Westinghouse Air Brake Company

American Standard Inc.

Steven C Rumsey

Curtiss A Grau

John R Reiss

Cuong M Ta

Zoltan Kovacs

David S Preuninger

Wayne P Cymbor

Eugene Fourie

A shock-resistant coupler for a vehicle includes a substantially hollow draft gear tube and a coupler head. The draft gear tube has an inside surface, and the coupler head has a flexible, substantially hollow shank portion. The shank portion has a distal end that extends into one end, or mouth, of the draft gear tube. A collar on the distal end features a predetermined number of longitudinally extending relief grooves. Formed in the shank portion adjacent the distal end thereof are at least two slots that extend longitudinally from the collar. These slots enable the distal end of the shank portion to be compressed inwardly so that the shank portion may be inserted into the draft gear tube. A plurality of shear bolts, directed radially through openings in the draft gear tube and corresponding threaded holes in the collar, enable the shank portion to be secured against the inside surface of the draft gear tube. The mouth of the draft gear tube is preferably internally threaded so that an exteriorly threaded ring or bushing, secured about the shank portion between the collar and the coupler head, can be threaded into the mouth to prevent the coupler head from being pulled from the draft gear tube.

Coupling shock resistant (csr) coupler

An uncoupling cam is incorporated into a hook-type coupler. Couplers of this variety are typically found on railway transit vehicles, one hook-type coupler being fixed to each end of each transit vehicle. Moving two transit vehicles toward each other so that their ends come together will eventually cause their respective hook-type couplers to couple together automatically. It is in this manner that a passenger transit train is formed with each of its vehicles being mechanically linked to an adjacent vehicle. Each hook-type coupler has a pivotally mounted hook member that can be pivoted between a latch position and an unlatch position. A biasing means inside the hook-type coupler is used to keep the hook member normally biased to the latch position. The uncoupling cam features a solid body and a roller. The body of the cam has a uniform polygonal cross-section to an edge of which the roller is rotatably secured. The roller is adapted to rollably engage a surface of the hook member. Consequently, when the uncoupling cam is activated through a partial rotation, the hook member is forcibly pivoted to the unlatch position without significant sliding frictional engagement between the uncoupling cam and the hook member.

Roller equipped uncoupling cam

A hook-type coupler for attachment to an end of a railway transit vehicle for joining adjacent ends of a pair of railway transit vehicles wherein the hook-type coupler has a hook member pivotally mounted therein being pivotal between a latch position and an unlatch position and adapted to engage a second pivotally mounted hook member in a second hook-type coupler of compatible design and includes an uncoupling cam for forcibly pivoting the hook member to the unlatch position and a roller rotatably secured to the uncoupling cam to rollably engage a surface of the hook member when the uncoupling cam is activated through a partial rotation thereby pivoting such hook member to the unlatch position without significant sliding frictional engagement between the uncoupling cam and the hook member.

A harp for an electric trolley bus having a channeled shoe member for sliding engagement with a conducting wire. The channeled shoe member is mounted onto the uppemost member of a ball-and-socket swivel joint, and includes an improved shunt member extending through the lowermost member of the ball-and-socket swivel joint for carrying electric current from the swivel joint to a transmission cable provided to deliver electric current into the trolley bus. The shunt comprises a flexible length of conductive cable, with a graphite contact secured at a first end, and a copper contact secured at a second end, and includes a coil spring to maintain the two contacts biased against their respective adjacent conducting elements, and the graphite contact is adapted to be worn by the swiveling action of the swivel joint to mate with the micro-spherical topography of the adjacent contacting portion of the ball-and-socket swivel joint.

High current harp for an electric trolley bus

An electrically operated hook-type coupler for attachment to an end of a railway transit vehicle for joining adjacent ends of a pair of such railway transit vehicles, in which a gathering core is provided at the forward end of a coupler head, with a hook member pivotally mounted within the gathering core, and being pivotal between a latch position and an unlatch position for engaging and disengaging a comparable hook member, and further including a spring to bias the hook member to the latch position. A driving device is also included within the gathering core for forcibly pivoting the hook member to the unlatch position to uncouple the hook member from any other hook member, while an electrically operated actuator is provided outside of the gathering core, which in response to appropriate signal, will activate the driving device to disengage the hook member. A lever arm is also provided to permit manual operation of the driving device to disengage the hook member. Manual operation does not require any preconditioning of the coupler and automatically resets for electric operation.

Electrically operated hook coupler with manual override

An automatic car coupler control system for a railway train consisting of at least one powered car and at least two nonpowered cars. An electrical switch and a timer carried by the nonpowered car following the powered car is connected to a voltage source located on the powered car. An electrical switch and a timer carried by a subsequent nonpowered car is connected through the electrical switch of the nonpowered car following the powered car. The timers of each of the nonpowered cars is connected to a plurality of electromagnetic valves which pneumatically actuate the head pistons of the couplers when the nonpowered cars meet and which initially pneumatically actuate the head pistons and the head unlocks of the coupler and which subsequently pneumatically activate a latch cylinder on the coupler on the nonpowered car following the powered car when the nonpower cars are uncoupled by actuating the electrical switch on the nonpowered car following the powered car.

Electro-pneumatic coupler control system for ensuring the safe

A brake assurance circuit via which a magnet valve device is deenergized to exhaust brake pipe pressure independently of the locomotive brake valve device in order to apply braking any time the proper operating status of the locomotive brake valve is changed after the locomotive is underway. A pressure switch responsive to the cut-in and cut-out setting of the manual selector valve associated with the brake valve senses the locomotive status and connects one of two possible circuits to the magnet valve device in parallel with a primary circuit having a speed responsive switch. Once locomotive movement is underway, the primary circuit drops out and the effective circuits selected by the pressure switch maintains the magnet valve energized provided the selected pressure switch setting is not changed. Should the pressure switch setting be changed, all power is cut off from the magnet valve and cannot be reapplied until the locomotive comes to a complete halt to allow the speed responsive switch to reset and restore power via the primary circuit.

Brake assurance circuit to preserve proper locomotive operting status

A hydraulic power unit for a hydropneumatic brake actuator having a power piston comprising a force piston formed with a bore therein and a take-up piston operative in the force piston bore for movement relative thereto during a brake application. This relative movement is controlled by a check valve device carried with the force piston to establish or interrupt fluid pressure communication between the respective pistons and establishes a positive clearance between a brake shoe and wheel tread, for example, during a subsequent brake release.

Hydropneumatic brake actuator arranged to maintain a constant brake shoe

A cross blending brake system for a multi-car train having power cars that provide regenerative braking through the electro-dynamic action of the car's traction motors, as well as friction braking through an electric/friction brake blending valve, and non-power cars that provide friction braking only through an electric/friction brake blending valve. Since the regenerative brake effort on the power cars is limited only by the available wheel to rail adhesion on these cars, the regenerative action of the electro-dynamic brake provides brake effort in excess of the power car brake requirement, thus reducing the friction brake requirement of the non-power cars, which is limited by the lower threshold energy absorption ability of the wheels. The cross blending control utilizes the excess power car regenerative braking to avoid overheated wheels, while at the same time realizing a net energy savings and reduced brake shoe wear, particularly at maximum levels of regeneration.

Cross blending electro-dynamic/friction brake system for multi-car train

A manually releasable, spring-applied, air-released parking brake device has a hollow guide rod and a non-rotatable spindle connectable to the brake rigging extending through a portion of a cylindrical housing. On one end of the guide rod is secured a portion of a clutch arrangement, and on the opposite end is secured a spline member having a plurality of externally disposed spline grooves. A latching member having an extending surface engages the spline grooves of the spline member, thus preventing rotational movement of the spline member, guide rod, and clutch portion. A release lever, connected to the latching member, allows for engaging and disengaging the latching member and spline member. When the latching member has been disengaged from the spline member, as corresponds to a manual release of the parking brake device, a retractable blocking member is urged against the end surface of the spline member. The blocking member prevents engagement of the latching member and spline member, thus no longer preventing rotational movement of the spline member.

Manually releasable parking brake device

A vigilance safety control arrangement for periodically checking the attentiveness of a trainman. The arrangement includes a pair of capacitive charging circuits connectable to a source of voltage and a pair of resistive-capacitive discharging circuits connectable to an application and indication relay. An electrical toggle switch for periodically connecting one of the pair of capacitive charging circuits to the voltage source and one of the pair of capacitive discharging circuits to the application and indication relay for causing a magnet valve to maintain the brakes of the train in their released position.

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Greer, SC, United States of America

Steven C Rumsey