US416429A - Car-coupling - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. H E. SPILMAN. GAR GOUPLING.

Patented Dec. 3, 1889.

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' Arm/mfr UNITED STATES HENRY PATENT OFFICE.

E. SPIIJMAN, OF SPILMAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO BALDWIN D.

SPILMAN, OF PARKERSBRG, VEST VIRGINIA.

CAR-COU PLING.

SPECIFICATION'forming part of Letters Patent No. 416,429, dated December 3, 1889. 'A Applicatoniled April l0, 1889. Serial No.'306,738. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, HENRY E. SPILMAN, of `Spilman, in the county of Mason and State of West Virginia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Oar-Couplings, of which the following is -a specification.

My invention is an' improvement in carcouplings, and seeks, among other improvements, to provide a novel construction by which the cars may be automatically coupled and may be uncoupled from the side of the car, thus 'rendering it entirely unnecessary for the brakeman to go between the cars in either the coupling or uncoupling of the same.

The invention consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of part-s, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view, and Fig. 2 is a vertical section, of one end of a car provided with my improvement.. Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the coupling jaws or sections. Fig. 4 is a plan View, partly in section, of the improvement. Fig. 5 is a front view of the improvement. Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the outer end of the draw-head with the coupling jaws or sections in place. Fig. 7 is a vertical longitudinal section of the outerend of the draw-head with the coupling-jaws removed. Fig. 8 is 'a detail view of the coupling-bar, and Fig. 9 is a front view of the improvementas used on a passenger-car..

The draw-head A has the stem A at its rear end, which stem extends through plates B B', which are supported and movable in guides or ways b, formed in the beams b of the car-frame, a pin a being passed through the stem A in rear of the back plate B and holding the draw-head from being pulled out, a shoulder a being formed on the draw-head in advance of the plate B, as shown. stein A', between the plates B B', I provide a spring @which bears or eases sudden strains in starting and stopping the cars.

The openings in both plates B B for the stem A are made oval or elongated vertically, so the stem A may have a limited vertical play. To prevent the spring C from fouling in the opening in the front plate B, I provide On the a bearing-plate C', which receives the pressure of the spring C and prevents it from fouling in the opening of plate B. It will be understood that the opening in plate B is elongated a much greater extent than that in plate B', so that I do not need a plate C in for instance, when the cars cross a rough railjoint-is in a great measure relieved from the coupling-bar, thus avoiding the danger of breaking the coupling-bar or the draw-head by the hammering resulting from any roughness in the track.

The draw-head is suitably placed at its for.- ward end to receive the coupling-bar, and is preferably made with horizontal partitions E E, forming the mortise of the draw-head into these compartments, a middle compartment e, and a compartment above and below the same. This construction is preferred inifreight-cars, because it provides for the adjustment of the coupling-bar to accommodate the variations in Aheights of the cars; but in passenger-cars, which are all substantially the same height, the partitions E may be dispensed with, as will be understood from Fig. 9.

The coupling jaws or-section's F are formed with posts or pintles f, having heads f at their upper and lower ends, and the wings f2,

which are preferably slotted to form a section to tit in each of the compartments of the drawhead, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 5; or they may be made as shown in Fig. 9. These jaws F, of which I use two, are inserted laterally through the sides ot' the draw-head from the outside, such draw-heads being provided in their side walls with openings G for the admission of the wings f2, and being formed in advance of the openings G with hook-like bearings g, tittedA to receive the pintles f. These hook-like bearings open or face rearwardly, so that the jaws are securely held by ICO such bearings as against forward strain exerted on the wings f2. It will be seen that the heads j" bear above and below the drawhead and guide and steady the jaw in its mouements. The jaws being made in a single piece, it will be seen that in the case of the construction shown in Fig. 3 tension or motion exerted on one of the sections of the wing, formed by slotting such wing, will be transmitted to all the others. The jaws are actuated by springs l-I, secured at their rear ends to the draw-head and bearing at their free ends against the outside of wings f2, so as to force the opposite wings normally close together in the uncouplcd position of the parts, and also to hold said wings tightly against the coupling-bar l when the latter is inserted in the d raw-head, as will be understood from the full and dotted lines in Fig. fl. These springs ll are usually, and preferably, placed to operate in the middle compartment e, and are ineased at their rear ends in slots 7i, extended from the side walls of suoli compartment.

The coupling-bar I is formed with heads i, having shoulders '1l' for engagement by the coupling-jaws and an extension r42,'to steady the bar in coupled position and to hold it in substantially horizontal position. It will be seen that the coupling-har when in a drawhead has sufficient lateral play to permit the proper rounding of curves, and has suficient vertical play to permit the easy passage of the ears onto and off an incline.

A handle-lever J is arranged on one side and a connectingdever K on the opposite side of the draw-head. The lever J is pivoted at its lower end ,j and is connected above said pivot by a link :L with the coupling-jaw on the side adjacent to the said hand-lever. Above said link L a link or rod M connects with the leverJ and extends thence to the lever K and connects with the upper end of same, suoli lever K being pivoted between its ends and having its lower end connected by a link N with the adjacent cou pling-j aw. By the described construction it will be seen that by operating the handle-lever both the coupling-jaws may be drawn outward to relieve the couplingbar.

I claiml. The improvement in car-couplings, substantially as herein described, consisting of the draw-head having its sides formed with openings adapted to permit the insertion of the coupling-jaws, and the coupling-jaws inserted through said openings, such jaws being pivoted at their outer ends vertically to the draw -head and inclining convergently from said pivoted ends to their opposite or inner ends, which latter are arranged in rear of the pivo'ted ends and are adapted to engage the coupling-bar, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a car-coupling, thecombination of the draw-head having at its sides rearwardly-facing hook-like bearings, and the jaws or seetions F, formed with posts or pintles f, fitted in said bearings and having heads f' at the upper and lower ends of said pintles, substantially as set forth.

3. In a car-coupling, the combination of the draw-head having atits sides rearwardly-fac ing hooklike bearings, and the jaws provided with portions or pintles arranged to bear in said hook-like bearings, substantially as set forth.

4. In a car-coupling, a drawl1ead having in its side walls openings for the insertion of the coupling-jaws and provided in advance of such openings with rearwardly-facing hooklike bearings, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a car-coupling, the combination of the drawhead having horizontal partitions E, forming the mortise thereof into com partments, the coupling-jaws having their wings slotted, forming sections operating in said compartments, and the springs whereby to actuate said coupling-jaws, all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

G. The combination of the draw-head, the jaws and actuating-springs therein, the han d lever J, arranged at one side of the draw-head and pivoted at its lower end, the lever K, arranged at the side of the draw-head opposite lever J and pivoted midway between its ends, a link N, connecting the lower end of lever K with the adjacent jaw, a link M, connecting the upper end of lever K with the lever J, and a link L, connecting said lever J with the adjacent eoupling-jaw, all substantially as set forth.

7. The improvement in car-couplings, substantially as herein described, consisting of the draw-head having the partitions E and provided with lateral openings G and with hooks g, the coupling-jaws having their wings slotted to correspond with the partitions E and formed with pintles f and heads j", and the springs arranged to actuate such couplingjaws, substantially as set forth.

HENRY E. SPILMAN.

Witnesses:

OKEY A. RoUsH, R. J. PATTERSON.

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