US692063A - Car-coupling. - Google Patents

Description

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CHARLES ARTI-IER MCKERAHAN, OF VVILMERDING, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-COU PLING.

SPECIFICATEON forming part of Letters Patent No. 692,063, dated January 28, 1902.

Application filed August 24, 1901l Serial No. 73,123. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES ARTHER MC- KERAHAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Wilmerding, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful details of Improvements in Car-Couplings, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to car-couplings of` the Janney type, and has for its object to provide novel details of construction for a carcoupling of the class indicated which render it very reliable in service, adapt it for automatic connection with another car-coupling of like construction, and afford means for the safe detachment of the same from either of two cars coupled together with the improvement.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described, and dened in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, p

in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures. y

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved car-coupling. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the same, having parts shown in uncoupled adjustment by full lines and coupled with a like coupling by dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a broken transverse sectional View substantially on the line 3 3 in Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view substantially on the line 4 4 in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a front end view showing the working parts in uncoupled adjustment. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a novel locking-key employed; and Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional View in part of details, taken substantially on the line '7 7 in Fig. 5. Y

The draw-head 8 is of a style having two horns 8a extended forwardly from the side walls, said draw-head also having a chamber 8b formed thereon, which is open at the front side, and from the rear wall extends a hollow From one side wall of the hollow draw-head, between the two horns 8, the knuckle-case Sc is laterally and forwardly extended integral with said wall. The knucklecase Sc is divided into two similar recesses a a by the stiifening-rib S, which projects from the side wall of the draw-head, and said recesses, which have sloped top and bottom walls, merge into the draw-head chamber Sb, thus affording such increased height thereto at one side as adapts the chamber and recesses for the reception of the knuckle-block 10. The knuckle-block l0 is substantially L- shaped, having its coupling-jaw bisected by a central horizontal channel b of such width as to permit the free movement of the jaw into the recesses a and entrance of the rib Sd between the two jaw members 10a and through the charme-1, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 5. The tailpiece l()b of the knuckle-block l0 is tapered sufficiently toward'its end to permit it to work freely in the chamber 8b and is pivoted therein by a vertical bolt 11, that passes through perforations in the draw-head Walls and the tailpiece, as shown clearly in Fig. 4.

Upon the upper side of the draw-head S, behind the convex edge between the knucklecase 8c and one horn 8, two walls c c are erected, which are integrally joined together by a transverse wall c2. Exterior of the wall ca vertical aperture d is formed in the drawhead S, the aperture being rectangular in contour and parallel in its side walls for the reception of the locking-key l2. The body of the key l2 is rectangular in cross-section and ts loosely in the aperture d, so that it may be freely reciprocated therein, and near the upper end thereof a transverse perforation e is formed for attachment of any suitable lifting means, such as a chain or the like, that may extend to a point above on the car having the improvement to enable a trainman to raise the key as occasion may require. A ilange g is formed on the rear side of the key l2 along the lateral wall of the key-.body that is adjacent to the vertical wallc, and in the body thereof near the transverse center a longitudinal slot h extends therethrough at one side of the flange g. In the ange g and contiguous side wall of the slot h a downwardly and forwardly curved slot t' is formed, as clearly shown in Fig. 6 and also indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4. The `side wall of the chamber 8b toward which the free end of the` tailpiece 10b projects is provided with an opening m, (see Fig. 3,) which permits a rocking pin 10C, that projects from the free extremity IOO of the tailpiece, to pass freely into the curved slot 'i and work therein, and it will be seen that when the key 12 is raised, so that the rocking pin 10c is at the bottom of the slot z', this will pull the tailpiece forward and correspondingly rock the jaw members 10il into the knuckle-case recesses a a, so as to open the coupling-jaw.

In a passage n, formed forwardly and downwardly through the wall cadjacent to thekey 12 and parallel with the side thereof that has the curved slot t' in it, a pusher-rod 13 is loosely held. A forwardly and downwardly trending slot 0 is formed in the wall c parallel with the passage fn, and through said slot 0 a rest-pin 14 projects from the pusher-rod 13 across the rear surface of the key 12. The gravity of the pusher-rod 13 tends to cause it to slide downward and project a short distance in advance of the concavefront wall of the draw-head, above the chamber therein, this forward adjustment being limited by contact of the rest-pin 14 upon the rear face of the key 12, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. Upon the rear side of the key 12 a lug p is formed at a suitable distance above the upper end of the curved slot The transverse rest-pin 14 being positioned below the lug p is adapted to afford support to the key 12 when said keyA is raised sufficiently to rock the knuckleblock 10, so that the knuckle-jaw is drawn laterally and in position to couple with a like jaw on a similar coupling, the rest-pin being disposed beneath the lug by the gravity of the pusher-rod 13, as shown in Fig. 4.

It will be seen that upon the approach of two cars having the improved couplings moving on the same track the knuckle-case 8C on each coupling will first engage with the horn of the draw-head it is nearest to, and this sliding contact of parts will force the coup-- lings into alined position one with the other, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. A further approach of the draw-heads 8 will cause the knuckle-cases 8c to impinge upon a respective pusher-rod 13, that is projected at its front end, this being due to the raising of the key 12 that was manually effected when the car-couplings were last uncoupled, or if the keys 12 have been dropped by accident or design they must be raised to enable the coupling together of the car-couplings. The forcible contact of the knuckle-cases 8e with the projecting ends ofy the pusher-rods 13 pushes said rods rearward suciently to remove the rest-pins 14 from the lugsp, so that the weight of the keys 12 will cause their descent until arrested by contact of a shoulder projection T that is on the outer side of each key with the top wall of the draw-head. The falling of the keys 12, eected by their gravity, causes the rocking pins 10c on the ends of the tailpieces 10b of the knuckle-blocks 10 to traverse the curved slots t' and pull the eeaoee tailpieces rearwardly, which will cause the jaws of the knuckles to interlock, and thus couple the draw-heads together.

It will be observed that the Weight of the knuckle-jaw and the incline it traverses laterally and forwardly on the lower surface of the chamber in the draw-head coacts with the weight of the key 12 to throw the jaw into coupling adjustment the instant the key has been released from the rest-pin 14, as hereinbefore described.

Owing to the simplicity of the improved car-coupling and its peculiar construction great strength is afforded with a minimum of weight, and as all details are substantial and the working parts operate by gravity the improved car-coupling is inexpensive and very durable.

Having thus described my invention, I

' claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a car-coupling, the combination with a draw-head having a chamber open at the front, of a knuckle-block having substantially L shape, a pivot-bolt, a locking-key slidable in the draw-head at one side of the chamber, a flange having a curved slot and extending rearward on the key, a rearwardlyprojected shoulder on the' key above said ange, a pin on the inner end of the knuckleblock loosely engaging the curved slot in the flange, and a pusher-rod slidable in the drawhead so as to project at the front,said rod being adapted to loosely engage the shoulder on the key, and hold it raised, but releasing said key when pushed rearwardly by impact of another draw-head.

2. In a car-coupling, the combination with a chambered draw-head, an L-shaped knuckle-block pivoted in the chamber, and a rocking pin extended from the tailpiece of the knuckle-block, of a weighty key vertically slidable in an aperture in the draw-head at one side of the chamber, said key having a lug on its rear side, a flange extended rearward at the side of the key nearest to the tailpiece, a curved slot in said flange and in the key-body, the rocking pin on the tailpiece loosely engaging said slot, a pusher-rod slidable in a forwardly and downwardly inclined passage at the top of the draw-head, and a rest-pin laterally extended from the pusherrod to receive the lug on the key for its support, the pusher-rod extending at the front of the draw-head, when the key is raised and its lug rests on the pin.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES ARTHER MCKERAHAN.

Vitnesses:

JNO. W. MooN, CHARLES BURNETT.'

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