IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CHAIRS, AND IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Crowther Ryland, of Kingsbury, in the County
of Warwick, Colliery Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY
CHAIRS, AND IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 23rd February 1877, and dated the 7th September 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Crowther Ryland
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th September 1876.
GEORGE CROWTHER RYLAND, of Kingsbury, in the County of Warwick, Colliery
Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CHAIRS, AND IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF
RAILWAYS."
My said Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in railway
chairs, and in the permanent way of railways, whereby great economy is effected
in the said railway chairs and permanent way.
In making railway chairs according to my Invention I employ clay, by preference
of a loamy character, that is, containing carbonate of lime. I do not, however,
limit myself to any particular kind of clay, nor to the use of clay alone. If the
clay as found in nature yields when burnt a hard dense substance of a semi-vitreous
character, such as the ordinary blue brick, it will answer well for the purpose of
my Invention, but to an inferior kind of clay, I prefer to add the materials
necessary to give it the required physical characters when burnt.
I find the addition of a small quantity of ground coke of considerable advantage.
I employ the clay either in a most plastic state or in the state of a dry coherent
powder, and by moulding in the former case and by pressure in the latter case I
form the railway chair. The figure I prefer differs essentially from that of the
ordinary railway chair, and is that of an oblong block having on its upper side a
groove or depression of a size and figure proper to receive the rail. The edges or
the upper side may be rounded, and the base may be expanded with advantage in
cases where a more than ordinary firmness is required.
A hole passes transversely through the chair, that is, at right angles to the
groove for the rail, for the purpose herein-after described. The chairs are burnt in
the same way as bricks and like articles. The rails are secured in the said chairs
in the ordinary way. I do not limit myself to any particular way of fixing the
chairs, but I prefer to fix them and use them in conjunction with my improvements
Price 6d1

page_text: in the permanet way of railways, and I will describe them fixed and used in
conjunction with a permanent way.
In constructing the permanent way of railways according to my Invention I
make a series of blocks of clay moulded and burned in the usual way, the said
blocks having a projection on one side and a recess on the other, so that when
placed in a row the projection on one block engages in the recess in the next one,
and the series is thus locked together On the upper side of each block is a recess
or depression of a size and shape proper for the lower head of the rail to rest in.
In constructing the permanent way of railways I arrange these blocks either on
longitudinal sleepers or embed them in the ground, chairs of the kind herein-before
described being introduced at the required distances. By means of tie rods passed
through the holes in each pair of chairs, or through every second or third or other
pair of chairs and cottered therein, the chairs are firmly secured together at the
required distances apart, and the said chair and permanent way bound together
into a compact structure.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Crowther Ryland in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th
February 1877.
GEORGE CROWTHER RYLAND, of Kingsbury, in the County of Warwick, Colliery
Agent "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CHAIRS, AND IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF
RAILWAYS."
My said Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in railway
chairs, and in the permanent way of railways, whereby great economy is effected
in the said railway chairs and permanent way
In making railway chairs according to my Invention I employ_clay, by preference
of a loamy character, that is, containing carbonate of lime. I do not, however,
limit myself to any particular kind of clay, nor to the use of clay alone. If the
clay as found in nature yields when burnt a hard dense substance of a semi-vitreous
character, such as the ordinary blue brick, it will answer well for the purpose of
my Invention, but to an inferior kind of clay I prefer to add the materials
necessary to give it the required physical characters when burnt.
I find the addition of a small quantity of ground coke of considerable advantage.
I employ the clay either in a moist plastic state, or in the state of a dry coherent
powder, and by moulding and piessing in the former case, and by pressing in the
latter case I form the railway chair. The figure I prefer differs essentially from
that of the ordinary railway chair, and is that of a block having on its upper side
a groove or depression of a size and figure proper to receive the rail. The edges or
the upper side may be rounded, and the base inay be expanded with advantage in
cases where a more than ordinary firmness is required.
A hole may be made transversely through the chair that is at right angles to the
groove for the rail for the purpose herein-after described. The chairs are burnt in
the same way as bricks and like articles. The rails are secured in the said chairs
in the ordinary way. I do not limit myself to any particular way of fixing the
chairs, but I prefer to fix them and use them in conjunction with my improvements
in the permanent way of railways, and I will describe them fixed and used in
conjunction with a permanent way.
In constructing the permanent way of railways according to my Invention I
make a series of blocks of clay moulded and burned in the usual way. On the
upper side of each block is a recess or depression of a size and shape proper for the
lower head of the rail to rest in.
In constructing the permanent way of railways I arrange these blocks either in
longitudinal supports or embed them in the ground chairs of the kind herein-before

page_text: described, being introduced at the required distances. By means of tie rods passed
through the holes in each pair of chairs, or through every second or third or other
pair of chairs and cottered therein, the chairs are firmly secured together at the
required distances apart, and the said chairs and permanent way bound together
into a compact structure.
Figure of the accompanying Drawing represents in isometrical perspective a
portion of a line of railway in which the railway chairs and permanent way aro
constructed according to my Invention. That side of Figure 1 marked A is the
inner side of the line, that is, the space marked A is the space between the pair of
rails, of which one rail is represented in the said Figure 1
Figure 2 represents in isometrical perspective one of the railway chairs of the
line, Figure 1, and Figure 3 represents in isometrical perspective one of the blocks
of the permanent way which I prefer to use in conjunction with the chairs, Figure
2, in the manner represented in Figure 1, that is to say, I prefer to support the rail
throughout its whole length by means of chairs and blocks of the kinds represented
in Figures 2 and 3, alternating with each other, as shown in Figure 1.
In Figure 1 the chairs, Figure 2, are marked a, and the blocks, Figure 3, are
marked b. The rail c is fixed in the chairs a by means of wooden keys or wedges
d driven between the body of the rail and the vertical inner sido a¹ of the chairs
a, a, the lower head of the rail c engaging in the undercut or recessed part a² of
the said chairs a, a. The blocks b have a recessed or under cut part a³, in which the
lower head of the rail engages, similar to the recess a in the chairs a. The said
blocks bare however without the vertical sides a¹ of the chairs a, a. By an
examination of Figure 1 it will be seen that the rail c is firmly wedged and
supported vertically, and on both sides in the chairs a, a, but the rail is not wedged
or otherwise fixed in the blocks b, but is supported vertically by the said blocks,
and is supported also laterally on its outer side by the parts as of the said
blocks.
Although I prefer to construct the permanent way as represented in Figure 1,
yet I do not limit myself thereto, as tho rail c is sufficiently supported for all
ordinary purposes by the chairs a, a, without the alternating blocks b, b. I prefer
however to use the blocks b, b, in addition to the chairs a, a, as a continuous
vertical support, as well as a continuous lateral support on that side of the rail most
needing it is thereby produced, and the permanent way has a strength and com-
pactness not otherwise attainable.
as a
Between the under side of the lower head of the rail and the chair I prefer to
introduce a layer of felt or other yielding material marked e in Figure
slightly yielding packing to prevent treinour and to give a more uniform bearing to
and to preserve the surface of the lower head of the rail. Where felt or other
yielding packing is employed the depression forming the lower head of the rail is
made somewhat larger.
The chairs a, a, or the chairs a, a, and blocks b, b, may either be embedded
directly in the ground, or may rest on longitudinal supports
The several chairs a, a, may be firmly fixed at the required distance from the
chairs of the other line of rails by means of tie rods passed through the transverse
holes described in the said chairs a, a, and through similar holes in the chairs of
the other rail with which the chairs a, a, respectively form pairs, the tie rods being
cottered in the said holes. Each pair of chairs may be bound together by tie rods,
or every second or third or other pair of chairs may be so bound together.
Instead of binding the two lines of rails together by means of tie rods passed
through transverse holes in the chairs a, a, I prefer to bind the two lines of rails
together by tie rods passed through and cottered in transverse holes in the blocks
b, b. As the tendency in the rails is to separate, the fixing of the tie rods in the
blocks b, b, has the same effect as fixing the tie rods in the chairs a, a, and I prefer
the fixing by means of tie rods passed through the blocks in order that the strain
upon the permanent way may be the more uniformly distributed.
Instead of having chairs alternating with one block only the chairs may alternate

page_text: with groups of two, three, or more blocks, or the chairs may be grouped together
in groups of two or more. The blocks may have cross channels in them, or they
may be arranged at a short distance apart for the purpose of drainage.
I do not think it necessary to describe the processes whereby the moulding and
burning of the chairs and blocks are effected, as they differ in no essential respect
from the processes employed for other like purposes.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention
of improvements in railway chairs, and in the permanent way of railways,―
First. Making railway chairs of clay having the construction herein-before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, the said chairs being
moulded and burned by the ordinary processes.
Secondly. Constructing blocks of clay of the kind herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing to be used in the construction of the
permanent way of railways, the said blocks being moulded and burned in the
ordinary way.
Thirdly. Constructing the permanent way of railways by combining substantially
in the ways described and illustrated chairs and blocks of the kinds referred to in
the preceding claims.
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In witness whereof, I, the said George Crowther Ryland, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.