US82966A - Improved car-coupling - Google Patents

Description

-s. MADDEN.

Car Coupling.

Patented Oct. 13, 1868.

when the movable bumper is forced tats/5 SAMUEL MADDEN, OF EUREKA SOUTH, CALIFORN I A;

Letters Patent N0. 82,966, dated October 13, 1868. I

IMPROVED CAR-COUPLING.

'The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom 'it may concern,

Be it known that I, SAMUEL MADDEN, of Eureka South, county of Nevada, State of Galiibrnia, have invented an Improved Car-(louplin and I do hereby declare the following description and accompanying drawings are sutiicient to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which it most nearly appcrtains to make and use my said invention or improvements without further invention or experiment.

The nature of my invention is to provide an improved coupling for rail-cars, so constructed as to be self-acting, and avoid the danger of being caught between the cars while connecting .them for the urpose ofmaking up a train.

To accomplish this object, the bumper is rigidly attached to the end of the car, and has a flaring ovalshaped link-chamber, above which is placed a second ary bumper, moving in a slide, back of which is a spiral spring, which causes it to project beyond the lower bumper. Two longitudinal slots are made in the sliding bumper, which moves back and forth without distm'bing the pin. The pin passes through the sliding bumper, and -is provided with two collars, between which the sides of tlie slotmoves; the upper collar, when the pin is raised, being at the top, and back in coupling, the pin. falls down, passing through the vertical opening in the lower part of the stationary bumper. The link is provided with friction-rollers at each end, so that, as it enters the chamber of the bumper, it will always be right side up.

To more iiilly explain my invention, reference is had to the drawings accompanying this specification, and the letters marked thereon, of which- Figure '1 is a side sectional view of my invention.

Figure 2 is a plan.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspomlingparts in each of the figures.

A is the stationary bumper, having ai'laring ovalshaped chamber. B. Vertical holes, U G, for the pin, are made near the end. The links are constructed somewhat similar to the ordinary link, and have friction-rollers, D, at each end, so that, as it enters the oval-shaped chamber of the stationary bumper, it will ,always be flatwise, or right side up, for receiving the pin.

A movable bmnpenl is placed above the stationary bumper, which slides back and forth on .ways. Back of this bumper is attached a spiral or other spring, l which receives the force when the cars are thrown together, carrying the movable bumper back to near the end of the stationary onc,and when released it projects beyond the stationary or linkbumper.

Longitudinal slots, G G, are made inthe sliding bumper, and when the pin is elevated, the sides of the slot G- move between the collars H H of the pin 1; and when the movable bumper is forced back suliiciently by the action ofthe succeeding car, the pin drops down into an opening, J, at the end ol'thc slot, through the stationary bumper and link, and the car is coupled, the lower collar, ll, of the pin resting on the top of the stationary bumper. The pin is prevented from moving laterally by a stationary plate, K, attached to the front of thocar ahove the movable bumper. Thus the whole train may be made to selfcouple.

The train may be uncoupled by raising the pin, even if the movable bumper is not forced entirely back, but the pin cannot be raised to the top of the sliding bumper until it is crowded back sufiicicntly to admit of the upper collar of the pin being raised through the opening at the end of the slot.

Having thus described my invention,

\Vhat 1' claim, and desire to. secure by Letters Patent, is I The a1)ovc-descrihml combination and arrangement of devices to form an automatic car-coupling, consisting of the sliding bumper l), with the slots (l and G, opening. J, and spring i the pin l, with collars ll and H, and the guiding-plate K, with or without the rollers I) at the end of the link, substantially as specified.

lnwitncss whereof, I have hereunto set my hand v and seal.

SAMUEL MADDEN. Witnesses J. L. Boom, GEO. H. STRONG.

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