US274893A - Car-coupling - Google Patents

Description

A. H. ARMSTRONG.

(No Model.)

GAR COUPLING.

No. 274,893 Patented :Apr.3. 1883.

N PETERS, HM Lmw n v-Qr. Wahinkmn. n. c.

iINITED STAT S PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR H. ARMSTRONG, OF PLAINVILLE, CONNECTICUT.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 274,893, dated April 3, 1883.

l l Application filedJanuary 4,1883. (Nomodeh) T all whom it may concern Beitknown that I, ARTHUR. H. ARMSTRONG,

of Plainville, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gar-Conn, lings, of which the followingisaspecification.

My invention relates toimprovements in automatic car-couplings; and the objects of my invention are cheapness of construction, convenience and efiiciency in its operation, even when there is considerable variation in the heightof two adjoining cars, and to produce a coupling which can be used with the ordinary link and pin, and which may be readily coupled to a car having the ordinary linkand-pin coupling. I attain these objects by the simple construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my coupling. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of the same without the link, the plane of section being indicated on line at w of Fig. 3; and Fig. 3 is a partial plan and partial section of the same on line 3 of Fig. 1.

Adesignates the main head, which may be rigidly attached to the car by means of its shank a, or in any proper manner; or,if desired, its shank may be of any suitable form and-length, and hung to the car,'so as to have a swinging movement, as in many prior couplings; but my peculiar construction renders such movement of the main head A unneces- 'sary. This main head A is substantially in box form, open at the end, and within its chamber the supplementary head B is hung to swing vertically on trunnions b b, which rest in the slotted walls of the main head. This head B is sohung that the inner end, 0, is held down by gravity, and when in its normal position rests upon the ledge or flange d of the main head, as shown in Fig. 2, while said inner end and the chamber in which it plays are so proportioned in size that the hopper-mouthed outer end, 0, may be forced downward, substantially as indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 1.

As beforestated, the side walls of the main head A, in which the trunnions b b rest, are slotted, by reason of which construction the outer end, 6, of the supplementary head may be raised into substantially the position indicated by broken lines in Fig. 2. In making fitted to so nearly conform to the link as to prevent the projecting end of said link from dropping much, if any, below a level. The link-slot, however, is wide enough to give considerable lateral movement to said link.

The ordinary coupling-pin, g, is fitted in a vertical orifice through the head B, as shown. Just back of the pin g, in a suitable recess, is the pin-holding lever h, which may be made either with or without the handle 13, which extends through the inside of said head. This lever is held by gravity in the positionin which it is represented in Fig.2, and its arm kcrosses the pin-hole, so that the pin 9 may be held up thereby when there is no link in the coupling. Apart, n, of the lever h projects into the slot for the coupling-link.

In use the coupling upon one caris arranged with a link in it, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, while the coupling on the car to be connected therewith is set with the pin held up by the pin-holding lever, as shown in Fig. 2. The cars are then brought together, when the ex} posed end of the link enters the hopper-mouthed end of the fellow-coupling and tips the supplementary heads to make them coincide, if they are not already in the same plane,

and the end of the link strikes the lever h at of the way of the link and out from under the pin y, when it falls into place and couples the cars. 1

I have herein described the side walls of the head as slotted, &c. but it is evident that the supplementary head may be slotted and trunnions or a pin fixed in the main head may extend into or through said slot to produce the same effect, and which modified construction I consider the full equivalent of the-slotted walls and trunnions herein shown and de-' scribed. 1 a

It will readily be seen that the link fmay be used with any ordinary coupling, and also that the ordinary link, if of a proper thickness,

may readily be used in my coupling.

I'am aware that prior patents show a carcoupling having a gravitating pin-holding 1ever, which is withdrawn from the pin by the end of the link as it enters the coupling; also,

that Patent No. 108,254, October 11, 1870,

shows link-supporting plates mounted to rock, as on a hinge, within the main head of a carcoupling, all of which prior art is hereby disclaimed.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination of the ordinary coupling-pin, g, the main head, chambered as described, and the supplementary head hung therein, having the hopper-mouthed outer end, 0, which projects beyond the end of the main head, and provided with the vertical pin-holding orifice, the whole so combined that the sup plementary head with the coupling-pin therein may rock on its trunnions to adjustitselfto a like coupling mounted ata different height,

substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of the main head, the supplemental head hung therein upon trunnions, and having the hopper-mouthed outer end, 0, and the gravitating pin-holding lever hung within the supplemental and rocking head, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified. v

3. The combination of the main head, having slotted side walls and the supplementary head hung upon trunnions within said walls

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