US2876912A

US2876912A - Coupler operating device

Info

Publication number: US2876912A
Application number: US623016A
Authority: US
Inventors: Parker J Lahey; George R O'leary
Original assignee: Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Co
Priority date: 1956-11-19
Filing date: 1956-11-19
Publication date: 1959-03-10
Anticipated expiration: 1976-03-10

Description

March 10, 1959 p, LAHEY ETAL 2,876,912

COUPLER OPERATING DEVICE Filed Nov. 19, 1956 INVENTORS Parker J GewyeZaZ/y ,z i g United States Patent COUPLER OPERATING DEVICE Parker J. Lahey, Chicago, Ill., and George R. OLeary,

Highland, Ind., assignors to Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application November 19, 1956, Serial No. 623,016

3 Claims. (Cl. 213-166) This invention relates to railway car coupler operating mechanisms. More particularly the invention is concerned with an improved operating rod and bracket in an apparatus for operating the locking hook of a car coupler.

W the progressively increasing use of cushion underes and long travel draft gears in railway freight cars, a total longitudinal movement of car coupler and uncoupling lever of 24 is required, which, in combination with the side travel of couplers, takes up the clearance between the uncoupler lever hook and the coupler rotor. It is important, therefore, that this clearance be maintained, otherwise the lack of clearance could be a contributing factor in causing undesirable break-in-twos.

Consequently, it is a principal object of this invention to provide a coupler operating rod and bracket which will maintain the desired clearance at the rotor lug of the coupler under all operating conditions of the coupler.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description thereof and from an examination of the accompanying drawing which illusstrates one embodiment of the invention and wherein like reference characters indicate like parts.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevational view showing the uncoupling rod supported adjacent its handle end in a bracket and connected at its other end to the lock lifter of a car coupler.

Figure 2 is a top plan View of the rod and its supporting bracket showing fragmentary portions of the car.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of Figure 1.

In the drawings indicates the body portion of an operating rod for an Association of American Railroads Standard E Coupler, which rod is provided at its outer end with a depending handle portion 11, and at its inner end with a hook portion 12, adapted for connection with an eye 13, of the lock lifter 14 which is pivotally connected at one end to the link which lifts the lock of the coupler 17, upon rotation of said rod in one direction. The rod is supported by a bracket attached to a corner bracket of the car.

The bracket for said rod comprises a pressed mounting plate having an upright portion 21 provided with spaced holes through which rivets 22 may extend and secure said bracket to a corner bracket 23 of the car. The mounting plate is bent at less than a right angle to form a lower flange 24, which extends substantially the entire width of the plate, to provide said plate with the requisite structural strength and rigidity. Flange 24 is also turned downwardly forming a reflange 25 which acts as a stop for the handle of the rod when in rest position. Issuing from each end of flange 24 are arms 26 which extend upwardly and outwardly in parallel vertical planes. These 2,876,912 Patented Mar. 10, 1959 arms are provided with alined holes which support opposite ends of a horizontal bar 27 which extends between said arms and has a head 28 at one end. The other end has a removable cotter 29 extending therethrough to removably hold the bar 27 in place and extending between the spaced arms. This bracket is fixed to the corner bracket of the car so that rod 27 extends substantially parallel with the car end, although it could extend more in axial alinement with the rod axis if preferred.

The handle portion 11 of the rod extends upwardly behind the bar 27 over and down around the bar, forming an eye surrounding the bar as clearly shown in Figure 3. The inner diameter of the eye is greater than the diameter of bar 27, to provide a loose fit, so that there can be considerable angling of the rod 10 in relation to the fixed bar 27 without causing any binding of the eye on bar 27. The eye just described completely surrounds the bracket bar 27 and contacts the handle portion as shown in Figure 3, so that when the handle 11 is manipulated to rotate the rod 10 anti-clockwise about its axis of r0 tation, there is no tendency in case of strain to open the eye. The bar 27 is in length at least the same as the distance of travel laterally of the coupler, so that the eye of the rod 10 may slide on said bar 27 freely during movements of the coupler in operation without binding.

We claim:

1. A railway car coupler operating mechanism for a longitudinally and laterally movable coupler, comprising a bracket secured to a railway car, laterally of the coupler and having a substantially horizontal bar sup ported thereby, an operating rod connected at its inner end to said coupler to operate the same upon rotation of said rod, the outer portion of said rod being turned upwardly and formed into an eye entirely to one side of said rod and loosely encircling said bar, and then extending downwardly in a direction substantially normal to the axis of said eye, forming a handle portion located entirely to the opposite side of said rod to rotate said rod to operate the coupler.

2. A supporting bracket for an operating rod adapted to operate a car coupler upon manual rotation of said rod, said bracket comprising a mounting plate for attaching said bracket to a car, and a lower flange issuing from the lower edge of said mounting plate, arms issuing from the ends of said lower flange in spaced parallel planes that are normal to the plane of said mounting plate, and a bar extending between said arms to slidingly and pivotally support said rod thereon.

3. An operating mechanism for a railway car coupler, said mechanism comprising a rotatable rod provided with a hook at one end to be connected to a car coupler to operate said coupler upon rotation of said rod in one direction, said rod being turned laterally adjacent its other end and formed into an eye entirely to one side of said rod, and a handle portion issuing from said eye in a direction substantially normal to the axis of said eye and located entirely to the opposite side of said rod, for rotating said rod.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,865,729 Small July 5, 1932 1,918,806 Gilpin July 18, 1933 1,981,179 Kinne Nov. 20, 1934 2,009,930 Kelso July 30, 1935 2,356,336 Metzger Aug. 22, 1944