US297942A - George - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

G.G.LOAR.

GAR COUPLING. No. 297,942. Patented Apr. 29,1884.

' INYENTOR:

* ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATE T FFI E.

GEORGE c. LOAR, OF oUINoY, ILLINOIS, AssIG'NoR oE ONE-HALF To JOSEPH L. MORGAN, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 297,942, dated April 29, 1884.

Application filed October 9, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it mag concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE O. LOAR, a

I citizen of the United States, residing at Quincy,

in the county of Adams and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Oar-Couplings; .and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the draw-head, showing its attachment to a car. Fig. 2 is an end View, partly in section. Figs. 3 and 4 are perspective views of the form of links employed; and Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross section of the operating rod, taken through line a; a: of Fig. 1, and showing the grooves in the same.

The object of my invention is to provide a. coupling for cars which maybe operated automatically by the cars coming together, or by hand through the instrumentality of certain peculiar devices, and which coupling shall be adapted to cars of different heights of drawbar. These objects are attained by a novel construction and arrangement of parts which I will now proceed to describe.

In the drawings, A represents a box-shaped inclosure having an open top and front sides, and having two rigid and strongly attached bars, B, projecting from the rear of the same, and adapted to be fastened underneath the bottom of the car. In the box-shaped inclosure A there slides vertically the adjustable draw-head G. This draw-head has its greatest length transversely to the car, and at its ends has grooves a, which fit over vertical ribs b, firmly attached to the sides of the inclosure A, and which bear the draft-strain. To prevent breaking strains on' these ribs, however, from the impact of the cars in coming together, the draw-head O'r'ests solid against the back wall of the inclosure A. The draw-head G has a tapering opening in its front edge to receive the coupling-link D, which is made with a rectangular hole through each end, and tapered or chisel-shaped ends. On top of the draw-head is arranged a housing, 0, in which is arranged a vertical bolt, E, reaching down into the throat of the draw-head, and having above it a spiral spring, F, that forces it down.

The lower end of this bolt is beveled on its front side, and when the link enters the throat it forces up this bolt against its spring, and as soon as the hole in the link passes under the bolt the spring forces the latter down through the hole and couples the cars. Just behind the spring-bolt there is formed at the lower back end of the mouth a recess having an overhanging ledge, 0, into which recess is received the end of the link-bar D, and which overhanging ledge serves to hold the outer end of the link-bar up in true horizontal ,position, ready to be thrust into the draw-bar of the car to which it is to be coupled.

It frequently happens that the draw-bar of one car is higher or lower than the next, or one car may have its draw-bar lower than the next, by reason of a very heavy load. This is especially the case in freight-cars. To provide for this difficultythe draw-head O is made vertically adjustable over the. ribs b, and for fixing this adjustment a large screw, G, is arranged in a threaded hole in the bottom plate, A of the inclosure A,

and bears at its upper end against the drawhead, so as to raise or lower thesaine. This screw is provided at its lower end with a hand-wheel or handle, d, and has also rigidly attached to it a ratchet-wheel, e, and just above this ratchet-wheel is sustained a bar, H, which I call a leveling-bar, its function being to hold the draw-head levelin its different adjustments. This leveling-bar has at its opposite ends pins ff, which pass up through holes in the bottom plate, A, of the inclosure A and bear against the draw-head upon opposite sides of the set-screw to hold the drawhead level. Upon the bottom side of the levcling-bar is a detent, g, which engages with the ratchet-wheel e on the set-screw to hold it to its position after the draw-head has been" adjusted.

I will now describe the devices for uncoupling the cars after they are coupled.

. at the top for turning it.

fastened chains j j, which connect with rods k k, running to the sides of the car. To the drum is also connected a chain, k, that passes over a pulley, 7.1 on top the housing 0', and connects with the spring-bolt E. When the drum is turned or rotated, it will be seen that a draft is brought on this chain It, which lifts the bolt E and permits the link-bar to be withdrawn and the cars to be uncoupled. To rotate the drum J for uncoupling the cars, this may be accomplished either from the top or the sides of the car.

For uncoupling from the top, the shaft I extends to the top of the car, and'is journaled in a bar or offset, Z, and has a hand wheel or crank To hold this shaft after it has been turned to uncouple the cars, long notches or grooves m are formed in the up per end of the shaft, and a detent, a, is pivoted to the offset 1 and engages with said notches. This, it will be seen, holds the spring-bolt E after it is drawn back in an open position, so that it does not immediately close upon the link-bar again. The object in making these notches or grooves long is to permit the shalt I to rise and fall as the draw-head is adjusted up and down, and still allow the detent to cooperate with said shaft.

For operating the spring-bolt from the side of the cars, the rods k are arranged to pass through eyes on each side of the car, and have teeth that engage with said eyes to hold them to their position when they are drawn back to rotate the drums.

To protect the draw-head and its attached parts from the weather and keep out snow and dirt, a cover may be placed over the top and front sides of the inclosure or draw-head box A, a hole in the middle being left in the cover where the mouth of the draw-head opens.

In coupling with ears of a different construction from that described by me, I provide a link-bar, M, one end of which is provided with an opening or bolt-hole, and the other end of which is enlarged to the dimensions of a drawhead, and is made hollow and provided with a pin-hole to be coupled to an ordinary form of link.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is 1. The combination of the inclosure A, draw head 0, arranged transversely to the car, and provided with spring-seated locking-bolt E, set-screw G, and means for holding the drawhead level in its adj ustments, as set forth.

2. The combination, with the draw-head C, arranged at right angles to the length of the car, the set-screw G, leveling-bar H, with pins or supports f f, the ratchet-wheel e, and detent g, as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination, with the draw-head having spring-seated locking-bolt E, arranged vertically above the same, of a vertical shaft,

I, and drum J, and a chain or flexible connection extending from the drum to the said bolt, as described.

4. The combination of the draw-head C, having spring-bolt E, the shaft I, with drum J, and a chain connecting said drum to the bolt, and the side rods, 7:, having chains connecting them to the drum, as set forth.

5. The combination. with the vertically-adjustable draw-head 0, having spring-bolt E, the shaft and drum I J, connected with the bolt E by chains, and swiveled in the draw-head, the upperend ofsaid shaftbeing notched or grooved longitudinally, and provided with a detent, substantially as set forth.

6. The link-bar M, having an opening in one end, and having the other enlarged and made hollow, and provided with a pin-hole to form a supplemental draw-bar, as described.

GEORGE G. LOAR.

Vitnesses:

L. E. EMMONS, A. \V. WELLs.

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