Improvements in Car-couplings.
Year: 1892

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Car-couplings.
I, JAMES AUGUSTUS WISWALL, of Embarrass, in the County of Waupaca, and
State of Wisconsin, United States of America, Gentleman, 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:-
The invention relates to improvements in car-couplings.
The object of the present invention is to simplify and improve the construction
of car-couplings, to enable the same to couple automatically and to be uncoupled
without necessitating a person going between cars, and to facilitate the coupling of
cars having draw-heads at different heights.
The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement
of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and
pointed out in the claims hereto appended.
In the drawings,
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a car provided with a car-coupling
constructed in accordance with this invention.
Fig. 2 is a plan view partly in section.
Figs. 3 and 4 are detail perspective views showing different forms of link from
that shown in Fig. 1.
Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the
drawings.
1 designates a draw-head having a limited vertical movement and mounted on a
car 2 and provided with horizontally-disposed spring-actuated jaws 3, which are pivoted
at their inner ends and are provided with hooks at their outer ends to engage arrow-
headed links 4. The draw-head 1 is provided with a horizontal projecting extension
or shelf 5, which is bevelled at its middle to guide a link between the jaws 3 and
which forms a support for the front end of the
Jaws.
The jaws are pivoted by vertical pins or bolts 6 and are normally pressed
together by springs 7 secured to the draw-head at opposite sides of the same,
and having their inner ends arranged within the draw-head and their outer ends
engaging the jaws at the outer ends thereof. The jaws are provided with
vertical standards 8 and are separated to release the link for uncoupling by a
toggle consisting of a lever 9 fulcrumed intermediate of its ends on one of the
pins 8 and having its outer end connected with the other pin by a bar 10. The
inner end of the lever 9 is connected by a rod 11 with an operating-lever 12
which is fulcrumed at the bottom of the car and has its upper end shaped into a
handle and arranged within a segmental guide 13 located at the top of the car.
The bar 10 is pivoted in a bifurcation at the outer end of the lever 9 and to the
pin 8, and the jaws are held partially separated by a projection 14 extending
horizontally from the top of the draw-head and adapted to have the stems abut
against the ends of the same. The jaws may be spread by moving the upper end
of the operating-lever toward the adjacent side of the car and turning the toggle,
as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings. The straight links 4 or
crooked links 15 may be employed, the latter being used to couple cars having
draw-heads of different heights, and the link 16 consisting of a narrow head and an
ordinary link may be used to couple a car having the improved draw-head with one
having an ordinary pin-and-link coupling. The upper end of the lever 12 is
provided with a spring-actuated pawl 17 to engage a notch 18 at the outer end of
the ratchet. The draw-bar is keyed in the usual manner, as illustrated in dotted
lines in Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings.

page_text: 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. In a car-coupling, the combination of a draw-head having pivoted spring-
actuated jaws, a toggle consisting of a lever fulcrumed intermediate its ends on one
of the jaws, a bar connecting the outer end of the lever with the other jaw, and
an operating-lever connected with the inner end of said lever, substantially as
described.
2. In a car-coupling, the combination of a draw-head provided at its top with a
projection, pivoted spring-actuated jaws mounted on the draw-head and provided
with vertical stems arranged on opposite sides of the projection and adapted to abut
against the same to hold the jaws partly open, a toggle comprising a lever fulcrumed
on one of the stems, a bar pivoted to the outer end of the lever and to the stem of
the other jaw, and an operating lever connected with the inner end of said lever,
substantially as described.
3. In a car-coupling, the combination of a draw-head having a horizontal
extension projecting from its bottom and having its outer edge bevelled, spring-
actuated jaws having their inner ends pivoted in the draw-head and having their
outer ends supported by the said extension and provided intermediate their ends
with vertical standards, a toggle consisting of a lever fulcrumed intermediate its
ends on one of the stems, a bar connecting the outer end of the lever with the other
stem, and an operating-lever connected with the inner end of the other lever,
substantially as described.
Dated the 13th day of October 1892.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.