Improvements in Portable Railways.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Feb., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 30th May, 1392-Accepted, 2nd July, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Portable Railways.
I, FREDERICK HENRY GILL of 20 Bucklersbury, in the City of London,
Draughtsman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object a novel mode of constructing the sections of
portable railways, whereby the sections will pack in less space than heretofore,
thereby reducing the cost of transit.
In carrying out this invention, I employ preferably light bridge rails, which I
secure to light metal sleepers in the following manner :-I employ a T shaped bolt
of soft iron, the head of the bolt being preferably of a length equal to the external
width of the bridge rail.
This Thead I place longitudinally in the recess of the rail, and then turn it at
right angles, so that it will enter holes in opposite sides of the rail. I next place
the sleeper in position, holes being provided for the stems of the bolts, and I rivet
the ends over a common washer. Or I may make the heads of the bolts solid, of a
section corresponding to that of the recess in the rail, and secure them in position
by light rivets.
By this mode of constructing the sections, the two rails may be made to close
upon one another like a parallel rule.
To form the junctions of the rails of two sections, I employ a kind of fish plate
having a section corresponding to the inner section of the rail, and I secure the
fish plates to the opposite rails, one at either end of the section, in such a manner
that a portion will project beyond the rail, so as to enter the recess of the abutting
rail.
The sections thus formed will be complete before they leave the constructor's
yard, so that the difficulties arising from fitting up on the ground will be obviated.
The sections will close up for transit, and will stow away more readily than the
ordinary rigid made-up sections, and the freight will be reduced.
Dated this 1st day of February 1892.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Portable Railways.
I, FREDERICK HENRY GILL of 20 Bucklersbury in the City of London,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
This invention has for its object a novel mode of constructing the sections of
portable railways, whereby the sections will pack in less space than heretofore,
thereby reducing the cost of transit.
In carrying out this invention, I employ, preferably, light bridge rails, which I
secure to light metal sleepers in the following manner :- -I employ a T shaped bolt
of soft iron, the head of the bolt being preferably of a length equal to the external
width of the bridge rail.
This head I place in the recess of the rail, so that it will enter holes in
opposite sides of the rail, and I then place the sleeper in position (holes being
provided for the stems of the bolts), and rivet the ends over a common washer.
Or I may make the heads of the bolts solid, of a section corresponding to that of

page_text: the recess in the rail, and secure them in position by light rivets. Or the bolts
may be secured by nuts so that the rails may be released to change the gauge if
necessary.
By this mode of constructing the sections, the two rails may be made to close
upon one another like a parallel rule, and will then stow away more readily than
the ordinary rigid made-up sections, so that freight, when reckoned by measure-
ment, will be reduced.
In the accompanying drawing,
Fig. 1 shews a section of my improved portable railway open for use.
Fig. 2 shows a section closed ready for stowing or transit.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of a rail and sleeper at the connection, and
Fig. 4 is a side view of the same.
Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the track, shewing one mode of securing the
rail to the sleeper; and
Fig. 6 is a similar view of a modified form of connection.
Figs. 7 show one form of junction between two sections of railway, and
Figs. 8 show another form.
A are bridge rails, B are metal sleepers of any convenient cross section.
In the sides of the rails, holes a are made to receive the T heads of bolts C.
The stems of the bolts project downwards through the holes in the top of the
sleepers B according to the desired gauge and are rivetted or otherwise secured on
the underside over a washer, as clearly seen from Figs. 4, 5, and 6.
In Fig. 6, the T head is enlarged to fill up the space in the rail, and is secured
by a pin or rivet b, or in any other convenient manner.
The junctions I may make by forming a socket D by turning up the edges of
a plate to fit over the flanges of the abutting rails, as shewn at Fig. 7.
Or I may rivet a flat plate E to the flange of one rail, for the abutting rail to
rest on, and provide the abutting rail with an internal extension E¹, which will fit
into the recess of the first rail, as shewn at Figs. 8.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
―
1. In the construction of the sections of portable railways, pivotting the sleepers
to the rails so that the sections may be closed up, for convenience of transit, as set
forth.
2. The means substantially as herein shewn and described, for securing the rails
to the sleepers in sections of portable railways, for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 30th day of May 1892.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.