US151340A - Improvement in car-couplimgs - Google Patents

Description

T. ANDRESS.

Car-Couplings.

Patented May 26,1874

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M M W w an. NH HV Z MW j THOMAS ANDRESS, OF AURORAIIVILLE, WISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 151,340, dated May 26, 1874 application tiled March 16, 1,874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS ANDREss, of Aurorahville,in the county of Vaushara and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Couplings for Railway (Jars, of which the following' is a specification:

The improvement herein consists of the conibination of the lever, having a curved back and an outwardly-projecting end, with the rubber cushion, Vthe stop for the projecting end, the cross-bar, and the coupling-link, as will be more fully hereinafter shown and described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents avertical sect-ion ofthe draw-heads and coupling' devices of two cars; and Fig. 7, a similar view, showing one of the levers raised to free the coupling-link.

NVithin an opening' in the draw-head a is pivoted a lever, b, with its stem c projecting upward out ot' said opening, and resting upon the front end of the draw-head in an inclined position, and by which its descent is limited. 'Ihe opening is cushioned by a rubber spring, d, which, pressing upon the curved back c1 of the lever, keeps its inclined end upon the stop e. The front side c2 of this lever is inclined, and stands within the mouth of the draw-head, so that the coupling-hook f must strike against it as it enters the draw-head and raise the lever, a projecting point, g, on which presses down upon the coupling-hook by thepaction of the cushion-spring d, and forces the hook f1 of the coupling-bar over an iron cross-bar, f2, in the bottom of the drawhead, and holds it securely and with considerable force in place. The lower end of the lever has a lip, h, which lies flush with the bottom ot' the draw-head, with its end on a line, or thereabout, with the front side c2 of the leverstem c, which stands in an inclined position to the lip h, and the latter, being just beneath the hooked end f of the coupling-bar, is in position to lift the latter when it is desired to uncouple the cars, by pulling up the inclined outer end of the lever by a chain attached to an eye. rlhis, however, can only be done by drawing back the lever b against the force et' the rubber cushion d, which keeps the lever hard upon itsv stop e, and the point g upon the coupling-hook.

The stop c for the lever is important to prevent the lever from being' pressed hard upon the end ofthe coupling-bar, which might raise the other end and uncouple the cars at any time; but the said stop prevents such danger. The coupling-bar has hooks fl at each end tor catching into the draw-heads, and it must hold fast so long as held by the spring-cushion in a iiat position; but in case one of the cars is thrown from the traclr and turns over, the draw-head will turn upon the coupling-bar and open the lever by bringing the narrow edge of said bar against the lever, and thus` leave the hook free from the draw-head, so that it can be pulled out by the overturned car.

I am aware the device/of the lever held down by a coil-spring, and having a front recessed 'end to receive the conical end ofthe couplinglinlgand by which the latter is raised to free itself from the shouldered draw-head by raising the front end of thelever, is not new; and I do not claim such devices or their combination, broadly.

I claim- The combina-tion ot' the lever I), having the curved back c1 and the outwardly-projccting end c, with the rubber cushion d, the stop e, the cross-bar f2, and the coupling-link, all as shown and described.

THOMAS ANDRESS.

Witnesses:

J. S. RYAN, G. B. WrLeoX.

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