IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPERTAINING TO COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK
Year: 1884

page_text: We JOHN GASKELL and GEORGE GASKELL, both of Pemberton in the County
of Lancaster, Wheelwright and Engineer respectively do hereby declare the nature
of our said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPERTAINING TO COUPLINGS
FOR RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK," to be as follows:-
In the ordinary drawbar the shackle is bolted or riveted to the hook by means
of a hole through the thick part of the shank of the hook. The result is the
shackle is apt to rust fast and is then both difficult and dangerous to couple in the
ordinary manner. The shackle bolt and thickened shank with hole in are rather
expensive to make and are more liable to fractures than if a simple link were used
in place of shackle and bolt. When too a fracture occurs the drawbar or hook
with shackle attached must be carried to the repairing shop to be repaired.
Now our Invention is designed to avoid these evils and to enable a simple link
to be used instead of a shackle and bolt, and is so arranged that in event of fracture
the link can be easily removed and a fresh one inserted.
It consists in forming the draw hook shank with a beak projecting from its
upper surface backward into the buffer plate, in place of there being a transverse
hole in the shank the socket or vacant space between the beak and shank, being in
substantially the same position relatively to the hook that is held by the shackle
bolt hole in ordinary drawbars. The draw hook with this beak has an abutment
to prevent its shank going too far into the buffer plate and if continuous drawbars
are employed we prefer to cut the draw-bar in the centre and unite the two ends
with a link with a right and left handed nut or with their equivalent so that the
hook can be taken out and be screwed back into place again.
The mode of action is as follows:
The link is applied between the beak and the shank before the draw hook is
fixed in place. The draw hook is then screwed up till the abutinent comes firmly
against the buffer plate and till the beak enters the buffer plate. The link now
hangs in a hole formed by the beak, the shank and the buffer plate. To remove
the link all that is required is to slacken the screw and pull it out from the
buffer plate till the beak leaves the plate sufficiently far for the link to pass
between them.

page_text: The link is now inserted and the hook drawn back tight into position again.
In this description we have only mentioned one arrangement, but it is obvious that
nearly the same result could be achieved by a beak simply bearing against the
buffer plate, or by a simple projection not bearing against the buffer-plate and a
cover plate firmly attached to the buffer beam making good the deficiency. These
are however mere colourable variations of our Invention, the principle of which is
the application of a removable link instead of a shackle and attaching it by means
of a hook or notch on the draw hook closed by the buffer beam so as to forin a
secure fastening, or in other words the link is placed in a hole part of the periphery
of which is draw hook shank or its adjuncts and the remainder-the buffer beam or
its adjuncts.
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We JOHN GASKELL and GEORGE GASKELL, both of Pemberton, in the County
of Lancaster, Wheelwright and Engineer respectively, do hereby declare the nature.
of our said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPERTAINING TO COUPLINGS
FOR RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK" and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
In the ordinary draw bar the shackle is bolted or riveted to the hook by means'
of a hole through the thick part of the shank of the hook. The result is the
shackle is apt to rust fast, and is then both difficult and dangerous to couple in the
ordinary manner. The shackle bolt and thickened shank with hole in are rather
expensive to make, and are more liable to fractures than if a simple link were used
in place of shackle and bolt. When too a fracture occurs the draw bar or hook
with shackle attached must be carried to the repairing shop to be repaired.
Now our Invention is designed to avoid these evils, and to enable a simple link
to be used instead of a shackle and bolt, and is so arranged that in event of fracture
the link can be easily removed and a fresh one inserted.
The Invention is clearly shown in the Drawing annexed hereto.
The shank A of the draw hook B is formed with a beak or projection C projecting
from its upper surface backward into the buffer plate, the space D between the
projection C and the shank A finishes at the place d, that would otherwise in an
ordinary draw hook be occupied by the transverse hole for the shackle. When the
draw hook is in its normal position the projection C is carried back through and
beyond the buffer plate, and the buffer plate acting as one wall to the space da
transverse socket is formed for the link in substantially the same position relatively
to the hook that is occupied by the shackle bolt hole in ordinary draw bars. The
draw hook has on its under side a shoulder or abutment E to prevent its shank
going so far into the buffer plate, and if continuous drawbars are employed we
prefer to cut the draw bar in the centre and unite the two ends with a link with a
right and left handed nut, or with their equivalent, so that the hook can be taken
out and be screwed back into place again.
.
The mode of action is as follows:-
The link is applied between the beak C and the shank A before the draw hook B
is fixed in place. The draw hook is then screwed up till the abutment or shoulder E
comes firmly against the buffer plate and till the beak enters the buffer plate. The
link now hangs in a hole & formed by the beak C the shank A and the buffer
plate. To remove the link all that is required is to slacken the screw and pull the
draw hook out from the buffer plate till the beak leaves the plate sufficiently far
for the link to pass between them.
A fresh link may then be inserted and the hook drawn back tight into position
again. In this description, we have only mentioned one arrangement, but it is
obvious that nearly the same result could be achieved by a beak simply bearing
against the buffer plate, or by a simple projection not bearing against the buffer
plate and a cover plate firmly attached to the buffer-beam making good the
deficiency. These are however mere colorable variations of our Invention, the
principle of which is the application of a removable link instead of a shackle and
attaching it by means of a hook or notch on the draw hook closed by the buffer
beam so as to form a secure fastening, or in other words, the link is placed in a
hole, part of the periphery of which is draw hook, shank or its adjuncts, and the
remainder the buffer beam or its adjuncts.

page_text: . It will be obvious that in place of unscrewing the draw bar from the draw plate,
a portion of the draw plate covering the slot in which the draw link hangs can be
unscrewed,.and the effect would be the same, the principle we have discovered
being that the socket of the draw link instead of being a simple hole in the draw
hook should be a compound hole, the sides of which are formed partly of the
substance of the draw look and partly of that of the draw plate or its equivalent,
so that by disconnecting the draw bar from the draw plate or its equivalent, the
hole shall become an open slot, out of which the link can be lifted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:
1st. A draw hook having a socket for the draw link hanging therefrom formed
of a hook, slot or deep groove, instead of a hole, the side opening of the hook, slot,
or deep groove being covered by the draw plate or other stationary part when the
draw bar is fixed in place, by which means an ordinary link can be used if desired,
instead of a bolt and shackle, and can be taken off from the draw bar when
desired for repair without breaking the continuity of the link or injuring the
draw bar,
2nd. The coupling device for rolling stock, consisting of a draw hook having
securely fixed therein the first ordinary link of the draw chain in place of the
usual pin and shackle, and the two so combined that by unscrewing the draw bar
or its cover piece the link can be detached, substantially as described.
WM P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool,
Patent Agents for the Applicants.
Dated dins 17th day of September 100.
WM P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool,
Patent Agents for the Applicants.