GB841452A - Improvements in or relating to a car coupler - Google Patents

Abstract

841,452. Railway vehicle automatic couplings. NATIONAL MALLEABLE & STEEL CASTINGS CO. July 30, 1958 [July 31, 1957], No. 24577/58. Class 103(5). An automatic knuckle type railway vehicle coupler has its knuckle 6 provided with lugs 13, 25, Figs. 2 and 8 having surfaces 13a 25a which are engaged when uncoupling by the prongs 21, 22 of a two stage knuckle thrower 18. Increased uncoupling leverage is obtained by arranging the prong 22 to engage the surface 13a before the prong 21 engages the surface 25a, but the continued rotation of the knuckle 6 is effected solely by engagement of the prong 21 with the lug 25. An extension 12 of the knuckle tail 14 extends under a head portion 8a of a lock 8, while a knuckle portion 15 engages a side surface of the lock. The lock 8, Figs. 1 and 3, is provided with a ridge 30 which during uncoupling is engaged in a notch 31 in the coupler wall 33 so that the lock may be swung rearwardly about a point 44 by a bottom operated lock lifter, the heel 41 of the lock leg engaging the forward surface of the arm 20 and swinging the thrower and the knuckle. The re-location of the fulcrum point of the lock 8 to the point 44 eliminates the conventional lug recess in the buffing wall 33 and allows the wall to be made stronger. With a top operated lock lift, Fig. 9, a link 53 has slots 59 and 62 engaging a pin 56 in the lock head and a pin 63 on a link 52, so that in the locked position a shoulder 60 on the link 53 engages a surface 61 on the coupler head. The slack in the slots is greater than the distance 67 to allow a lip 65 to rest on a surface 66 on the head, in which position the lower end of the link 52 cants forwardly so that any sudden upthrust on the link 53 causes the lifter as a whole to jack-knife forwardly and bring the shoulder 60 up to engagement with the surface 61.