AN IMPROVED RAIL FOR RAILWAYS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Emory Rider, of the City and State of New York,
United States of America, for an Invention of "AN IMPROVED RAIL FOR
RAILWAYS"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Emory Rider at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th September 1880.
EMORY RIDER, of the City and State of New York, United States of America.
"AN IMPROVED RAIL FOR RAILWAYS."
The object of this Invention is the prevention or stifling of the noise on railways
caused by the contact of the wheels of rolling stock with the rails, and it consists
in encasing or partially encasing the rail or rails in a non-sonorous metallic jacket,
so as to diminish or obviate the annoyance caused by the noise of trains when the
same are passing over ordinary steel or iron rails, especially on elevated railways
and in tunnels.
According to my Invention, an ordinary iron or steel rail is covered with a non-
sonorous metallic jacket, which is continuous around the rail excepting that portion
thereof with which the tread of the wheel comes in contact.
In carrying my said Invention into practice I leave the tread or head of the rail
uncovered as aforesaid, and I provide a non-sonorous jacket, covering the base web
and part of the head of the rail.
The jacket is preferably made of lead or some alloy of lead, but may be formed
of brass, zinc, or other non-sonorous metals. The lead may be soldered to the
under portion of the head of the rail and thus secured in position thereon, or may
be attached to the rail in any other convenient and suitable manner.
The jacket
is so formed as to envelope the ends of the rail as well as the sides and bottom.
The metal of which the jacket is formed may be of any desirable thickness. The
jacket need not be in actual contact with the web of the rail. I am aware that
sheets of lead have been placed under the bearing points of railway rails, but this
arrangement differs from mine in the essential fact that it does not envelope the
rails, and does not prevent the production of sound waves, while in rails jacketted
according to my Invention the entire surface thereof (except the portion with
which the wheels come in contact, and in some cases the points where they bear
upon the chairs or ties) is covered, whereby the formation of sound waves is
entirely prevented, or very nearly so.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Emory Rider in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th March
1881.
EMORY RIDER, of the City and State of New York, United States of America.
"AN IMPROVED RAIL FOR RAILWAYS."
The said Invention relates to a novel method of stifling or preventing the noise
heretofore made by the passage of rolling stock over the ordinary iron and steel
rails of railways, and consists in covering the rail with the exception of the head
or top of the same with a soft-metal non-sonorous jacket or covering, which is
made longitudinally continuous, and which is also made continuous around the rail
below the head or top of the same.
The offensive noise caused by the passage of trains over iron and steel rails
results from the sonorous nature of these metals. A ringing-sound is emitted,
which in many instances causes much annoyance not only to the occupants of the
train but also to those dwelling near the railway. This is especially the case with
trains of elevated and other railways in large towns. The object of my Invention
is to effectually overcome the objection to railways on account of such noise by a
simple, durable, and inexpensive method.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a perspective sectional view of a rail for railways.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of a portion of two rails with the adjacent ends in
section.
The rail A is covered by a jacket B, B¹, composed by preference of lead or some
alloy of lead, but it may be formed of brass, copper, zinc, or other non-sonorous
metal. The covering B, B', may be formed in one or two parts so long as the rail
is covered, as shewn. This covering may be secured to the rail in any suitable
manner, but when lead is used I prefer to solder the upper edges of the covering to
the head of the rail. The thickness of the covering may be varied, but I have
found one sixteenth of an inch a sufficient thickness for the purpose. The desired
effect would be obtained if the jacket should not come in contact with the web of
the rail, and the covering of the ends is not so essential as the covering of the sides
and bottom of the rails.
I am aware that lead has hitherto been placed under the ends and other bearing
parts of railway rails, and that strips of lead have been attached to the webs of rails
for the purpose of lessening the noise of passing trains; but these devices differ
from mine in the essential feature that they do not enclose the rails sufficiently to
prevent the contact of the atmosphere with the sonorous metal of which the rail
is manufactured to such an extent that the vibration of the rails will not cause
sound waves which are free to travel in any direction, while by my method of
covering the rail, with the exception of the portion which comes in contact with
the moving wheels, these sound-waves are prevented.
Having thus fully described my improvement, and shewn how the same may be
advantageously carried into practice, I claim,-
The said Invention, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Emory Rider, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Eighth day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
Witness,
GEORGE HASELTINE,
Counsellor at Law,
247, Broadway, New York.
EMORY RIDER.. (L.S.)