IMPROVEMENTS IN WROUGHT- IRON RAILWAY CHAIRS, AND IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Ramsbottom, of Longsight, near the City of
Manchester, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WROUGHT-
IRON RAILWAY CHAIRS, AND IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME
AND OTHER ARTICLES."
Scaled the 25th September 1857, and dated the 13th April 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Ramsbottom at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th April 1857.
I, JOHN RAMSBOTTOM, of Longsight, near the City of Manchester, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WROUGHT-IRON RAILWAY CHAIRS, AND IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING THE
SAME AND OTHER ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
My Invention of improvements in railway chairs consists in constructing
them with two open jaws, between which the rail is supported; these jaws are
somewhat wider above than below, and the spaces between the jaws and the
rail are filled up by packing pieces; when the load comes upon the rail the
packing pieces are wedged tightly between the jaws of the chair, thereby more
securely holding the rail, owing to the elasticity of the chair. The wrought
iron for making the chairs is rolled of the required section, and cut off to the
proper length by means of my improved machinery, which consists of a circular

page_text: saw, to which a reciprocating movement in its own plane of motion, in addition
to the ordinary movement round its centre, is imparted by supporting the shaft
of the saw in a swivel lever or other suitable fixing, and communicating the
requisite motion thereto by an excentric, or other equivalent means. This
improved circular saw is also applicable to other purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Ramsbottom in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
13th October 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
RAMSBOTTOM, of Longsight, near the City of Manchester, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord Ono
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Ramsbottom, Her special licence that I, the said John Ramsbottom,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Ramsbottom, 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 WROUGHT-IRON
RAILWAY CHAIRS, AND IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME AND OTHER
ARTICLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Rams-
bottom, 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 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 John Ramsbottom, do hereby declaro 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 state-
ment (that is to say):
The nature of my Invention consists, first, in an improved wrought-iron

page_text: railway chair, having a wedged-shaped space between the jaws, into which aro
fitted the rail and wedge-shaped packing pieces, or the rail alone when of
suitable section, the elasticity of the chair securing the rail.
Secondly, in imparting a reciprocating and revolving motion to circular
saws.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me, reference
being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon.
Figure 1 represents an elevation of my improved railway chair supporting
a double-headed rail of the usual section; Figure 2 is a side view of the same.
a is the chair; 6, the rail; and c, c, the packing pieces. The jaws d, d, of the
chair are wider apart above than below, and the outer sides of the packing
pieces c are bevelled to correspond with the jaws. The inner sides of tho
packing pieces fit accurately between the heads of the rail. I prefer to make
the packing pieces c of rolled wrought iron, cut off to the required length (but
any other suitable metal or material may be used), and of such shape and
dimensions that when placed in the chair they come in contact with the upper
part of the jaws d, so that when the weight comes upon the rails they assume
the position shewn in Figure 1, that is to say, the weight on the rail causes the
jaws of the chair to expand sufficiently to allow the bottom of the rail to
approach nearly the bottom of the chair. If any irregularity should occur in
the shape of the chairs, packing pieces, or rails, thereby allowing the packing
pieces to be slack when the rail comes in contact with the chair, the defect
may be remedied either by having thicker packing pieces, or by introducing a
piece of strong paper or cardboard between the packing piece and the jaw of
the chair, or between the packing piece and the rail. When this improved
chair is employed as a joint chair, I prefer to increase the length thereof, and
also of the packing pieces, in order to obtain greater bearing surface; these
packing pieces being firmly held up to the rail by the elasticity of the chair,
are equivalent to a fish joint. The chief advantages of this improved wrought-
iron chair are, that they are less liable to break than cast-iron ones,—that a
considerable bearing surface is obtained with comparative lightness, and that
the elasticity of the chairs, but more especially of the jaws, retains the rail and
packing pieces more securely than cast-iron chairs of a similar shape, which,
owing to their rigidity, would be liable either to break or allow the packings to
work loose. These chairs may either be made by rolling bars of the section
of the chair shewn in Figure 1, and cutting these bars to the required length of

page_text: the chair, or they may be stamped in a mould or otherwise produced. In
cases where the lower portion of the rail is wedge-shaped it is evident that
the packing pieces are not required. When the chairs are made of iron
rolled to the required section and sawn to the required length, I prefer to
make use of my improved sawing machinery shewn in Figures 3 and 4, which
represent an elevation and plan thereof. In these views e is a circular saw
fixed to the shaft f, which revolves in a bush of the swivel lever g. At the
end of the shaft f is a driving and loose pulley, marked h and i. The swivel
lever g is supported by the fulcrum studs j,j, passing through snugs cast to the
foundation plate k. To the plate k are fixed or cast the bearings of the shaft 1,
to which is fixed the excentric or cam m. The shaft f of the circular saw
bears upon the excentric or cam m, the bush in the swivel lever being cut
away near the centre, as shown in Figure 4, for that purpose. To the
foundation plato k is also fixed or cast a projection n to support the article to
be sawn.
The mode of operation is as follows:-The Drawing represents the
saw shaft f acting on the highest part of the excentric or cam m. As soon as
rotary motion is given to the saw, the shaft f, bearing on the oxcentric or
cam m, causes it revolvo slowly in the direction of the dotted arrow in
Figure 3 consequently, as the excentric revolves it allows the teeth of the
saw to penetrate into the bar or other article to be sawn. As soon as the
excentric bas completed a revolution the saw will be brought into position for
another operation. The shape of the excentric or cam must vary according to
the depth of the cut required to be made by the saw. In the present instance
I have shewn a bar suitable for being cut into my improved railway chairs as
the article to be sawn, but it is evident that this improved mode of working
circular saws, that is to say, imparting thereto a reciprocating in addition to a
revolving motion, may be applied to a great variety of purposes; in special
cases, where a larger bar has to be cut than the reciprocating motion of the
saw will admit of, a handle may be inserted into the socket o for the purpose
of moving the swivel lever independently of the excentric or cam.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and tho manner of
performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to
the details herein set forth, as tho same may be considerably modified without
departing from the peculiar character thereof; but what I claim is,—
First, the improvements in wrought-iron railway chairs, as shewn and
described, by means whereof the clasticity of the chair admits of a rigid
packing being used to secure the ordinary double-headed rails, and where the
latter are of suitable.sections secures them without packing pieces.

page_text: Secondly, imparting a reciprocating and revolving motion to circular saws,
as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Ramsbottom, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of October, in the year of our Lord Onc
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
1. B. BARLOW,
Manchester.
JOHN RAMSBOTTOM. (L.S.)