US 4,243,149 AGranted

Railroad car draft gear and coupler arrangement

AssigneeMidland-Ross Corporation

InventorKenneth L. DePenti

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A rotary railroad car coupler and attached draft gear are provided with strategically located stops for maintaining a predetermined clearance between the butt end of the shank of the coupler and the adjacent front follower of the draft gear when the coupler is in a neutral position intermediate the buff and pull positions, whereby an operator can readily mount the coupler to the yoke of the draft gear, especially in a side entry pivot pin arrangement where it becomes necessary to rotate the car coupler.

Claims2

Dependent claims

A car coupler, comprising:

(a) a chambered head, including means for coupling with an opposing head of another like coupler;
(b) a shank extending from the head and terminating at a generally spherical butt end, the shank having a pinhole extending transversely therethrough adjacent the butt end for receiving a pin used to couple the shank to a rotary mechanism;
(c) a yoke having a pair of opposing longitudinally extending sidewalls between which is an opening in which the butt end of the shank is received, the yoke including (i) a plurality of lugs extending into the opening in spaced relation from the butt end of the shank to restrict movement of a rotary mechanism coupled to the shank, in a rearward direction away from the head, and (ii) an opening in one of the sidewalls through which a pin is inserted into the pinhole which is aligned with the sidewall opening when the shank is rotated about its longitudinal axis generally 90.degree. from its position where the head is in a normal neutral position for coupling with a head of another like coupler;
(cc) a rotary mechanism mounted in the yoke for rotation about the longitudinal axis thereof, the rotary mechanism disposed between the yoke and the shank, adjacent the butt end thereof, and having a pair of spaced, aligned openings for receiving opposing ends of the pin used to couple the shank and rotary mechanism together;
(d) a front follower disposed adjacent the butt end of the shank and having a planar portion and a spherical concavity matingly configured to seat the butt end of the shank, the concavity having an area which is at least as large as the area of the butt end of the shank and being bounded by a rim which projects from the planar portion in the direction of the butt end of the shank;
and
(e) means coacting between the yoke and front follower for maintaining the front follower in a predetermined position adjacent the butt end of the shank where the front follower is unbiased against the butt end of the shank, when the coupler is in a neutral position intermediate buff and pull positions thereof, said means including a plurality of stops carried by the front follower and projecting from the planar portion thereof to contact the plurality of lugs carried by the yoke and hold the front follower and butt end of the shank slightly apart so that the shank can be rotated, by hand, about its longitudinal axis after insertion of the pin to couple the shank and rotary mechanism together.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

A car coupler, comprising:

(a) a chambered head, including means for coupling with an opposing head of another like coupler;
(b) a shank extending from the head and terminating at a generally spherical butt end, the shank having a pinhole extending transversely therethrough adjacent the butt end for receiving a pin used to couple the shank to a rotary mechanism;
(c) a yoke having a pair of opposing longitudinally extending sidewalls between which is an opening in which the butt end of the shank is received, the yoke including (i) a plurality of lugs extending into the opening in spaced relation from the butt end of the shank to restrict movement of a rotary mechanism coupled to the shank, in a rearward direction away from the head, and (ii) an opening in one of the sidewalls through which a pin is inserted into the pinhole which is aligned with the sidewall opening when the shank is rotated about its longitudinal axis generally 90.degree. from its position where the head is in a normal neutral position for coupling with a head of another like coupler;
(cc) a rotary mechanism mounted in the yoke for rotation about the longitudinal axis thereof, the rotary mechanism disposed between the yoke and the shank, adjacent the butt end thereof, and having a pair of spaced, aligned openings for receiving opposing ends of the pin used to couple the shank and rotary mechanism together;
(d) a front follower disposed adjacent the butt end of the shank and having a planar portion and a spherical concavity matingly configured to seat the butt end of the shank, the concavity having an area which is at least as large as the area of the butt end of the shank and being bounded by a rim which projects from the planar portion in the direction of the butt end of the shank;
and
(e) means coacting between the yoke and front follower for maintaining the front follower in a predetermined position adjacent the butt end of the shank where the front follower is unbiased against the butt end of the shank, when the coupler is in a neutral position intermediate buff and pull positions thereof, said means including a plurality of stops carried by the front follower and projecting from the planar portion thereof to contact the plurality of lugs carried by the yoke and hold the front follower and butt end of the shank slightly apart so that the shank can be rotated, by hand, about its longitudinal axis after insertion of the pin to couple the shank and rotary mechanism together.

4 more elements