IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SWITCHES AND CHAIRS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Burleigh, of the Great Northern Railway,
King's Cross, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SWITCHES
AND CHAIRS."
Sealed the 16th June 1854, and dated the 9th January 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Burleigh at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th
January 1854.
I, BENJAMIN BURLEIGH, of the Great Northern Railway, King's Cross, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY
SWITCHES AND CHAIRS" to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the improvement of parts of the permanent
way of a railway, and consists of forming the tongue rail of a switch with a
bearing surface for the flanches of the wheels when passing a switch to run on,
by which will be prevented the shocks heretofore consequent on the peripheries
of the wheels coming against the fixed rail of a switch; and the chairs of such
switches, and also for other parts of a railway, I form, wrought iron, by
rolling the same and pressing the one side so as to receive and retain, when
wedged or keyed therein, a double headed rail; and in making the hinge
chair, the same is constructed of wrought iron, the hinge being formed of
straps bolted to the main rail, strutting tubes being interposed to give stiffness.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Benjamin Burleigh in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th July 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, BENJAMIN
BURLEIGH, of the Great Northern Railway, King's Cross, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Iler Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Benjamin Burleigh. Her special licence that I, the said Benjamin
Burleigh, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Benjamin Burleigh, my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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
RAILWAY SWITCHES AND CHAIRS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Benjamin Burleigh, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said In-
vention, 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 Benjamin Burleigh, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof (that is to say):-
This Invention has for its object the improvement of parts of the permanent
way of a railway, and consists of forming the tongue rail of a switch with a
bearing surface for the flanches of the wheels when passing a switch to run on,
by which will be prevented the shocks heretofore consequent on the peri-
pheries of the wheels coming against the fixed rail of a switch; and the chairs
of such switches, and also for other parts of a railway, I form of wrought iron,
by rolling the same and pressing the one side so as to receive and retain, when
wedged or keyed therein, a double headed rail; and in making the hinge chair,
the same is constructed of wrought iron, the hinge being formed of straps
bolted to the main rail, the strutting tubes being interposed to give stiffness.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed to
describe the manner of performing the same.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shows a plan view of so much of a line of railway having
switches constructed according to my Invention as will enable me (aided by
the other views) to describe my Invention. Figures 2, 3, and 4, show three
sections, full size, of the parts taken respectively at A, B, C, D, and E, F, in
Figure 1; and Figure 5 shows a section of a hinge chair for a three throw
switch. The tongue rail, in place of being made as heretofore, has bearing
surfaces formed thereto for receiving and bearing the flanches of the wheels, so
that the flanched wheels of locomotive and railway carriages, when passing
along a tongue rail of a switch, will be supported not only by the surface of the
rail, but by the flanches being on the surfaces added to the tongue rail. The
Drawing shows the form of bearing surface which I prefer for the flanches;
the form however may be varied. In making the hinge chair for switches, I
make them of wrought iron, and of the form shewn at Figure X, X, for
which purpose a bar is first rolled of the form shown at Figure X, and then
the jaws are bent over on a mandril to the desired form, either after cutting
the bar into lengths for chairs or before cutting. When the bending is
performed before cutting, I believe the best mode of performing this process is
to draw them between a pair of rollers having a fixed stationary mandril of the
form of the interior of the chair, the two rollers being formed of the contour of
the external of the jaws, or motion may be given to the rollers by power as
well as drawing the bar through between them and over the fixed mandril.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is, the
construction of switches with bearing surfaces on the tongue rails for the
flanches of the wheels, and I also claim the manufacture of wrought iron
chairs herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Burleigh, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Ninth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
S. CARPMAEL.
BENJN BURLEIGH. (L.S.)