IMPROVED STEEL SPRING RAILWAY FASTENINOS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Buckingham Ibbotson, of the Firm of
Ibbotson Brothers & Co.. of Sheffield. in the County of York. for
the Invention of "IMPROVED STEEL SPRING RAILWAY FASTENINOS."- A
communication from abroad by Thomas Sexton Sarney. residing at
Constantinople in Turkey.
Sealed the 7th September 1868, in pursuance of an Order of the Lord Chancellor,
and dated the 7th February 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Buckingham
Ibbotson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 7th February 1868.
I, ALFRED BUCKINGHAM IBBOTSON. of the Firm of Ibbotson Brothers & Co.,
of Sheffield, in the County of York, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVED STEEL SPRING RAILWAY FASTENINGS," to
follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to the permanent way of railways, and consists of
certain improvements in the form and manufacture of the chairs, keys, and
joint plates for securing the rails to the sleepers, the keys in the chairs, and the
ends of the rails together.

page_text: The objects of the said Invention are. firstly. to obtain an elastic
bed for the rail ends to rest upon in a steel spring joint chair:
secondly. to prevent straining and breaking of the bolts, and 10
lock the nuts thirdly, to secure the steel spring keys in the chairs; fourthly,
to add greater strength and socurity to the steel spring clips for bridge rails;
fifthly, to combine the proposed new mode of elastic fish plate with the ordinary
iron joint chair. and generally to combine elasticity with security of joints and
fastenings.
The first improvement is effected by forming a chair of a steel
plate of an uniform or a variable thickness. the ends of which are bent
over towards the centre. and then upwards to form the jaws. The
centre of the plate upon which the bottom flange of the rail bears
is arched upwards 80 as to yield slightly 10 the weight of the
train. and at the same time to cause the jaws to grip the rails
more tightly.
The second improvement is effected by forming a fish plate of
steel, the edges of which are bent over and placed next to the web of the
rails these plates are perforated and applied in the ordinary way
with bolts and nuts at the joint; the curved form allows the plate to yield
to the power of the screw and prevents the latter from being
stretched, broken, or having the threads stripped. In order to lock the nuts
loose after tightening, a
or prevent the nuts from turning or becoming
sort of projection, bead, button, or stud is raised on the outer
Surface immediately adjoining each perforated bolt hole within the circle of
the corners of the nut. but beyond the circle of the square sides of
the nut. By the use of a spanner the corners of the nuts are forced over
these projections, which with the fish plates yield for the purpose,
but immediately the nut corners pass off the bead by the recoil of the plates
the projections rise again and so lock the nuts. One of these improved
plates may be used on one side of the rail joint, and an ordinary lish plate
of iron on the other, or in connection with a one-jawed chair for forming a
joint.
The third improvement is effected by substituting a short curved
steel or iron plate formed as the above. but to be somewhat tapered,
for an ordinary key between the rails and chairs, such curved plate
to be perforated about the centre, and to be driven into the chair and then
attached to the chair by screw and bolt
through both.
or pin and cotter passing

page_text: The fourth improvement is effected by forming one or more projections or
a continuous projection on the upper side in the centre of the bed plate of a
steel spring clip for joints of bridge rails. which projections or projection
will rise into the hollow of the under side of the rails, so forming a kind of
double clip.
The fifth improvement is effected by forming a long steel curved
plate in the manner above described, but slightly tapered for driving
between rail ends and the ordinary iron joint chair, and this curved
plate is secured to the rails on each side of the chair by bolts
and nuts, which nuts may also be locked in the manner previously
described.
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, and of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said Alfred
Buckingham Ibbotson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th
September 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
BUCKINGHAM IBBOTSON, of the Firm of Ibbotson Brothers and Company, of
Sheffield, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Alfred Buckingham Ibbotson, Her special
licence that I, the said Alfred Buckingham Ibbotson, my executors.
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said. Alfred
Buckingham Ibbotson, 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 "IMPROVED STEEL SPRING RAILWAY FASTENINGS," a communi-
cation to me from abroad by Thomas Sexton Sarney, at present residing
at Constantinople, in Turkey, upon the
the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Alfred Buckingham Ibbotson, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of

page_text: By the use of a spanner the
projections, which with the
or broken, or having the threads stripped. In
In order to lock the
nuts or prevent the nuts from turning or becoming loose after they have
been tightened a projection in the shape of a bead, button, or stud
is raised on the outer surface of the plate immediately adjoining each bolt
hole within the circle described by the corners of the nuts, but
beyond the circle bounded by their square sides.
corners of the nuts can be forced over the
fish plate yield for the purpose, but immediately the corners of the nuts pass off
the bead the recoil of the plate causes the projections to rise again and thus lock
the nuts. One of these improved plates may be used on one side of the rail
joint, and an ordinary fish plate of iron on the other, or one of the said
improved steel plates may be used in connection with a single jaw chair for
Jasmin
iron) plate curved as above described, but being somewhat tapered.
towards the end for an ordinary key between the rails and chairs,
such curved key plate to be perforated about the centre and be driven
into the chair, and then fixed therein by a screw bolt passing through
the perforation and through a corresponding hole in the jaw of the
chair and fastened by a nut or the fastening bolt may be made with
a slot near its end (instead of being screwed) and a key or cotter
be inserted therein; in the latter form of fastening the slotted end of the
bolt can be pushed through the hole in the jaw of the chair and
then through the perforation in the key plate, and the fixing cotter
or bolt key be pushed or driven into its place in the hollow of the key
and be there out of sight. When a screw bolt is used the nut is passed
into the said hollow of the spring key, and the bolt screwed into it
through the jaw of the chair; in some cases the nuts may be dispensed
with by tapping the hole in the chair and causing the end of the
bolt to enter the perforation in the steel key plate before mentioned.
make these improved steel (or iron) keys self-securing, the centre of
the plate may be formed with a rising or projection, as before described,
and a corresponding sinking indentation may be formed in the inside
surface of. or a hole made through the jaw of the chair, so that
when the key is driven into position the projection thereon would spring into
the hollow or hole in the jaw of the chair; this would prevent the
key from working out of its place, but at the same time allow it
to be driven both in and out on the application of sufficient force to the
To

page_text: ends of the key. Another form of steel (or iron) key may also be employed.
and become self-securing by making the sides of the key parallel instead of
tapered, as before mentioned, and making the inner surface of the chair
convex so as to give a sufficient lead to the key-way, and cause the spring
key to be compressed to a greater extent in the centre than at the sides of the
jaw in this case no screw or other fixing bolt is required, and the perforations
in the key plate and the hole in the jaw of the chair may be both dispensed
with.
The fourth improvement is effected by forming one or more projections in the
centre of the plate which forms the steel spring clip for hollow bridge rails,
which projection is immediately under the hollow or arch of the bridge rail and
rises into it, thus serving to keep the ends of the rails in proper position and
forming a kind of double clip.
The fifth improvement is effected by forming a joint for the ends
of rails by means of a fish plate curved to the form herein-before
described with perforated bolt holes therein, but made slightly tapered
or otherwise. and of sufficient size to pass in tightly and act as a
wedge or key between the jaw of an ordinary joint chair and the two ends
of the rails lying therein, and sufficiently long to cause the perforated
bolt holes to come into juxtaposition with the bolt holes in the ends
of the rails, so that bolts and nuts may be passed through both: the said
joint plate or fish plate can however be perforated in or about the centre and
secured to the chairs by a lock nut. screw bolt, or cotter and pin, as before
described.
The accompanying Drawing is intended to illustrate the forms of
the improved steel chairs, plates, and keys, and the various modes
of combining the same, and applying the same in practice. without
however restricting myself absolutely to such forms and modes of
combining and applying the several chairs, keys, and plates, I hereby further
declare that what I desire to secure by the before-mentioned in part recited
Letters Patent and claim is.. -
First. The mode described of forming a steet joint chair with an
clastic bed for the ends of the rails to rest upon, so that it will
not only give elasticity to the joint, but when an extra weight comes upon the
ends of the rails the jaws of such chair will grip under the rail heads more
tightly.
Secondly. The form of the curved fish plate with perforations for bolts and
beads or studs for locking the nuts. as herein described.

page_text: Thirdly. The mode herein described of forming elastic keys or wedges and
chairs, and for securing such keys between rails and such chairs.
Fourthly. For the improved form of spring clip for bridge rails
described.
Fifthly. The mode described of forming a joint for the ends of the rails where
an ordinary joint chair is used, by combining therewith one of the curved plates,
herein described, to form a wedge between the rail ends and the chair, as well
as to act as a fish joint for the rails.
In witness whereof, 1, the said Alfred Buckingham Ibbotson, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of August, in
the year of our Lord One thousand
eight.
eight hundred and sixty-
ALFRED B. IBBOTSON. (L.S.)