AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLING RAILWAY SWITCHES FROM RAILWAY BARS, AND IN ROLLING TAPER ENDS ON OTHER BARS REQUIRING THE SAME
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Brown, of Smethwick, in the County of
Stafford, Machinist, and William Brown, of Smethwick, aforesaid, Roll
Turner, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN
ROLLING RAILWAY SWITCHES FROM RAILWAY BARS, AND IN ROLLING TAPER
ENDS ON OTHER BARS REQUIRING THE SAME."
Sealed the 6th June 1856, and dated the 7th March 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Brown and
William Brown at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 7th March 1856.
We, DAVID BROWN, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Machinist,
and WILLIAM BROWN, of Smethwick, aforesaid, Roll Turner, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN
ROLLING RAILWAY SWITCHES FROM RAILWAY BARS, AND IN ROLLING TAPER ENDS
ON OTHER BARS REQUIRING THE SAME," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists of rolling switches requiring to be tapered in the
following manner-We heat such portion of the bar as it is wished to taper,
leaving the other part of the said bar cold; we place the said heated
end between excentric rolls, the said bar being placed between the said rolls
when at their greatest distance apart. The bar is introduced between the
rolls through an opening made by cutting away a portion of one or both of
the rolls. The clutch box or gearing mechanism is now made to gear the rolls

page_text: with the driving power, when the said rolls grasp the heated iron and taper it
between their gradually approaching-surfaces: The bar having left the rolls
the said rolls are thrown out of gear, the said rolls being brought to rest in
such a position that the portion cut away from one or both rolls is opposed to
the other roll, in which position the said rolls permit the bar to be again
introduced between them. The operation described is repeated until the
required taper is obtained. When bars require tapering at both ends, both
ends are subjected to the action of the rolls; and we sometimes taper a rail
at both ends, and cut it in two pieces so as to make two switches therefrom.
A stop is situated in front of the rolls to determine the distance to which the
bar is introduced between them; this stop is capable of adjustment. The rolls
rotate in such a direction that the bar is delivered back by the said rolls to the
workman on that side on which it was introduced. Instead of both rolls being
excentric, one only may be excentric with the same or nearly same effect.
The top roll may be raised and lowered by means of screws acting upon its
journals or bearings.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the "Letters "Patent,
filed by the said David Brown and William "Brown *in the <Great
Seal Patent Office on the 4th September 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, DAVID
BROWN, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Machinist, Sand "WILLIAM
"BROWN, of Smethwick,”äforesaid, Roll 'Turner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, iby! Her!Letters
Patent, bearing "date the Seventh day of March, in the year-of our Lord
"One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth, year of Her.
Treign, did, för Herself, Her heirs and successors,Igive- and grant-unto us,
the said David Brown and William Brown, Her special licence. that we, -the
said David Brown and William Brown, our vexecutors,-administrators, and
assigns, 'ör "such 'others as we, the said David Brown and William. Brown,
"öür'exécutors, administrators, and assigns, should-at-any time-agree with, and
Eno 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
PIslands, and Isle of Mangan Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT.OR IMPROVEMENTS
4IN ROLLING RAILWAY SWITCHES PROM RAILWAY BARS, AND IN-ROLLING-TAPER. ENDS-

page_text: ON OTHER BARS, REQUIRING THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst others),
that we,, the said David Brown and William Brown,, our executors, or
administrators, by an instrument in writing, under our or their hands and seals,
or under the, hand and seal of one of us or them, 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.
NOW KNOW YẸ, that I, the said David Brown, do hereby declare, the
nature, of the, 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, thereof, that is to say:
Our Invention consists of the various methods, herein-after particularly
described and illustrated in the accompanying, Drawing of rolling railway
switches from railway, bars, and in rolling taper ends on other bars requiring
the same, such as railway crossings.
Figure 1 represents in transverse, section, and Figure 2 in side. elevation, a
pair of rolls for rolling railway switches from railway bars, the said rolls being
constructed according to our Invention. The surfaces of the rolls a, b, are
excentric to their axes, the said surfaces passing uniformly from a curve of a
minimum to a curve of a maximum radius. During the revolution of the said
rolls, in the direction indicated by the arrows, their surfaces gradually
approach, and anything. rolled between the said rolls is consequently tapered.
A portion of one or both rolls is cut away, as represented at c, c, and the rail d
to be tapered (the end of the said rail or bar being heated) is introduced
between the rolls a, b, when the parts c, c, are opposed to each other. By the
revolution of the rolls a, b, the curved faces of the said rolls seize the rail d and
give it the taper figure represented; the said rail d being returned to the work;
man at the side, where it was introduced between the rolls. The figure of the
grooves made in the rolls a, b, will be readily understood by an inspection of
Figure 2. We prefer to throw the rolls a, b, out of gear, and bring them to
rest in the position represented in Figure 1, before introducing the heated end
of the rail or bar between them; and after the rail or bard has been intrduced,
to gear the rolls with the driving mechanism. A stop is placed at f so as to
arrest the rail d at the proper point on its introduction between the rolls.
Instead of making both the rolls a, b, excentric, one only of them may
be made excentric and the other have a cylindrical figure. The top roll a
may be raised and lowered by means of screws acting upon the bearings in
which the said roll works; but as this method of raising and lowering the said

page_text: roll is well understood, we do not think it necessary to represent or describe'
the same.
In tapering railway bars to make switches, we sometimes subject
both ends of the said bar to the action of the rolls, thereby tapering it at both
ends; we afterwards divide the bar into two pieces, thereby making two
switches therefrom. The rail may be subjected to the action of the rolls
as many times as is necessary to produce the required taper. The said
tapering may generally be done at one heat; but, if necessary, the end or ends
of the rail may be reheated during the rolling process. When we use the
machine, Figures 1 and 2, for tapering or shaping the ends of rails for
spliced or lapped joints, we make the requisite change in the figure of the rolls.
We sometimes employ rolls of the form represented in Figure 3, that is to
say, rolls whose surfaces pass uniformly from a curvature of a minimum to a
curvature of a maximum radius, the portions of least diameter abutting
abruptly against those of greatest diameter, as represented. The bar of iron to
be tapered, g, is introduced between the rolls when they are in the position
represented in the Drawing. By the revolution of the rolls in the direction'
indicated by the arrows, the bar of iron g is tapered, the said bar being
delivered on the side of the rolls opposite to that at which it was introduced.
In tapering the joined ends of two rails for making a crossing, we proceed in
the manner illustrated in Figure 4, that is to say, we place together the two
rails h, i, whose ends are to be joined and tapered, and we introduce between
the said rails a piece of steel k, the said steel occupying the space between the
bodies of the rails h, i; we then secure the rails together by bands or clamps
l, m, and heating the end between which the steel is introduced, we subject
that end to the action of the rolls, Figures 1 and 2. After the tapering has
been effected, we remove the bands or clamps l, m, and open out the rails h, i,
until they make the same angle with one another as the sides of the tapered
ends make, as represented in Figure 5.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be understood that we do not limit
ourselves to the precise details herein described and represented, as the same
may be varied without departing from the nature of our said Invention; but
we claim as our Invention,-
'
Firstly, rolling railway switches from railway bars, and rolling taper ends on
other bars requiring the same, by the machinery hercin described, and
represented in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly, rolling railway crossings by the machinery herein described, and
represented in Figure 3 of the accompanying Drawing.
Thirdly, the method of rolling railway crossings herein described, and

page_text: represented in Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying Drawing; that is to say,
clamping or otherwise securing together the rails whose compound end is to be
tapered, inserting steel between the ends to be formed into a crossing, and
subjecting the same in a heated state to the action of the rolls, Figures 1 and 2,
so as to join into one mass, and taper the said end of the rails.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Brown, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
DAVID BROWN. (L.S.)