Improvements in Car-couplings and in Buffers for use therewith.
Year: 1893

page_text: TION
Improvements in Car-couplings and in Buffers for use therewith.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the Firm of G. F. Redfern & Co., The
General Patent Office, No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of London,
Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication to
me by John Danford Ripson, of the Town of Thorold, in the County of Welland,
in the Province of Ontario, Canada, Manufacturer,) and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:―
My invention relates to improvements in car-couplings and the object of the
invention is, first, to design an extremely simple and cheaply constructed car-
coupling which may be readily connected to the coupling of the next car without
the man going in between the cars and secondly-of providing means whereby the
force of the concussion of the cars may be exerted directly on the bottom end of
the car instead of the draw-hars and it consists essentially-first-of a draw-bar the
outer end of which is hooked and the inner end of which is bent in the reverse way
to the hook and is enlarged or weighted, such enlarged or weighted end being
regulated by gravity and by the tilting plate beneath it attached to the cross rod
of the car to hold the hook in a vertical or horizontal position in the manner
hereinafter more particularly explained and secondly-in attaching to the end of
the car by studs a buffer which is held flexibly away from the car by spiral springs
located in a circular hole at the inner side of the buffer and preferably surrounding
the studs.
Fig. 1, is a perspective view showing an ordinary box car and flat car coupled a part
of the flat car being broken away to show the construction of my draw-bar and
mechanism for holding and operating the same.
Fig. 2, is an enlarged plan with the tops of the cars removed showing two
adjacent cars with their couplings ready to connect in full lines an connected in
dotted lines.
In the drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each
figure.
A, is the body of the car, B, the draw-bar which has a hooked end, b, and an
enlarged weighted bent end, C. The draw-bar, B, is supported in the plates, D,
and, E, and is held longitudinally in position by the collars, d.
F, is a cross bar provided with an end handle, f, and a central tilting plate, G,
extending inwardly as shown. The cross bar, F, is suitably journilled in bearings
in the bottom of the car and the movement of the handle, f, is controlled by the
stop pins, ff, is an arm extending upwardly from the cross-bar on a line with
the handle, The arm, f, is connected by the rod, g, to the lower arm of
the bell-crank H, which is pivoted in the bracket, h, beneath the end of the car.
I, is a rod connected at the bottom to the outer arm of the bell-crank, H, and
passing through the bracket, J. on the end of the car as shown. The rod, I, is
provided at the upper end with the handle, . K, is a spring catch secured at the
end of the car and designed to engage with the notch, k, in the rod, I.
I, is the buffer which is supported on the stud-, 7, and is held normally away
from the end of the car by the springs, M, in the .recesses, m, behind the buffer.
The force of the two cars coming together is received by such buffer on each car.
It will be noticed on reference to Fig 2, that the draw-bars, B, of each two cars
to be connected are set to the right of the centre of the car, so that they will just
pass each other when the cars come together.
Having now described the principal parts involved in my invention I shall briefly
describe the operation of my coupling. Normally when the handles, f, are thrown
back into the position shown in full lines in Figs. I and, 2, the bent weighted end
of the draw-bar, B, is inclined at an angle downwardly and rests upon the

page_text: tilting plates, G, in which position the hooked end of the draw-bars are held in the
vertical position indicated in Fig. 2, and to the right hand side of the coupling as
shown in Fig. 1. When so held the hooked ends will readily pass each other.
Immediately upon the ends passing each other when the cars are being thrown
together the arm, f, of either car is thrown against the opposite stop pin to that
against which it is shown in both figures and thereby the tilting plate, G, is raised
so as to throw the weighted bent end of the draw-bar to a slanting position
upwardly in which position it is retained by such tilting plate. When the weighted
bent end has an upward inclination as shown the hooked end is in a horizontal
position and as the preceding car is drawn forward the horizontal hooked end catches
the vertical hook of the draw-bar of the next car so as to firmly couple the cars
together.
Before uncoupling, the handle, f, is thrown back into the position shown in the
drawing and particularly demonstrated in the broken away portion of the flat car
in Fig. 1, so that the tilting plate, G, rests downwardly. The hooked end, b, still
clasps the vertical hook at the end of the opposite draw-bar but immediately upon
the car being pushed backwardly against the point of the hook, the tilting plate, G,
being now down the bent end C, of the bar, B, will fall upon the tilting plate, G,
thereby serving to raise the hook, b, of the draw-bar, B, of the flat car in this
instance to the vertical position. Immediately upon the car then being drawn
forward the hooked ends being both vertical will pass each other and the cars will
be uncoupled.
Instead of using the handle, f, which is designed for use by the man on the
ground it will be seen that the rod, I, on the end of the box-car may be drawn
upwardly by the handle, i, so that the notch, k, engages with the spring catch, K, it
will place the hook, b, on the end of the draw-bar, B, in a horizontal position.
To restore the hooked end of the draw-bar to its vertical position it is merely
necessary for the man on the top of the car to press the rod, I, downwardly so as to
relieve the notch, k, from the catch, K, and bring the handle, f, against the stop
pin, f, as before described.
1
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:―
1. In a car coupling the draw-bar, B, supported as specified and having the
hooked end, b, and weighted bent end, C, and means whereby the weighted bent end is
raised and lowered as and for the purpose specified.
2. In a car coupling a draw-bar provided with the hooked outer end supported in
plates slightly to one side of the centre of the car and held in position longitudinally
by collars attached to the draw-bar and having a weighted bent inner end, which is
lifted by a tilting plate secured on a rod journalled in the bottom of the car and
provided with handles as shown and lowers of its own gravity as and for the
purpose specified.
3. The combination with the draw-bar, B, provided with the hooked end, b,
supported in the plates, D, and, E, and held in position longitudinally by the
collars, d, and having a weighted end, C, of the tilting plate, G, rod, F, arm, f³,
rod, g, crank, H, vertical rod, I, provided with a handle, i, having a notch, k, and
the catch, K, as and for the purpose specified.
4. The combination with the draw-bar, B, supported as specified and having the
hooked end, b, and weighted bent end, C, and means whereby the weighted bent
end is raised and lowered, of the buffers, L, supported on the studs, 1, and held
normally from the end of the car by the springs, M, as and for the purpose
specified.