US533026A - Half to orrin s - Google Patents

Description

A. D. ALDEN. GAR COUPLING.

(No Model.)

No. 533,026. Patented Jan. 22, 1895.

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m: yonms FETERS 20.. Puo'roLrrHa. WASHINGTON/D15.

ANDREW D. ALDEN, OF BROOKPORT, FENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE HALF TO ORRIN S. WINSLOW, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

EPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 533,026, dated January 22, 1895. Application filed August 24, 1894- Serial No. 521,161- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, ANDREW D. ALDEN, of

Brockport, in the county of Elk and State of Pennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplings, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improved car coupling of the hook and link type, and has for its object to provide acar coupling of the class indicated, with novel features of construction that adapt it for a convenient and reliable adjustment of working parts from either side of a car whereon the improvement 7 drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in both of the views shown. a

Figure 1 is an. end view of a car body in part, and of the improved car coupling connected to a link shownjin transverse section; and Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1, showing by dotted and full lines different positions of adjustment of Workin g parts.

The drawhead 10, is'located at the transverse center of the car body, on its sill frame 11 as usual, and may be attached to the latter by any preferred means which will secure the coupling in place and adapt it for efiective service.

The forward portion of the drawhead is laterally and vertically enlarged as compared with the main portion of its body,'and..from the front end is rectangularly chambered as at 10, said chamber having a sufficient depth and transverse dimensions to freely permit the insertion of an ordinary elongated coupling link 12, partly shown in Fig. and to facilitate the introduction of the link the mouth of the drawhead is flared considerably between its top and lower walls, and the marginal corners of said mouth are rounded as is indicated in the drawings.

At a correct distance from the front edge of the drawhead an upright bracket block 13 .is formed or secured on the upper side of the same, which block is afiorded a height and width which will adapt it to receive and sustain other parts of the coupling, and to facilitate such a support of parts the bracket block is recessed at the front a correct depth and breadth, leaving two upright parallel side walls 13 and a rearwardly and downwardly inclined top' cross wall 13 At the transverse center a slot is formed in thetop wall of the drawhead, which slot extends from a point near the rear wall of the recess in the bracket block 13, through the front edge of the wall-it bisects.

The lateral dimension of the longitudinal slot in the top'wall of the drawhead, is proportioned so as to permit the heavy latch 14: to be introduced between and pivoted on the portions of the drawhead top wall that remain at each side of the slot above mentioned. The

latch is of such width or thickness as adapts it to looselyfit in the slot it occupies, its hook portion 14: that projects downwardly at a proper distance from the front end of the latch being produced by the junction at their base of two converging transverse walls, the wall at the rear of the hook being nearly vertical and the front cross wall being sloped from the upper edge on the front end of the body of the latch downward and rearward.

The point of pivotal connection of the latch is near the front end of its body above and in advance of the nose on the hook the pivot bolt 15 passing through aligned perfo rations transversely formed in the drawhead and latch as is indicated in Fig. 2.

A rearwardly and downwardly inclined too 14 is formed on the otherwise level lower side of the latch body 14, behind the hookl l this too being adapted to have contact with the top face of an inserted link 12 at its rear end, which will impose the main portion of Weight possessed by the latch body on the link, and hold said link level when so engaged and forwardly projected in advance of the drawhead, to enter another drawhead.

The upper side of the latch body 14, mainly conforms in shape with that of the top wall of the drawhead, with the exception that a longitudinally extending rib 14 is formed on said side of the body 14 at its transverse center. A lifting link 16 is provided, which is furcated to produce two parallel limbs on its lower portion, which limbs that loosely receive the rib 14 between them, have a pivotal connection with it by means of the pintle 16 as shown in Fig. 2. The upper edge of the rib 141 is notched rearwardly of the link 16, so as to produce a shoulder la that will check the rearward rocking movement of the link when its rear edge that is immediately above the furcation, impinges said shoulder. On each side of the rib 14 the material of the latch body is cut away, terminating in two similar inclined shoulders 14, that limit the forward vibration of the upper end of the furcated link, when the limbs of the link have contact with said shoulders. The upper end of the lifting link 16 is adapted to rock below the inclined top wall 13 of the recess in the bracket block 13, when permitted to do so, which will lock the latch hook in depressed adjustment.

On the end wall of the car body whereon the improvement is placed, a rock shaft 17 is transversely supported and held by the bracket boxes 18, which are loosely fitted on the shaft body so that the latter may be longitudinally moved and also rocked, said boxes being attached to the car so as to maintain the shaft horizontally disposed. The rock shaft has the handle arms 17 formed on or secured to its ends, which arms extend in the same direction and occupy the same plane.

At a suitable point between the ends of the rock shaft 17 an arm 19 is projected from the shaft, preferably in the same plane with the handle arms, and for efficiency in service the intermediate arm is furnished with a longitudinally adjustable extension arm 19, that is held in assured connection with the main portion of the arm by a clip band 20 having a set screw 20, which band envelops the two parts of the arm, and holds them firmly clamped at any desired point, when the screw 20 is adjusted to bear on the arm 19.

A chain 21 or other substantial flexible connection of proper length, is secured at one end to the link 16 at its front edge above the limbs of said link, the other end of the flexible connection being attached to the extension arm 19 at its outer end.

On the rock shaft 17 a rest block 22 is mounted, this block having a transverse perforation in its body to permit the shaft to pass through it, the block also having a flange thereon which is perforated for the reception of screws that secure it to the end wall of the car.

Two step-like projections 22,

are

part arin must be rocked upwardly by manipulating. either of the handle pieces 17 to effect its location on an appropriate step.

In operation, if the improved car coupling is to be coupled with a similar device on an approaching car, the link 12 is inserted and held projected so as to enter the throat of the drawhead which is to receive it. To adapt the latch hook on the link receiving drawhead to rock on its pivot bolt and hook fast' to the link end that enters the drawhead, the

operator sets the link 16 in an upright position, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, by

locating the arm 19 at its heel on the offset step 22 of the rest block 22. This will project the two part arm forwardly in a nearly level position, which will draw on the chain connection 21, sufficiently to locate the link in the position mentioned. When the. link 16 is adjusted as has been explained, its upper end will be removed from the top wall l3 on the block 13, which will allow the latch hook to be lifted, and thelink 12 to enter the drawhead recess for a coupled engagement with said latch hook, that is rendered secure if the rock shaft is drawn endwise so as to remove the lifting arm 19 from the step 22 and permit the handle arms by their gravity together with the weight of the two part lifting arm, to dispose the latter in a downwardly inclined position, thus slackening the chain 21 and leaving the link 16 free to rock backward below the top wall 13 Vhen'two of the improved couplings are to be released from a coupled condition, the rock shaft 17 is adjusted so as to locate the liftingarm 19 on the upper step 22 of the block 22, which will so elevate the arm that the attached chain 21 will by its attachment to the link 16, lift the latter considerably, and as this upward and forward lifting movement will draw the rear end of the latch hook upwardly, a release of the coupling link 12 will be effected, as is also shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

By making the lifting arm 19 in two parts so as to permit it to be adjusted for length, the degree of elevation necessary for the re lease of the link 16, and latch 14; can readily be produced without altering the length of the chain 21.

It is claimed for this improved car coup ling, that it is simple, inexpensive, easy to construct and reliable in operation, preventing accident to an operator either in coupling or releasing cars having the improvement; and an incidental advantage is, that as the ordinary coupling link is employed a coupled connection with a common drawhead is permitted, so that the improvement may be used along with the ordinary link and pin car coupling when this is necessary.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- 1. The combination of a draw-head, having a recess adapted to receive a coupling link,

IIO

a latch hook pivoted in said recess and having at its rear end a depending nose adapted to engage the said link when the same is in place in the draw-head, and a link pivotally connected at one end to the end of said latch hook beyond said nose, and having its other end adapted to engage the wall of said recess in the draw head, whereby said latch hook is locked to the draw head substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a draw-head having a recess adapted to receive a coupling link, a latch hook pivoted in said recess and provided with a depending nose adapted to engage the coupling-link when the same is in place in the drawhead, a gravity link pivoted to said latch-hook and adapted normally to lock the same against movement, and a liftin g device connected to said link and adapted to lift the same and unlock the latch hook, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with a recessed drawhead slotted in its top wall, and having an upright projection behind the slot, of a gravity latch hook pivoted in the slot in front of its depending nose, and a device adapted by gravity to lock on the-drawhead projection and hold the latch hook, and release said hook when lifted to clear said projection, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with aforwardly recessed drawhead, having its top wall slotted from the front edge rearward, and having an upward projection that inclines forwardly on saidtop wall at the rear end of the slot, of a gravity latch hook pivoted in the slot in front of its depending nose, a link pivoted on the the drawhead and hold the latch hook de- I pressed, and a device on the car adapted for actuation from either side of the car, and which will forwardly rock the link to release it and the latch hook, substantially as described.

\ 6. The combination, with a recessed and top slotted drawhead, having a recessed bracket block on its top at the rear end of the slot, agravity latch having a depending hook-nose and pivoted in the slot in advance of said nose, a lifting link pivoted on the latch hook behind the hook nose, and adapted to rock rearward below the top wall of the recessed bracket block, and an elongated c0upling link, of a'coupling link releasing device, comprising the rock shaft on the car, an extensible arm on said shaft, the stepped block on the shaft and car and adapted for engagement by the lifting arm, and a flexible connection between the arm and lifting link, substantially as described.

ANDREW D. ALDEN.

Witnesses:

ALONZO S. HORTON, CHARLES L. CHAMBERLIN.

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