IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY STOCK
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Emil Schrabetz at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd
November 1875.
I, EMIL SCHRABETZ, of Vienna, Empire of Austria, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY STOCK," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to means for coupling and uncoupling railway
rolling stock. For this purpose the coupling is connected by rods to a
moveable axle to be worked by levers from outside the rails in the
manner to be now described with reference to the accompanying
Drawing.
Figure 1 shows a side view; Figure 2, a plan; and Figures 3, 4, and 5
details of the coupling arrangement.
The coupling consists of the hinge c, d, f, movable round the bolt
d, d, and pivoted to the coupling hook of the car by the horizontal
bolt c, c.
The part d, f, of the hinge is formed by the two pieces d, e,
the connecting bolt e, e, in which a screw nut rests, and by the screw

page_text: spare passing mug and pro
screw spindle also penetrates the bolt d, d, so that the part d, f, of the
hinge forms one rigid piece.
The object of this arrangement of the part of the hinge is in order to
permit of its being shortened, as without this condition it would suffice
to lengthen the two pieces d, e, and join them together at the point f.
Figure 3 shows a detail of the bolt d, d; i is a projection or pin
fitting into a longitudinal groove on the screw spindle in such a manner
that the screw spindle can slide but not turn in the bolt.
Figure 4 is a front view of the bolt e, e; and Figure 5, a section
through the line m, n. The screw nut is arranged so as to turn in the bolt.
The lever serves not only to hold the screw nut but also to rotate it
for the purpose of shortening or lengthening the coupling. The bolt e, e,
is connected with a horizontal axle b, b, by means of two suspension
rods e, b, in which it is pivoted, and therefore when this axle is turned
the bolt e, e, and therefore the entire hinge is raised or lowered. During
this movement the terminal point of the hinge f will describe the curve
o, p, as shown in Figure 1. The axle b, b, is so arranged that it turns
not only on its axis but also round that of a parallel axle a, a, connected
with it and fastened to the breast of the car. When therefore the
axle b, b, is brought into the position b', b', Figure 1, and turned, the
terminal point of the coupling will describe the curvo r, q.
One of the positions assumed by the coupling during this movement
is indicated in Figure 1 by the dotted lines c, d¹, d¹, e¹, f¹, and b¹, e¹,
but as the axle b, b, can oscillate between the positions and b¹,
Figure 1, the terminal point will describe different curves, according to
the different intermediate positions and turning, but these curves will
always be between the curves o, p, and r, q; it is therefore possible by
means of moving the axles a, a, and b, b, to reach any particular point
between these two curves, and therefore to effect the coupling and
uncoupling whenever the coupling hook of the second car is situated
between these curves.
A and B, Figure 1, indicate the nearest and most distant positions of
the coupling hooks at which the coupling or uncoupling may be required
and can be effected. The axles a, a, and b, b, extend up to the end of the
car, and the levers g and h are attached there. By means of the lever /

page_text: the axle a, a, is turned and so the axle b, b, oscillated, and by means of
the levers I the axle b, b, is turned.
In order to enable the coupling to follow the lateral rocking of the
car the suspension rods b, e, penetrate the axle b, b, and are provided
behind with a stud so that they cannot be drawn out of the axle but can
be pushed slightly through it. When therefore by a lateral motion of
the car the coupling end ƒ comes to f", Figure 2, e, c, assumes the
position e", e". The one suspension rod will bring the axle b, b, into
the position 6", 6", but the second suspension rod will slide through the
axle, as shown in Figure 2 by dotted lines.