US61553A - miller - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets=-8heet 1. v J. MILLER.

Car Coupling.

No. 61,553. Patented Jan. 29, 1867.

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Patent ed Jan. 29, 1867,

O-UTNOGRAPHER, WASNINGIQN. D. C.

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JOSEPH MILLER, OF CUBA, NElV YORK.

Letters Patent No. 61,553, dated January 29, 1867.

IMPROVED GAE-OOUPLING.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be itknown that I, JOSEPH MILLER, of Cuba, in the county of Alleghany, and State of New York, have invented a new and improved Car-Coupling; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and

exact description-thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification,

in which- Figure 1 is a front view of one of the couplings applied to a passenger car.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view, taken longitudinally through the coupling, of fig. 1.

-Figure 3 is a front view of one of the couplings adapted fora freight car.

Figure his a longitudinal section,taken vertically through the coupling of fig. 8.

Figure 5 is a top view of the draw-heads connected together.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of one of the hooked draw-heads.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a draw-head with a common link coupling attached to it.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to certain novel improvements on .that class of railroad car-couplings in which the coupling of two cars is effected by the means of hooks, which are so constructed as to couple of themselves, when the cars are forcibly brought together, by interlocking with each other. I

The nature of my invention consists maiulyin thefemployment of hooks in pairs, applied to flanged drawheads, which are so arranged as to be capable of receiving an oscillating movement about their axes; said hooks being made so as to interlock right and left, and to allow of the. passing around curves without becoming disconnected or twisted; said hooks being also adapted for having attached to them coupling links, so that any car with the hooked couplings can be connected to the cars with the common link and pin-couplings,;all as will be hereinafterdescribed.

The invention also consists in providing a simple and eilicient means foradjusting a rocking hooked coupling, higher or lower, as circumstances may require, and at the same time providing for the use ofelastic pressure and draw-springs at the rear ends of the draw-rods, for relieving cars from shocks and injury in stopping and starting a train, as will be hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I will deseribe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, figs/1 and 2 represent my improved coupling applied to the end of a passenger car so as to be oonvenientlyoperated by a brakeman upon the platform. The coupling-head A is applied on the projecting end of a cylindrical draw-bar, B, which is-madc of a'suitable length, and terminated at its inner end in a short stud, a, which receives upon it ametallicor rubber spring, 6. This spring is confined in place between two collars, cc,-onthe stud a. The spring Ii and collars .cc are enclosed within a strongbox, C, which is bolted to the flooring timbers D in any suitable manner, so that ,endwise play of the draw-bar is allowed by the compression of the spring 6; and all shocks and concussions are received by this spring, and a correspond ing one applied to the draw-bar on the opposite car. The front part of the draw-bar B issupported'by means of a stirrup, C, which is bolted to the bottom side of the front platform beam, as shown in fig. 2,.and which is made of sufiicient length to allow ofall the vertical play required of the front end of said draw-bar. This stirrup C not only serves to support the draw-bar, but it also serves to sustain it against lateral displacement. To adjust the front end of the draw-bar to different heights, a notched wedge, E, inserted laterally through the stirrup C, beneath the-bar B, may be employed, or, if desirable, a vertical screw may be used, inserted through the botterm of the stirrup, so as to supportnpon its end the said draw-bar. If the notched wedge E is used for ad usting the draw-head vertically, it may be-moved by means of a lever, or otherwise. For freight or box cars, the plan represented in figs. 3 and 4 for raising and lowering the draw-head or front end of the draw-bar. This plan consists in suspending the front part of the draw-bar B by means of a sliding stirrup, G which is placed astride of the transversebeam D, and constructed so as to receive through its lower ends said draw-bar, as shown in fig. 4. stirrup, C, is also employed for guiding the bar B and sustaining it against lateral displacement, as described for the-plan illustrated infigs l and 2. Through the upper end of the sliding stirrup C, a wedge, F, passes transversely, which wedge is supported by and moved upon the transverse beam D by means of the rod 0. This rod is'bent or cranked on each side or end of the wedge F, and its extremities are also bent, as shown in fig. 3. By turning the rod 0, which passes freely through the wedge 15:, so that its ant ends are perpendicular to the end of the car, theiwedge may be moved ,endwise so as to raise or lower the raw-head or front cnd of its bar. By rod 2 back to its former position, its cranked portions will be caughty the pin 2', andthe wedge will be preventedfromnioving out of place. By means of the rod e the .wedge'F in be adjusted by a person standing-at either side of the car without going between two cars. A collar or and, h, encircles the draw-bar in rear of its forward supporting stirrup, and to this collar 0. lever-arm, k is :cured. A tenon, which is formed on the collar it, enters a longitudinal slot which is made in said draw-bar, I that, by vibrating arm 71., the draw-bar audits head will receive a rocking movement. The attachment of the ollar h by means of its tenon and groove will allow of a free independent endwise movement of the vdraw-bar. [1 passenger cars the draw-bar B is rotated or oscillated by means of a lever, G, which is pivoted to the front of he car platform, as shown in fig. 1. The lower end of this lever, G, is connected to the arm h by means of a od, G, and spring, j. The upper end of lever G is held in the desired position by means of notches, It k H, 1 the guard rail H. For freight cars, a draw-rod, I, which is held in place against the end of the car body, is sed in conjunction with a spring, j, for vibrating lever h, which in this case projects upward from its drawar B. The rod I has two notches in-its lower edge, which are used for holding this red and the draw-bar in the esired positions. I

I will now proceed to describe the construction of the draw-heads or,coupling heads A, which are suitbly secured upon the projecting ends of the draw-bars,'as shown in the drawings. The draw-heads A A are onstructed exactly alike, with segmental hooked portions, m m, projecting from their circular ends, so that rhen two draw-heads are brought together the hooked surfaces will interlock with each other. Each head has we hooked segments formed'on it, and arranged diametrically opposite each other, with a central spacebetween hem. These quarter segments are constructed to hook in opposite directions, and the hooks are arranged [early in the same line, so that when two heads are coupled together they will allow of a lateral vibration for urning curves in the road. To prevent the uncoupling of the hooks by the lateral shaking motion of cars vhile'in'motion, I construct flanges, n, oneach end of thecircularheads, as shown in figs. 3, 5, 6, and 7, which- 'orIn lateral stays for the ends of .thehookswhen' coupled together. The'side facespp of the hooks mm are revelled, as shown iii the drawings, so that when twocars are --brought together the bevelled surfaces on the looks of one head, A, impinge upon the corresponding'surfaces of the books on the opposite head A and cause ;he heads to move about their axesa sufiicient distance'to allow the hooks to interlock. The hooks on the lraw-hcads are held in position for coupling by means of the springs upon the levers or rods, which are used ;0 oscillate said heads, as above explained, so that when two heads are "forcibly brought together they will nterlock of themselves, and the hookswill be held together by thevforce of the springs, as aforesaid. The IOOkS of each head A are perforated at T1 for the purpose of receiving through them a coupling pin L for con iecting a common coupling'link,-I| to the heads, as shown in fig. 7. The pin holes and projections m must be orought in a vertical line to receive said pin and link, for which purpose the rod-or lever which is used to oscillate the heads is moved into the proper position, and held by its notch, as described. This feature of my invention is a very important one, as it admits of the coupling of cars having the common link couplings with cars having my improved oscillating hooked couplings.

I It will be seen from the above description of my invention that lemploy self-locking coupling hooks which are adaptedfor being connected to the common link couplings, and. which are formed on flanged heads that prevent casual uncoupling of cars; said hgoks and heads being formedfon or applied to adjustable rocking drawbars, which are allowed tohave an elastic endwise play for relieving shocks. and concussions, and which are provided with means by which these rods and theirheads can be readily uncoupled withoutsubjecting the brakemen to danger-of being crushed between cars. In casting. theheads and hooks I shall chill those surfaces which are subject to wear, so as to harden and render them durable. I

I Having described my invention, what I claim asnew, and desire to-securc by Letters Patent, is

1. 'Draw heads A, with interlocking hooks m'm, and flanges 92, substantially as, described. I 2. The oscillating or turning hooked draw-heads A, which are adapted for having connected to them the common coupling links, substantially as described. I

3. Interlocking or hooked turning and sliding draw-bars, constructed and operating substantially on the principle he'rein set forth.

4. An adjustable stirrup C in combination with the sliding wedge F and adjusting rod e, substantially as and for the purposes described. I

5. The lever or rod connected to the lever-arm h, which latter is secured to a collar it, through which the draw-bars have an endwisc movement, substantially as described. v

6; The combination of a spring j with the devices which are employed for oscillating or turning the drawhead and its bar; said spring being so appliedv as to act upon the draw-heads to keep the hooks thereof together, substantially as explained- 7. The combination of the turning and sliding draw-bars, with spring I; 11, substantially as and for the purposes described.

JOSEPH MILLER- Witnesses:

R. TfGaMPBELL, Enw. SGH'AFER;

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