IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF JOINTS FOR UNITING AND SECURING THE ENDS OF RAILWAY RAILS
Year: 1870

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LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Buckingham Ibbotson, of the Firm of
Ibbotson, Brothers, and Co., of Sheffield; in the County of York,
Steel Manufacturers, for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF JOINTS FOR UNITING AND SECURING THE ENDS OF RAILWAY
RAILS."
Sealed the 1st March 1870, and dated the 6th January 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Buckingham
Ibbotson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 6th January 1870.
I, ALFRED BUCKINGHAM IBBOTSON, of the Firm of Ibbotson, Brothers,
and Co., of Sheffield, in the County of York, Steel Manufacturers, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF JOINTS FOR UNITING AND SECURING THE ENDS OF RAILWAY
RAILS," to be as follows:-
The said Invention relates to a joint or fastening for uniting and
securing together the ends of railway rails which is composed of two
fish plates extended and bent into the proper form to pass under the

page_text: bottom of the rails, at or near the centre of which the two plates are
secured together as herein-after set forth; the part of the said plate
which passes below the rails is preferably thinner than the part which
fits the sides thereof. The said plates may be adapted to rails of various
sectional form, the bent portions being constructed to encircle, enclose, or
pass around the flange of T-shaped rails or the lower head of double
headed rails. I unite the two plates under the rail either by welding,
brazing, rivetting, or bolting, and I have devised various methods of
accomplishing these operations in a secure and convenient manner.
According to one method of constructing my improved joint I form
flanges on the plates, by extending and turning down the bottom parts
thereof with their faces in contact with each other, and weld these flanges
together; or I may interpose between the said turned down flanges a
plate or bar of any desired and. suitable thickness. This plate or bar
will increase the strength of the joint and may be either welded, brazed,
revitted, or bolted to the said flanges: The flanges or turned down
portions of the plates, with or without the plate or bar interposed
between them, thus together may have their lower edges straight or.
parallel with the bottom of the rail, or may be curved so that they are
deeper in the middle than at the ends of the joint. The joint is thus
made strongest where strength is most needed.
I modify my said Invention with regard to the manner of securing
the two plates together under the rail as follows:-Instead of turning
down or flanging the adjacent edges of the two plates I make them to
overlap each other, and weld, braze, or rivet the overlapped portions
together with or without a plate or bar interposed between them.
When the two plates are united and secured together according to my.
Invention they form without the bolts for uniting them to the rails a
sheath joint of one pièce. I prefer welding the parts together where
the nature of the metal of which they are formed will allow this to be
donc. While the lower portions of the joint are being welded together
as herein set forth the upper parts or side pieces of the joint should be
bolted together upon à mandril which should be of the same size as or
slightly less than the rail to which the joint is to be applied. The two
plates may each be rolled or forged in one solid piece of the proper
thickness, or each plate may be formed of several parts welded together.
The said plates may be constructed of iron, steel, or "Bessemer" metal.
The upright or side picces may be of the same thickness as ordinary fish

page_text: plates, or as much thicker as may be found desirable, any required
thickness being readily obtained by welding, brazing, or rivetting
additional plates cither on the inner or outer surfaces of the said side
pieces. The joint and rails are secured together by means of bolts or
set screws passed through one of the side plates of the joint and through
the web of the rails and screwed into the other side plate, the holes in
which are tapped or formed with screw threads to receive the said bolts
or screws. The strength of these joints may be increased by forming
one of the upright side pieces to extend upward and partially encircle
the upper head of the rail on the outer side thercof..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Buckingham Ibbotson in the Great Scal.
Patent Office on the 6th July 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED.
BUCKINGHAM IBBOTSON, of the Firm, of Ibbotson, Brothers, and Co., of
Sheffield, in the County of York, Steel Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing, date the Sixth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
third 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF JOINTS for
UNITING AND SECURING THE ENDS OF RAILWAY RAILS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Buckingham Ibbotson, my.
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the.

page_text: 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 YE, that I, the said Alfred Buckingham Ibbotson, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawing forming a part of this Specification:-
The said Invention relates to a joint or fastening for uniting and
securing together the ends of railway rails which is composed of two
fish plates extended and bent into the proper form to pass under the
bottom of the rails, at or near the centre of which the two plates are
secured together as herein-after set forth. The part of the said plates
which passes below the rails is preferably thinner than the part which
fits the sides thereof. The said plates may be adapted to rails of various
sectional forms, the bent portion being constructed to encircle, enclose,
or pass around the flange of T shaped rails or the lower head of double
headed rails. I unite the two plates under the rail either by welding,
brazing, riveting, or bolting, and I have devised various methods of
accomplishing these operations in a secure and convenient manner.
According to one method of constructing my improved joint I form.
flanges on the plates by extending and turning down the bottom parts
thereof, and with their faces in contact with each other. I weld theso
flanges together, or I may interpose between the said turned down
flanges a plate or bar of any desired and suitable thickness. This plate
or bar will increase the strength of the joint, and may be either welded,
brazed, riveted, or bolted to the said flanges. The flanges or turned
down portions of the plates, with or without the plate or bar interposed
between them, thus welded or otherwise secured together, may have their
lower edges straight or parallel with the bottom of the rail, or may be.
curved so that they are deeper in the middle than at the ends of
the joint. The joint is thus made stronger where strength is most
needed.
=
I modify my said Invention with regard to the manner of securing
the two plates together under the rail as follows:-Instead of turning
down or flanging the adjacent edges of the two plates, I make them to
overlap each other, and weld, braze, or rivet the overlapped portions
together, with or without a plate or bar interposed between them;

page_text: When the two plates are united and secured together according to my
Invention they form without the bolts for uniting them to the rails
a sheath joint of one piece. I prefer welding the parts together whon
the nature of the metal of which they are formed will allow this to be
done. While the lower portions of the joint are being welded together
as herein set forth, the upper parts or side pieces of the joint should be
bolted together upon a mandril, which should be of the same size as or
slightly less than the rail to which the joint is to be applied. The two
plates may cach be rolled or forged in one solid piece of the proper
thickness, or each plate may be formed of several parts welded together,
The said plates may be constructed of iron, steel, or "Bessemer" metal,
The upright or side pieces may be of the same thickness as ordinary
fish plates, or as much thicker as may be found desirable, any required
thickness being readily obtained by welding, brazing, or riveting
additional plates either on the inner or outer surfaces of the said sido
pieces. The joint and rails are secured together by means of bolts or
set screws passed through one of the side plates of the joint, and through
holes in the web of the rails and screwed into the other side plate, the
holes in which are tapped or formed with screw threads to receive the
said bolts or screws. The strength of these joints may be increased
by forming one of the upright side pieces to extend upwards, and
partially encircle the upper head of the rail on the outer side thereof.
In the accompanying Drawing Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, are end views
illustrating various forms of my improved joint; and Figure 5. is a side
view of Figure 1. Like letters indicate the same parts in all of theso.
Figures.
A, A, are the rails; B, B, are the fish plates; and C, the bolts or
screws for securing the said plates on the rails. In Figure 1 I have
shewn the said joint with the flanges on the thin portions of
the plates turned down and welded or brazed together without an
intermediate or interposed plate. The flanges 6', with or without such
intermediate plate, are preferably formed as shewn in Figure 5, deeper
at the middle than at the ends to strengthen the joint; Figure 2 shows
the said joint with a flat plate or bar D interposed and rivetted between
the flanges . This Figure also shows the fish plates B, strengthened
by additional plates c, riveted on the inside of the said fish plates.
It also shows one of the fish plates extended upward at d, so as partially
to encircle the upper head of the rail. In Figure 3 the intermediate or

page_text: interposed plate D is shown extending across the flange or foot of the
rail and formed with flanges D', which are riveted to the parts b' of
the fish plates; Figure 4 shows the said joint constructed with the lower.
or thin portions of the fish plate overlapping each other at b and
with a plate or bar E interposed between them. The two plates are
in this case shewn secured by rivets, but as herein-before stated they
may be welded or brazed together, and either with or without the
bar E.
-
Having thus fully described my said Invention, I wish it understood.
that I claim a joint for uniting and securing together the ends of railway
rails, consisting of two fish plates constructed to suit the form of the
rails, and secured together at the flanged or lapped portions under the
same (with or without an interposed plate or bar), by brazing or welding
and (in the particular instances specified) by riveting or bolting,
substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Buckingham Ibbotson,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of July,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy.
.
ALFRED BUCKINGHAM IBBOTSON. (L.s.)
Witness,
JOSEPH SHIPMAN.