this 7th day of August 1897.
THOMAS R. SHILLITO,
89 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.