Improvements in Couplings for Railway Carriages.
Year: 1892

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Couplings for Railway Carriages.
We, JOSEPH ZEHNECK, Engineer, and FRIEDRICH STRAUCH, Merchant, both
of 8 Martinstrasse, Buckau-Magdeburg, in the Empire of Germany, 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 a coupling (with side connecting and disconnecting
apparatus) for railway carriages which is adapted to be applied to the usual
construction of couplings such as are now in use on the German State railways.
The invention is represented in Sheets 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings in
which
Fig. 1 is the side view of the connected coupling.
Fig. 2 side view of one part of the coupling-disconnected.
Fig. 3 is a plan of the connected coupling as shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is an end view of the coupling.
Fig. 5 is a detail view showing only the catch or hook for fastening the
disconnecting lever.
Fig. 6 one part of the coupling iminediately before uncoupling.
Fig. 7 side view of the coupling in connection.
Fig. 8 shows parts of the new hooks and of the coupling bow on the point of
catching or joining and spring arresting hook for holding fast the disconnecting
lever Fig. 2.
Fig. 9 is a part-plan of the coupling disconnected and the disconnecting apparatus
and
Fig. 94 is an end elevation of Fig. 9.
Fig. 10 detail of draw hook provided with incline surface h.
Fig. 11 is a local detail view (side view) of connecting and disconnecting lever
with counterbalance.
Fig. 12 is a local plan view of the central coupling point showing details in
connection therewith.
The new coupling forming the subject of this invention consists of a shaft b
carried in the shank of the drawhook A or A¹ (Figs. 1 and 3) and in the bearings u
and carrying the coupling and uncoupling mechanism with the requisite levers and
the bent extension o of the flat coupling link i on which the device for tightening
up the coupling is arranged.
The main drawhooks A and A' are provided at their points with a guide-piece h
(see Figs. 1 and 2 and 6 to 10) which is inclined to the horizontal and is advan-
tageously made in one piece with the hook (Figs. 7 and 8).
Each shaft bis fixed on a short square ended axle passing through A and a
similar axle through A' by means of a socket d and carries also a crank a at the
other end.
The uncoupling device e with lever is mounted so as to be capable of being
rotated or revolved on b.
The flat coupling link i with the bolts or cross pins k and I and the end links is
improved by providing the forked flat coupling link i with an angle piece o having
an upwardly projecting portion forming bearings in which is mounted a worm m
engaging with a worm wheel m³ (Fig. 2) capable of rotating on the screw
spindle B.
The coupling links has a part n extending on each side beyond the cross bar l
(Figs. 1 and 3) designed to take under the projections when the whole coupling

page_text: is raised and thus to keep the links firmly in the same axial line as i when the link
is raised.
The hooks r.and t (Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5) serve respectively to lock the coupling
and uncoupling levers in their raised position Fig. 11.
A bent arm or piece g is rigidly keyed or fixed on the shaft and carries a
weight for the purpose of counterbalancing as shown in Fig. 1 and hereinafter
explained.
This new coupling is coupled up and uncoupled as follows.
Assuming that the coupling link i pivotted in the hook A¹ (Figs. 1 to 3) hangs
down normally with the links which can only rotate in one direction about the
pin on account of the aforesaid extension arms n and that the links in order to
prevent its dragging along on the ground is supported at an angle of about 90° on
a sheet metal or other suitable support specially provided for the purpose (not shown
in the drawings) then the lever a is in a horizontal position.
By raising the lever a till it is caught and held by the hook the link i is
brought into a horizontal position the links being also brought into horizontal
position by reason of the extension n of the link s bearing against the projection .c.
This will take place the more readily because the cross pink is fixed in i and s.
By this means the coupling attached to hook A' is brought up into position ready
for coupling up. The position of the opposite coupling is shown in Fig. 6.
Now if two vehicles provided with this improved coupling (in the above
described positions) be pushed together the horizontally situated link s must slide
up along the inclined guide-piece lift up the upper arm e¹ of the angle arm or
safety lever e e'.and then slide into the hook A and fall into the same through its
own weight whereby the lower arm e* is at the same time allowed to drop by the
release of e¹.
By rotating the worm m by means of the crank p Fig. 12 (which is adapted to
fold about the pivot or joint q) m² is rotated whereby the spindle B is drawn in
and the coupling is tightened up to the requisite extent. The differences in the
heights of the buffers and in the gauges of the lines of rails as existing on the
various railways have no effect on the certainty in operation of the coupling
because first the inclined hooks h are sufficiently long and high to allow of the
greatest difference in height of the position of the buffers and furthermore the
coupling links are wide enough to ensure certainty of coupling in cases of
differences of gange.
in only
If the difference in height of the buffers is so great that the links can
catch the point of the hook there is still another circumstance which will enable
the links to engage properly notwithstanding the horizontal position.
Every time two vehicles are pushed together for coupling purposes the buffers
knock up against one another whereby in consequence of the reduction of the
distance between the two vehicles the lever a becomes relieved of weight so that it
becomes freed from its strained position and is released from the locking hook ? by
the falling down of the latter. The counterweight Q then acts to draw the link s
down into the coupling position.
When the links is to be uncoupled the lever which while the coupling is
coupled is situated in the position shown in Fig. 1 must be raised. By this operation
the bent piece e*e (Fig. 2) is raised and the links is able to slide out in the
direction shown by a dotted line in Fig. 2.
The lever is locked in its highest position by the locking hook t. By con-
necting the two corresponding hooks t and t¹ (Fig. 5) by a rod the bent piece e e¹
can be replaced ready for coupling up anew. Only one hook t can operate to lock
at one time and the lever f can be disengaged from either side of the vehicle in
consequence of the arrangement shown in Fig. 5. A suitable device also enables
both the coupling lever a and the uncoupling lever f to be operated from the
running board or side platform on the car.
C
As in the engaging of s in the hook A Fig. 1 the crank lever a must be
disengaged so also must this certainly take place in the disengaging operation.

page_text: That is to say when the links is being raised by the lever then as the entire
coupling is tightly connected to hook A' it must be slightly raised by means of the
lever a.
This is sufficient to enable the hook to fall down by its own weight so
that when the links has slid off the guide piece the entire coupling falls and
hangs down in its normal state of rest whilst at the same time the lever a assumes
a horizontal position.
By connecting the locking hooks t and t¹ Figs. 5 & 8 the task of operating the
coupling is considerably simplified.
For instance if the coupling has been uncoupled by the lever f on the left hand
side of the vehicle and the shunter has forgotten to unhook the coupling and it is
required to couple up from the right hand side it is merely necessary to pull the
right hand locking levert Fig. 5 and t' unlocks then the uncoupling lever f falls
down and the coupling can be coupled up. But if when coupling up or pushing
the vehicles together the lever f should be situated in the position shown in Fig. 2
it will be loosened by the impact of the engaging coupling and will push by its
movement towards the vehicle the locking levert to one side and the links will
be caused to enter into engagement by the falling down of ƒ and consequently
of e* e¹.
In new vehicles the hooks A A' may be formed of the shape shown in Figs. 7
to 9. Fig. 9 also shows a modification consisting in making the uncoupling levers f
situated at the two sides of the vehicles capable of rotating independently of each
other without interfering with their operation.
The improved coupling has the following advantages over the ordinary couplings
and those already patented. It is :-
1. Of very simple construction and the elements of the general coupling at
present in use are utilized as far as possible.
2. It can be readily and simply manipulated.
3. It is certain and safe in action and can be applied to couplings such as those
now in use on the German State railways and without much trouble.
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. A coupling for railway vehicles consisting of a coupling link adapted to be
extended longitudinally and fixed on a shaft which is furnished with a side lever
capable of being locked in position a drawhook having an inclined surface such as h
and a safety link such as ee the said coupling link being adapted to engage with
the drawhook of the vehicle to be coupled in such a manner that the ends of the
coupling link slides along the said inclined guiding surface of the drawhook
raises the safety link e' and falls by its own weight into the hook whereupon the
safety link returns automatically into its initial position and so locks the coupling
whilst the uncoupling is effected by the rotation of a lever which is fixed to the
safety link e and is mounted on the shaft band which lifts the coupling link s out
of the drawhook and thus liberates the said links substantially as hereinbefore
described and illstrated in the drawings hereunto annexed.
2. In couplings of the character referred to in Claim I a coupling link con-
sisting of the combination of arms i carrying the parts n and o of which one is
held by the other in such a manner that the axles of both parts of the link exactly
coincide and capable of being extended or contracted by a tightening up device
such as m substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the drawings hereunto annexed.
3. In a coupling of the character referred to in Claim 1 forming the connecting
piece e of the safety link with the lever f separate and independent of the main
shaft b substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the drawings hereunto annexed.
4. The improved general arrangement construction and combination of parts
constituting a coupling for railway carriages substantially in the manner and

page_text: for the purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings hereunto
annexed.
Dated this 6th day of December 1892.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.