US439476A - Car-coupling - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. E. CLARK.

GAR COUPLING.

No. 439,476. Patented Oct. 28, 1890.. r

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. B. CLARK.

GAR OOUPLING Patented Oct. 28, 1890.

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A TTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE-c JUSTIN E. CLARK, OF ANDOVER, .WIASSACHUSET'JS.

CAR-C'OU PLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,476, dated October 28, 1890.

Application filed March 13, 1890. Serial No. 343,695. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JUSTIN E. CLARK, of Andover, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Car-Couplers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in car-couplers, and has for its object to provide a coupler of simple, durable, and peculiar construction which will effectuallycouple with the coupler of an opposed draw-head, and wherein the peculiar form of coupling-link attached to the draw-head may at any time be thrown out of the coupling position to pen mit of the draw-head being used as an ordinary link-coupler. A further object of theinvention is to so construct the coupler that the coupling-link may be operated to couple or to uncouple from the sides or top of the car.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved coupler, the coupling-link being in position for coupling. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of two opposed draw-heads, illustrating the manner of effecting a coupling, the link'of one draw-head being in the coupling position and the link of the other draw-l1ead so disposed as to be out of the way. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the coupler with the couplinglink in the position illustrated in Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a plan view of the coupler when in the position shown in Fig. 3.

The draw-head 1O constitutes a portion of an ordinary draw-bar 11,which is secured beneath the car-body in the usual manner, the only material difference existing between the ordinary draw-bar and the draw-bar shown being that in the draw-bar illustrated a longitudinal slot 12 is produced, through which slot a pin or bolt 13 is passed, the ends whereof being secured to the timbers in which the drawbar is adapted to slide, the object of this bolt being to take off the strain from the spring which is usually used in connection with the draw-bar spindle, as in the event that the draw-bar is carried quite a distance from beneath the car the bolt or pin 13 will contact with the under wall of the slot and sustain the strain which would otherwise be exerted upon the spring. And this pin or bolt 13 has another function also, namely: Should the key at the rear of the draw-bar become misplaced, the said pin or bolt 13 will prevent the drawbar from being entirely detached from the car-body. The draw-head is provided in its front face 14 with a link-opening 15, to receive an ordinary link when its use is required,

and upon the upper surface of the draw-head at its front a horn or hook 16 is formed, preferably integral with thehead, the front face a of which horn or hook is given an upward and rearward inclination, and the rear face is recessed, as shown at a in Fig. 2, to complete the hook formation of the horn, the said recess being so cut that when a link is brought into engagement with the walls of said recess the lower portion of the link will rest upon the top surface of the draw-head, which is perfectly flat.

Upon the draw-bar at its top surface a stoplug 17 is formed adapted to contact with the sill of the car, or with a buffer-block placed upon said sill. This stop-lug limits the inner movement of the draw head and bar.

A little forward of the stop-lug 17 the extremities of the members of a U-shaped link 18 are pivoted in any suitable or approved manner, one member being pivoted at each side of the draw head or bar, the pivotal connection being ordinarily accomplished by passing a pivot-pin 19 through eyes formed in the members of the link and through an aperture in the draw-bar. The link is of suflicient length to enable its U or how portion to extend quite a distance in advance of the front face of the draw-head.

In the under face of the draw-head an L- slot 20 is produced, the upper or base wall of which slot is given a rearward inclination. This slot is located a slight distance back of the head, and the head proper is carried out at each side to form a rib 21.

Immediately to the rear of the upper ends of the ribs 21 the extremities of a yoke-latch 22 are pivoted to the members of the link, and at the end of the car to which the coupler is applied a shaft 23 is journaled, provided with a crank-arm 2i at each extremity,so situated as to be easily reached by a person standing at either side of the car, and at one side of the center of the shaft an arm 25 is formed, which extends horizontally forward, and to the forward extremity of said arm the united ends of two lengths of chain 26 and 27 are attached, the length of chain 26 being shorter than the length 2'7, and to the length of chain 26 at it lower end is attached one member of the link 18 at the pivotal point of the yoke latch 22. The lower extremity of the length of chain 27 is secured to the yoke-latch at or near its lower end, as is best illustrated in Fig. 1. The shaft-arm 25 has attached thereto a third length of chain 28, near its center, which latter length of chain is carried upward to the top of the car, and serves to manipulate the shaft 23 from that point.

When the coupler is in a position for coupling, the shaft is turned sufficiently to carry the link upward at the angled top of the draw-head, and when so carried the lower horizontal surface of the yoke-latch enters the L-slOt 20, and retains the link in the coupling position.

In coupling, as the opposed draw-head approaches, the link 18 rides up upon the forward inclined surface of its horn or hook, whereupon the link is lifted sufficiently to disengage the lock-latch from the an gled'surface of the slot 20. Thuswhen the link rides over the hook and drops vertically downward to a bearing upon the upper surface of the opposed draw-head, as shown in Fig. 2, the yoke-latch also assumes a vertical position immediately at the rear of the ribs 21. Thus the link is held in the coupled position and efiectually prevented from rising upward. As the cars are drawn forward the link bears against the inner recessed surface a of the hook or horn. One draw-head only in coupling has the link in the coupling position, the other link being permitted with its yoke-latch to drop downward vertically beneath the draw-bar, as illustrated to the right in Fig. 2. This is also accomplished by the movement of the shaft 23, and may be clearly understood from the drawings Without further description.

It will be understood that a car usually has the link in the coupling position at one end only. hen the cars are to be uncoupled, the link 18 is elevated by carrying the shaftarm 25 upward, and the yoke-latch, by reason of its chain-connection with the arm, is carried in the direction of the slot 20, thereby permitting the link to rise, and as soon as the link clears the rear surface of the hook or horn 16 the link rides down the inclined face ward through the inclined face of the hook or horn, which pin-opening is designed to receive the ordinary form of coupling-pin when the draw-head is to couple with an opposed ordinary link-coupler.

Having thus described my invention, I claim.

as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- ,1. In a car-coupler, the combination, with a draw-head provided with a hook or horn, of a bail-like link pivoted to the draw-head, a yoke-latch having its ends pivoted to the link, and means for raising said link, substantially as described.

2. In a car-coupler, the combination, with a draw-head having a hook or horn projecting from its upper face, of a bail-like link pivoted to the draw-head, a yoke-latch pivoted to the link, a rock-shaft provided with an arm, and a connection between the arm and the link and latch, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. The combination, with a draw-head provided at its front upper surface with a hook projection having an upwardly and rearwardly inclined front face and an essentially L- shaped recess in its bottom surface, of an essentially U-shaped coupling-link having its members pivoted to the sides of the draw head, a yoke-latcl1 pivoted to the members of said link and adapted to enter a slot in the bottom of the draw-head, a rock-shaft, and a chain connection between said rock-shaft, the

link, and the yoke-latch, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination, with a draw-head provided with a vertical rib at each side and an essentially L-shaped slot in its under face at the rear of the said ribs, and a hook formed IIO upon the upper front face of the draw-head,

JUSTIN E. CLARK.

lVitnesses:

HENRY MOLAWLIN, Gnonen W. FOSTER.

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