US238325A - Car-coupling - Google Patents

Description

(No model) v F. G. ARTER & J. C. BLOUHER].

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UNIT D STATES PATENT @FFICE.

FRANCIS G. ARTER AND JOHN G. BLOGHER, OF LIMA, OHIO.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 238,325, dated March 1, 1881.

Application filed January 15, 1881.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that we, FRANCIS G. ARTER, and J OHN G. BLOOHER, citizens of the United States, residing at Lima, in the county ofAllen and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefullmprovementsin (Jar-Couplers; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in car-couplings and the object of our invention is to so construct and shape the interior of the mouth of the draw-head of a car-coupler as to perfectly adaptit to admit of certain requisite movements of the inner end of the couplinglink when the latter is adjusted by a link-supporting tongue, and to provide certain other features of improvement specially adapted to overcome objections that have hitherto existed in using link-supporting tongues.

WVe will now proceed to describe the construction and arrangement of the several features of {our invention and explain their operation, and then will designate the same in the claims.

In the annexed drawings, Figure l is a vertical lon gitudinalsection of a car-coupler. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of same. Fig. 3 is a side view of the draw-head. Fig. 4 is a front View of same. Fig. 5 is a perspective of the link-supporter.

The letter A designates the draw-head or buffer, and B its neck or shank, which is connected with the car in the usual or any wellknown manner. An ordinary coupling-link, (l, and pin D are used.

E designates the link-supporting tongue, which serves to lift and sustain the link, as shown in Fig. 1, and guide it when coupling. The tongue is provided with an eye, by which it is attached to its shaft, which extends in a horizontal direction from side to side. In crosssection the shape of the eye is circular for about three-quarters of its size and straight for the remaining quarter. The part a of the tongue, which constitutes the exterior of the in the sides of the draw-head.

(No model.)

shaft-eye, is rounded or partly cylindrical, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, and the lower side of the interior of the mouth of the draw-head is provided with a groove, flcxtending crosswise, serving as a seat or hearing, in which the cylindrical part a of the tongue rests, and wherein it turns as the front of the tongue is raised or lowered. This construction is of importance, since thereby none of the strain, pressure, or weight caused by the coupling-link falls on the rock-shaft, which passes through the eye of the tongue. The said shaft, therefore, will never become bent, and will always be easily turned, serving merely as a means to raise or lower the tongue.

The rock-shaft F has a flattened side, a, extending from end to end, which in width is equal to about one-quarter of its circumference. It will be seen the flattened side of the rockshaft fits the corresponding part of the'eye of the tongue and prevents the latter from turning on the shaft, while the three-quartersrounded part of the/shaft fits within the holes These holes (which are not shown in the drawings) are slightly oblong instead of accurately round, the long part being in a vertical direction. The object of this is to preventthe ends of the rockshaft from bearing within the holes, leaving allpressure of the coupling-link to come on the tongue, the cylindrical part of which sets in the groove 19, as before stated. Thus our device is both practical and cheap. It will be seen the front or raising end of the tongue does not project fully to the mouth of the draw head, but is recessed or wholly within, and is protected thereby from accidental breakage. One or both ends of the shaft are provided with a detachable head, b, which slips over the end of the shaft after the latter has been passed through thedraw-head. The head I) has an eye, with which a hand-rod,G, is connected by one end, the other end of the rod being adapted to hang down and swing freely, or to be extended horizontally, and thus serves to raise the tongue and support the coupling-link, enabling the person, by grasping the hand-rod, to stand outside of the track while coupling, and thereby avoid the risk of injury which is attended by going between the cars.

By providing at each side of the draw-head or buffer a hori-zontally-projecting lug, c, the hand-rod G may be extended and raised upward, and from the position indicated by dottedlinesin Fig. 3, (whereat the tongue is down,) turned upward and back to the position shown in same figure, and rest behind the lug 0, and thus the hand-rod and Lug will sustain the coup ling-link at the ordinajfy height suited for effecting a coupling. The concussion or jar which is occasioned by the bumping of the cars will cause the raised hand-rod to topple over, and thus allow the tongue to fall.

In order to support the coupling-pin at an elevated position to admit into the mouth of the draw-head the coupling-link of an opposite draw-head, we provide a notch, a, which extends about three-fourths of the way around the coupling-pin holethat is, on its front and two sides. When the cars come together the concussion will cause the pin to drop and pass through the link.

When coupling it isnecessary to hold the extended end of the coupling-link in a direction straight forward, so that it will enter the mouth of the opposite draw-head. This is effected by providing each side of the tongueE with a raised edge, d, which slopes down toward the center of the tongue. If the end of the coupling-link be turned a little to one side when the tongue is brought up against it, the raised sloping edge of the tongue will cause the link to slide to the center of the tongue, and thus point the link straight forward.

While tongues to support and adjust the coupling-link have heretofore been shown and described in patents, no such device has yet found acceptance with railroad managers, and consequently none are in practical use, which we attribute to the fact that thedevices were crude'and impracticable, and that proper provision has not been made for certain requisite movements of the inner end of the couplinglink.

By reference to Fig. l of the drawings, it will be seen we have so contrived the interior shape of the mouth of the draw-head that the highest part of the tongnethe rounded part over the eye through which the rock-shaft passesforms a bearing, 0, on which the coupling-link may rest. Both in front of and behind this lower bearing the interior of the draw-head is lower than the bearing.

The letter g designates the lower. space within the draw-head behind the lower hearing, 0. Upon the interior upper side of the draw-head is a downward-projecting point, f, which extends in a horizontal line crosswise of the draw-head. From this point f the roof or upper side of the draw-head extends upward in front and behind in a straight line, forming in front a flaring mouth and behind an upward-extending space, h, corresponding IO the space gbelow. From the highest point of the upper space, h, to the lowest point of the lower space, g, the rear wall of the interior is in the form of a curve-,1. The point'f, projecting downward, forms an upper bearing for the coupling-link, which, in practice, is about one and a quarter inch back from the lower bearing, 6, and is in front of the coupling-pin.

When the tongue is raised by turning the hand-rod the coupling-link is lifted, and its upper side rests against the upper bearing, f, while the inner end of the link may move vertically in the direction of an arc of a circle to an extent which is limited only by the size of the rear spaces, g h. This provision for the movement of the inner end of the couplinglink with the upper bearin g, f, to hold the link down to the tongue enables the latter to adjust and control the outer or extended end of the link in the most perfect manner, and thereby our link-supporting tongue becomes a practically operative device, free of the objections which hitherto existed.

Having described our invention, we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- 1. In a car-coupling, the combination of a rock-shaft extending horizontally through the draw-head with its ends projecting at each side, a link-supporting tongue in the mouth of the draw-head, and a hand-rod, Gr, movably secured to the end of the rock-shaft, whereby the hand-rod may hang down and swing freely or be extended horizontally in a line direct with the axis of the rock-shaft, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a car-coupler having a link-supporting tongue, the combination, With the draw-head,

of a horizontally-projecting lug, 0, at eitherside and a hand-rod attached to the ends of the rock-shaft, adapted, when resting behind the lug, to sustain the coupling-link, as set forth.

3. The improved link-supporting tongue for a car-coupling, having at each of two sides a raised edge, d, which slopes down toward the center of the tongue, as set forth.

4. In a car-coupler, the combination, within the mouth of the draw-head, of a tongue, E, to lift and sustain the coupling-link, an upper bearing, f, projecting down from the roof of the mouth, extending crosswise thereof, and located back from the tongue, and a couplingpin hole back of both tongue and bearing, as set forth.

5. In a car-coupler, the combination ofa linksupporting tongue having on its under side a rounded pivotal bearing, a, and the draw-head having a corresponding-shaped groove, 1;, in which the rounded part rests, as set forth.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

FRANCIS Gr. ARTER. JOHN G. BLOOHER.

Witnesses:

ALBERT OSBORN, WM. M. BELL.

IIO

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