US1650734A - Device for operating car couplers - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 29, 1927. 1,650,734

' F. w. WOLFF v DEVICE FOR OPERATING CAR COUPLERS Filed Oct. 24, 1924 [rwenior Hank/ W: I VbZff Alforney.

Patented Nov. 29, 1927;

513T ED STATES] l? 1 @me E;

rnAnK W. worn; or rnnnmssus; rnmvsrtvAnigflAssrenon'To UNION METAL recovers'comrenm or onrcneoy rumors- AGORPQBATION"OF"DEEIAWARE1 ZDEViCE FOROPERATINGtCAiBnCOWLERSs hppli cetionyfi led October-24, 1924. SBriaIHNOV-MQGZD.

Thisparticular-iinvention;relateseto' hat ashortchain connecting the cranknrmuto the lock lifter 302E the couplerwhich chains proved"unsatisfactory and wereresponsible v for atli-ttlecmorethan halfuofzthe defects for, uncouplingcmechanisms; reported by'the Interstate 1 Commerce Commission. These chains. were defective because]: 7 they Were broken;=n1issing, .kinled and either too long iswgenerally known. in the art a as a,- rotating type of uncouplingdevicet'or carcouplers and comprises an op eratingarod revolubly mounted on the car with brackets .or in any other convenientdnanner; 'Wh-ich rod isusual 1y bent downwardly at the outer end to form ehandle, and isbent outwardly at itsiinner end to formecrank projecting overztheicou- 1 p ler, which crank is operativelyoonnectecl to the coupler lOClC i lifter. ;The standard vertical plane coupler has a knuckle pivoted to v the coupler heed. and provided with; a

tail behind Whichthelock is placed The lock lifter vprotrudes through rend above. the coupler head and is. provided with whorizontelly; positioncd'eye. This lock? lifter; eye is 1 in diemeterend dtsexis is perpendicular to the longitudinal center at, the-car. This size and. positionnhas: beenxdetermi'ned by the American Railroad Association land is standard for the majorityvof couplers now innservicei- -M invention resides; in thecco nnection :be tween ithe crank of the: operating trod and theeye on the coupler lock-lifter. When the handle; is. raised the rod; is revolved I and the crenkhisstherebyi raisedwhich unlocks the coupler by raising: the lock lifter; f- The 2 coupler moves baclmverdly flIldrrfOI" {weirdly longitudinallyof; the car i in: bufiing and rClIfiiEt ElIlCl ialso moves side wisea-in= rounding curves, etc, andithe-connection between the coupler and,theopereting rod must per in-it such movements Without theicompo nent .perts becoming disengaged from each other or" from either-the coupler i or the op erating rods It is frequently necessary to uncouple cars: when. they a are coupled i t-01 getherandin contectsozthat it islimppssible to: throw-the lmuckle-otveither coupler; To

rod crank and the coupler locklifter; hasna vertically slidablepconnection" or engagement With :the crank arm; v Formerlythe rods had ment the connection. between the: operating or: too short.

One of the objects of this ainventiou :is to provide v a connection: between the rod 2 and the coupler which will eliminate the: defects .o-fEthe old chain and zmeetiall service conditions required lcou'pleri The connection between the com- ;ponentnperts; and also their connect'ions-. to

the operating; rod {and the; coupler tare such that the device" cannot: become 7 kinked.

iEormerlyi lWhBIli -e,;b-rakem ani wanted a small ltOi repair; one of the old. connections he ,simply guessed .es to the. amount ot-cchein required and :eppl-ied gitito the car, which -"C0l11lt5 :for; the -nu'1nber10ffitoo long". and too I short: .chai-ns reoorted by the commission.

Thislis notpossible Within device.

Anotherobpct; is to provide e connection which imayfbe"hooked into @theteye of the 7 coupler: lockelifter with the hooked 1 members connected tot-the crank; of the operating rod -1 in; a, IHZIHHQIHWlllQh; :permits itto adapt itself jtofthe-various.service movements of the cou pler/ buty'preventseit; from becoming disen- ,geged from-thelocklifter in service.

-Anotherobject ,is tot xoperativcly, connect the connect-or: to. the crank" arm in suchwa manner. that it retains: the; COHIIGCtOTJmOpBlZ- tively; connected to theccougoler: locki lifter.

rthe-knucklenncl-retained infsu' ch ap' osition; AHOl'Il'IBDObjrGCh of the-invention: is to pror vide a device wherein the component-parts are duplrcates, thereiiore; interchangeable;

Duplication; of scourse',

lecture," henclling; accounting, etc. b V

Anothewobject is to obtain n device here in theqcomp orient 1 arts are duplicates so that :they-cennot-ber wrongfully applied to ,theca orlzto teachflotherir r Y 1 v In the drawings: I Fig. 1 shows a portion of a railway car with my invention applied thereon.

Fig. 2 showsone of the component 'members of the device.

Fig. 3 shows a side View of Fig. 2. 4 shows method of applying the device to the coupler.

Fig. 5 shows method, ofapplying the de.-

assembled and ap- The connector comprises two preferably duplicate parts shaped-to have an open hook ll'at one end and a shank 12 at the other end. The upper end of the shank has a lip 14. The configuration is typically shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and is preferably stamped from a flat plate of steel, as shown in Fig. 3. I 1

Two such members-are positioned complementarilytogether and pivotally secured to each other by rivet 16 (or other'means). The device thus assembled is ready for shipment from point of manufacture and is also ready for application to the car. 7

-To apply the device to the car it is opened up scissor fashiomas shown in Fig. 4, and the lower hooks 11" inserted through the eye 8 of the lock lifter 6 and then moved opposite'each other to form a closed eye, as shown infFig. 5. The connector is then inserted through theeye 17 {of the operating rod crank arm, as shown in Fig. 6, and the rod is then-rotated about ninety degrees until the relative position of the crank arm -5 and jconnector is as shown in F igs." 7, 8 and 9, when the application is. complete. The width l8 ofthe cranlrarm' eye 17 is only a 'little greater than the width 19 of the shank (and less than the width 20' in Fig. 5) and it will be noted that the attachment to the lock lifter eye 8 will notpermitthe connector to rotate about its vertical axis. The 'me1nbers are, therefore, operatively connected to the operating rod'insuch a man- I ner as to retain them in the position of a' closedeye.

' The-members are provided with shoulders :which limit the downward and upward movement of the operating rod relative :to' the (connectors The. upper lips or' shoulders 14 provi'deameans to raise the connector when thecrank arm-is raised. Numerousarrange- ."ments would perform this function; thereand its operating rod, said connector comprisinga pair of eomplementary'members pivotally connected together to move'into alignment with each other to form a closed eye at one end and to simultaneously form a shank at the-other end.

2. A connector for-a railway car couple and its operating rod, said connector comprising a pair of duplicate complementary members pivotally connected together to move" into alignment with each other to form a closed eye at one end and'to simultaneously form a shank at the other end. 1

3. In a device for operating a car coupler, the combination ofan operatingrod, acoupler lock lifter having an eye, and a connector comprising a pair of complementary members pivotally connected -together to move into alignment with each other to form aclosed eye which eye engages the eye of the lock lifter, said members operatively connected to said operating rod so as to retain them in the position of a'closed eye,

4. In a'device for operating a car coupler, the combination of an operating rod, '21 eou- 'plerlock lifter having an eye,and a connector, said connector comprising a pair of members pivotally connected togethento move into alignment with each other toform a closed eye at one end which eye engages said lock lifter eye, and to simultaneousl form a shank' at the other end,'said sh'a slidably and operatively connected to said "operating rod so as to retain them in the position of a closedeye. 5 I Y y 5. In a devicefor operating a car coupler, the combination of an operating rod, a conpler lock litter, and a connector, said connector comprising a pair of members pivotally connected together to move into alignmentwith each] other to form a shank, which shank slidably and operatively engages saidoperating rod, said connector 015- eratively connected to said lock lifter. -6. In a device for operating a car coupler, :the combination of an operating rod, a cou- I pler lock lifter, and a connector therebetween, said connector com rising a pair 0f members connected together to 'foi'nr a shank,which shank slidably and operatively engages said operating rod, saidimembers 1 formed so as to limit thevertical movement ofxtheoperating rod relative to the 'connector'in either direction. Q 7.111 adevice for operating a car coupler,

the combination of an operating rod, a coupler lock litter having an eye, and a connector comprising a pair of complementary members connected together to form a closed eye, which eye engages the eye of the lock lifter, said members operatively connected to said operating rod so as to retain them in the position of closed eye.

8. In a device for operating a car coupler, the combination of an operating rod, a coupler lockclit'ter, and a connector therebetween, said connector comprising a pair of members connected together to form Ia shank, which shank slidably and operative ly engages said operating rodfsaid con} nector operatively connected to said lock lifter.

9. Inadevice for operating a car coupler, the combination of an operating rod, a coupler lock litter'liaving an eye, and a con-v nector, said connector con'iprising a'pair of members connected together to form a closed eye at one end,which eye engages said lock lifter eye and to simultaneously iorni a shank at the other end, said shank slidably and operatively connected to said operating rod so as to retainxthem in the position of a closed eye. e 10. A connector tor a railway car coupler and its operating rod, said connector comthe connector..

ing a shoulder at the base of the shank;

12. connector for a railway car coupler and 1ts operatlng rod, said connector comprising apalr oi complementary members connected together to form a closed eye at one end and to simultaneously form a shank at the other end, each of said members having a shoulder at thebase of the shank and a lip at the extremity thereof.

13.In a device for operating a car.cou-

pler, the combination of an operating rod, a

coupler lock litter, and a connectortherebetween, said connector comprising a pair of members connected together to form a shank,whiclrshank slidably and operatively engages said operating rod, said members formed so as to limit the upward Vertical movement of the operating rod relative to FRANK'W. WOLFF.

Images