US198173A - Improvement in car-couplings - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN s. WEBTZ, or BURLINGTON, IOWA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 198,173, dated December 11, 1877; application filed March 27, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. S. WERTZ, of Burlington, county of Des Moines and State of Iowa, have invented Improvements in Car- Couplings.

The following description, taken in connection with the accompanyingplate of drawings, hereinafter referred to, forms a full and exact specification, wherein are set forth the nature and principles of the invention, by which the same may be distinguished from others of a similar class, together with such parts thereof as are claimed as new, and are desired to .be secured byLetters Patent of the United States.

My invention relates to that class of devices which, are made use of for connecting the cars of a train known as car-couplings; and the nature thereof consists in certain improvements in the construction of the same, and novel combinations of the parts thereof, hereinafter shown and described.

In the accompanying plate of drawings, in which corresponding parts are designated by the same letters, Figure 1 is a front elevation bf a car having my improvements applied thereto; and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through the draw-head.

In the drawings, A designates the drawhead; B, the vertically-sliding bolt, which is adapted to be raised from either side or top of the car by means of a rock-shaft and suitable connecting-rods and operating-levers. D is a tumbling catch, formed with an opening through its forward end. Pin B is passed through the opening in the catch D, and retained against displacement by means of the pin or lug I) attached to the lower end of the pin. 0 represents the link.

The operation of the device is as follows: The coupling-pinB being raised, carries with it the tumbling catch D, and as the latter is raised, its rear end is drawn forward until it drops into the notch a formed in the lower plate of the draw-head. When the several parts are in this position, the pin cannot be released until the lower-end of the tumbling catch is raised and released from the notch a. When it is desired to couple the cars, the link 0, entering the draw-head, strikes the lower portion of catch D, and raises the same from without the notch a, thus freeing the catch,

and allowing the pin to drop through and secure the link. The tiunbling catch D is entirely disconnected from the draw-head, and is held in position by means of the pin B, to which it is secured by pin or lug b. As the catch D is secured, at its forward end, to the coupling-pin B, the rear end of said catch rests on the lower plate of the draw-head. When pin B is raised to release the link, it operates to raise the forward end of catch D, and draw the catch forward until its rear end drops into the notch a formed in the lower plate of the draw-head, and the catch, in this position, securely locks'the pin in place for automatic coupling. It will be thus observed that the cars may be automatically coupled;

and also the pin, when raised, serves to reset the catch for coupling the cars.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A car-coupler consisting in the combination. with the draw-head A, provided with a notch, a, of a perforated tumbling catch D and coupling-pin B, provided with a pin or lug, b, whereby the pin, when raised, serves to reset the catch, substantially as described.

In. testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of January, 1877.

JOHN S. WERTZ.

Witnesses:

J NO. H. GREER, O. O. MILLER.

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