US462511A

US462511A - Car-coupling

Info

Publication number: US462511A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1891-11-03
Anticipated expiration: 1908-11-03

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. RDHRBACH.

GAR GQUPLING.

110.462,511, Patented N0v.3,1891.

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(No Model.) GI ROHRBACHI A 2 sheets-sheet 2. l

GAR COUPLING.

110.462,511. Patented N0v.3, 1891.

WIT/VESSES: I/VI/E/VOl? A TTRNEYS.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GABRIEL ROHRBACH, OF DEL RIO, TEXAS.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 462,511, dated November 3, 1891,

Application filed May 6,1891. Serial No. 391,766. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ wiz/0m t may concern.'

Be it known that I, GABRIEL ROHRBAGH, of Del Rio, in the county of Val Verde and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Car-Couplings, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

-The object of this invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive, and convenient caiL coupling which will afford means to automatically connect cars and release them in a safe manner from the roof'or side of a car, a further object being to adapt the improved coupling for connection with one of the ordinary type with a link and pin.

To these ends my invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described and claimed.

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 figures.

Figure 1 is a broken sectional side elevation, taken on the line y y in Fig. 2, of two of the couplings applied to connect cars of differing height. Fig. 2 is a broken sectional plan view of the same, taken on the line :r or. in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a broken sectional side elevation of one of the couplings adjusted in a level position. Fig. 4E is a front elevation of a car having the coupling applied, showing the devices for operating the coupling from the side or top of the car. Fig. 5 is a broken horizontal sectional view taken on the line 5 5 in Fig. 4; and Fig. G is a broken front elevation of a car, showing a modied form of locking device for the coupling.

The draw-head A of the improved coupling is preferably cast into form from suitable metal and is rectangular in crosssection, having four walls that are. integral. Each side wall a and the top wall l) are flared at their outer ends to facilitate the introduction of a coupling draw-bar B,which will be further described. All the draw-head walls are preferably converged toward the rear end of the same, where an end wall c is formed, which closes the hollow drawhead at this point. At a proper' distance from the wall c another transverse wall (l is formed within the draw-head, and the side walls ct are removed between the walls c d, for a purpose that will appear.

The forward chamber or throat e of the draw-head A is open at the front, and the lower wall g of the same is cut away or entirely removed from a suitable point t forwardly, thus affording freedom for the reception of a rocking jaw A', which is an essential feature of the invention.

As represented, the jaw A consists, essentially, of a iiat plate fz', that -is shaped on its side edges to loosely fit between the side walls a of the draw-head A, from which edges similar depending flanges m are projected, which are sloped forwardly and downwardly on their lower edges from the top plate i', at its rear edge t', to the junction therewith of the forward edges 2, these upright walls or flanges m being outwardly flared to correspond with the similar formation on the front ends of the side walls ct.

The jaw A is supported to .rock within the throat of the draw-head A by the insertion. of a pivot-bolt it through aligning perfor-ations made for it in the draw-head side walls a and the flanges m of the jaw, this point of support being located near the longitudinal center of the plate 'i and below it, so that the increase in width of the forward portion, together with the superior depth of the flanges m at their front ends, will by their gravity throw the front edge of the rocking jaw A downwardly and the inner edge t" upwardly.

Between the transverse walls c (l and the top and bottom walls b g of the draw-headA two spring buffer-plates 0 are introduced, which project at each end sufficiently to enter channels formed in two longitudinal and adjacent timbers C of the car C, between which the draw-head is sustained by a crosspiece C2, that is secured on the timbers, or by any other preferred means.

Then the cars upon which the improved coupling is to be placed Vare abnormally high or low, as compared with the usual height of the car-timbers with the rails of the railroad, the draw-head on a high car is secured between two cro'ss-timbers C2 C3, which are of such a relative thickness and are so placed that the forward end of the draw-head Awill be projected a proper distance below a hori- IOS c is centrally perforated to align withsifnilar holes in the buffer-plates o, through which is inserted a guide-rod o', that has one end secured in the cross-wall d, and between the plates o a spiral spring p is located upon the guide-rod, the force of which is adapted to spread the plates, which latter have contact with the shoulders q on the timbers C", said shoulders being the terminals of the channels the buffer-plates slide in.

The draw-bar B is preferably made of wrought-iron and consists of a plate havingV substantially parallel top and bottom sides and thickened end portions s, which are cut away to produce a locking-shoulder at s on each-a proper distance from the ends of the portions s, that are tapered on their top and bottom surfaces from the shoulders mentioned to the terminal ends, there being lateral shoulders 32 formed on said end portions, as is indicated in Fig. 2. The draw-bar Bis centrally and longitudinally slotted from two points equally distant from the shoulders s', said slot s3 having sufficient Width to freely receive an ordinary coupling-pin, if such a means of coupling is necessary to connect the improved coupling with an ordinary drawhead of the pin-and-link type, and to this end the top wall b and jaw-plate t' are each perforated oppositely, as shown in Figs. l and 2, so that a coupling-pin may be utilized to connect a common link or oblong ring with the improved draw-head by its insertion in the holes r 7j and through the link that should be introduced between these parts.

The draw-barB is bent flatwise to give it the form shown in Fig. l, and when inserted in the draw-head, if its shoulder s is interlocked with the rear edge i of the jaw A', the weight of the draw-bar will cause said jaw to be held in a depressed condition, and the free end of the draw-bar will be projected to enter the draw-head it is to be coupled with, engaging an approaching draw-head that is higher or lower than normal standard, as lnay be seen in Fig. l.

The device whereby the rocking jaw A is vibrated consists ot a lever D, which is pivotally secured at u on the end wall of the car C, one end u of which lever is vertically aligned with an ear u2 on the lower edge of the ilange wall m of the jaw A near its front edge, this end of the lever being connected to said ear loosely by the link-rod E, that vis jointed thereto at its end, the other terminal D and thence extended upwardly to the carroof, where it is loosely connected to one end of a treadle G, which is pivoted near its center of length upon a bracket-stand fu', that isV secured upon the roof near the. end wall ot the car, this construction of parts affording means to rock the'jaw A upwardly when the free end of the treadle is depressed by the foot of the trainman, and above the treadle the rod F is sufficiently extended to permit it to be manipulated for the adj ustment of the jaw. `Upon the outer side of the lever D, on the outwardly-bent end o of the vertical rod F, one end of a latching-bar I is loosely connected, said bar being perforated at said end to engage the lateral rod extension named. and thence the latching-bar is projected toward the side of the car C, terminating in a handle at the outer end.

Anupright latch-dog l is pivoted at w on the side ot'A the latching-barl and lower down on the side of the main lever D, as at w', there being a. portion of the latch-dog upwardly extended above the bar I and provided with a laterally projectinglocking-pin w2,which may enter either one of two or more holes w3, that .are formed in the projecting flange J of a keeper-plate J, so that by the manipulation of the latching-bar l, dog I', and lever D the lower jaw A of the coupling draw-head A. will be looked or released, as may be desired, from the side of' the car, the rotative movement of the rod F producing a like result.

Vhen it is desired to detach cars provided with the improved coupling, it is only necessary to vibrate the jaw A, so as to depress its inner edge t" slightly below a horizontal plane, which will release the hooked connection of the draw-bar with said edge, as indicated in Fig. 4.

In Fig. 6 a simple adjustable device for retaining the jaw A at different points of depression is shown, consisting of a lever M, pivoted on the car-front end at l, having two or more locking-shoulders 3 4 cut on the lower edge near the handle end M', which handle is located near the side of the car-body to permit it to be moved manually.

There is a locking-disk N pivoted at 2 on the front of the car below the lever M, having a laterally-extended toe 5, that is on its upper edge, in a proper relative position to be engaged by either of the shoulders 3 4 of the lever mentioned, said toe being caused to assume a proper point below the shoulder it is to engage by a rocking movement of the disk on its pivot-bolt 2, so that the jaw A may by reason of its connection with the end of the lever M through the link E be set to incline more or less from a horizontal position in a downward direction, and thus throw IIOl IZO

the rear'edge of the jaw up or down, as may be required, to hold a draw-bar B properly projected.

Having thus fully described myinveniion, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. The combination, with a draw-head having its lower wall recessed, of a j aw-plate having depending flanges and pivoted by said flanges in the said draw-head, so that it-s inner edge will be held raised by gravity, substantially as described.

2. The co1nbination,with adraw-head having its lower wall cut away and its upper wall provided with a pin-hole, ot' a jaw-plate having depending flanges and a pin-hole, and pivoted by said flanges in the draw-head, so that its inner edge will be held raised by gravity, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a draw-head having its lower Wall recessed, of a jaw-plate having depending flanges and pivoted byv said flanges in the said draw-head, so that its inner edge will be held raised by gravity, and a draw-bar provided with a hook-shoulder at each end, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a draw-head having its lower wall cut away and its upper Wall provided with a pin-hole, ot' a jaw-plate having depending flanges and apin-hole and pivoted by said ilanges in the draw-head, so that its inner edge will be held raised by gravity, and a draw-bar provided with a hookshoulderat each end and longitudinally slotted, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a draw-head provided with a vibrating jaw, which jaw is elevated at its inner edge by gravity, of adrawbar having its body bent to afford a convex lower side and provided with a hook-shoulder near each end on said lower side, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with a chambered draw-head having its lower wall slotted from the front end inwardly and spring-supported at its inner end upon timbers of a car, of a flanged jaw pivoted within the draw-head and having its rear edge free,a device to rock and retain the jaw, which can be moved from the top or side of a car, and a draw-bar having its body convex on the lower side `and provided with a hook-shoulder on each end, which will interlock with the free inner edge of the jaw, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with a draw-head which is spring-supported on a car at its rear end and is forwardly-chainbered to receivea jaw, and a hanged lower jaw pivoted therein to have its free inner edge normally elevated by gravity, of a concavo-convex draw-bar having a hook-shoulder on the convex lower side near each end and on each side, a lever pivoted on the car and connected at its inner end by a link to an ear on the draw-head jaw, a vertical draft-rod loosely secured at its lower end to the lever and above to a treadle that is pivoted to a bracket-stand on'the carroof, and a locking device for the lever and lower jaw, substantially as described.

GABRIEL ROHRBACH.

Witnesses:

JOHN K. PEIRCE, PETER ZEIB.