US808651A - Car-coupling device. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTE'D JAN. 2, 1906. E. GRAFSTROM, DBCD. D. B. GEAI STROM, ADMINISTRATRIX. OAR COUPLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAYZ'I. 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 PATENTED JAN. 2, 1906. E. GRAFST ROM, DE GFD1 D. B. emrsmom, ADMINISTRATRIX.

GAR COUPLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION TILED MAY 27.1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

nmiimnu llllli fizvengait' @W UNITED PATENT OFFIOE,

I EDl/VARD GRAFSTROM, OF TOPEKA, KANSAS; DOROTHY BEACH GRAFSTROM ADMIN ISTRATRIX OF, SAID EDWARD GRAFSTROM,

DECEASED.

CAR-COUPLlNG DEVICE.

Patented Jan. 2, 1906.

Application filed May 27, 1903. Serial No. 158,922.

To all; whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD GRAFs'rRoM, a

, subject of the King of Sweden and Norway,

residing at Topeka, in the State of Kansas, have invented a certain new and useful Car- Coupling Device, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates especially to the means for coupling cars to engines, and to means for operating the coupling device from the outside of the car and for swinging the coupler out of the way when not in use. The objects of my invention are, to avoid the danger and inconvenience of having a coupling head projecting from the front of a car or engine when not in use; to avoid the danger of the brakeman going between the cars or between the engine and car in the act of manipulating the coupler; to mount the mechanism for operating the lock upon the head in such a way that it cannot be manipulated when the head is not in place; to provide a pivoted car coupling bar, to provide a safe and accurate locking means for the coupler head, and to generally improve the construction and operation of the means for coupling an engine to a car. The above objects, together with other advantages which will hereinafter appear, I attain by means of the mechanism illustrated in preferred forms in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan view of the pilot and cow catcher on the front of an engine and of my coupling device mounted thereon, showing in full lines and in dotted lines respectively, the two positions of the coupling head and pivoted bar.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the coupling devices and a central section through thecow catcher and front end beam of the engine.

Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating the lever arms for operating the locking mechanism.

The many dangers resulting to the brakeman and others occupied in railroad work in coupling cars or rather from going between the cars to couple or uncouple the same has led to legislation requiring means for manipu lating the coupling devices from the outside without going between the cars. It is also highly desirableif not necessary, for the coupling head itself to be capable of being swung out of operative position when not in use; in

order to combine these two features and to improve the coupling device generally I haveprovided. as illustrated in the drawings, a

coupling bar made in two parts of which the forwardly extending part carrying the coupling head itself is pivoted to the other and may be swung sidewise out of position when not in use.

The cross abutment beam at of the engine to which the car coupling bar is generally attached may be of any desired form; and upon this I place the bracket extension 6 which at its forward end through a pivot A; carries the swinging member 0 of the coupler, having integral with it the coupling head (Z which may be of the ordinary Master Oar Builders type having a pivoted knuckle e to cooperate with a like coupler head upon the other car or another engine. As is well known this type of coupler head has a knuckle which when pushed into the position shown in Figure 1 is generally locked by the falling of a key behind the tail of the knuckle. A locking pin is illustrated at f; and in order to raise this locking pin f out of place to allow the finger e to open and uncouple the cars I provide for lifting the pin f out of place by the lever it which is pivoted upon the part 0 and has its tail end embraced by the bifurcated head m of the lever Z, which extends out to the side line of the engine and cars and there has a handle n for manipulating the same.

When the heads are uncoupled and the coupling bar therefor is not desired in the position shown it may be swung around as is illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 1 when it will be out of the way and in this position it will be noted that the lever h is disengaged from the head on of the lever Z. This construction is not necessary however, since it is evident that the head m may be so arranged as to avoid disengagement of the two when the head is swung out of operative position. The pivoted portion of the coupler bar, 0, may be provided with an abutment which engages a similar abutment 9" upon the stationary part b so as to hold the coupler firmly in proper position in alinement with the engine when in operating order.

It will of course be understood that it is not essential to my invention that the locking mechanism of the coupler head be of any particular form, nor is the position of the pivotreadily occur to those familiar with the use thereof.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is the following:

1. The combination with a coupler bar having a hinged extension carrying a locking coupler, of a lever mounted upon said extension for operating the coupler lock, and a sec ond lever attached to the body of the car or engine for operating said first mentioned manipulating lever from outside the car line.

2. The combination with a pivoted coupler bar, of a pair of levers one of which is borne on the pivoted bar and one of which is borne on the car and designed to cooperate with the pivoted coupler bar when it is in alinement and to be out of operative position when the same is folded against the car body, substantially as described.

3. In a car coupler the combination with a coupler head and an extension carrying the same mounted pivotally to swing sidewise out of operative position, a coupler lock operating mechanism carried on said swinging head, and means for operating said locking mechanism from outside the car comprising levers which are in an engagement when the extension is in operative alinement with the car and is out of engagement when the said coupler head is swung sidewise out of position.

4:. The combination with a coupler head extension pivoted to swing sidewise out of operative position, an automatic coupler and a coupler lock thereon, a lever mounted on the swinging extension, a lever mounted on the car and provided with a fork engaging the first mentioned lever to operate the coupler lock, said connection of the two levers being adapted to engage when the coupler bar is in alinement and to disengage when it is swung sidewise out of position.

5. The combination with a pivoted extension coupler bar having a coupler lock operating mechanism thereon, of an actuating lever on the extension and an operating lever on the car provided with a forked end loosely engaging said lever onthe extension, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunder signed my name in the presence of the two subscribed witnesses.

EDWARD GRAFSTROM.

WVitnesses:

J. M. RUTER, C. J. MOORE.

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