AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OF FORMING THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILROAD TRANSIT, ALSO COMMON TRAMWAY AND CHANNEL OR WATERCOURSE,. BY MEANS OF CAST-IRON PLATES OR BOXES PECULIARLY CONSTRUCTED, SO AS TO MAKE ONE CONTINUOUS WAY OR CHANNEL
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Stephen Carey, of Clink Street Wharf, Bankside,
Southwark, in. the County of Surrey, Builder and Contractor, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OF FORMING THE PERMANENT WAY OF
RAILROAD TRANSIT, ALSO COMMON TRAMWAY AND CHANNEL OR WATERCOURSE,.
BY MEANS OF CAST-IRON PLATES OR BOXES PECULIARLY CONSTRUCTED, SO AS TO
MAKE ONE CONTINUOUS WAY OR CHANNEL."
Scaled the 1st February 1859, and dated the 6th August 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Stephen Carey at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 6th
August 1858.
I, STEPHEN CAREY, of Clink Street Wharf, Bankside, Southwark, in the
County of Surrey, Builder and Contractor, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OF FORMING THE PERMANENT WAY
OF RAILROAD TRANSIT, ALSO COMMON TRAMWAY AND CHANNEL OR WATERCOURSE, BY
THE MEANS OF CAST-IRON PLATES OR BOXES PECULIARLY CONSTRUCTED, SO AS TO MAKE:
ONE CONTINUOUS WAY OR CHANNEL," to be as follows:-
The nature of my Invention consists in forming a continuous line of cast--
iron plates or boxes, put together side by side, or end to end, as may be most
convenient, for the purpose of making a channel or waterway at the sides of
streets or other roadways; the said plates for channel, watercourse, or tram-
way are made to joggle or rebate together at their ends or sides, so as to make
the plates combine together to form one plate or channel, watercourse, tram

page_text: or other way; the plates may be used in constructing the permanent way for
railways, in that case they would have cast on their upper surfaces flanches to
receive the rail, which would be so constructed as to receive a cast-iron rail
made in a T() form, with the lower part roached or curved to act
upon a spring of steel, india-rubber, or wood. The two continuous lines of
plates to receive the rail would be attached together by the means of cast-iron
or sheet-iron plates, instead of transverse sleepers. The object of covering
plates is to exclude the rain or wet, so as when laid there will be a much less
liability of getting out of repair.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Stephen Carey in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th February 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, STEPHEN
CAREY, of Clink Wharf, Bankside, Southwark, in the County of Surrey,
Builder and Contractor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Stephen Carey, Her special licence that I, the said
Stephen Carey, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Stephen Carey, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OF FORMING THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILROAD TRANSIT,
ALSO COMMON TRAMWAY, AND CHANNEL OR WATERCOURSE, BY THE MEANS OF CAST-
IRON PLATES PECULIARLY CONSTRUCTED, SO AS TO MAKE ONE CONTINUOUS WAY OR
CHANNEL," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Stephen
Carey, 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 Invention, 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.
•

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Stephen Carey, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The nature of my Invention consists in forming a continuous line of cast-
iron plates or boxes, put together side by side, or end to end, as may be most
convenient, for the purpose of making a channel or waterway at the sides of
streets, or other roadways; also for forming tramways either at the edge of a
roadway next the curb, or in any other part of the road; likewise for forming
the permanent way for railways.
In order that my Invention may be fully understood, I have hereunto
annexed a Sheet of Drawings with figures and letters of reference, the same
letters indicating corresponding parts throughout the several Figures.
The following is a description of the several Figures, and their method of
construction:-'
Fig. 1 shows the transverse section of an iron channel or waterway laid
next the curb of a footway. It consists of a cast-iron plate a, with broken or
disjointed fillets 6 cast on the upper surface, iron sides c, and stiffeners or
webs d, the channel plates or blocks are laid end to end, and fitted together
with a joggle or indented joint, shown at f in Fig. 2 and 3.
Fig. 1 shows the transverse section of a cast-iron curb, consisting of the
plate a with raised and broken fillets b, side c, and stiffeners d. The side c of
the curb goes a little below the surface of the channel plate at t, and the foot-
way s is made level with the top of the fillets b.
Fig. 2 shows the upper side, and Fig. 3 shows the lower side of a cast-iron
block constructed for paving, or for tramways, with iron plate a, raised and
broken fillets.b, sides c, stiffeners' or webs d, and joggle or indented joint f.
Fig. 4 shows a cast-iron plate a for tramways or paving, raised or broken
fillets b, stiffeners d¹ (the stiffeners d are shown dotted on plan, and are cast
diagonally, crossing each other on the under side of the plate. The joggle
joint f is made similar to those shewn in Fig. 2 and 3.
Fig. 5 shews the transverse section of the iron plate a for tramways or
paving, as described in Fig. 4, with raised fillets b, and diagonal stiffeners or
webs d.
Fig. 6 shews the upper side, and Fig. 7 the under side of a cast-iron block,
constructed to form the permanent way of a railroad. It consists of an upper
cast-iron plate a of convex form, with sides c, stiffeners or webs d, with
perforations c, jaws or railholders g, bracket stiffeners d'; and joggle joint f..
Fig. 8 shows a transverse section through the centre of the block for tho

page_text: 'permanent way, described in Fig. 6 and 7, with curved top plate a, sides c,
stiffeners or webs d, perforations e, jaws or railholders g*, and bracketted
:stiffeners d'.
Fig. 9 shows a transverse section of a boxed cast-iron permanent way, con-
sisting of a curved top plate a, bottom plate a¹, sides c, stiffener or web d,
perforations e, jaws or railholders g, bracketted stiffeners d¹, iron rail h,
metal spring i, cushion j to bear the spring, small trap-door o, fitted in the top
plate a to obtain access to the inside.
Fig. 10, longitudinal section of a range of the boxed cast-iron permanent
way. It consists of the upper curved plate a, lower curved plate a¹, cross
stiffeners or webs d, perforations e, cushion j, bar spring i, rail h, joggle joint f
and joint to rail f¹.
Fig. 11 shows the end view, and Fig. 12 the longitudinal section of the iron
rail h, with joggle joint f'.
Fig. 13 shows a transverse section of a wood rail k, fitted into the jaws or
railholder g, attached to the top plate a, iron capping 1, screw bolt 1, counter-
sunk into the iron capping, and screwed into the undulating bar u. The
undulating bar rides on the spring i and cushion j.
Fig. 14 shows a transverse section of a boxed cast-iron curb laid at the
edge of a footway, with top plate a, bottom plate a', broken fillets b, and
sides c.
The inner part is left open to receive electrical wires, gas or other
pipes. The stone paving s, and part of the channel t, shows the connections
with the road and footpath. Some of the boxed curbs have doors or flaps
hinged to a frame, as shown by dotted lines, similar to those used to gulley
lioles, for the purpose of getting at the inside to lay the wires or pipes..
The joints of the several plates or blocks herein described are constructed
with alternate notches p and projections q, fitting into each other; each of the
notches has a wedge-formed addition underneath, that forms the rebate. upon
which the projection of the adjoining plate rests.
The fillets formed upon the several plates or blocks herein described, are
cast thereon, and so constructed in short pieces, made to break joint, as to
allow water to pass between them, and allow foot-hold for horses.
The several stiffeners-or-webs-d-are-cast-with-the-blocks or plates to give
them strength, and are sometimes perforated, as shown at e, in the several
Fig. 7, 8, and 9, to allow electric wires, gas, or other pipes to be laid therein;
a small door or trap o, Fig. 9, is in those cases fitted or hinged into the top
plate a, or one of the blocks may be removed at intervals for a similar purpose.
The iron plates or blocks for paving or tramways I usually make level, as
shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5; but when required for channels they are slightly

page_text: curved, as shown in Fig. 1. The channels and tramways are laid end to end;
and when required for paving, are laid end to end and side by side.
The iron plates or blocks used for curbs, as shown in Fig. 14, I usually
nake with top plate a, broken fillets b, outer side e, and stiffeners d; but
when required for electric wires or pipes, I have them boxed, as shown in
Fig. 14, some of the said blocks being cast with flaps hinged to a frame,
similar to those commonly used to gulley holes.
When the plates or blocks are required to cover subways, I make them in
greater lengths, so as to span the opening, with strong stiffeners underneath.
The plates are cast with raised fillets in a similar manner to those described in
Fig. 5, but they are reversed or crossed, so that the length of the fillet runs
transversely to the plate, and parrallel to the sides of the road, the ends are
notched and jointed to the trams or side plates in the manner before described.
The iron blocks or plates for the permanent way of railways are shown in
Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. They are cast with jaws or flanches g to receive an
iron T-shaped rail h; the bottom of the rail is curved longitudinally in an
undulating form, the convex part rests upon a metal spring i, laid longitudinally
near the bottom of the jaw. The spring i rests upon iron cushions j, the
cushions are slightly curved to prevent abrasion of the springs.
Sometimes I construct the permanent way with a bottom plate a¹ as well as
a top plate a, and box it in with sides c, as shown in Fig. 9. The stiffeners or
webs d are perforated at e, to admit electric wires or pipes; or the whole space
may be left open without stiffeners, a small door or trap o being fitted in the
top to get to the wires or pipes.
The blocks of the permanent way may be held together, or tied with iron
bars or plates running transversely from one block to the other. When wood
rails are used, the jaws g must be cast at a greater distance apart, in order to
receive the wood rail, as shewn in Fig. 13; an iron capping l, curved at the
top, and rounded and bent down at the edges, is fixed on the top, and an iron
plate u is fixed at the bottom, the under plate u being curved or undulated, so
as to act upon the spring in a similar manner to the iron rail shewn in Fig. 10,
a countersunk screw securing the capping 1, wood rail k, and under plate u
together.
Instead of laying a metal spring under the rail, as herein-before described,
I sometimes use indian-rubber, prepared felt, or gutta percha, either of which
I would lay at the bottom of the railholder or jaw, and allow the rail to rest
thereon, so as to avoid rigidity.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I would have it understood, that I make no

page_text: claim to the several parts above described and referred to when taken
separately; but what I claim is,―
"First, the general arrangement-and-combination of parts forming a cast-iron
channel, as herein set forth and described.
Second, the general arrangement and combination of parts forming a cast-
iron tramway paving, as herein set forth and described.
Third, the general arrangement and combination of parts forming a cast-
iron curb, as herein set forth and described.
Fourth, the general arrangement and combination of parts forming a cast-
iron permanent way, with iron rail, as herein set forth and described.
Fifth, the general arrangement and combination of parts forming a cast-
iron permanent way, with wood rail, as herein set forth and described.
. Sixth, the combination of the spring and rail forming part of the permanent
way as herein set forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Stephen Carey, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
HENRY LAXTON, Patent Agent,
19, Arundel Street, Strand.
STEPHEN CAREY (L.S.)