IM- PROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR SECURING TRAMWAY AND OTHER VEHICLES TO ONE ANOTHER AND TO LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Charles Evans Newill at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th November 1883.
CHARLES EVANS NEWILL of Rochdale, in the County of Lancaster "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR SECURING TRAMWAY AND OTHER VEHICLES TO
ONE ANOTHER AND TO LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES."
This invention relates to improvements in couplings for securing tramway and
other vehicles to one another and to locomotive engines.
When my invention is applied to tramcar vehicles it is formed in two parts, one
designed to be attached to the engine or to a trailing end of a car, and the other
designed to be attached to the forward end of a car. That portion attached to the
engine or trailing end of a car consists of a double hook having a shank which is
secured in a vertical slot in a buffer head pivotted to the vehicle. The lower end
of the said vertical slot is closed by a piece of metal which prevents the coupling
hook from falling too low to engage with the coupling on the adjacent vehicle.
rubber or other spring secured to the buffer head bears on the upper side of the
coupling hook when in its raised position as hereinafter mentioned.
A
The other portion of the coupling which is attached to the leading end of the
tram car, consists of a buffer head forged in one solid piece instead of the usual
two pieces, and having a pin passing through it for the engagement of the lower
part of the aforesaid double hook.
In order to afford additional safety a shackle or link is pivotted to the upper
part of the said buffer and has attached to it a lever provided with a weight which
tends to depress the free extremity of the shackle which passes over the upper
hook of the engine coupling. The draw bars of the engine and car are movable
laterally so that the coupling can be performed on any course
The operation of coupling is performed as follows,-The hand brake of the car is
out tightly on and the safety shackle or link turned back, until its free extremity
s in its uppermost position. The engine is brought to within, say, a yard of the
car, so that the driver or other attendant can see if the engine buffer and the car
puffer are in approximately a straight line with each other. If not, they are put
o by the conductor or other attendant. The engine is then brought up to the car
ntil the lower hook on the engine comes in contact with the coupling pin on the
ar, and is raised, the exterior of the hook being so shaped that it is forced to rise

page_text: in an arc of a circle struck from the centre of the pin by which it is secured to the
buffer head. By the time that the buffers are in contact the point of the hook will
be passing over the coupling pin, and the spring at the back of the hook will be
tending to press it downwards; the hook will thus rebound and clutch the coupling
pin. The conductor or other attendant then turns the safety shackle until its end
passes over the end of the hook on the upper side of the shank in which position it
is constantly held by the balance weight, the tendency of the part of the hook to
ride upwards or become detached being checked. The safety shackle is made of
such a length that when there is a tension between the engine and car it cannot be
lifted up.
It is evident that the details of construction may be modified in various ways
without departing from the nature of the said invention; for instance the parts of
the couplings may be transposed, the hook being placed on the tramcar and the
coupling pin on the engine."
These couplings may be evidently applied for coupling railway or other vehicles
to one another and to locomotive engines.