An Automatic Coupling suitable for Railway or Tramway Rolling Stock.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 14th June, 1892-Accepted, 30th July, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Automatic Coupling suitable for Railway or Tramway Rolling
Stock.
I, RUDOLPH HAUB, of No. 145 Macquarie Street South, in the City of Sydney,
Colony of New South Wales, Australia, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
my invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention provides a ready and expeditious means of both joining and
detaching railway or tramway vehicles, and is so devised that the action of coupling
shall be performed automatically at the time when the vehicles are brought
together; the action of uncoupling being also performed with the aid of the same
mechanism.
To carry out these objects, I attach contiguously a hinged hook to the end of
one vehicle, and a hinged link, in combination with an adjustable lever, to the end
of the other vehicle.
These appliances are secured preferably to the draw-bars, but may, if desired, be
pivoted to brackets attached to the end framework of the vehicles.
The hook and link, though hinged, are practically in the same plane when
coupled, and are each capable of adjustment to a rising and falling movement. The
range of these movements, which occur simultaneously, is, however limited, so as to
secure ready contact of the hook with the adjustable lever, and of the link with the
hook. The falling movement of the hook only takes place during the action of
uncoupling, the link being then stationary. The rising movement takes place
during the action of coupling, that is to say, the hook is made to ascend by means
of the adjustable lever, and is at the same moment brought in contact with the end
of the link, which is pushed upwards and passing over the point of the hook, falls
between the jaws.
The adjustable lever, if attached to the drawbar, is made in the form of a bell
crank lever, one arm being constructed so as to form an inclined plane for the hook
to slide upon, and the other to receive the motion imparted by an actuating cam or
lever attached to a transverse bar having on its outer ends handles provided with
ratchets and pawls.
If the adjustable lever is bracketed to the body of the vehicle, the cam may be
dispensed with and the transverse bar passed through the boss of the lever, in
which case the form will only be that of an inclined plane whose position may be
varied by operating the handles attached to the transverse bar.
I am aware that one or more rollers may be provided in the arm of the adjustable
lever for the hook to slide upon, in which case the inclined plane may be dispensed
with. Such a device would, however, be a mechanical equivalent.
In operating the adjustable lever by means of the transverse bar, whether I use
an actuating cam or the transverse bar only, the handles on the ends thereof are so
placed that, after the coupling action has taken place, the attendant may press the
handle downward and lock it by means of the pawl provided. This will have the
effect of tightening the grip of the hook and link, and will at the same time cause
the inclined plane to assume a truly horizontal position. When this movement is
accomplished, it will not be possible to increase the strain or pressure on the surface
of the inclined plane, so that any movement of the buffers will only cause a sliding
motion to be imparted to the hook and link upon the inclined plane, without exerting
a downward pressure.
The
By releasing the pawl referred to, and raising the handles, the hook will descend
and disengage itself from the link, the vehicles being thus uncoupled.
attendant then by allowing the haudles to fall, will cause the pawl to again engage

page_text: with the handles, the varicus parts of the mechanism will then be so disposed that
the operation of coupling may be repeated automatically the moment the vehicles
are brought together again.
The foregoing description has reference to my mechanism when attached singly
to vehicles, but it is capable of being used in a combined form, that is to say, a
hook and link, adjustable lever, and inclined plane, together with its actuating
mechanism, are all attached to each end of the vehicles. The hook and link being
placed side by side, preferably upon the drawbar, the parts are thus duplicated,
and will act in unison with each other in the manner described for the single
coupling.
To assist in the rapid release or disengagement of the coupling, the link is
provided with a connecting chain which is also attached to the adjustable lever,
which, when actuated by the attendant operating the handles on the transverse
bar, imparts a lifting movement to the link such movement occurring simultaneously
with the downward movement of the hook. When the aforesaid handles on the
ends of the transverse bar are allowed to descend to their normal position for
disposing the various parts for coupling automatically, the chain referred to is in
a slack condition, which allows the link to occupy its rightful position for sliding
upon the point of the hook attached to the contiguous vehicle, the hook at its
side being also in its rightful position to engage with the link attached to the
contiguous vehicle.
When it is desired to prevent the vehicles coupling after they have been
disengaged, the handles attached to the transverse bars are operated by the
attendant as for uncoupling, and are retained in that position by the pawls
which are provided with a loop or link into which the ends of the handles are
inserted.
My invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which similar
letters are used throughout the different views to indicate similar parts, and in
which:
Figure 1 is a plan, shewing, the hook attached to the end of one vehicle, and the
link, adjustable lever, transverse bar, and handles and pawls attached to the end of
the other vehicle..
Figure 2, is a side elevation, shewing the relative positions of the hook, link,
adjustable lever, transverse bar, and one handle and pawl when the vehicles are
uncoupled, the buffers on the one side of the mechanism being omitted so as to
show the hook and link distinctly.
Figure 3, is a repetition of Figure 2, shewing the coupling action commencing.
Figure 4 is a repetition of Figure 3, shewing the coupling action completed.
Figure 5 is a side elevation, shewing the maximum movements of the various
parts of my mechanism to prevent disarrangement of the coupled hook and link.
Figure 6 is a plan shewing the various parts represented in Figure 1,
duplicated.
Figure 7 is a side elevation similar to Figure 2 but with the parts duplicated.
In the various figures: A and B represent the ends of two railway trucks.
A' and B', buffers of same: C hook attached to drawbar of A: C¹ pin pivoting C..
D link attached to drawbar of B.: D₁ pin pivoting D.: D' lifting chain attached
to D and F. E pendant attachment to drawbar supporting adjustable lever F.:
F adjustable bell crank lever: F' pin pivoting F.: G, inclined plane formed
on F. H cam face of F.: I transverse bar carrying handles J.J, handles:
Kratchet teeth in J.: L pawl engaging in K.: L' loop or link on L.: M cam
attached to I for adjusting F.
In Figure 2, C and D are shewn disengaged and occupying their maximum
downward position: F is also at the lowest point of contact with C, the handle J
being at its rising limit.
In Figure 3, and J occupy their relative normal positions requisite to produce
automatic coupling when the vehicles are brought together, link D is shewn
rising upon the point of hook C, and is in the act of falling into the jaws of C.

page_text: In Figure 4 the coupling action is completed, the handle J being engaged with
the pawl L and the outer ratchet K.
In Figure 5 the adjustable lever F is raised, so that the inclined plane G is truly
horizontal, and hook, C, and link, D, are raised to their maximum height by the
handle, J, being pressed downward, so that the pawl, L, shall engage the inner
ratchet, K, the cam, M, pressing against cam face, H, of adjustable lever, F.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In apparatus for coupling railway or tramway vehicles, a movable hook and
link having a limited rising and falling movement, such movement being produced
automatically as the vehicles are coming together by the interposition of an
adjustable lever having an inclined plane for the hook to slide upon, the upward
movement of such hook, before the coupling is completed, producing a similar
upward movement of the link, the said adjustable lever being operated by a handle,
or handles, secured to a transverse bar, having an actuating cam for raising the
adjustable lever, as described and shewn, and for the purposes set forth.
2. In apparatus for coupling railway or tramway vehicles, an adjustable lever
provided with an inclined plane attached either to the drawbar or framework of
such vehicles, in combination with a handle, or handles, attached to a transverse
bar provided with an actuating cam for producing a rising and falling motion of
the said adjustable lever, such adjustable lever, in its normal position, causing the
hook on one vehicle to rise and engage with the link on the other vehicle; after
such engagement taking place a further movement of the said handle converting the
inclined plane of the adjustable lever into a truly horizontal plane for the hook to.
move upon without exerting downward pressure, as described and shewn, and for
the purposes set forth.
3. In apparatus for coupling railway or tramway vehicles, a movable hook and
link used in combination upon the end of one vehicle, and disposed so as to engage.
with a similar movable hook and link attached to a contiguous vehicle, such
movable hooks and links being actuated in the manner described in Claims 1 and 2
for coupling the vehicles together, the aforesaid links being provided with a chain
which is also attached to the adjustable lever for the purpose of assisting in the
rapid action of uncoupling, and, a pawl, or pawls, provided with a loop or link for
securing the handles attached to the transverse bar in such a position as to prevent,
when desired, the action of coupling taking place, as described, and as shewn in
Figures 6 and 7 of the drawings.
Dated this Twenty-fifth day of January A.D. 1892.
Witness
RUDOLPH HAUB.
H. A. SMEDLEY.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.