IMPROVEMENTS IN CLIPS AND WASHERS USED FOR RAILWAY FASTENINGS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Goodman Sheward of Richmond Surrey and
William Edwin Jones of Crooked Lane King William Street in the City of
London for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN CLIPS AND WASHERS USED
FOR RAILWAY FASTENINGS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Goodman Sheward
& William Edwin Jones at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
1st December 1882.
EDWARD GOODMAN SHEWARD of Richmond, Surrey, and WILLIAM EDWIN
JONES of Crooked Lane King William Street in the City of London
"IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CLIPS AND WASHERS USED FOR RAILWAY FASTENINGS,"
Our invention relates to improved modes of constructing clips and washers in
such a manner that when held down by means of bolts or spikes or any other
fastening to fasten down or in any way support or secure rails, they assist in
preventing the lateral movement of the rails by the resistance offered by their hold
upon the sleeper.
We carry our invention into effect according to one method by forming at the
lower side of the clip or washer, along or around two or more edges thereof, knife
edges projecting downwards, which are forced somewhat into the sleeper as the
clip or washer is tightened down by the action of a bolt or spike or any
other means. These knife edges by their hold in the sleeper offer firm
resistance to the lateral thrust of the rail flange. In the case of a circular washer
a knife edge may be formed around the whole circumference at the bottom.
According to another method we form at the lower side of the clip or washer,
preferably at the corners thereof, claws projecting downwards and shaped so as to
be forced into the sleeper as the clip or washer is tightened down, and thus be
capable of great lateral resistance.
According to a further modification we combine the knife edges and claws,
aforesaid, underneath a clip or washer, by forming a knife edge, say along one
edge, and a claw at each of the corners of the opposite edge, if the clip or washer
is square or rectangular, or a claw at the opposite corner, if the clip or washer is
triangular.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edward Goodman Sheward & William Edwin Jones in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 1st June 1883.
EDWARD GOODMAN SHEWARD of Richmond, Surrey, and WILLIAM EDWIN
JONES of Crooked Lane King William Street in the City of London " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CLIPS AND WASHERS USED FOR RAILWAY FASTENINGS
Our invention relates to improved modes of constructing clips and washers in
such a manner that when held down by means of bolts, screws or spikes or any
other fastening, to fasten down or in any way support or secure rails, they assist
in preventing the lateral movement of the rails by the resistance offered by their
hold upon the sleeper.
We carry our invention into effect, according to one method, by forming at the
lower side of the clip or washer, along or around two or more edges thereof,
knife-edges projecting downwards, which are forced into the sleeper as the clip or
washer is tightened down by the action of a bolt, screw, or spike or any other
means. These knife-edges, by their hold in the sleeper, offer firm resistance to the
lateral thrust of the rail flange. In the case of a circular washer a knife-edge may
be formed around the whole circumference at the bottom.
According to another method we form at the lower side of the clip or washer,
preferably at the corners thereof, claws projecting downwards, and shaped so as to
be forced into the sleeper as the clip or washer is tightened down, and thus be
capable of great lateral resistance.
"
According to a further modification we combine the knife-edges and claws,
aforesaid, underneath a clip or washer, by forming a knife-edge, say along one
edge and a claw at each of the corners of the opposite edge, if the clip or washer
is square or rectangular, or a claw at the opposite corner, if the clip or washer is
triangular.
Having thus stated the nature of our said invention we will now proceed more
particularly to describe and ascertain the manner of performing the same with
reference to the accompanying drawings, of which figure 1 is a transverse section
through a flange rail and shews such rail to be held down to the sleeper by means
of our improved construction of clips. The clip on one side of the rail is shewn
in section and that on the other side in elevation. Figure 2 is a plan of tho
underside of one of the clips shewn at figure 1. A is the rail, B the wood sleeper,
C C' the clips and D D the bolts or screws holding down the clips to the sleeper.
a a etc. are knife-edges running along two sides of each clip on the bottom thereof
as shewn. These knife-edges are tightened into the wood of the sleeper as the
clips are fastened down by means of the bolts, and thus offer great resistance
against any lateral movement of the rail and materially assist therefore in the
maintenance of a true gauge.
Figures 3, 4 and 5 illustrate a modified construction of clip to those shewn at
figures 1 and 2. Figure 3 is a section of the clip corresponding to the section of
the clip C' shewn at figure 1. Figure 4 is an inside end view of figure 3, and
figure 5 is a plan of the underside of the clip. E is the bolt hole through the clip,
and bb etc are claws one at each corner as shewn. These claws are in lieu of the
knife-edges illustrated by figures 1 and 2, and are forced down into the wooden
sleeper as the clips are tightened down.
Figure 6 is a transverse section through a flange rail which is shewn to be kept
in place laterally by means of our improved construction of washers. Figure 7 is
a plan of the rail, bolt-heads and washers shown by figure 6, a sufficient length

page_text: only of rail being shewn to make the illustration clear. A' is the rail, B¹ the wood
sleeper, CC the washers, which are shewn as circular, and D¹ D¹ the bolts or
screws holding down the washers to the sleeper. a¹ a¹ are circular knife-edges
running around the circumference of the washers on the bottom thereof. These
knife-edges are firmly tightened into the wood of the sleeper as the bolts are
screwed up and thus prevent any lateral movement of the rail. The illustration
shews washers in two different positions so as to avoid extra figures in the
drawing, the washer C being shewn in position simply against the flange of the
rail, and the washer Cs being shewn to be let into the rail flange, the head of the
bolt in each case bearing partly upon the rail flange as well as upon the washer,
and thus holding down the rail also. Instead of fixing washers in either of the
positions shewn they may be placed in holes formed through the flange of the rail,
the bolts passing down through them being employed to tighten down the rail as
well as the washers.
Figure 8 is a transverse section through a rectangular washer constructed
according to our invention, and figure 9 is a plan of the underside thereof.
cc etc. are knife-edges corresponding to the circular knife-edges shewn at
figure 6.
Figure 10 is a longitudinal section of a triangular washer, and figure 11 is a
plan of the underside thereof. d is a knife-edge along the bottom of the end of
the washer which is intended to be adjacent to the rail flange and corresponds to
the knife-edges herein-before described, and e is a claw at the bottom corner of the
washer opposite to the side at which the knife-edge occurs. When the triangular
washer is fastened down both the knife-edge and the claw are forced into the wood
of the sleeper with the effect already described.
Having now stated the nature of our said invention and particularly described
and ascertained the manner of performing the same, we desire to state that the
invention is capable of considerable modification in the way of combining claws
and knife-edges on the underside of clips and washers and of substituting a
knife-edge or edges for claws, or vice-versa, as will be readily understood, and we
do not therefor limit ourselves to the exact modifications illustrated, but what we
claim as our Invention and desire to secure by the herein-before in-part-recited
Letters Patent, is :-
Constructing clips and washers each with two or more knife-edges or claws or
with a circular knife-edge or with a knife-edge or edges and a claw or claws
combined on the underside thereof, substantially as and for the purpose herein
described and shewn.
In witness whereof I the said Edward Goodman Sheward for myself and on
behalf of the said William Edwin Jones have hereunto set my hand and
seal this twenty ninth day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.
EDWARD G. SHEWARD. (L.S.)