US274106A - Car-coupling - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES` PATENT EEIcE.

GUEDEN Il. GHAMBERLIN, OE MARIETTA, oEIo.4

CAR-ConPLiNc.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 2374,106, dated March 2.0, 18.83.

i Application filed June 24, 1882. (No model.)

To all rwhom 'it may concern Beit known that I, GURDEN L. CHAMBER- LIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Marietta, in the county of Washington and Siate of Ohio, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Car-Couplers; and I d0 hereby declare vthat the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation ot' the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and tigures ot' reference marlIed thereon.

Figure l ot' the drawings is a bottom view of my coupler. Fig. 2 is a side view ot' the same. Fig. 3 is a front view, and Fig. 4 is a detail view of lever K.

This invention has relation to car-coupling devices; and it consists in the construction and novel arrangement of parts, as will be h ereinafter fully described, 'and pointed out in the claims appended.

In the accompanying drawings, the letters A A designate the coupling devices, which are duplicates of each other in all essential particulars. In each of these coupling devices B represents a bed-plate secured to the under side of the draw-bar or draw-head C by means of' bolts, clamps, or other sufficient fastening devices. The draw-heads may he those which are now in common use for the ordinary linkand-pin connection, as the coupling devices herein described are so arranged as not to interfere with the employment of the link-andpin coupling, so that a car which is only provided with thelatter form of coupling can be readily connected to a car having the automatic coupling.

D represents a bridge-plate, which is bolted to the bed-plate B. Pivoted to the rear portion, ot' this bridge-plate and somewhat'at one side thereof are the long leverjaws E E, which are formed with beveled hook-shaped ends a, and are extended in rear of their pivots, asindicated at b. Between the ends of the extensions bis arranged a spring, c, which is designed to have an expanding tension, so that itv will act to press the extensions or arms b of the levers apart, and thereby close the hooked ends or jaws a. ranged an elongated cam, d,the,sten1 of which is jonrnaled in a bearing in the bridge-tree. The cam is provided with a transverse lever,

Between the levers E is arf.

F, the arms of which project laterallyT on each side of the coupling devices and serve as handles, whereby the lever can be actuated to turn the cam d, andtherehy press the coupling-jaws a apart. The stem of the cam d. is provided with a square arbor in order that it may be rigidly secured to the lever F.

Grepresents a pivoted upright, the foot ot' which is connected to an arm of the lever F by means of a link, e. The upright stem Gr may be arranged in convenient position to extend upward through the platform or floor of the car., and should be provided at its Lipper end with an arm or ihandle,f. whereby it may be turned to move the lever F and its cam (I. This uuconpling device can therefore be operated from the top as well as from either 'side oi' the car.

H indicates a lever-arm extending parallel to the lever-jaws, being pivoted also to the bridge-plate at the side of said jaws, as shown in the drawings. rThis lever is provided with aloop, g, at its front end, said loop being rectangular in form, and having its front bar, h, rounded, so that it will' pass easily between the beveled hook-heads ot' the couplingj tws of an approaching car. The loop is arranged vertically, andis ot' snfcient vertical span to provide for an easy coupling between cars ot` dii'erent heights. The loop arm or lever H extends back of its pivotal point, asindicated at i, and this rear arm or extension is connect` ed to the bridge-plate or a bearingthereon by a vertical spring, j, the object of this springconnection being to allow theloop-arm to play or yield when coupled and to hold it in line with the jaws of an approaching car when about to be coupled therewith. The coupling devices are thus arranged to accommodate themselves to the motion oi' the cars.

l designates a. slide,*which moves back and forth on abearing, lc, ofthe bridge-plate, and is connected to the lever F by a pivot-pin. This slide is formed with notches or depressions u, and is designed to engage the outer end of a spring-arm, l, which carries the lateral stops m, consisting of two pins which extend through openings a in the bridge-plate. The springarm l is designed to be held up by the `slide I when the cars are coupled, and in this position the lateral stops are retracted, so that the loop-arm, on each side of which they are ar- IOO coupling one'of the notches or depressions n isA brought under the spring-arm, allowing it to move downward, s0 that its stops m are pro-y vjeeted through the bridge-plate on each side of the loop-arm and serve to hold it steady, therehy preventing the loop from hanging to either ofthe hook-heads of the coupling-jaws.

In order to hold the jaws open a sufficient time to eftectvacomplete disengagement ot' the loop, a spring-catch, K, is provided. This is pivoted to an arm, p, of the bed-plate and extends forward under the transverse lever F, which it engages by means ot' the catch-lug q on its upper edge when said lever is moved sufciently to open thejaws.

L L designate the bumper-rods, which extend from front to rear over the coupling-jaws and coupling-loop, and slide in bearings r, which are connected tothe bed-plate, usually, as shown in the drawings. The front ends ot' these slide-rods project a little farther forward than the couplingjaws and loop, and are provided with disk-heads s otl sufficient diameter to insure engagement with the slide-rods of an approaching car. These rods are also provided with springs t, which are respectively arranged between a slide-bearing, r, and a collar-bearing, b/of each rod, and serve to provide for an elastic reaction, replacing the rod in its for ward position when relieved from the pressure lholding it back. The rod L is also provided with a globular enlargement or ball-collar, n, which, when said rod is pressed backward, is designed to engage a lug or swell, z', on the spring-catch K, depressing said catch and di'sengaging it from the transverse lever F. These devices are always ready for action and are automatic in the coupling operation. If the coupling-jaws should be set open by the action of the spring-catch, a disengagement thereof' will bev at once effected when the bumper-rods are pushed back as the cars come together.

Having described this invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1V. In an automatic car-coupling, the transverse cam-lever F, spring-.catch K. and sliding bumper-rod L, having a replacing-spring, t,

and an enlargement, c, to depress the springcatch, substantially as specied.

2. In an automatic car-coupling, the combination, with the loop-arm H and the lateral stop-spring l, of the bridge-plate having the perforations aand the slide-bearing k, the

check-slide I, and the transverse cam-lever F,l

substantially as specified.

3. In an automatic car-coupling, the combination, with the lever-jaws E and the loop-arm H, .of the humper-rods L L and springs t, the opening-cam d and cam-lever F, the springcloser c, the spring-catch K, and the depressing or disengaging device lfor said springcatch, substantially as specified.

1n testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

GURDEN L. UHAMBERLIN. Witnesses:

JOSEPH PHiLo HULBERT, THOMAS ROUTLEDGE SHEPPARD.

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