Year: 1886

page_text: I ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication from
William Henry Burkholder of Thedford in the County of Lambton in the Province
of Ontario, Canada, Minister of the Gospel) and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following.
statement:
The object of the invention is to design a car coupler which will couple
automatically, and be easily adjusted vertically so as to a lapt it to any variation
in the height of the two cars being coupled; and it consists essentially in a draw
head pivoted at its inner end to a bracket secured to the bottom timbers of the
car; the said pivot being placed in a horizontal groove so as to permit the
longitudinal adjustment of the draw-head produced by the draft upon the draw
head or its compression a suitable spiral spring being provided as hereinafter
specified. Within the draw-head I provide a block or gate which will open upon
the end of the link coming in contact with it and fall within the link so as to form
a draw pin for the coupler; suitable mechanism for adjusting the draw head
vertically being provided also suitable mechanism for opening the block or gate
without the necessity of going between the cars.
Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the end of a car with this improved
automatic coupler attached.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of same.
A is a draw head having a slotted passage-way a made through it. Within this
passage way the block or gate B is pivoted on the pin b which is stationary and
passes through a horizontal slot d made in the Gate B so that any draft upon the
gate B will draw the said gate against the end of the slotted passage-way a instead
of upon the pin b.
C is a rope or chain connected at one end to the top of the gate B and after
passing around the pulley block D it is carried to the top of the car E where it is

page_text: secured by being twisted around the cleat F. The end of the draw head A has a
pivot pin e which rests within a horizontal slot f formed on each side of the
bracket G.
H, is a spiral spring placed as usual to receive the draft and resist compression
upon the draw head. The draw-head being pivoted upon the pine the said draw-
head may be adjusted vertically so as to accomodate it to any variation in the
height of the two cars being coupled.
I is a forked bar the ends of which are pivoted in brackets g attached to the
top of the draw-head A. This bar I is provided with a rope or chain J which
extends from it up to the top of the car E where it passes over a pulley K and
connects with the hand-lever L which is pivoted on the top of the car and is
provided with an ordinary spring catch h arranged to engage with the notches in
the quadrant M. Consequently by moving the hand lever L the end of the draw
head A may be raised or depressed according to the required height of the draw
head.
It will be seen that in the event of it being necessary to couple the car from its
side, it is merely necessary to detach the rope C from the cleat F and throw it to
the side of the car where it will work equally as well.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A draw-head A having a passage way a cut in it to receive the gate B which
is pivoted on the pin b secured to the draw-head and passing through a slot d
made in the gate, in combination with the rope C connected to the gate B and
passing around the pulley block D substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2. A draw-head A provided with a pivot pin e on its inner end arranged to fit
into the horizontal slot f made in the bracket G in combination with the forked
bar I, connected to the draw head and provided with a rope J passing over the
pulley K on the top of the car E and connected to the hand lever L pivoted on the
top of the car and arranged to engage with the notched quadrant M substantially
as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 8th dow of Tun 1000