Uncoupling device for rotary couplers on freight cars

In a railway car having a coupler mounted for rotation relative to the car and having a locklift assembly linkage which, when turned, causes the knuckle of the coupler to be unlocked, a rotor element depending from the locklift assembly linkage beneath the head of the coupler, a bail having side arms and a connecting arm portion, the upper ends of the side arms being rotatably received in bearing member on opposite side faces of the center sill of the car and with the connecting arm adjacent the rotor element, the bail being urgable through a manually operated leverage arrangement, to swing from a rest position to a position where the arm portion contacts and turns the rotor element so as to turn the locklift assembly linkage and cause the knuckle to be unlocked, the improvement in the manually operated leverage arrangement which comprises:

• A. an operating rod having a handle portion for manual grasping, said operating rod being rotatably mounted between spaced bearings lying adjacent a corner of the car and on said center sill thereof, said operating rod as so mounted extending inwardly from its handle portion at the car corner and lying in a plane between the bail and an end sill of the car;
• and
• B. a mechanical linkage intergrally connected at one end to said operating rod and extending generally transversely to the plane of said operating rod and being pivotally connected to said connecting arm portion of said bail at its other end, whereby when said handle portion is manually turned said connecting arm portion of said bail is urged from a rest position into contact with said rotor element and with a force greater than that applied to the handle portion due to the mechanical advantage obtained through the mechanical linkage.