IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF TRAMWAYS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Silas Nicholls, of St. Clement Danes, in the County of
Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY
OF TRAMWAYS."
Sealed the 10th January 1879, and dated the 16th August 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Silas Nicholls at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th August 1878.
SILAS NICHOLLS, of St. Clement Danes, in the County of Middlesex. " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF TRAMWAYS."
The object of my Invention is to construct a tramway capable of resisting for a
lengthened period the damaging effects of rain, frost, and snow, and in which the
tram rails and the paving of the road on either side are kept firm, and so far as the
durability of the road materials will admit of uniform surface level, and when the
road is fairly worn below the level of the rails, the latter can be lowered until they
are again flush with the surface of the road, without taking up the whole of the
paving between the rails, whereby the paving may be retained a much longer time,
in use.
-
When the road is completely worn it can be taken up and relaid during night,
or at any other convenient time without much skilled labor, delay, or stoppage of
traffic.
}
In carrying out my Invention I construct the permanent way of the tramroad as.
follows: I first make a good firm foundation of concrete, and upon a bed or layer
of dry pebbles upon this concrete foundation I lay continuous cast-iron bed plates
of suitable width and thickness, and having diagonal ribs cast on the under side
and grouted in with hot pitch and tar, to bed them firmly and solidly on the.
concrete.
It is preferred to heat the pebbles or bed plates, or both, before laying, in order
to keep the pitch and tar fluid for a longer time to ensure the filling up of all
interstices, and render it more adhesive.

page_text: The butt ends of these slabs are birds-mouthed together so as to make a con-
tinuous bearing surface, and on their upper surfaces are cast two longitudinal ribs,
and at suitable distances apart pairs of shaped clips, the interval between
which is at right angles to the line of rail. In these clips the rail chairs are
received, the said rails resting on one or two layers of cross-grained wood.
The chairs resemble railway chairs, and are fitted to slide in their clips so as to
be readily moved in or out as may be required to adjust them to the gauge of the
line.
At one side of the said chair clips is cast a small stop, and at the other side a hole
is provided in which to fix a similar stop, said stops being intended to receive
wedges, by which the chair is secured in its proper position.
The rail is double headed, with a groove in each head, so as to be reversible when
worn.
The rail is divided longitudinally in two parts of channelled iron bolted or
rivetted together with cast-iron packing blocks between to separate the two parts, to
admit the flanges of wheels between them. Vertical pieces of angle iron are secured
by same rivets at intervals in the channel of the outer half of rail to strengthen
and to support head of rail under the weight of the vehicle.
The cast-iron bed plates may or may not be united by cross ties as required.
The paving of the road at each side of the rail, if of wood, takes its bearing
directly on the cast-iron bed plates; but if of stone, a layer of wood or asphalte will
be applied between the cast-iron bed plates and the stone to prevent noise or
damage, the object in either case being to give the rails and the adjacent paving an
equally solid bearing.
The bed plates may also have transverse ribs cast on their upper surface to keep
the paving blocks in position on hilly ground.
The bed plates above mentioned, instead of being applied beneath the lines of
rail only, may extend over the whole surface between the rails, and to any desired
distance on either side of the road, the paving being laid thereon, as above
described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Silas Nicholls in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th February
1879.
SILAS NICHOLLS, of St. Clement Danes, in the County of Middlesex. " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF TRAMWAYS."
The object of my Invention is to construct a tramway capable of resisting for a
lengthened period the damaging effects of rain, frost, and snow, and in which the
tram rails and the paving of the road on either side of them are kept firm and (so
far as the durability of the road materials will admit) of uniform surface level.
The Invention has further for its object to enable the rails (when the road paving
is fairly worn below their level) to be lowered until they are again flush with the
surface of the road without taking up the whole of the paving between the rails,
whereby the paving may be retained a much longer time in use.

page_text: When the road is completely worn it can be taken up and relaid during night
or at any other convenient time without much skilled labor, delay, or stoppage of
traffic.
In order that my Invention may be more readily understood I have illustrated
it in the annexed Drawings, and will proceed to describe it in reference thereto.
Figure 1 is a plan of a portion of the improved tram rail only, showing the
method of jointing.
Figure 2 is a plan of a bed plate with one of the chairs and the wood packing to
receive the rail, which is not shown.
Figure 3 is a cross section of the rail and bed plate taken on line 1-1, and
Figure 4 is a similar section taken on line 2-2, Figure 2; Figures 3 and 4, however,
being drawn to a scale twice the size of that of Figure 2.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the Figures.
In carrying out my Invention I construct the permanent way of the tramroad as
follows: I first make a good firm foundation of concrete A, upon which I lay cast-
iron bed plates B, in lengths of 5 feet by about 12 to 22 inches wide, and about
half-an-inch thick, said plates being of arched form in cross section, so as to be
concave on the under side, as clearly shown in Figures 3 and 4, and having down-
wardly projecting side flanges 61 and diagonal ribs 6 cast on the under side to
strengthen the plates B, and to bed into and obtain a firm grip of the concrete.
The butt ends B¹ of these bed plates B are "birds-mouth" jointed togëther, as,
shown in Figure 2, the end of one plate being formed with a salient angle, which
fits in a corresponding re-entering angle in the end of the next plate, so as to make
a continuous bearing surface. B are holes in the plates B, through which holes,
when the plates are laid on a bed of concrete as above mentioned, they are grouted
in with lime and sand, or other binding materials, to bed them firmly and solidly
on the concrete, the said holes also serving to connect the concrete below the
plates B with the concrete above said plates, so as to give a portion of the paving a
direct bearing on the whole body of concrete, which renders the entire road solid
and firm. Upon the upper surfaces of the plates B are cast two longitudinal
ribs C, C; to receive between them a packing C₁ of one or two layers of cross-
grained wood or other suitable material, upon which the rails rest. At suitable
distances apart (say at the middle of each plate B) there is a pair of clips or
brackets D cast upon the plate B to receive the rail chair, the ribs C being inter-
rupted, and the surface of the bed plate B sunk at this point to receive the base of
the chair, as seen in Figure 4.
The chairs (of which E is one) somewhat resemble ordinary railway chairs, and
are secured in their clips by wedge-shaped oak keys F at either side, the clips D
being slightly askew, as seen in Figure 2, to correspond to the inclined surfaces of
the keys F, so that the other sides of the keys next the chairs shall be always
parallel to the rail.
By driving the one or other key in more or less the chair E may be readily moved
in or out, as may be required, to adjust it to the gauge of the line.
The rail is divided longitudinally to form the groove for the wheel flanges to turn
in, and it is double headed, so as to be reversible when worn.
The rail is composed
of two parts G, G', of channelled or ☐ shaped iron or steel, with cast-iron packing
blocks H to separate the two parts and admit the flanges of the wheels between
them.
The two parts G, G', of the rail are rivetted together by rivets I passing through
holes in the parts G, G¹, and in the packing blocks H.
K, Figure 1, are vertical pieces of angle iron fitting in the channel of the outside
part G of the rail upon which the wheels run to strengthen it and support the head
of the rail under the weight of the vehicle, and K¹ are pieces of flat iron in the
channel of part G³, both K and K' being secured by the same rivets I before
mentioned.
The ends of the two parts G, G³, do not come opposite one another, but the one
projects about 18 inches beyond the other, so that the two parts of the rail "break

page_text: joint," as shown at X, Y, in Figure 1, and the joints in each are "fished" by extra
long packing pieces H introduced at these points.
The two parts G, G', of the rail are rivetted together beforehand, and in laying
the line the overlapping ends are united "in situ," as shown in Figure 1, by bolts
and nuts I'
The rails are fixed in the chairs in the ordinary way by keys N driven in at
either side.
Pieces of hoop iron M may be embedded in the concrete to tie the road together
if required. L are the paving blocks of the road at each side of the rail.
There is a layer of concrete between the plates B and the blocks L for the latter
to bed upon to prevent noise and damage to the plates B, the object being to give
the rails and the adjacent paving an equally solid bearing on plates B. When the
paving L has worn down below the level of the rails, and it is desired to lower the
latter, the packing C₁ is removed and replaced by a thinner packing of the same
kind.
The packings C' become compressed under the weight of the traffic, and by placing
said packings more or less closely together, the sinking of the rail can be made to
correspond approximately with the wearing down of the road paving.
By filling in the space between the double rails to the height of the packing
blocks with bituminous concrete vibration is lessened.
The bed plates B, when to be laid on hilly ground, may be cast with transverse
ribs on the upper surface to keep the paving blocks in position.
Having described the nature of my Invention and the manner of performing the
same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be protected by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1st. The construction of reversible tramway rails of double parallel lengths
separated by packing blocks, and rivetted or bolted together, substantially as shown
and described.
2nd. In the construction of a tramway the employment of cast-iron bed plates,
constructed and jointed together substantially as herein shown and described, and
wide enough to afford a firm bearing both for the rails and the adjacent paving, as
specified.
3rd. In the construction of a tramway the employment of bed plates cast with
longitudinal ribs and clips, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
4th. In the construction of a tramway securing the rail chairs between side clips
by means of taper keys, so as to make the chair adjustable laterally, substantially
as specified.
5th. In the construction of a tramway the combination with cast-iron bed plates
having longitudinal ribs and clips, as described, of packings to support, and chairs
to hold the rails, substantially as shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Silas Nicholls, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Fifteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
SILAS NICHOLLS. (L.S.)