Improvements in Automatic Couplings for Railway Vehicles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Sept., 1897-Accepted, 13th Nov., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Couplings for Railway Vehicles.
I, HERMANN BIERMANN of 5A Paradiesstrasse, Breslau, in the German Empire,
Merchant, 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 automatic couplings for railway vehicles and utilises
the movements of the buffers upon the compression of their springs, for the
engagement and disengagement of the couplings as hereinafter described with
reference to the accompanying drawings. In these drawings:-
Figure 1 represents a side elevation, Figure 2, a plan, Figures 3 and 4, details,
and Figures 5 and 6 elevations of the two opposed carriage ends, limited to so
much as refers to my improvements.
As soon as two carriages are pushed together, the buffer springs are compressed
and the buffers a move in the direction of the carriage. Behind one of the buffers
there is arranged a rod b connected with the arm c of the frame e, pivoted at d,
so that when the buffer inoves inwards, the frame e is moved downwards. The
frame is balanced by the counterweight h, and carries the usual right and left
hand screw coupling f. When two carriages therefore are pushed together, the
link at the free end of the coupling is lowered over the hook so that the twe
carriages become thereby connected. But, if the hook remained open, it would
be possible for the carriages to become uncoupled accidently, by the action of
the counterweight h. For the uncoupling with intent, of course the hook must
be open, but while the coupling is in use it should not become uncoupied eveu
under the action of repeated shocks. This is provided for according to my
invention, by means of the locking bolt k and its accessories. This bolt can be
moved transversely to the hook so as to close over the link f when therein, and it
is held in a manner to prevent vertical and lateral displacement by the plates m
and which have holes formed therein through which the bolt can slide, and are
arranged one upon either side of the hook, as shewn on a larger scale by
Figures 3 and 4. When the boit has been drawn back, as in Figure 3, the
coupling link can enter the hook, and when it is shot as in Figure 4, the link
is thereby held fast. The bolt is shot automatically on the descent of the link
thus: In front of the end of the bolt and within the plate m there is a block i
capable of vertical movement. When the link f is out of the hook, this block
prevents the passage of the bolt through the hole in the plate m, Figure 3.
soon as the motion of the rod bas hereinbefore described, forces the link down-
wards towards the hook, the latter comes into contact with the block i which is also
then forced downwards, so opening the passage for the bolt through the plate m.
On the stem of the bolt there is a spiral spring which tends to force the bolt
forward, and the bolt is accordingly shot thereby as in Figure 4. The carriages
are
As
then effectively coupled The uncoupling must be preceded by the
disengagement of the bolt k, and this has to be done in such a manner that
thereafter the hook will be free to be re-engaged as before. For this purpose,
the block rests upon one end of a lever p. At the opposite end of this lever

page_text: there is a projection 9, which, when the end of the bolt touches the block i, is a
little in the rear of a groove (Figure 5) in the bolt. On the end of the carriage
there is fulcrummed-a hand lever, having a shorter arm's in engagement with a
projection from or bent part of the bolt k, so that when the lever ois moved in one
direction the bolt is pulled back until the part g, engages with the groove therein
as shewn by Figure 3. When this has been done, the lever o may be returned
to its original position. If the bolt were not thus detained, its spring would force
it forward because the block i is not in the position to stop it. If the carriages
are now pushed together again, the link will be disengaged from the hook by
the action of the counterweight h, and the block i will move into the position
seen in Figure 5. The coupling is now again ready for automatic re-connection.
When it is required that the carriages may be pushed together without coupling
them, the rod b may be moved away free from the buffer. This may be effected
by means of the hand lever u, Figure 6, which is fulcrummed at the end of the
vehicle and which when moved, lowers the link and consequently also the rod b
which is supported thereby. The position in this case is shewn by the dotted lines
Figure 1.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. Apparatus for automatically coupling railway vehicles constructed arranged
and operating substantially as herein before described and as illustrated by the
accompanying drawings.
2. In automatic couplings for railway vehicles, a rod b by means of which the
movement of the buffer operates the coupling, the said rod being arranged in such
a manner that it may be moved into or out of contact with the buffer, substantially
as and for the purpose hereinbefore described wih reference to the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 25th day of September A.D. 1897
W. E. HEYS & SON
Agents for the Applicant