An Automatic Coupling for Railway Carriages and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Automatic Coupling for Railway Carriages and the like.
We, JAKOB ABEL, of 1, Neustiftgasse, Vienna VII, Engineer of the "Deutsches
Volks-Theater," HEINRICH KADELBURG, of 14, Mariahilfer-strasse Vienna VI,
Manager of the "Deutsches Volks-Theater," FRITZ HIRSCH, of 7, Rathhaus-strasse,
Vienna I, Banker, and ZSIGA SCHNITZER, of 6, Ebendorferstrasse, Vienna I, Banker,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a coupling for railway carriages and the like, and has
for its object to so construct such couplings that two carriages moving towards one
another shall be coupled automatically as soon as their buffers meet, and that the said
carriages shall be automatically uncoupled when the locomotive is started and after
the position of a certain part of the coupling has been altered.
According to our invention, to the headstock of each carriage we connect a frame
in such a manner that it can turn on a horizontal axis, the said frame carrying the
draw-bar which is provided with a spherical bead. Between the hinged lateral legs
of each of the said frames, a coupling box is secured to the headstock, the said coupling
box being open at the top and at the bottom, and having its front side provided with
a deep notch or recess. When the hinged frame, carrying the draw-bar, is swung up
so as to lean against the headstock of a carriage at rest, the push of a carriage moving
towards the said carriage will cause its frame to tilt over in consequence of its inertia
so that the spherical head of the draw-bar will fall into the coupling box of the
approaching carriage, the bar being received by the notch or recess in the front
side of the box.
In order to provide for uncoupling by utilizing the property of the inertia of heavy
bodies which tilt over when the train is started, a shaft is mounted under each head-
stock, the said shaft having weighted lever-arms secured to its ends, whilst its middle
portion carries two arms adapted to be applied to the underside of the lateral legs of
the coupling frame.
When the carriages are coupled together and the said shaft is so turned that its
arms bear against the underside of the frame, the weights secured to the arms at the
ends of the shaft are placed above the shaft and to the rear. When the carriages
are again moved, the weights are caused to tilt over rearwardly, and as the arms
move with the shaft the coupling frame is swung upward and the carriages are thereby
uncoupled.
Shocks at the commencement of the movement of the carriages are avoided by the
draw-bar being made movable in suitable guides in the frame, and by the employment
of springs put in tension by the pull on the carriages.
The necessary adjustment of the coupling when the train is passing round a curve
is made possible by enabling the draw-bar to oscillate at its rear end in the plane of
the coupling frame, spring devices bringing it back into its central position.
The weights secured to the arms.at the ends of the shaft may have their surface
painted in different colours on two opposite sides so as to enable an official standing
t one end of a train to see at a glance how the couplings are set.
Dated this 24th day of Tuna 1906
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Automatic Coupling for Railway Carriages and the like.
We, JAKOB ABEL, of 1, Neustiftgasse, Vienna VII, Engineer of the "Deutsches
Volks-Theater," HEINRICH KADELBURG, of 14, Mariahilfer-strasse, Vienna VI,
Manager of the "Deutsches Volks-Theater," FRITZ HIRSCH, of 7, Rathhaus-strasse,
Vienna I, Banker, and ZSIGA SCHNITZER, of 6, Ebendorferstrasse, Vienna I, Banker,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to that class of car couplers, in which a headed link, pivoted
to the head-stock of a car or to the end of the continuous draw-bar, with which the
car may be provided, corresponds to a seat or receiver for the head of the said link,
secured to the head-stock or to the end of the continuous draw-bar of the car to
be coupled with the former.
The invention has for its object to so construct such couplings that two cars moving
towards one another shall be coupled automatically as soon as their buffers meet, and
that the said cars shall be automatically uncoupled when the locomotive is started,
after the position of a certain part of the coupling has been altered.
According to our invention, we hinge a frame to the middle of the head-stock of
the car or to the end of the continuous draw-bar in such a manner that it can turn on
a horizontal axis, the said frame carrying the coupling link hereinbefore mentioned,
which is provided with a spherical head. In the case of the frame being. hinged to
the headstock, an upwardly flaring coupling box or receiver is secured to the headstock
between the hinged lateral legs of such frame, the said coupling box being open at the
top and at the bottom, and having its front side provided with a deep notch or recess.
In the case of cars provided with a continuous draw-bar and draw-springs, the end of
the draw-bar extending between the lateral legs of the pivoted frame is made into an
upright fork. When the hinged frame carrying the headed link, is swung up so as to
lean against the headstock of a carriage at rest, the push of a carriage moving towards
the said carriage will cause its frame to tilt over in consequence of its inertia so that
the spherical head of the link will fall into the receiver or coupling box of the
approaching car or beyond the upright fork formed at the end of the continuous
draw-bar of the approaching car, the link being received by the notch or recess in the
front side of the box or by the space between the prongs of the upright fork.
In order to provide for uncoupling by utilizing the property of the inertia of heavy
bodies which tilt over when the train is started, a shaft is mounted under each
headstock, the said shaft having weighted lever arms secured to its ends, whilst its
middle portion carries two arms adapted to be applied to the underside of the
lateral legs of the coupling frame.
When the cars are coupled together and the said shaft is so turned that its arms
bear against the underside of the frame, the weights secured to the arms at the
ends of the shaft are placed above the shaft and to the rear. When the cars are
again moved, the weights are caused to tilt over rearwardly, and as the arms move
with the shaft, the coupling frame is swung upward and the cars are thereby
uncoupled.
In order to enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe how
it can be carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawing, in
which :-
Figure 1 is an end elevation of a car fitted with our coupling and having the
frame and coupling box connected with the headstock :
Figure 2 is a side elevation of two coupled cars numbered I and II, of this kind,
the coupling frame and coupling box of car number I being shewn in section:

page_text: Figure 3 is an end elevation of a car having a frame hinged to, and a fork"
formed at, the end of the continuous draw-bar :
Figure 4 is a side elevation of two coupled cars, in which our coupling is adapted
to continuous draw-bars:
Figure 5 is a plan view of Figure 4.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a is a cast iron plate, bolted to each headstock of
the car, and b is the coupling box or receiver made integral with the said plate.
The frame c, c, c is so hinged to the plate a that the two parallel legs c and c move
on both sides of the coupling box b, and that the cross-bar e' is placed above the
coupling box when the frame is swung up and folded against the headstock.
The cross portion c of the frame carries the coupling link d provided with a
spherical head d', which is designed to be received by the coupling box b of the
opposite car. When both cars are coupled, the coupling link d rests within the
notch or recess 6 in the front side of the coupling box 6. In order to avoid shocks
when starting the train, the coupling link d is not rigidly connected with the cross
portion of the coupling frame, but is adapted to move end wise in a guide way,
in which a volute spring d keeps it in the withdrawn position. The necessary
adjustment of the coupling when the train is passing round a curve, is effected by
adapting the coupling link d to osciliate upon its thickened rear end d³, which is
rounded off for this purpose. The slide block 2 movable below the slot of the
cross bar c¹ of the frame serves for the spring d² to abut against. The springs f,f
tend always to keep the coupling link d in ita central position.
The shaft g mounted in suitable bearings below the headstock, has secured to its
ends the arms g', g' which carry weights, while two arms 92, 92 corresponding to the
legs e, e of the coupling frame are connected to, the middle portion of the said
shaft.
Suppose car number II to be at rest and it is required to automatically couple it
to a locomotive or, to a portion of a train already made up, in consequence of the
locomotive or the portion of the train moving towards car number II until the buffers
meet, the frame e, e, e is brought into the position shewn in dotted lines in Figure 2,
while the position shewn in full lines is given to the shaft g. As soon as the buffers
strike, the frame e, e', e which lags in consequence of its inertia, falls into the position
drawn in full lines, whereby the cars are coupled.
To uncouple the cars the shaft g with its arms g', g' and y', g' is brought into the
position shewn in dotted lines on car number II. The effect of the next start of
the engine is that the weighted arms 9', ' lag in consequence of their inertia and
turn in the direction of the arrow & until the arms g2, 92 have lifted the frame into
the position shewn on car number I.
The slightly modified form of our coupling shown in Figures 3, 4 and differs
from that hereinbefore described in that the coupling box 6 is replaced by an upright
fork forged on the free end of the continuous draw-bar h and the frame c, c, c is
hinged to pivots e, e formed on both sides of the draw-bar. The headed coupling
link dis hinged to the cross portion of the frame and has. spring abutments f, f
arranged at both its sides.
We prefer to have one half of the spherical weights of the arms y', ' painted
in white and the other half in red, as thereby an official standing at one end of a
train is enabled to see at a glance how the couplings are set.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and. in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
1. In a car coupling, the combination with a car frame of a coupling frame so
hinged to the headstock or to the end of the drawbar as to be adapted to swing
on a horizontal axis, a headed coupling link connected with the said coupling frame,
an upright coupling fork formed at the free end of the draw-bar or a coupling box
open at top and at bottom and secured to the headstock between the latera! legs of
the coupling frame, the front side of the said box having a notch or recess formed

page_text: in its upper edge, and a shaft mounted below the headstock and having weighted
arms projecting from its ends, while its middle portion carries two arms adapted to
be applied to the underside of the lateral legs of the coupling frame, substantially as,
and for the purpose, described.
2. The combination of parts forming the improved automatic couplings for railway
*carriages and the like hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 and
Figures 3 to 5 respectively of the accompanying drawing.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.