Improvements in Couplings for Railway and similar Vehicles.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Couplings for Railway and similar Vehicles.
I, GEORGE FREDERIC MARSON, of "Hyderabad," Lee Crescent, Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick, Animal Trainer, do hereby declare the nature of my
said invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object improvements in couplings for railway and
similar vehicles which will be more or less automatic in their action that is to
say that when two vehicles are brought together during shunting or similar
operations my couplings will engage with each other effectively by the action
of the vehicles being forced together. My invention is as follows:-
:-
I connect with the draw bar or rod of the coupling or form with it at one end
of the vehicle a conical or tapered ended spigot piece having mounted in a suit-
able slot or recess therein fins or projecting flaps with their front ends rounded
and the back ends more or less square. These fins are attached to or one with
the levers pivoted together as tongs and limited as to their opening by stops at
the other end and their normal condition is to be open which is caused by a spring
or springs between them. At the other end of the vehicle is a socket piece joined
on or in one piece with the draw bar with its inside or opening somewhat bell
mouthed to receive the spigot before described. This socket end has slots corre-
sponding with fins or flaps into which the fins or flaps spring thus forming the
coupling. To uncouple the ends of the tong levers are drawn together by means
of a right and left handed screw operated by spur or bevelled pinions from the
side or other part of the vehicle by means of a rod handle or wheel or other
mechanism.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Couplings for Railway and similar Vehicles.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK MARSON, of "Hyderabad," Lee Crescent, Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Animal Trainer, do hereby declare the nature of my
said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention has for its object improvements in couplings for railway and
similar vehicles which will be more or less automatic in their action, that is to

page_text: say, that when two vehicles are brought together during shunting or similar
operations my couplings will engage with each other effectively by the action
of the vehicles being forced together. My invention is as follows:-
I connect with the draw bar or rod of the coupling or form with it at one end
of the vehicle a conical or tapered ended spigot piece having mounted in a suit-
able slot or recess therein fins or projecting flaps with their front ends rounded
and the back ends more or less square. These fins are attached to or one with
levers pivoted together as tongs and limited as to their openings by stops at
the other end and their normal condition is to be open which is caused by a spring
or springs between them. At the other end of the vehicle is a socket piece joined
on or in one piece with the draw bar with its inside or opening somewhat bell
mouthed to receive the spigot before described. This socket end has slots corre-
sponding with fins or flaps into which the fins or flaps spring thus forming the
coupling. To uncouple the ends of the tong levers are drawn together by means
of a right and left handed screw operated by spur or bevelled pinions from the
side or other part of the vehicle by means of a rod handle or wheel or other
mechanism.
In order that my invention may be more clearly understood and easily carried
into practical effect I have appended hereunto four double sized sheets of draw-
ings upon which I have illustrated examples of my coupling.
Figure 1 is a part sectional elevation shewing a portion of two trucks coupled
together with my coupling.
Figure 2 is a part sectional plan view of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a similar view to Figure 2 shewing the one portion of the coupling
just entering the other portion.
Figure 4 is an end elevation of the truck T with its portion of the coupling.
Figure 5 is a plan view of one of the coupling levers or tongs.
Figure 6 is an edge view of Figure 5.
Figure 7 is a plan view of the spigot piece in which the levers work.
In carrying my invention into practice I connect to or form with the drawbar
at one end of the truck T the conical or tapered ended spigot piece S having the
slot in its sides in which the levers L L' work. These levers are pivoted
together like tongs in the slot s at 7 and are formed at their outer ends with
the fins or catches which are rounded off at the outer edges towards the ex-
treme ends. The other ends of the levers LL' are formed with the slots 75 and
pivoted in these slots are the connecting links the other ends of which are
pivoted together at 78 in the slots formed at right angles to the slot s¹ in the
spigot piece S. The pivot pin 78 which passes through the slots 2 also passes through
the slotted ends as as of the fork levers A and A¹ which are pivoted at a' and
a to the brackets aa fixed to the end of the truck T as clearly shewn at
Figure 4. These levers A and A' are for operating the levers L and L' and are
cranked so as to pass over the buffers B their outer ends which work in the
guides and a being provided with the handles a¹0 and a¹¹ for this purpose. The
spring D or springs one end of which is attached to the end of the truck T and
the other end to the pin 18 holds the levers L and L in their normal positions--
that is with the fins or catches projecting out of the slot as clearly
shewn at Figure 2. Pivoted at e¹ to the drawhar at the end of the other truck T¹
is the socket piece E which receives the spigot piece S. This socket piece has
the slots formed in its sides into which the fins or catches fit when the
trucks are coupled as clearly shewn at Figures 1 and 2. The springs which are
connected to the guides and which hear against the sides of the socket piece F
are provided for holding the socket piece in its normal position.
To couple the wagons or trucks T and T¹ they are pushed together and as the
spigot piece S enters the mouth of the socket piece E the projecting fins or
catches are compressed or forced into the slots as clearly shewn at Figure 3
but as the spigot piece is pushed further into the socket piece the fins or catches
come opposite the slots being released spring outwards again into their normal

page_text: Fositions by the action of the spring D thus entering the slots e when the trucks
or waggons are securely locked or coupled together. To uncouple the trucks
one of the handles a0 or a¹ of the levers A or A¹ is moved in the direction of
the arrow which action moves the pin 8 in the slots thus drawing or closing
the slotted ends 15 of the levers L and L¹ together or into the slot s¹ of the spigot
piece S also drawing the fins or catches 3 and 4 out of the slots of the socket
piece E into the slots s¹ consequently allowing the spigot piece to be withdrawn
out of the socket piece when the trucks are uncoupled. Immediately the lever A.
or A is released they assume their normal positions by the action of the spring D
thus also moving the levers L and L¹ on their pivot and bringing the fins
or catches into position ready for recoupling. The pegs a¹ or their equiva-
lents which fit into holes formed in the guides a8 and a³ are provided for locking
the levers A and A¹ in their normal positions so as to prevent the trucks being
uncoupled without first withdrawing the pegs. If desired I may operate the
levers L and L' by a right and left hand screw and spur or bevelled pinion or
by other means.
It will be evident that the levers L L¹ may be pivoted in the socket
piece E and the fins or catches so arranged as to take into slots formed in the
spigot piece S. The levers L L' being operated in the same manner as previously
described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
CLAIMS.
First: The improvements in couplings for railway and similar vehicles con-
sisting essentially in attaching or fixing to the end of one vehicle a socket piece
having slots or holes in the sides into which a spigot piece having pivoted or
hinged fins or catches fixed to the end of the other vehicle passes in combination
with releasing levers or the like substantially as herein set forth and shewn
upon the accompanying sheets of drawings.
Second-In couplings for railway and like vehicles fixing to the end of one
vehicle a spigot piece such as S having pivoted levers such as L L the outer
ends of which are formed with fins or catches which take into slots formed in a
pivoted socket piece such as E connected to the end of the other vehicle in the
manner and for the purpose substantially as herein set forth and as shewn upon
the accompanying sheets of drawings.
Third: In couplings for railway and similar vehicles fixing to the end of
one vehicle
a socket piece having hinged fins or catches which take into
slots or openings formed in the spigot piece connected to the end of the other
vehicle in the manner substantially as herein set forth.
Fourth In couplings for railway and similar vehicles a spigot or a socket
piece having hinged fins or catches held in their normal position by a spring or
springs in combination with a slotted spigot or socket piece and releasing levers
or their equivalents for the purpose substantially as herein set forth and as shewn
Dated this 22nd day of June 1900.
GEORGE FREDERICK MARSON.
By George Barker,
Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents,
Agent for Applicant, 77, Colmore Row, Birmingham.