US1474796A - Operating device for car couplers - Google Patents

Description

Nov. zo, 1923 mmf/9@ V. E. SISSON OPERATING DEVICE FOR CAR COUPLER Filed Jan. 27. 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet l ,.U enfor- Nov. 20 1923 V. E. SISSON OPERATING DEVlCE FOR CAR COUPLERS Filed Jan. 27. 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov.. Ztl, 1923..

ariane entrant italica.

VINTON-E. SISSON, G35' CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WALTER l. AIVllIRIHY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

OPERATING DEVICE FOR CAR COUPLERS.

Application filed January 27, 1920. Serial No. 354,450.

To @ZZ @o 700m t m concern Be itl known that I, 'VrNroN E. SrssoN,

a citizen ot the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and uset'ul Improvements in Operating Devices for Car Couplers, of which' the Jfollowing is a specification.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a perspective l@ view of the end ot' a car structure, broken away, with my invention applied thereto.

Figure@ is a front elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view on line` 3--3 :Figure 2 through the levers and their connections.

Figure 4: top plan view of Figure 2.

Figures 5 and 6 are diagrammatical views.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the hand lever, one end being broken away.

Since the adoption of the new M. C. B. coupler, which is materially heavier than the couplers heretofore in use, it has been found necessary to increase'the power in someA types of levers,- orwoperating .devices for car couplers. Many experiments have been made with this end in view but, in view of the fact that the Federal regulations prohibit the outer end otl the operating lever from coming nearer than 17 `or 18 inches from ythe top of the rail, it will be understood thatmany difficulties had to be vsurmounted to obtain` the' increasedleverage and at the-same time keep within the. `limits describedv byi the Federal regulations.

`The objects of my invention are to soconstruct and mount the members of the release rigging that any desired lifting ypower may be `obtained to operate the coupler.

'A further object of myinventionis to so mount the membersbtgthe operating device relatively to. eachother so as to prevent an abnormal upward movement of the inner, or pin operating lever, whereby injury to the operator is prevented in case of a broken coupler mechanism.

A further object of my invention is to so relatively mount and engage the levers of the rigging to prevent an abnormal downward movement of the hand opera-ting lever whereby the operating lever is prevented from coming closer to the rail than the distance allowed by law.

A further object of my invention is to relatively locate the fulcrums of the two levers and construct the inner end vof the hand operating .lever in such a manner as to limit the downward movement of the pin lever in case otv a broken coupler head or carry iron, whereby the operating device will support the coupler and prevent it from falling on the track and causing derailment.

A further object of my invention isA to so locate the fulcrum points of thetwo levers and their operative connection so as to reduce the relative motion between the two levers at their lolierative connection to a minimum thereby reducing the 'friction between the working partsgandwith `these and other objects in viewv my invention consists of the parts and combinationot parts as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

The reference numeral-1 designates a car structure, 2 a coupler and 3 the .coupler lock pin all of which may be of any approved construction.

The hand' operating lever tof my irnproved operating `device is 4of such construction that when mounted on acar the outer end portion sags-downwardly whereby it isA adapted to beV engaged and operated by the hand or'foot of trainman. The hand or outer operating`- lever is deflected `upwardly as .at 5` and forwardly as at@ at its inner end,`the `portion 6 extending in the same vertical plane as the main body portionl of `the lever. lThis inner end ot the leverde isprovidedwith `an 'opening 7 tor a fulcrum pinB, andwith a tulcrum pin 9 for the inner pin lever. At the juncture of the extension 5 andythe lever e, I form a roundedl bearing -10\which.will be hereinafter referred to.

The inner or 4pin liftingV lcverglQ has a lreduced .inner end;13 which isiv adapted to freely slide in the eye of the coupler lock pin 8 to accommodate service movements of the coupler without imposing strain upon the parts; said portion terminating in hook 14 which prevents accidental disengagement of the lever from the lock pin. The pin lever 12 is pivoted at its outer end on a pin 15. The pin operating lever 12 is provided substantially near its fulcrum pin 15 with an elongated slot 17 through which the pin 9 on the inner end of the lever t projects, said pin 9 bein provided at its outer end with an upward y extending hook 18 to prevent the lever 12 from falling to the track in the event that it becomes disengaged from its pivot pin 15.

It will be'notecl from the drawing that the fulcrum pins 8, 9, and 15 are positioned in the same longitudinal plane. rIhis is shown more clearly in Figure 5. The object of this disposition of these pins is to in-` crease leverage and at the same time Yreduce friction. By reason of this disposition of these pins the pin 9 is required to move a shorter distance in the slot 1T of the lever 12 to obtain the required elevation of the inner end of the pin lifting lever to move the lock pin A 12 inch movement of the end of the hand lever l will raise the coupler lock pin 3, through the lever 12, seven and one quarte-r inches `and downward pressure of approximately one hundred pounds on the hand lever gives 165 pounds upward pressure on the coupler lorlr. Of course any desired power,` or travel, can be obtained by adjusting the relative position of the fulcrum pins. The movement of the pin 9 in the slot 17 of the pin lever 12 is less than one quarter inch, as a result of loca-ting 'the pins 8, 9, and 15 in the same, or substantially the same, longitudinal plane. This limited movement is vof importance as it reduces the friction bet-ween the two levers to a minimum.

The pin and slot connection between the 'two levers limits the upward movement of the pin lever 12, thereby preventing injury to the operator in case of the pin lever 12 becoming broken. This pin and slot connection also limits the downward movement of the hand lever whereby the outer end of the hand lever is prevented from coming closer to the rail than is allowed by law.

The location of the two fulcrum pins 15 and 8 and the peculiar formation of the inner end of the hand lever l1 limits the downward movement of the pin lever 12 in this wise; in case of broken coupler head or carry iron the weight of the coupler is thrown on the uncoupling levers whereby the coupler is prevented from falling on the track which would result in derailment. Under such conditions the pin lifting lever will move downward at its inner end until the bearing 10 of the hand lever 4; engages with the fulcrum 15, therebypreventing the inner end of the pin lever 12 moving any further downward, the pin 15 acting as a stop to prevent further upward movement of the hand lever while the pin 9 prevents further downward movement of the pin lever 12.

llVhat I claim is 1. In a release rigging for car couplers, the combination with a pin lifting lever pivotally mounted at its outer end to a car, and a hand operating lever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends to a car at a point intermediate the coupler and the pivot of the pin lever, whereby the pivot of the pin lever acts as a stop to limit the upward movement of the hand lever, and an operative connection between said levers.

2. Ina release rigging for car couplers, the combination with a pin lifting lever pivotallyi mounted at its outer end to a car, and an operating lever pivotally mounted in termediate its ends to a car, and an operative connection between the two levers, one of said pivots functioning as a stop to limit the movement of said levers in the event of the breaking of the coupler supporting element; whereby the coupler is prevented from falling to the track.

3. In a release rigging for car couplers, the combination with an operating lever, of the pin lifting lever fulcrumed on the car, and slidably connected to the operating lever, the fulcrum of the operating lever being positioned between the fulcrum of the pin lever andthe connection between the levers, the device having both fulcrums and connection between the two levers in the same horizontal plane.

4. In a release rigging for car couplers, a pin lifting lever fulcrumed to the car, an operating lever fulcrumed to the car and loosely attached to the pin lifting lever, and so positioned that the fulcrum ofthe pin lifting lever limits the movement of the outer end of the operating lever, and the connection to the pin lifting lever limits the movement of the inner end of the .operating lever, the device having the two-fulcrums and the connection between the levers all in the same horizontal lane.

VINTO E. SISSON.

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