US24938A - Cab-coupling - Google Patents

Description

E. L. KEELER.

I Car Coupling.

Patented Aug. 2, 1859.

Inventor! Mj UNTTED OFFICE.

EDWARD L. KEELER, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 24,938, dated August 2, 1859.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Eowam) L. Kantian, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Couplings for Railroad-Cars; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the annexed drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1, is a perspective representation of the under side of two rail-road trucks connected together with my improved coupling. Fig. 2 is a representation of one of my coupling shafts, detached from the bottom of the truck. Fig. 3 is a representation or top view of two coupling shafts in the position they assume when the trucks to which they are respectively attached are coupled together.

My invention and improvement consists in the use of beveled head coupling bars of the peculiar construction hereinafter described in combination with a spring to each coupling bar whereby they are caused to recover their position for repeated action, and kept firmly in place in a coupled position, my improved coupling possessing the following important characteristics, viz: When two trucks are brought sufficiently near to each other, the coupling shafts form a locking connection of themselves, the coupling being self-acting; that any two cars may be instantaneously uncoupled even when the train is in rapid motion, by simply turning a winch or handle; that so long as the cars remain on the track, the coupling will not become unlocked excepting by the voluntary act. of turning the winch to uncouple the cars, but so soon as any one or more of the trucks or cars in a train is thrown off the track, such car or cars immediately become detached from the train, so that when one car leaves the track it has no tendency to draw off the car to which it is attached.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improved coupling, I will proceed to explain its construction and operation.

In the drawing Fig. 1, a and a are two trucks or cars constructed in the usual manner; Y) 7) are the coupling shafts which are attached underneath the car to the platform or bottom of the frame. The shape of these coupling shafts is seen more clearly in Fig.

3. The head 0 of each coupling shaft projects beyond the end of the car, and also a small portion of the rounded part of the shaft, as seen in Fig. 1. The shaft 1) is fastened to the bed of the car by a journal box cl, the diameter of the journal of the shaft being less than that of the other parts of the shaft, so as to form a. shoulder on the shaft on either side of the journal box d, and thus prevent any backward or forward motion of the shaft. The rear end of the shaft terminates in a spring 6, consisting of a bar of steel which is inserted at one end in the coupling shaft 7), while the other extremity of the spring is fastened in a block f. The effect of the spring 6 is to permit the shaft to rotate partially on its axis in the journal box (Z, when force is applied to it, and to cause it to resume a position uniformly the same when the force is withdrawn. It also prevents the accidental uncoupling of the cars by the jolting of the train or by any slight force applied to the heads of the coupling bars, and renders my coupling superior to those coupling arrangements which depend on gravitation to keep the coupling heads in their proper position.

A pulley 9, supported by a frame it, is placed in a suitable position at the end of the car, and a rope or chain i, fastened at one end to the pulley g, its other end wound around the shaft Z), just back of the head 0, of the coupling shaft; so that when the pulley is turned by the winch or handle 70, the coupling shaft is caused to turn about one fourth around on its axis; and as soon as the winch 7c is released, the spring causes the shaft to recover its position as before stated. The head 0, of the coupling shaft, is triangular in shape on its upper side, being beveled on one side and terminating in a point, as seen at Fig. 3, while the under side is shaped as seen in Fig. 2, being sloped off in such a manner as that when the two opposite heads 0 and c of the coupling shafts of two cars come together, the shafts being unable to yield sidewise, turn each of them a little on its axis, and thus allow the heads 0 and c to pass each other, and become locked together, as seen in Fig. 1 and 3. Cars and trucks are usually to be furnished with two coupling bars, one projecting from each end of the car, but the locomotives and cars intended for the end of trains need have only one. A pulley for turning the coupling shaft and disconnect ing the cars should be connected with each shaft, that is, one at each end of every car.

Having thus described the construction of my improved coupling, I will proceed briefly to explain its mode of operation.

It is evident from what has been before stated that when two trucks or cars furnished with my coupling are brought together on the same track, that the shafts b b, will turn sufiiciently to allow their heads a and 0 to'form a locking connection. Now so long as these two cars remain on the track, this connection cannot be broken, without the turning of one or both of the shafts, which will not occur otherwise than by design, as the spring is strong enough to keep them in place, and prevent their displacement. If however one of the cars should by any accident tilt up so far as to turn over sidewise, there is nothing to prevent the immediate uncoupling of the cars; or if one of the cars runs off the track, the connection will be at once broken, as the coupling is only effective when both cars to be united are on the track. Thus it is manifest that in any accident which can happen to a train, rendering the separation of the cars advisable, the coupling acts of itself and releases the cars which remain on the track from those which run 05. The great ease With which the cars may be uncoupled without any other operation than a slight turn of the winch no matter at

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