US1673474A - Positioning device for car couplers - Google Patents

Description

A. E. SMALL POSITIONING DEVICE FOR CAR coUPLERs Filed Jan. 2o, 1927 June 12, 192s.

Patented June 12, 1928i.

. i y 1,673,474 PATENT orifice.

ARTHUR n. sMALnor CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIGNon `To UNION Ivrn'rAI. ISRODIIC'IS i COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIsA CORPORATION or DELAWARE. i ,i

rosITIONINcrv DEVICE non can oournnns.

Application fuea January zo, 1927. semaine. 162,318.

This device relates to means for automatically positioning the coupler of a railway car by gravity. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described2 as it is Obvious that various modifications i thereof within the scope of the claims will occur to persons skilled in the art.

'of the automatic coupler.

Two railway cars are automatically coupled together by the movement jor' Jair respective couplers forcing the tails of the pivoted knuckles behind gravity locks. The` couplers aremounted in the cars so as to permit a limited amount of lateral movement.

' Such limitation is necessary and essential because if the couplers were allowed to move too far to either side, the couplers of the two cars being coupled would pass eachother y and not couple, thereby defeating the object The greater the lateral movement -Of a coupler the less side pressure on the striking casting when the ears are going around curves. This lateral pressure forces the wheel anges against the i rail causing considerable friction and wearing of the rails and wheels. l n

Coupler positioningdevices (or centering devicesas they are sometimes called) are frequently used to increasel the amount of permissible lateral movement of a coupler by providing automatic means for returning the couplers to the longitudinal center of the car or at least close enough thereto'so that the automatic couplers will couple. This is what is termed the coupling range. y

Coupler positioning devices reduce the number of broken knuckles and guard arms on couplers which members are frequently bent or broken when the couplers are not within coupling range. Such devices also reduce the number of accidents to trainmen as they are not required to go between the cars and position the coupler preparatory to coupling.

A common form of such device comprises a coupler carrier swingably suspended from any convenient part of the car (usually-the striking casting) by links at each end thereof. Such a device is very dependable and positive because it is actuated s implyby gravity. My present yinvention is an 1m provement upon such structures and comprises means to support the carrier independently of the links, which means do not interfere with' the vertical removal or repivotal connection between the coupler and yoke (or draft gean) Another object is to provide means to support a swingable coupler carrier in the event of a failure of one or both of the supporting links, or if the end ofthe carrier should break O. f

Anotherl object is to provide means to re-v tain the carrier in sucha position that it will support the coupler even if one (or both) of thelinks should fail or be lost.

In the drawings: l Y

Fig.4 l shows a typical application of my device to a railway car. Y l f F 2 is a side elevation of F ig. 1.-"` Fig. shows the device with one of the links missing and a broken carrier.

Fig. 4 shows a modified form.`

Fig. 5 shows adetail of the carrier.

' lt is frequent-ly desirable to lremoveor replace the couplerwithout detaching it from the draft gear, therefore, I provide a strik-` ing cast-ing 2 which has the usualmeans 3 4 to restrict the upward and lateral movements of the coupler but which is provided with an opening at its lower side lfor the installation or removal of the coupler 5 by raising y it vertically from the ground making what is commonly ycalled a yoke strikinglcasting.` A 'great many cars areequ'ipped with such a yoke striking casting having a swingable carry iron supported thereto bylinks,

but if either of such links or such carrier should fail the coupler could fall upon the track, and as thedraft gear is attached to the car, the coupler and draft gear might form a project-ion which would derail the train. It has been proposed to form an integral lower portion in the striking casting betweent-he walls of which the swingable carriermoves, which portion forms an emergency coupler support and while such construction has certain advantages it does not permit of the removal or replacing of the coupler without detaching it from the draft gear.

In the form shown the coupler 5 rests upon i the carrier 6 and it is retained in proper position thereon by the lugs 7 which carrier

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