The Standard Steel Casting Company , commonly referred to as Thurlow Works , was a steel production and steel casting facility founded in Chester, Pennsylvania , in 1883 by shipbuilder John Roach . The company was established primarily to supply steel ingots for Roach's steel mills , which included the Chester Rolling Mill and the Combination Steel and Iron Company , although it also manufactured steel castings . Standard Steel was the first company in the United States to manufacture commercial quantities of steel utilizing the acid open hearth process .
51-406: Roach relinquished majority ownership of the company in 1884 to Robert Wetherill. In subsequent years, Thurlow Works made a name for itself as a manufacturer of large steel castings, especially for the railroad industry. America's first cast steel locomotive frames were poured at Thurlow in 1893. The Standard Steel Casting Company was merged with several other steel casting companies in 1892 to become
102-460: A Confederate veteran of the American Civil War , invented the semi-automatic knuckle coupler in 1868. It automatically locks the couplers on cars or locomotives together without a rail worker having to get between the cars, and replaced the link and pin coupler , which was a major cause of railroad worker injuries and deaths. The locking pin that ensures Janney couplers remain fastened together
153-542: A horizontal gap and a vertical hole in the knuckle itself to accommodate, respectively, a link and a pin, to enable it to couple to vehicles which were still equipped with the older link-and-pin couplers. The knuckle coupler has withstood the test of time since its invention, with only minor changes: Bazeley Coupler 1905-1918 M.C.B. D Type established as the Universal M.C.B. Standard, Adopted 1915 Arthur James Bazeley (1872-1937), railway couplings inventor/design engineer;
204-503: A patent search under "Bazeley, railway couplings" or "Arthur James Bazeley, railway couplings patents" which have been drawn/filed and provided by Roger Bazeley-USA, MSTM, MSID, CHSRM Mineta Transportation Institute , Transportation Industrial Designer. A.J. Bazeley Railway Coupling, Construction/Design Improvements and Draft Rigging related patents include: US 1193222, US 124622, US 1932719, US 1518299, US 1932503, US 2235194, US 1932440 and others. National Malleable Castings in 1891 absorbed
255-493: A reputation for itself as a manufacturer of heavy steel castings and as a pioneer in steel casting experimentation. In 1888, for example, the company accepted an experiment to build one of the largest steel-cast guns ever produced in the United States to that time, a six-inch rifled breech-loader weighing approximately 11,000 pounds. The weapon was manufactured using the company's open hearth process, while another company built
306-437: A reputation for itself as a manufacturer of heavy steel castings and as a pioneer in steel casting experimentation. In 1888, for example, the company accepted an experiment to build one of the largest steel-cast guns ever produced in the United States to that time, a six-inch rifled breech-loader weighing approximately 11,000 pounds. The weapon was manufactured using the company's open hearth process, while another company built
357-704: A second weapon using the Bessemer process. In test firings, the Bessemer-produced gun failed after only the second round. The Thurlow-produced gun fired all ten of its test rounds without incident, but was finally failed after the barrel was found to have become slightly enlarged. The Thurlow Works management later had the gun mounted in its yard as testimony of "a courageous attempt to expand the uses of cast steel." Other large and difficult jobs taken on by Thurlow Works included castings for ship anchors , stern posts for battleships and large industrial housings. In 1893,
408-591: A second weapon using the Bessemer process. In test firings, the Bessemer-produced gun failed after only the second round. The Thurlow-produced gun fired all ten of its test rounds without incident, but was finally failed after the barrel was found to have become slightly enlarged. The Thurlow Works management later had the gun mounted in its yard as testimony of "a courageous attempt to expand the uses of cast steel." Other large and difficult jobs taken on by Thurlow Works included castings for ship anchors , stern posts for battleships and large industrial housings. In 1893,
459-597: A semi-automatic form of railway coupling that allow rail cars and locomotives to be securely linked together without rail workers having to get between the vehicles. Originally known as Janney couplers (the original patent name) they are almost always referred to as Knuckles in the US and Canada (regardless of their actual official model name, nowadays generally various AAR types in North America), but are also known as American , AAR , APT , ARA , MCB , Buckeye , tightlock (in
510-478: Is much safer than the links before it. Janney coupler is like two curved human hand. With gooseneck couplers or offset shank couplers , the horizontal centerline of the coupler head is above the horizontal centerline of the coupler shank, or shaft, and the draw gear . This arrangement is designed for use with low-floor freight cars , to lift the coupler head high enough to match the couplers on other rolling stock. The large bogie boxvans for car parts , used on
561-660: Is withdrawn manually by a worker using the "cut lever", which is operated from either side of the railroad car and does not require the person to go between the cars. The only time the worker has to go between cars is after they have been securely coupled, to hook up the air lines for the pneumatic brakes , and the head-end power cables in the case of passenger cars . Modern Janney couplers typically mount to rail cars and locomotives via draw gear ; early Janney couplers often had transitional shanks which mounted into legacy link and pin coupler pockets, or bolted directly to steam locomotive headstocks . Knuckle couplers are used in
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#1732883710142612-545: The American Steel Casting Company . The American Steel Casting Company was itself merged some years later to form one of America's largest steel companies, American Steel Foundries . In 1880, shipbuilder John Roach, proprietor of America's largest shipbuilding company, John Roach & Sons , established the Combination Steel and Iron Company to take advantage of the growing demand for steel products in
663-414: The American Steel Casting Company . The American Steel Casting Company was itself merged some years later to form one of America's largest steel companies, American Steel Foundries . In 1880, shipbuilder John Roach, proprietor of America's largest shipbuilding company, John Roach & Sons , established the Combination Steel and Iron Company to take advantage of the growing demand for steel products in
714-696: The Standard Steel Casting Company on ten acres of land at Thurlow Station, on the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Burwood Railroad line, not far from his network of other companies in Chester. Roach selected a highly respected metallurgist to manage the new plant, Pedro G. Salom, who had considerable experience in steel quality control methods. Salom became president of the company, while William E. Trainer, Richard Wetherill and John B. Booth became vice-president, treasurer and secretary respectively. For
765-516: The Standard Steel Casting Company on ten acres of land at Thurlow Station, on the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Burwood Railroad line, not far from his network of other companies in Chester. Roach selected a highly respected metallurgist to manage the new plant, Pedro G. Salom, who had considerable experience in steel quality control methods. Salom became president of the company, while William E. Trainer, Richard Wetherill and John B. Booth became vice-president, treasurer and secretary respectively. For
816-762: The Victorian Railways , were fitted with gooseneck couplers for that reason. The Henricot coupler, a variation on the Janney coupler, was introduced by Belgian engineer and entrepreneur Émile Henricot [ fr ] of Court-Saint-Étienne . It is used on certain electric multiple units of the Belgian State Railways , including the NMBS/SNCB class 75. Janney was a dry goods clerk and former Confederate Army officer from Alexandria, Virginia , who used his lunch hours to whittle from wood an alternative to
867-609: The link and pin coupler. The term Buckeye comes from the nickname of the US state of Ohio , the "Buckeye state" and the Ohio Brass Company which originally marketed the coupling. In 1893, satisfied that an automatic coupler could meet the demands of commercial railroad operations and, at the same time, be manipulated safely, the US Congress passed the Safety Appliance Act . Its success in promoting switch-yard safety
918-485: The "Sharon Coupler" PAT APP Nov. 10, 1910, 1911,1913, 1914, the "Simplex Coupler" PAT APP May 3, 1903, the "Climax Coupler", the "Latrobe Coupler", the "Tower Coupler", the "Major Coupler", the " Gould Coupler ", the "Pitt Coupler", the "R.E. Janney Coupler", the "Kelso Coupler" and others. A.J. Bazeley related railway inventions, U.S. patents and railway coupler mechanical drawings and illustrations filed and assigned to National Malleable Castings Company can be referenced by
969-685: The "Type D", and was marketed by the Amsted Corporation, parent of ASF, as the "Standard for the World". It is still the most-used knuckle coupler in the world. The modern Alliance coupler still uses the modern AAR-10 or 10A contour, but has a shorter thus weaker head length, and thus cannot be used on North American interchanged rolling stock. Manufacturers of modern "Type E", "Type F Interlock" and "Type H Tightlock" couplers include McConway & Torley , ASF , and Buckeye, also known as Columbus Castings . The external contour of Janney knuckle couplers
1020-490: The 1932 contour, though tolerances, metallurgy and machining techniques have improved, resulting in notable reductions in coupler slack. Type H tightlock couplings used on passenger stock have a variation of the 10A contour that nearly eliminates slack during normal operation and minimizes the possibility of " telescoping " during a derailment. The purpose of couplers is to join rail cars and locomotives to each other so they all are securely linked together. Major Eli Janney ,
1071-492: The American Steel Casting Company was itself merged with several other large steelmaking firms across the country to become one of America's largest steel casting companies, American Steel Foundries , a specialist in the manufacture of railcar frames and couplings and other railcar parts. American Steel Foundries is known today as ASF-Keystone, Incorporated . Janney coupler Knuckle couplers are
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#17328837101421122-484: The American Steel Casting Company was itself merged with several other large steelmaking firms across the country to become one of America's largest steel casting companies, American Steel Foundries , a specialist in the manufacture of railcar frames and couplings and other railcar parts. American Steel Foundries is known today as ASF-Keystone, Incorporated . American Steel Foundries The Standard Steel Casting Company , commonly referred to as Thurlow Works ,
1173-549: The Americas, Africa, Asia-Pacific, UK, Belgium and Spain (narrow gauge railway only). Among its features: Janney Type E double-shelf couplers are yet another variety, typical on North American hazardous material tank cars . The Janney coupler is commonly used on railway couplings, as it is strong and locks automatically. Janney coupler was patented by Eli Janney after the US Civil War . The Janney interlocking coupling system
1224-527: The Chicago Malleable Iron which was founded in 1873 by Alfred A. Pope and John C. Coonley, who operated similar companies in Ohio and Indiana. By the late 1880s, the company employed nearly 1,000 men at its 26th and Western Chicago works, which manufactured various railroad couplers and steel products for the railroad industries. In 1891, Chicago Malleable became part of the new National Malleable Castings Co.,
1275-621: The Cleveland-based company, where Arthur J. Bazeley was employed as a senior design engineer, had additional manufacturing plants across the Midwest. National Malleable purchased the Latrobe Steel & Coupler's plant in Melrose Park, Illinois , in 1909. In 1923, when it had begun to supply the automobile industry, the company changed its name to National Malleable & Steel Castings. Its stock
1326-493: The Knuckle (the little flap that actually links two knuckles together, one of the few moving parts) with one that has a cut out in the middle of it and a hole bored through it; this modification was designed to work with the older Link and Pin couplers in widespread use before, though could reasonably work with European style chain couplers too. AAR: AAR, the modern American knuckle, they have several variants of their own; ranging from
1377-641: The M.C.B. The two couplers accepted were the Malleable Castings Company Bazeley Coupler , and the American Steel Foundries No.3 modified Alliance Coupler, out of nine couplers submitted to the committee as embodying the joint specification of design, The TYPE D coupler design based on The National Malleable Castings Bazeley Coupler patented designs and improvements was selected as the standard M.C.B Association's standard from 1918., after M.C.B. performance tested it along with
1428-511: The MCB was renamed as the AAR. Knuckle couplers of the 1880s and 1890s had a chaotic mixture of proprietary internal components, but all had the standard MCB external contour, making them compatible. There was a multitude of makes and models — Burns, Climax, Gould, Miller, Sharon and Tower. Some worked better than others. In 1913, American Steel Foundries (ASF) developed the Janney "Type D" coupler, that
1479-597: The Type C designs. The Type “D” Experimental Standard M.C.B. Coupler was unanimously recommended by the Master Car Builders Association and its Coupler Committee for adoption as the National/International (United States/Canadian) standard for coupler design and manufacturing specification uniformity by the M.C.B. Master Car Builders’ Association on June 15, 1916 after its 1915 Convention. This resulted in
1530-505: The UK) or Centre Buffer Couplers . There are many variations of knuckle coupler in use today, and even more from the past, some variants of knuckle include: Janney: the American original, a rather finicky coupler; reportedly annoying to make open and close. Castle: an improvement on the Janney design, and a step towards the modern knuckle. Split Knuckle: a rarer type, which replaces the finger of
1581-501: The UK, several versions of Janney couplers are fitted to a limited number of coaches, multiple units, wagons and locomotives. Janney Type E, Type F Interlock, and Type H tightlock couplings are compatible subtypes, each intended for specific rail car types. Prior to the formation of the Association of American Railroads (AAR) these were known as Master Car Builder (MCB) couplers. In 1934,
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1632-403: The United States. Roach initially used the company to manufacture steel rails for the country's rapidly expanding railroad industry, but he soon discovered that America's existing steelmaking firms could not keep pace with nationwide demand, frequently leaving his new company unsupplied. Roach decided to rectify the problem by founding his own steelmaking firm, and on July 22, 1883, he incorporated
1683-402: The United States. Roach initially used the company to manufacture steel rails for the country's rapidly expanding railroad industry, but he soon discovered that America's existing steelmaking firms could not keep pace with nationwide demand, frequently leaving his new company unsupplied. Roach decided to rectify the problem by founding his own steelmaking firm, and on July 22, 1883, he incorporated
1734-440: The acid open hearth process . Roach relinquished majority ownership of the company in 1884 to Robert Wetherill. In subsequent years, Thurlow Works made a name for itself as a manufacturer of large steel castings, especially for the railroad industry. America's first cast steel locomotive frames were poured at Thurlow in 1893. The Standard Steel Casting Company was merged with several other steel casting companies in 1892 to become
1785-559: The company became the first in the United States to manufacture a complete cast steel frame for a locomotive, built for the Baldwin Locomotive Works . In 1892, Thurlow Works was merged with several other steel casting companies including the Solid Steel Company of Alliance, Ohio , to become the American Steel Casting Company . The new company was headed by a prominent executive in the steel industry, Dan Eagan. In 1902,
1836-429: The company became the first in the United States to manufacture a complete cast steel frame for a locomotive, built for the Baldwin Locomotive Works . In 1892, Thurlow Works was merged with several other steel casting companies including the Solid Steel Company of Alliance, Ohio , to become the American Steel Casting Company . The new company was headed by a prominent executive in the steel industry, Dan Eagan. In 1902,
1887-468: The evolving heavier demands by US railways, as well as, National Malleable Castings' international customers in the United Kingdom, India, and many other countries building and expanding their railway systems. A.J. Bazeley was directly responsible for over 90 registered U.S. patents for railway automatic coupler improvements through design, under the coupler type names which included the "Buckeye coupler",
1938-423: The number of railroad employees steadily increased during that decade. When the Janney coupling was chosen to be the American standard, there were 8,000 patented alternatives to choose from. The only significant disadvantage of using the AAR (Janney) design is that sometimes the drawheads need to be manually aligned. During the transition period from link-and-pin couplers, knuckle couplers on many locomotives had
1989-564: The sharing of U.S. Patent improvements and agreed to by The National Malleable Castings Company, Henry Pope President; The Buckeye Steel Castings Company, The Gould Coupler Company , American Steel Foundries and The Monarch Steel Castings Company, and to be the active standard M.C.B. D Type forward from January 1, 1918. Buckeye Steel Castings Company was founded in 1881 as the Murray-Hayden Foundry before changing to The Buckeye Automatic Car Coupler Company and in 2002 after filing bankruptcy
2040-495: The standard knuckle, to long drawbar ones, to passenger models, to a type designed specifically for tank cars. Janney couplers were first patented in 1873 by Eli H. Janney ( U.S. patent 138,405 ). Andrew Jackson Beard was amongst various inventors that made a multitude of improvements to the knuckle coupler; Beard's patents were U.S. patent 594,059 granted 23 November 1897, which then sold for approximately $ 50,000, and U.S. patent 624,901 granted 16 May 1899. In
2091-507: The steelmaking process itself, Roach and Salom selected the new Siemens-Martin open hearth process, which differed from the more well established Bessemer process by being slower and more easily controlled, allowing for a higher quality of finished product. Roach installed a 10-ton Siemens furnace and an 18-pot Siemens crucible furnace, allowing for the production of 18,000 tons of steel ingots and 3,000 tons of steel castings per annum. The Works, which commenced production on March 1, 1884,
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2142-506: The steelmaking process itself, Roach and Salom selected the new Siemens-Martin open hearth process, which differed from the more well established Bessemer process by being slower and more easily controlled, allowing for a higher quality of finished product. Roach installed a 10-ton Siemens furnace and an 18-pot Siemens crucible furnace, allowing for the production of 18,000 tons of steel ingots and 3,000 tons of steel castings per annum. The Works, which commenced production on March 1, 1884,
2193-573: Was a steel production and steel casting facility founded in Chester, Pennsylvania , in 1883 by shipbuilder John Roach . The company was established primarily to supply steel ingots for Roach's steel mills , which included the Chester Rolling Mill and the Combination Steel and Iron Company , although it also manufactured steel castings . Standard Steel was the first company in the United States to manufacture commercial quantities of steel utilizing
2244-527: Was born in Bristol, England , in 1872, and worked for the Great Western Railway until the age of 34 when he immigrated to Cleveland, Ohio , in 1906, where he worked as a mechanical engineer for National Malleable Castings, Co., inventing and designing improvements in the function, strength, and durability of the (MCB/ARA/AAR/APTA) Janney, Knuckle, Alliance couplers and other coupling devices/ draw gear for
2295-486: Was housed in a 160 x 114 foot building and employed a workforce of 70 hands. In 1884, Roach, possibly due to his growing cash flow problems, relinquished majority control of the Standard Steel Casting Company to Robert Wetherill & Associates. The Works soon began making steel castings for the railroad industry, such as driving boxes and crossheads for locomotives . The company gradually acquired
2346-411: Was housed in a 160 x 114 foot building and employed a workforce of 70 hands. In 1884, Roach, possibly due to his growing cash flow problems, relinquished majority control of the Standard Steel Casting Company to Robert Wetherill & Associates. The Works soon began making steel castings for the railroad industry, such as driving boxes and crossheads for locomotives . The company gradually acquired
2397-507: Was listed on the New York Stock Exchange beginning in 1936 The National Malleable Castings Bazeley Coupler 1905-1918 M.C.B. D Type as Universal M.C.B. Standard Adopted 1915 At a joint M.C.B. Coupler Committee meeting on July 15, 1913, out of numerous studied competing railway coupler manufacturers and designs two couplers were selected for the new proposed universal U.S./Canadian coupler design standard, adopted, June 15, 1916 by
2448-596: Was reformed as Columbus Castings. Railway couplers were manufactured in accordance with the Standard Specifications of the AAR covering the purchase and acceptance of couplers, knuckles, locks and other working parts as shown in their "Mechanical Division Manual of Standards and Recommended Practice". Specifications as of March 1939 required that the fabrication casting material be of open hearth or electric furnace grade "B" steel with specific metallurgic requirements to insure proper tensile strength and reliability of
2499-455: Was stunning. Between 1877 and 1887, approximately 38% of all railworker accidents involved coupling. That percentage fell as the railroads began to replace link and pin couplers with automatic couplers. By 1902, only two years after the SAA's effective date, coupling accidents constituted only 4% of all employee accidents. Coupler-related accidents dropped from 11,710 in 1893 to 2,256 in 1902, even though
2550-630: Was the first aspect to be standardized by the MCB in the 1880s. Prior to this, there was a chaotic variety of constantly evolving and proprietary external contours and internal components. In 1893, manufacturers standardized on the MCB-5 or Type C contour, then in 1915 on the improved MCB-10 or Type D contour, and again in 1932 on the AAR-10A or Type E contour. The 1893, 1915, and 1932 contours are measurably different with slight dimensional changes that improved performance, yet remain compatible. Janney couplers still use
2601-504: Was then made the MCB standard coupler for North America; new and rebuilt rolling stock had to be fitted with that coupler. That ended the market for knuckle couplers with proprietary components, excepting those exported from the US to other countries not complying with MCB standards. The Alliance coupler, named after the ASF-owned foundry in Alliance, Ohio , was developed as a lighter build than
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