Improvements in Couplings for Railway Vehicles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Oct., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Couplings for Railway Vehicles.
I, OLIVER IMRAY, of Birkbeck Bank Chambers, Southampton Buildings, in the
County of London, Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention (as communicated to me from abroad by John Willison, of 7, Berghoff
Street, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States of America, Pattern
Maker,) to be as follows:-
According to this invention, couplings of the kind that automatically hook
into each other laterally, are provided on each vehicle. The coupling head in
each case is pivotted or arranged so as to be capable of a little lateral motion
required in the act of coupling or when the vehicles travel on curves, but when
the head does move laterally, its flat face bears by one of its edges against a stop
and consequently causes a pull of the draw bar to which the head is attached
compressing the draw spring which thus always urges the coupling head back
to its middle position. For the same purpose springs may be arranged on each
side of the pivot of the coupling head. By means of a lever pivotted on the
front of the carriage and provided with a rod extending to the side, the hooking
parts of the two couplings can be moved laterally far enough to uncouple then.
Besides the ordinary buffers at the sides of the vehicle, a central buffer is
arranged above the coupling, this buffer being connected to the long arm of a
lever of the second order which has a projection near its fulcrum bearing
against the draw bar spring, so that when the buffer is forced in through a con-
siderable distance, the spring is compressed to a comparatively small extent.
Instead of thus arranging a separate buffer, the draw head itself may be of such
kind as to operate as a buffer having shoulders bearing against a rod connected
to the long arm of the lever of the second order which near its fulcrum bears
against the draw spring.
Dated this 2nd day of October 1899.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Couplings for kauway venicles.
I, OLIVER IMRAY, of Birkbeck Bank Chambers, Southampton Buildings, in the
County of London, Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention (as communicated to me from abroad by John Willison, of 7, Berghoff
[Price 8d.1

page_text: Street, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States of America, Pattern
Maker,) to be as follows:-
According to this invention, couplings of the kind that automatically hook
into each other laterally, are provided on each vehicle. The coupling head in
each case is pivotted or arranged so as to be capable of a little lateral motion
required in the act of coupling or when the vehicles travel on curves, but when
the head does move laterally, its flat face bears by one of its edges against a stop
and consequently causes a pull of the draw bar to which the head is attached
compressing the draw spring which thus always urges the coupling head back
to its middle position. For the same purpose springs may be arranged on each
side of the pivot of the coupling head. By means of a lever pivotted on the
front of the carriage and provided with a rod extending to the side, the hooking
parts of the two couplings can be moved laterally far enough to uncouple them.
Besides the ordinary buffers at the sides of the vehicle, a central buffer is
arranged above the coupling, this buffer being connected to the long arm of a
lever of the second order which has a projection near its fulcrum bearing
against the draw bar spring, so that when the buffer is forced in through a con-
siderable distance, the spring is compressed to a comparatively small extent.
Instead of thus arranging a separate buffer, the draw head itself may be of such
kind as to operate as a buffer having shoulders bearing against a rod connected
to the long arm of the lever of the second order which near its fulcrum bears
against the draw spring.
The accompanying drawings shew couplings according to this invention with
several modifications.
Fig. 1 is a plan of the coupling; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section on
the line II-II of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an end view; Fig. 4 is a plan looking from
below illustrating a modified construction; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section
thereof on the line V-V of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a cross section on the line VI-VI
of Fig. 5.
On
Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, 2 is the draw-head which is supported at
its inner end by a bracket 3 attached to the head-stop 4 and to the longitu-
dinals 5. 6 is the draw-bar which is connected to the draw-head 2 by a pin p,
the end of the draw-bar being rounded and fitted in a recess of the draw-head
so as to permit lateral flexibility. The inner end of the draw-head has a flat
face fitting against the bracket 3 so that when it is drawn back against the
bracket by a spring 8 the draw-head is urged to take a central position.
the rear end of the draw-bar 6 are plates 7, 71, with the spring S interposed
between them. A lever 9 has its one end seated in a fulcrum-socket 91 on a
bracket 9, and its other end is connected loosely to a cross-head 10, fixed adjust-
ably on the rods 11 of a buffer 12. 13, 13 are additional springs set in recesses
of the bracket 3 to bear against the opposite sides of the flat end of the draw-
head 2. The draw-head is made in the form of a hook, to engage a like draw-
head on another carriage. For disconnecting the coupling an arm 14, pivotted
on the under side of the drawhead at 141, is acted on by an uncoupling lever 15
which is pivotted at 151 to the draw-head, its one end bearing against the arm 14,
and the other end connected to an uncoupling rod 16. When this rod is pulled,
the moving of the lever 15 on its pivot not only pushes the arm 14 against the
draw-head of the next vehicle thus tending to disengage it, but also causes the
draw-head 2 itself to move laterally on its pivot p cut of engagement with the
other draw-head.
The draw-heads of the two vehicles are thus disengaged from each other and
so held that the two vehicles can be separated. When the two vehicles come
together their respective draw-heads strike the arms 14 restoring them to their
original positions. Should the couplings be inadvertently left in uncoupled
position a slight inward motion of the rod 16 can restore the parts to their
coupling position.

page_text: From the construction described it follows that the couplings can be left in
disengaged position without separating the vehicles, and as in backing into a
siding also the vehicles can be uncoupled at any point, it is unnecessary for the
attendant to accompany them to their destination on the siding. The coupling
is at all times ready for recoupling and is thus in every respect automatic.
The arrangement of the draw bar and buffer is such as to allow the buffer to
make a long stroke back and the draw-head to move only a short distance for-
ward. The long stroke of the buffer is due to the length of the lever 9 which,
bearing against a sliding sleeve 17, compresses the spring 8, to a small extent
owing to the reduced leverage at which the lever acts on the spring.
As the draw-bar 6 however, is connected directly to the plate 7, the draw-bar
and draw-head can only have a short longitudinal motion in compressing the
spring. The cross-head 10 slides on wearing plates on the longitudinals 5.
When the draw-head 2 is moved laterally on its pivot pin p, either in un-
coupling or when the vehicles run on a curve, the one or the other edge of the
flat rear face of the head bears against the bracket (or against one of the
springs 13 when they are used) and thus causes the head to cant on its edge as
on a fulcrum, and thus to pull the draw-bar G and compress the spring 8. When
the lateral pressure on the draw-head is relieved, the spring 8, pulling back the
draw-bar 6, restores the draw-head to central position.
18, 18 are fixed buffers which may be employed to meet the buffers of vehicles
that have no central buffer; and for the purpose of coupling with vehicles hav-
ing the ordinary means of coupling, I form on top of the draw-head a hook 19
for such coupling.
Each of the two couplings on a vehicle may be provided with its own spring 8,
both springs being held between parallel guide-rods 20, on which are stops 21,
against which the plates 7 abut.
Figs. 4, 5 and 6, shew the invention applied to a coupling of the type known
as the master car builders coupler. In this arrangement the spring 8, rods 20,
and plates 7, 71, are as above described, but the lever 9 has its fulcrum in a
bracket 9 in which the sleeve 17 is fitted and extends downwards being sup-
ported by the draw-bar 6, its free end is hooked to a rod 23 the front end of
which bears against lugs 24 projecting from the sides of the shank of the draw-
head 2. This shank which is hollow is supported on the carry-iron 25, and
receives in the hollow the draw-bar 6 which has a head bearing against shoulders
within the shank, the hole in the end of the shank being sufficiently large to
permit lateral swinging of the draw-head.
In order to permit the draw-heads to be moved laterally and to be restored
to central position, they may be arranged as shewn in Fig. 4 or as shewn in
Fig. 4. In this modified arrangement the shank of the draw-head has on the
upper side of its rear end a pivot-stud 26, fitting in a longitudinal slot in a hori-
zontal plate forming part of the carry-iron, so as to permit longitudinal motion
and horizontal oscillation of the draw-head.
The stud 26 in Fig. 4 and the lugs 24 in Fig. 4 serve to limit the outward
movement of the draw-bar, by meeting stops on the carry-iron or for the same
purpose the plate 7 may meet stops in its forward motion, such for example as
a shell 8 surrounding the spring 8, as shewn in Fig. 4.
In the arrangement shewn in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 the draw-head serves not only
as a coupling, but also as a buffer. Under compression, the draw-head moves
inwards and by means of the rod 23 moves the lever 9 on its fulcrum 91, causing
it to bear against the sleeve 17 and to compress the spring 8, a short compression
of the spring permitting a long stroke of the draw-head. The outward pull of
the draw-head acts through the draw-bar 6, on the plate 7 and compresses the
spring, only a short outward motion being thus permitted to the draw-head. In
the inward buffing motion of the draw-head the draw-bar 6 moves freely through
the plates and spring. When the draw-head is moved laterally owing to the
vehicles running on a curve, the lug 24 on the side toward which the draw-head

page_text: is deflected bears against the end of the rod 23 and, turning on the end of the
draw-bar 6 as a fulcrum, it moves the rod 23 back, thus slightly moving the
lever 9 and compressing the spring 8, which, when the lateral pressure on the
draw-head is relieved reacts to restore the draw-head to central position so that
both of the lugs 24 then bear against the end of the rod 23.
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. An automatic coupling comprising a draw-head connected directly to a
draw spring on which bears the short arm of a lever having its long arm con-
nected to a central buffer, the said draw-head being provided with disengaging
arm and lever, and also with a hook for ordinary coupling.
a buffer,
2. The modified automatic coupling arranged to operate also as
the buffer motion being transmitted to the long arm of a lever, the short arm of
which bears on the draw spring.
Dated this 26th day of June 1900.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.