IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENING AND IN SECURING IN POSITION THE RAILS OF RAILWAYS, THE SAID FASTENING BEING APPLICABLE FOR OTHER USES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Ward Armstrong, of Carmarthen, in the County
of Carmarthen, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FASTENING AND IN SECURING IN POSITION THE RAILS OF RAILWAYS, THE SAID
FASTENING BEING APPLICABLE FOR OTHER USES."
Sealed the 2nd February 1864, and dated the 8th August 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Ward Armstrong
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 8th August 1863.
I, JOHN WARD ARMSTRONG, of Carmarthen, in the County of Car-
marthen, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENING AND IN SECURING IN POSITION THE RAILS OF
RAILWAYS, THE SAID FASTENING BEING APPLICABLE FOR OTHER USES," to be
as follows:-
For fastening the ends of rails together to form a line of rails, or joining
other things together, I uso washer fangs having recesses therein or depressed
portions thereof, to receive the nuts on the ends of the bolts which pass through
the fish plates or otherwise. The nuts to correspond to and fit in the said
recesses or portions, enabling the screw bolts to work through without causing
the nut to turn round. I can invert the bolt if thought desirable in fastening
down railway bars to timber, so as to have the head of the bolt in the recess

page_text: or depressed part of the washer fang and the nut working in the flange on the
railway bar.
The Drawings or Diagrams shew by plans and sections the said improve-
ments in fastening, Fig. 1 representing a washer fang with a complete recess a;
Fig. 2 with a recess b, open at one end; Fig. 3 with a recess c, open at both
ends; and Fig. 4 shows a ridge or rising part d to serve in place of the recess,
although this will not answer so well as the rocess it may be found sufficient
for some purposes.
For securing the rails in position, I adopt and apply, in manner hereafter
described, a chair (see Drawing Fig. 5) in which the rail e, e, is supported by
the jaw of the chair, against which it is kept by the wooden keyf being
driven in. In laying these chairs, in order to well secure the rail in position,
I reverse the position of the jaw side of the chair alternately along the same
line of rail. Now, as these chairs are fixed on wooden cross sleepers, 3 feet
apart or otherwise, the alternating of the bearing with the iron jaw produces the
same effect as if the rail were caught on each side at the same place, while the
necessity for through bolting is got rid of, and the facility which a wooden key
affords in repairs is secured, and the lower table of the rail is kept from wear
by being suspended. The wooden key too is to be made taper off well. The
bolts may have a running nut at each end, or a fixed head at one end and
running nut at the other. The various parts may be galvanized, and made so
as to act well together.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Ward Armstrong in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th February 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
WARD ARMSTRONG, of Carmarthen, in the County of Carmarthen, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eight day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Ier heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Ward Armstrong, Her special licence that I, the said John Ward
Armstrong, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John Ward Armstrong, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter

page_text: during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,.
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
tho Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FASTENING AND IN SECURING IN POSITION THE RAILS OF RAILWAYS, THE SAID
FASTENING BEING APPLICABLE FOR OTHER USES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John Ward Armstrong, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar. months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Ward Armstrong, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
For fastening the ends of rails together to form a line of rails, or for joining
other things where the same kind of arrangements can be usefully applied, I
use washer fangs, herein-after particularly described and illustrated by the
Drawings, such fangs being provided with recessed or dressed portions for the
reception of the nuts on the ends of the bolts, which pass through the bracket
or half-chair part (or attachment) of the fish plates used for joining the ends
of the rails or otherwise.) The nuts aforesaid correspond to and fit in the said
recessed or depressed portions, enabling the screw bolts to work through
without causing the nut to turn round. I can invert the bolt, if thought
desirable, in fastening down railway bars to timber, so as to have the head of
the bolt in the recessed or depressed portions of the washer fang, the nut
working on the flange of the railway bar.
For securing the rails in position I adopt and apply in manner herein-after
described chairs, in which the rail is supported by the jaw of the chair, against
which it is firmly upheld and kept in position by the herein-after described
wooden key being driven in. In laying these chairs so as to well secure the
rails in position, one holding jaw of the chair is placed on the right-hand sido
of the rail, and the next holding jaw on the left-hand side of the rail, and so
on to the whole extent of the line of rails, which arrangement produces prac-
tically the same effect as if the rail were caught on each side at the same.
place, the necessity for through bolting being thus avoided, whilst the wooden
key being easily removeable affording great facility for repairs, and the lower
table of the rail being kept free from contact is not liable to wear. The
wooden key can be made to taper off well. The bolts may have a running

page_text: nut at each cho, o
The various parts may be galvanized, and made so as to act well together.
In using my improved washer fangs to join rails together I should use
a bracket, or sort of half-chair arrangement, to which the rail is secured at
the fish-plate joints, the base of this half chair being bolted through and 5
secured by the washer fangs.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
accompanying this Specification and illustrating in detail the nature and
character of the said Invention.
Fig. 1 represents a section and a plan view of my washer fang provided
with the complete recess a, which is enclosed on all sides or all round;
Fig. 2 represents a section and a plan of a form of recess b, not enclosed on
all sides, that is, having one side open; Fig. 3 represents a section and a
plan of a form of recess c, which has only two sides enclosed, the ends × ×
being open; Fig. 4 represents a section and a plan in which instead of a
recess I simply make a ridge d, d, and although this cannot be expected to
answer so well as the recess, it may be found sufficient for some purposes. In
all these Figures the circles denote the orifices for the holding down bolts to
pass through.
Fig. 5 shews a cross section and Fig. 6 a side view of a rail, transverse
sleeper, and washer fang a, with holding-down bolt securing a bracket, fish
plate, or half-chair arrangement A, which secures and forms a joint for the
rails by means of the bolts which pass through the rail, and are secured by
nuts to the fish plato B.
Fig. 7, end view of my improved chair; Fig. 8, perspective view of said
chair, with rail fitted and secured therein by the key C.
Fig. 9, a vertical section of another form of chair, with rail secured therein
by the key, as shewn; Fig. 10 shews portions of each side of a railway laid
with my improvements applied thereto, the said Figure shewing that the key
is applied on the right-hand side of the rail in one case, and in the next case
on the left-hand side of the rail, and so on.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I hereby
declare that I claim, the improvements in fastening, as regards the con-
struction of washer fangs, also the application of the same for fastenings, in
manner herein described. And also the improvements in securing in position
the rails of railways by the arrangements as herein described with reference
to the Drawings accompanying this Specification, though it is to be under-

page_text: stood that the ordinary details of construction introduced in the said Drawings
for facilitating illustration form per se no part of my said Invention within the
scope of the said Letters Patent.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Ward Armstrong, have hereunto set
my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
HENRY BESANT.
JOHN WARD ARMSTRONG. (L.S.)