Untitled record

0. R. PRATT

<td> Car Coupling. No. 5,961. f Y c ^W\7</td><td> Patented Dec. 12, 1848. 71</td>

,N. PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL R. PRATT, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

CAR-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 5,961, dated December 13, 1848; Antedated June 12, 1848.

To dll whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Daniel R. Pratt, of the city of Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts,, have 5 invented a new and useful Coupling for Railroad-Cars, called Pratt’s Self-Acting CarCoupling, which is described as follows, reference being had to the annexed drawing of the same making part of this specification.

The figure is a perspective view of the coupling, the link being attached to one of the hooks and about to lift and become engaged with the other.

The various self acting couplings for con15 necting rail-road cars heretofore invented have failed to meet with general favor from various causes which will be evident on examining their construction. The .majority of them fail on account of their complexity 20 and uncertainty of operation. The Bussey coupling is among the best. That, however, is not without objection, on- account of a tumbler, dog and spring being employed to hold the link—the latter being uncertain in 25 its action and the former no so arranged as to be disconnected by the engineer or attendant when distant from the coupling.

My coupling is certain in its action, as the coupling hook is actuated by gravity 30 and percussion which never fail, to engage the hook with the link and the parts being so arranged that the hook can be disengaged from the link by the attendant or engineer by simply drawing a cord or chain attached 35 to the hook and leading to any part of the train.

A represents the link made of wrought iron, or any suitable material in the form of a link of a chain, of a proper size and 40 strength ‘for the purpose intended for coupling the cars.

B, B, are the buffers cast or wrought sufficiently concave and of the requisite form and size to direct the link to the hook, se45 cured to the ends of the draw-bars by their convex surfaces, their concave surfaces being placed toward each other, each buffer being in its general form similar to that of an oval bell, with an opening at the apex.

C, C, are the eccentric hooks cast or wrought substantially of the form represented, or other form that will cause the link to become engaged therewith as the cars ap proach each other; or as one car approaches another, which is stationary inserted into 55 mortises in the draw-bars to which they are connected by pins D, on which they turn.

E, E, are the draw-bars attached to the cars containing the buffers, hooks, andlink. These draw-bars are made of wrought iron, 60 or other suitable material, of suitable size and strength and mortised vertically and horizontally for the insertion of the hooks and link and perforated for the insertion of the axle D of the hooks and-open at the 65 sides to admit of access to the link and hooks laterally where required.

F, F, are rings inserted into the hooks to which cords or chains are attached leading to any convenient place for the attendant 70 to lay hold of when he wishes to disengage or uncouple the cars.

The operation of coupling a pair of cars together is described as follows: The link being secured by one of the draw-bars, it 75 strikes, as the cars approach the buffer of the opposite draw-bar which is sufficiently concave in its form to guide the link to the eccentric hook C which it raises and passes, instantly striking the lower part of the hook 80 C' and compelling it to close and secure the link, without the intervention of the hand.

The eccentric hook G may be easily raised from the top of the car, or on the platform, thus disconnecting the cars, even when in 85 rapid motion, by drawing the rope attached to the ring F, or by laying hold of the ring. The gravity of the hook alone would be sufficient to cause it, after being raised, to descend and interlock with the link; but to 90 render the operation certain the link, in moving forward horizontally, must strike the tail end O' of the link and cause the hook to turn on its axle D and have a positive and certain motion on its axle and become inter- 95 locked with the link; in which position it will remain till raised. Springs might be employed to actuate the hook but they would not be so certain and effectual as the gravity and leverage of the lower part of the hook. 100 The concave buffers answer the double purpose of guides for the link and buffers for the cars—serving effectually for the latter purpose;—even when the pin is used for connecting the link they are very valuable. 105

I do not claim the invention of a self act2

5,961 ing coupling for cars, nor the employment of an eccentric tumbler, dog, and spring, nor a flaring mouth to guide the link to the connecting tumbler, but— o What I do claim as my invention and desire to