US3133647A - Devices for automatically releasing and resetting the locking members of automatic couplers for rail vehicles - Google Patents

Description

3,133,647 ING y 19, 1964 G. D. WHITEHOUSE ETAL DEVICES FOR AUTOMATICALLY RELEASING AND RESETT THE LOCKING MEMBERS OF AUTOMATIC COUPLERS FOR RAIL VEHICLES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 9, 1962 Inventors zww ii ttorrr% y 19, 1964 G. D. WHITEHOUSE ETAL 3,133,647

DEVICES FOR AUTOMATICALLY RELEASING AND RESETTING THE LOCKING MEMBERS OF AUTOMATIC COUPLERS FOR RAIL VEHICLES Filed Feb. 9, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ttomey 3,133,647 D RESETTING COUPLERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 M Ma;

UorneyS G. D. WHITEHOUSE ETAL TOMATICALLY RELEASING AN FOR RAIL VEHICLES May 19, 1964 DEVICES FOR AU THE LOCKING MEMBERS OF AUTOMATIC Filed Feb. 9. 1962 May 19, 1964 G. D. WHITEHOUSE ETAL 3, 7

DEVICES FOR AUTOMATICALLY RELEASING AND RESETTING THE LOCKING MEMBERS OF' AUTOMATIC COUPLERS FOR RAIL VEHICLES Filed Feb. 9, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Inventor Home y 5 United States Patent DEVICES FGR AUTUMATEQALLY RELEASENG AND RESIETTING THE LQCKING MEMEERS @F AUTUMATHC COUPLERS F031 RAH. VEHICLES Glenroy D. Whitehouse and John 0. Cooke, Sheffield,

England, assignors to English Steel Corporation Limited, Sheffield, England Filed Feb. 9, 1962, Ser. No. 172,139 Claims priority, application Great Britain Feb. 14, M61 6 Claims. (Cl. 213-212) This invention relates to devices for automatically operating the locking members of automatic couplers for rail vehicles, and more particularly to a track-mounted device for co-operation with automatic couplers of the type in which releasing and re-setting of the locking member from and to locking position takes place in consequence of movement of an operating member by the application of external forces in respective mutually-opposite directions transverse to the axis of the coupler; and, further, of the type in which the operating member and the coupler body are each provided with a projection extending downwardly beyond the lowest part of the coupler body, with the projection on the coupler body disposed substantially in the plane of movment of the projection on the operating member, or, in which the coupler body is provided with a I fixed projection extending downwardly beyond the lowest part of the coupler body, and the operating member has a pin-and-slot connection with a lever mounted on a horizontal pivot parallel to and to one side of the axis of the coupler, the lever extending downwardly to terminate at substantially the same level as the fixed projection on the coupler body. The expression movable projection, to be used hereafter, should be regarded as referring to the projection on the operating member or the lower end of the lever having the pin-and-slot connection with the operating member, as the case may be.

According to the present invention, a device for automatically operating the locking members of automatic couplers for rail vehicles of the type referred to comprises a carrier adapted to be mounted between the rails of a track, a transverse slide on the carrier, and a pair of upstanding walls on the slide forming between them a tapering nose adapted to pass between the movable projection and the projection on the body of a coupler of a vehicle passing over the device, and also forming a head at the wider trailing end of the nose to either side of which the projections pass before leaving the device, with the width of the head substantially equal to but not greater than the space between the projections when the movable projection is in its position of greatest separation from the projection on the coupler body. Thus, as a coupler approaches the device with the movable projection in its position of closest approach to the projection on the body, and the coupler passes over the device, the movable projection is moved away from the projection on the body until, when the projections pass to either side of the head, the movable projection is in its position of greatest separation from the projection on the body, the slide allowing for the relative immobility of the projection on the body of a coupler that is engaged with, but not necessarily interlocked with, a mating coupler during the passage of that projection past the device.

If the position of closest approach corresponds to the position of the operating member in which the locking member of a coupler is in locking position, then a device according to the invention may serve to release the locking member, by bringing the movable projection to its position (at the head) of greatest separation from the projection on the body, and the movable projection may be brought again, later, to its position of closest approach to the projection on the body by means of another auto- 3,133,647 Patented May 19, 1964 matic track-mounted device, so that the locking member returns to locking position. Conversely, if the position of greatest separation corresponds to the position of the operating member in which the locking member is in locking position, a device according to the present invention may serve to bring the movable projection to that po sition, for example, after it has been brought to its position of closest approach (to release and retain the locking member) by means of another automatic trackmounted device. However, movement of the operating member, otherwise than can be effected by a device -ac cording to the present invention, e. g., manually, is not precluded in setting the locking member in looking position, or in releasing and retaining the locking member, as the case may be.

Since the slide will remain in whatever lateral disposition it has been left by the projections of a coupler that has passed over the device until the nose is engaged by one of the projections on a following coupler, and the extent to which any coupler is able to swing horizontally to either side of the centre-line of the vehicle carrying that coupler, to enable coupled vehicles to negotiate a curve in the track and vehicles approaching on a curve to be coupled, is liable to exceed half the included angle of the nose on the device, the projections of the following coupler approaching the device may be so disposed that the nose cannot pass between them. Thus, according to a further feature of the invention, the slide is provided with a further pair of upstanding walls extending forwardly of the nose and forming between them a mouth adapted to gather in both the movable projection and the projection on the body of a coupler approaching the nose, and also forming at the narrower trailing end of the mouth a throat disposed symmertically about the tip of the nose and of a width at least equal to the overall span of the projections when the movable projection is in its position of closest approach to the projection on the coupler body, so that when the projections leave the throat they are disposed symmetrical with respect to the tip of the nose, and, therefore, cannot pass otherwise than to either side of the nose.

The head may continue at the same width for some distance towards the trailing end of the device, but the length of the head should be limited to such an extent that the projections on the trailing coupler of a vehicle pass clear of the trailing end of the head before either of the projections of a mating coupler engaged 'with the trailing coupler comes into contact with the appropriate wall of the mouth, so that the slide is free to allow the immobility of the projection on the body of that coupler, as that projection lies, in relation to the device, on the opposite hand to the corresponding projection on the trailing coupler.

The overall height of the device should be such that the upper edges of the Walls lie clear of the level of the lowest part of the coupler on a vehicle which is carrying its maximum load, and the depth of the walls should be such that the projections of a coupler on an unloaded vehicle will make sufiicient contact with the walls of the device for the latter to perform its required function. However, since it is preferable to limit the length of the projections as much as possible, to reduce the risk of damage and consequent malfunctioning of the locking member, the most suitable overall height for the device may bring it to a level at which at least part of it obstructs the path of the chassis or other part on the underside of a vehicle passing over it. Thus, according to yet a further feature of the invention, the device is mounted on a sup port permitting it to yield resiliently and downwardly when encountered by any obstructed part of a vehicle, and the upper surfaces of the device are inclined downwardly towards the leading end of the carrier to below cf) the level of the obstructed part, so that the device will be depressed progressively and smoothly as the obstructed part moves along the inclined surfaces. The upper surfaces may also be inclined similarly towards the trailing end of the carrier, so that the device will return progressively and smoothly to its operative position as the obstructed part moves towards the trailing end of the carrier.

The support may consist of a horizontal pivot at one end of the carrier, mounted transversely in brackets adapted to be secured in the track, and a spring mounted substantially horizontally below the level of the pivot and connected to a lever arm on the carrier, so as to apply a moment to the carrier in opposition to the moment exerted by the weight of the device, together with a stop enabling the spring to pre-load the device to operative position. The lower arm is preferably short so that little defiection of the spring will take place as the device is swung about the pivot by any obstructed part of the vehicle and, in consequence, the resistance of the device to swinging will remain substantially constant as the obstructed part moves progressively over the leading inclined surfaces of the device. By using a compression spring, acting on the lever arm from the opposite side of the pivot to the device, a greater depth is available below the device for accommodation of the latter when swung.

The device and its support, together with a short length of track aligned with and connected to the base of the support, may be formed as a um't for insertion in an existing railway system or inclusion in a new layout.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and also in relation to one type of coupler that it is designed to operate. In the drawings,

FIGURE 1 is a plan of two automatic couplers of the Willison type intended primarily for operation by trackmounted devices and shown mated toget.-er, but with one coupler set for release of the mating coupler;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged side view of the left-hand coupler of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view taken from the right-hand side of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a track-mounted device and support according to the invention;

FIGURE 5 is a longitudinal vertical section of the device and support of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a plan of the right-hand side of FIGURE 5; and

FIGURES 7 to are diagrammatic plans showing the progressive action of the device on the mating couplers of FIGURE 1 as they pass over the device.

In FIGURE 1, each of a pair of Willison type couplers A, B has a fixed nose 1 for engagement in a recess 2 in the other, and a locking member 3 movable to a position in which it can lie alongside the locking member of a similar mating coupler, the two locking members together substantially filling the space between the fixed noses in order to prevent Withdrawal of either nose from the corresponding recess. The coupler B is shown with its locking member in this position, while the coupler A is shown with its locking member withdrawn into the coupler body 4 (and therefore out of sight), so that by relative lateral movement between the couplers the noses 1 may be withdrawn from their respective recesses 2. Each coupler is pivotally connected by a bolt 5 to the head 6 of the draw-bar 7 of a vehicle 8 (only one shown in FIG- URE 5).

Movement of the locking member 3 in each coupler between locking position (as in coupler B) and release position (as in coupler A) is consequent on transverse movement of an operating member 9 (FIGURES 2 and 3), which has a pin 10 extending rearwardly for pivotal connection to a lever 11 through a slot 12 in the lever. The lever extends below the pin-and-slot connection to a horizontal pivot 13 parallel to and to one side of the axis of the coupler, and beyond the pivot 13 to terminate in an enlarged end 14, hereafter referred to as the movable projection, and a fixed projection 15 to the other side of the axis of the coupler extends downwardly from the coupler body 4 to substantially the same level as the movable projection 14. The lever 11 also extends upwardly from the pin-and- slot connection 10, 12 to terminate in an eye 16 accessible from either side of the coupler for engagement by a shunting pole (not shown) for rocking of the lever 11 to be eifected manually, with consequential transverse movement of the operating member 9 and movement of the locking member 3. However, the couplers have been designed for operation by track-mounted devices, such as the device shown in FIGURES 4 to 6 and about to be described.

In FIGURES 4 to 6, a base plate 17 is bolted in the bottom of a well 18 between the rails 19 of a track along which vehicles pass in the direction of the arrow in FIG- URE 5, and a pair of journal brackets 20 bolted on the base plate 17 carry pivots 21 for journals 22, each of which extends downwardly and outwardly from a side flange 23 on a carrier 24 for a slide 25. Between the side flanges 23 the carrier is substantially plate-like and is formed with a wide, shallow groove 26 extending parallel to the pivots 21, the groove having guide surfaces 27 for the slide 25, which has a short central rib 28 depending into a longer, axially-extending slot 29 in the base of the groove 26, the rib being held captive in the slot by a plate 30 bolted to the free edge of the rib and extending beyond the sides of the slot.

Below the level of the pivots 21, a braced lever arm 31 extends to a pivotal connection 32 with the outer end 33 of a plunger 34 projecting from a cylinder 35 housing a pre-loaded compression spring 36, which at one end abuts against a plug 37 of the cylinder and at the other end abuts an enlarged head 38 on the inner end of the plunger, to urge the enlarged head towards an annular shoulder 39 around a bore 40 in an end cap 41 through which the plunger extends. The end plug 37 has an external lug 42 pivoted betwen a pair of upstanding lugs 43 on a bracket 44 bolted to the baseplate 17 in such a position that the carrier 24 and slide 25 are in horizontal, operative, position when the enlarged head 38 on the plunger 34 abuts the annular shoulder 39.

The slide 25 is formed with a central integral upstanding projection 45 having substantially vertical walls 46 converging towards one end to form a nose 47 tapering forwardly to a narrow rounded tip 48, followed by a short head 49, beyond which the walls rapidly converge and merge at 59. A pair of integral upstanding side cheeks 51, also having substantially vertical but mutuallyfacing walls 52, extend the full length of the slide 25 one of either side of the central projection 45, and their walls 52 diverge forwardly from the nose 47 to form a mouth 53 tapering inwardly from the leading edge 54 of the slide to a throat 55 disposed symmetrically about the tip 48 of the nose 47, then from the throat the walls 52 diverge to form with the nose a pair of channels 56 extending to the sides of the head 49, from which point the walls continue parallel to each other to the trailing edge 57 of the slide. The upper surfaces 58 of the cheeks 51 are inclined downwardly at 59 from forward of the tip 48 of the nose 47 to the leading edge of the slide, and similarly at 60 from rearward of the head 49 to the trailing edge of the slide, the portions 61, 62 of the carrier 24 forwardly and rearwardly respectively from the groove 26 being formed as continuations of the inclined surfaces 59, 60 respectively.

In FIGURES 7 to 10, the couplers A, B are travelling over the slide 25 of the track-mounted device from left to right; that is to say, the coupler A is the leading coupler on one vehicle (vehicle 8 in FIGURE 5) and the coupler B is the trailing coupler on a preceding vehicle (not shown).

In FIGURE 7 the movable projection 14 of each coupler is in its position of closest approach to the fixed projection 15 (which position may have been attained in passing of the couplers over an appropriate track-mounted device, for example, prior to shunting or other operations with the couplers released from each other, or from other similar mating couplers) so that both locking members 3 are in release position (and out of sight) and the couplers are not interlocked even though they are engaged with their noses 1 in the corresponding recesses 2. The couplers are shown in the position in which both projections 14, 15 of the coupler B (having passed through the mouth 53and the throat 55) have made initial contact with the adjacent walls of the nose 47 of the slide, which is in substantially the same position relative to the carrier 24 in which it has been left by the projections of the leading coupler (not shown) of the vehicle carrying the coupler B.

During movement of the couplers A, B from the position in FlGURE 7 towards the position in FIGURE 8, the movable projection 14 of the coupler B is moved away from its fixed projection 15 until, at the head 49 (FIGURE 8), the projection 14 of the coupler B is in its position of greatest separation from its projection 15, and the locking member 3 of coupler B has been moved fully to locking position. Since the couplers A, B are following a substantially fixed path, the centre-line 63 which can be regarded as being substantially coincident with the centre-line of the carrier 24, and the fixed projections 15 remain at a constant distance from the centre-line 63, the slide 25 is forced to move relative to the carrier as the fixed projection 15 on the coupler B moves towards and comes alongside the head 49, as can be seen from the change in the position of the centre-line 64 of the slide relative to the centre-line 63 between FIGURE 7 and FIGURE 8.

Between FIGURE 8 and FIGURE 9, the projections 14,15 of coupler B are carried beyond the head 49 until, as shown in FIGURE 9, both projections l4, 15 of the coupler Av (having passed through the mouth 53 and the throat 55) have made initial contact with the adjacent walls of the nose 47 of the slide 25, which is in substantially the same position relative to the carrier 2 in which it has been left by the projections of the coupler B leaving the head 49.

During movement of the couplers A, B from the position in FIGURE 9 towards the position in FIGURE 10, the movable projection 14 of the coupler A is moved away from its fixed projection 15 until, at the head 49 (FIG- URE 10), the projection 14 of the coupler A is in its position of greatest separation from its 15, and the locking member 3 of coupler A has been moved fully to looking position, so that the couplers A, B are interlocked by their locking members 3 together filling the space between the noses l which are engaged or, if separation of the couplers has occurred, become re-engaged with the corresponding recesses 2. For the reasons given above, the fixed projection 15 of the coupler A forces the slide 25 to move in the opposite direction relative to the carrier 24 as the projection moves towards and comes alongside the head 49, the position of the slide in FIGURE 10 being substantially that in which both projections of the trailing coupler (not shown) of the vehicle 8 (FIGURE 5) will make initial contact with the adjacent walls of the nose 47 after passing through the mouth 53 and the throat 55. The continued separation of the walls 52 of the side cheeks 51 beyond the head 49 ensures that the movable projection 14 of the coupler B cannot obstruct the movement of the slide under the influence of the fixed projection 15 of the coupler A.

The mouth 53 accommodates any angularity of a coupler that is not engaged with a similar mating coupler, although the device is intended for use mainly with a succession of vehicles whose couplers are engaged but not interlocked.

Because the length of the projections 14, 15 has been limited as much as possible, to reduce the risk of damage and consequent malfunction of the locking member, the overall height of the device and support brings the slide 25 to a level at which it obstructs the path of a part 65 (FIGURE 5) of the underside of each of the vehicles passing over it. However, when the leading end 66 of the obstructed part 65 encounters the forward inclined surfaces 59 of the slide 25 or, if the vehicle is heavily loaded, the inclined portion 61 of the carrier 24, the slide and carrier will be depressed progressively and smoothly as the leading end of the obstructed part moves along the inclined surfaces 59 until the obstructed part moves over the surfaces 58 and the trailing end 67 of the obstructed part rides along the surfaces 58 and the rearward inclined surfaces 60 of the slide, so that the slide and carrier return progressively and smoothly to their operative position, the trailing end 67 of the obstructed part finally leaving the surfaces 69 or, if the vehicle is heavily loaded, the inclined portion 62 of the carrier, when the slide and carrier have attained their operative position.

What We claim is:

1. A device for automatically operating the locking members of automatic couplers for rail vehicles, each coupler being of the type having a fixed downwardly-extending projection towards one side of the coupler and a downwardly-extending movable projection towards the other side of the coupler, movement of the locking member between locking and release positions being consequent upon relative separating movement of the projections, and the device comprising a carrier for mounting between the rails of a track, a transverse slide on the carrier, and a pair of upstanding walls on the slide converging towards one end to form between them a tapering nose for passing between the movable projection and the fixed projection on a coupler of a vehicle passing over the device, the walls also forming a head at the wider trailing end of the nose to either side of which the projections pass before leaving the device, with the width of the head substantially equal to but not greater than the space between the projections when the movable projection is in its position of greatest separation from the fixed projection, the head continuing from the nose at the same width for some distance towards the trailing end of the device, but being limitedin length to such an extent that the projections on the trailing coupler of a vehicle pass clear of the trailing end of the head before either 'of the projections of a mating coupler comes into contact with the appropriate wall of the nose.

2. A device for automatically operating the locking members of automatic couplers for rail vehicles, each coupler being of the type having a fixed downwardlyextending projection towards one side of the coupler and a downwardly-extending movable projection towards the other side of the coupler, movement of the locking member between locking and release positions being consequent upon relative separating movement of the projections, and the device comprising a carrier for mounting between the rails of a track, a transverse slide on the carrier, and a pair of upstanding walls on the slide converging towards one end to form between them a tapering nose for passing between the movable projection and the fixed projection on a coupler of a vehicle passingover the device, the walls also forming a head at the wider trailing end of the nose to either side of which the pro jections pass before leaving the device, with the width of the head substantially equal to but not greater than the space between the projections when the movable projection is in its position of greatest separation from the fixed projection, together with a further pair of upstanding walls on the slide extending forwardly of the nose and diverging forwardly from the nose to form between them a mouth for gathering in both the movable projection and the fixed projection on a coupler approaching the nose, the further walls also forming at the narrower trailing end of the mouth a throat disposed symmetrically about the tip of the nose and of a width at least equal to the overall span of the projections when the movable projection is in its position of closest approach to the fixed projection, the head continuing from the nose at the same width for some distance towards the trailing end of the device, but being limited in length to such an extent that the projections on the trailing coupler of a vehicle pass clear of the trailing end of the head before either of the projections of a mating coupler comes into contact with the appropriate wall of the mouth.

3. A device for automatically operating the locking members of automatic couplers for rail vehicles, each coupler being of the type having a fixed downwardlyextending projection towards one side of the coupler and a downwardly-extending movable projection towards the other side of the coupler, movement of the locking member between locking and release positions being consequent upon relative separating movement of the projections, and the device comprising a carrier for mounting between the rails of a track, a transverse slide on the carrier, and a pair of upstanding walls on the slide converging towards one end to form between them a tapering nose for passing between the movable projection and the fixed projection on a coupler of a vehicle passing over the device, the walls also forming a head at the wider trailing end of the nose to either side of which the projections pass before leaving the device, with the width of the head substantially equal to but not greater than the space between the projections when the movable projection is in its position of greatest separation from the fixed projection, together with a further pair of upstanding walls on the slide extending forwardly of the nose and diverging forwardly from the nose to form between them a mouth for gathering in both the movable projection and the fixed projection on a coupler approaching the nose, the further walls also forming at the narrower trailing end of the mouth a throat disposed symmetrically about the tip of the nose and of a width at least equal to the overall span of the projections when the movable projection is in its position of closest approach to the fixed projection, the head continuing from the nose at the same width for some distance towards the trailing end of the device, but being limited in length to such an extent that the projections on the trailing coupler of a vehicle pass clear of the trailing end of the head before either of the projections of a mating coupler comes into contact with the appropriat wall of the mouth, together with a support for the device, the support consisting of a horizontal pivot at one end of the carrier, a pair of brackets for mounting the pivot transversely of the track, a lever arm depending from the forward end of the carrier below the pivot, a spring mounted substantially horizontally and connected to the free end of the lever arm so as to apply a moment to the carrier in opposition to the moment exerted by the weight of the device, and a stop enabling the spring to pre-load the device into operative position, the upper surfaces of the device being inclined downwardly towards the leading end of the carrier to below the level of the obstructed part, so that the device will be depressed progressively and smoothly as the obstructed part moves along the inclined surfaces.

4. A device as in claim 3, wherein the upper surfaces of the device are inclined downwardly towards the trailing end of the carrier to below the level of the obstructed part, so that the device will return progressively and 8 t smoothly to its operative position as the obstructed part moves towards the trailing end of the carrier.

5. A device for automatically operating the locking members of automatic couplers for rail vehicles, each coupler being of the type having a fixed downwardlyextending projection towards one side of the coupler and a downwardly-extending movable projection towards the other side of the coupler, movement of the locking member between locking and release positions being consequent upon relative separating movement of the projections, and the device comprising a carrier for mounting between the rails of a track, a transverse slide on the carrier, and a pair of upstanding walls on the slide converging towards one end to form between them a tapering nose for passing between the movable projection and the fixed projection on a coupler of a vehicle passing over the device, the wall also forming a head at the wider trailing end of the nose to either side of which the projections pass before leaving the device, with the width of the head substantially equal to but not greater than the space between the projections when the movable projection is in its position of greatest separation from the fixed projection, together with a further pair of upstanding walls on the slide extending forwardly of the nose and diverging forwardly from the nose to form between them a mouth for gathering in both the movable projection and the fixed projection on a coupler approaching the nose, the further Walls also forming at the narrower trailing end of the mouth a throat disposed symmetrically about the tip of the nose and of a width at least equal to the overall span of the projections when the movable projection is in its position of closest approach to the fixed projection, the head continuing from the nose at the same width for some distance towards the trailing end of the device, but being limited in length to such an extent that the projections on the trailing coupler of a vehicle pass clear of the trailing end of the head before either of the projections of a mating coupler comes into contact with the appropriate wall of the mouth, together with a support for the device, the support consisting of a horizontal pivot at one end of the carrier, a pair of brackets for mounting the pivot transversely of the track, a lever arm depending from the forward end of the carrier below the pivot, a compression spring mounted substantially horizontally and connected to the free end of the lever arm from the opposite side of the pivot to the device so as to apply a moment to the carrier in opposition to the moment exerted by the weight of the device, and a stop enabling the spring to pre-load the device into operative position, the upper surfaces of the device being inclined downwardly towards the leading end of the carrier to below the level of the obstructed part, so that the device will be depressed progressively and smoothly as the obstructed part moves along the inclined surfaces.

6. A device as in claim 5, wherein the upper surfaces of the device are inclined downwardly towards the trailing end of the carrier to below the level of the obstructed part, so that the device will return progressively and smoothly to its operative position as the obstructed part moves towards the trailing end of the carrier.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,056,512 Zion Oct. 2, 1962

Claims (1)

1. 5. A DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY OPERATING THE LOCKING MEMBERS OF AUTOMATIC COUPLERS FOR RAIL VEHICLES, EACH COUPLER BEING OF THE TYPE HAVING A FIXED DOWNWARDLYEXTENDING PROJECTION TOWARDS ONE SIDE OF THE COUPLER AND A DOWNWARDLY-EXTENDING MOVABLE PROJECTION TOWARDS THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COUPLER, MOVEMENT OF THE LOCKING MEMBER BETWEEN LOCKING AND RELEASE POSITIONS BEING CONSEQUENT UPON RELATIVE SEPARATING MOVEMENT OF THE PROJECTIONS, AND THE DEVICE COMPRISING A CARRIER FOR MOUNTING BETWEEN THE RAILS OF A TRACK, A TRANSVERSE SLIDE ON THE CARRIER, AND A PAIR OF UPSTANDING WALLS ON THE SLIDE CONVERGING TOWARDS ONE END TO FORM BETWEEN THEM A TAPERING NOSE FOR PASSING BETWEEN THE MOVABLE PROJECTION AND THE FIXED PROJECTION ON A COUPLER OF A VEHICLE PASSING OVER THE DEVICE, THE WALLS ALSO FORMING A HEAD AT THE WIDER TRAILING END OF THE NOSE TO EITHER SIDE OF WHICH THE PROJECTIONS PASS BEFORE LEAVING THE DEVICE, WITH THE WIDTH OF THE HEAD SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO BUT NOT GREATER THAN THE SPACE BETWEEN THE PROJECTIONS WHEN THE MOVABLE PROJECTION IS IN ITS POSITION OF GREATEST SEPARATION FROM THE FIXED PROJECTION, TOGETHER WITH A FURTHER PAIR OF UPSTANDING WALLS ON THE SLIDE EXTENDING FORWARDLY OF THE NOSE AND DIVERGING FORWARDLY FROM THE NOSE TO FORM BETWEEN THEM A MOUTH FOR GATHERING IN BOTH THE MOVABLE PROJECTION AND THE FIXED PROJECTION ON A COUPLER APPROACHING THE NOSE, THE FURTHER WALLS ALSO FORMING AT THE NARROWER TRAILING END OF THE MOUTH A THROAT DISPOSED SYMMETRICALLY ABOUT

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