IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF FIXING OR BECURING RAILWAY RAILS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Steen of Wolverhampton in the County of Stafford
leather belting manufacturer and Bernard Peard Walker of Birmingham in
the County of Warwick Consulting Engineer for an Invention of IMPROVE-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Steen and Bernard
Peard Walker at, the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
22nd September 1883.
JOHN STEEN, of Wolverhampton in the County of Stafford, leather belting
manufacturer, and BERNARD PEARD WALKER, of Birmingham in the County of
Warwick, consulting engineer, "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF FIXING OR
BECURING RAILWAY RAILS
"
This invention relates to the fixing of ordinary double-headed rails and rails of
analogous sections, and has the two-fold object of dispensing with the ordinary
wooden keys employed to fasten the rails within the chairs (such keys being
objectionable on account of their liability to work loose owing to the influence of
the weather), and of dispensing with the ordinary fish-plates, and bolts usually
employed for the rail ends, and giving a solid support or bearing underneath such
rail ends.
1.
One modification of this invention consists in inserting a spring key, formed as
bereinafter described, and preferably of tempered steel, between the web of the rail
and one of the horns of the chair, such chair being very much of the, usual
construction. This spring key is preferably somewhat concave in plan on the side
towards the web of the rail and convex on its other side, and has a projection
formed at each end to bear against the web. The key may be driven in, if desired,
to compress and tighten it between the horn of the chair and the web of the rail,
and a further compression may be obtained, if desired, by driving a thin metallic
wedge vertically between the spring key and the horn of the chair; or such spring
key may be placed loosely in position and be tightened up by means of an
eccentric-piece between the back of the spring key and the chair horn.

page_text: When the spring key is to be driven in it is provided with a longitudinal groove
along the back which slides over a corresponding projection on the face of the horn
so as to keep the spring key from rising out of place, if such is found to be
necessary, and the face of the horn is curved concavely in plan to suit the convexity
of the back of the key and thus keep the key from moving out of place endways;
or any suitable methods may be employed to prevent the key getting out of place
either way.
A spring key formed without a groove as aforesaid may be employed in the case
of chairs at present in use, in which case it is preferred to drive a wedge between
the chair horn and the spring key to tighten up, or further tighten up, such key
and prevent it from moving out of place.
ويا
When the eccentric-piece is employed to tighten up a spring key, such
eccentric-piece (including the square thereon hereinafter described) is of the depth
of the key, or thereabouts, and is shaped on plan as a rectangle having one of its
narrower sides rounded to the segment of a circle. The back of the key has a
hollow vertically down the centre corresponding to the rounded part of the
eccentric-piece, and the face of the chair horn has a flat backed groove vertically
down its centre and somewhat wider than the narrower width of the eccentric-
piece. The spring key is first placed in position and then the eccentric-piece is
passed in sideways between the key and the chair horn and is turned, by means of
a spanner on a square projecting from the top of the eccentric-piece, until such
eccentric-piece is in position with its longer axis at right angles between the key
and chair horn and with its flat back within the groove in the horn and its rounded
front within the hollow of the key. As the eccentric-piece is turned into the
position described the spring key is compressed until the rounded part of the
eccentric-piece comes opposite the hollow in the key, when the key springs out
again slightly and thus becomes firmly locked. The longer axis of the eccentric-
piece is of course of such a dimension as to cause the necessary compression of the
spring key when such eccentric-piece is fixed in position. The spring key may be
made of sufficient depth to occupy the space between the heads of the rail to
prevent the spring key moving vertically, and a toe-piece on the eccentric piece
may project under the spring key to keep the eccentric-piece from rising. The
bottom of the groove in the chair horn prevents such eccentric-piece from working
down.
Either of the above modifications may be employed also in lieu of the ordinary
fished joint for securing the ends of rails, in which case the chair is made
sufficiently long to give a good bearing to each rail end, and the spring key is
fixed so that one of the end projections bears against one rail and the other against
the other rail.
According to another modification, the spring key itself may be dispensed with,
a cam being employed to tighten the rail in the chair. This cam may be carried
upon a fulcrum pin between two sides of a jawed chair-horn. When the cam is
out of use it hangs down within the jaw; but when a rail is to be fixed, a lever
bar is inserted down a hole formed in the cam, and the cam is thus forced up
against the web of the rail and against the lower and upper heads also if desired.
The pin hole through the cam may be slotted some what if desired, in such direction
that the final pressure on the lever draws the cam down on the pin causing a
greater strain on the rail and bringing the lower extremity of the cam more over
the top of the lower head of the rail.
The cam may be placed, if desired, so as to work horizontally, in which case it
may form a knuckle-joint with a solid chair-horn and be twisted round by means
of a T-headed bar.
The two modifications last described may each be further modified by the
employment of a cambered spring let or sprung into the face of the cam but the
camber thereof projecting slightly from the face of the cam so as to bear against
the web of the rail and form an elastic cushion to compensate for the irregularities
of the metallic surfaces.

page_text: According to another modification, and one which is specially applicable to the
construction of chairs now in use, and may therefore be employed in conjunction
therewith, a metallic key is constructed which has a stud on its inner face
surrounded by a spiral spring which projects beyond such stud as far as may be
necessary. A very shallow sinking is formed at the back of the key of the width
of the chair horn.
The key is somewhat taper throughout its length and con-
siderably so at its forward end. As the key is driven in between the born of the
chair and the rail the spring is compressed, thus securely tightening the rail, and
as the sinking in the key coincides in position with the horn the key is sprung
back slightly so as to be firmly held endways by the horn. The ends of the
sinking may be inclined so that the key may be easily driven back by a sharp blow
from a hammer.
According to another modification, a pin is inserted between the chair horn and
the rail and carries upon it, or is surrounded by, a spirál spring next the rail, and a
ratchet collar next the horn. Two inclined teeth on the collar correspond with
similar teeth on the inner face of the chair horn, and as the collar is turned by
means of a spanner the action of the inclined teeth upon, one another throws
forward the collar and compresses the spring. Shoulders are formed behind which
the teeth are Sprung and retained in position when turned sufficiently to compress
the spring. The back end of the pin may be carried within a recess in the
chair horn.
In both the modifications last described the spring is preferably of a diameter to
fill in between the heads of the rail.
The ratchet-collar device above-described may be employed for compressing the
spring key referred to in the earlier modifications described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Steen and Bernard Peard Walker in the Patent Office on
the 21st March 1884.
JOHN STEEN, of Wolverhampton in the County of Stafford, leather belting
manufacturer, and BERNARD PEARD WALKER, of Birmingham in the County of
Warwick, consulting engineer, IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF FIXING OR
SECURING RAILWAY RAILS
This invention relates to the fixing of ordinary double-headed rails and rails of
analogous sections, the chief object being to dispense with the ordinary wooden
keys employed to fasten the rails within the chairs, such keys being objectionable
on account of their liability to work loose owing to the influence of the weather.
One modification of this invention is illustrated by the drawings on sheet 1
herewith, of which figure 1 is a plan of a railway chair shewing a rail fixed
therein, figure 2 a section taken on line xx of figure 1, and figure 3 an end view.
The same letters of reference occurring on two or all of these views indicate
corresponding parts. A is the rail and B the chair. C is a cambered steel spring-
key of strong section, as shown. The back of the spring-key is shaped at b to
suit the shape of the inside of the chair horn, so that when the spring-key is fixed
with its horns against the rail web and its back against the middle of the chair
horn, it cannot move out of place in any direction during the working of the
traffic. This spring-key is driven into its place with a hammer and securely fixes

page_text: E
the rail within the chair. The key may be driven out, when it is desired to
remove the rail. The chair shewn is of an existing type. Special chairs may be
made if desired having the horn against which the spring-key bears concave or of
other desired shape on plan, the back of the spring-key being of course made to
suit such shape. Instead also of the chair horn slanting inwards, as shewn, and
thus preventing the spring-key from rising, a recess may be formed in the face of
the horn for this purpose.
If desired the spring-key may be put in loosely, or with moderate compression,
and a steel wedge driven in between it and the rail web or the chair horn.
Another modification of this invention is illustrated by figures 4 and 5 (sheet 2)
of the accompanying drawings, of which figure 4 is a plan of a railway chair
shewing a rail fixed therein, and figure 5 a section taken on line y y of figure 4.
A is the rail and B the chair, as before. The horn D of the chair is in this case
made of a special shape at its inner face for a purpose which will be presently
understood. A part of the head of the rail is broken away in figure 4 for
convenience of illustration. C is a cambered steel spring-key of a similar
character to that before described, but instead of being driven into its place, as in
the former case, this key is fixed by means of an eccentric piece or block E. At the
top of the block E is a collar c and upon this is a part F by which the block E may
be turned with a spanner. The body of the block is narrower on plan one way
than the other, and when the key is held in place the block is passed narrowways
between the key and the chair horn, and is then turned at right angles so as to bring
its broader width between the chair horn and the back of the key, with the effect
of compressing the spring from the shape indicated by the broken curved lines into
that shewn by the corresponding full lines. The shape of the body of the block E
is shewn on plan by two sets of broken lines, one set shewing the position of such
block before and the other after it is turned to compress the spring-key and fix
the rail. The back of the block is convex, as shewn, to fit within a concave part
in the face of the chair horn when fixed, and the front of the block is curved to
suit the curve of the spring-key and thus prevent the key from moving endways.
A projection d on one side of the front of the block extends the bearing against
the spring-key. The block is prevented from shaking down by the projecting
part e which bears upon the top of the chair horn.
If the spring C is placed on the inside of the rail the chair horn D should be
somewhat lower than shewn at figure 5 and the top of the block E brought down
therewith so as to clear the part F from the wheel flanges.
The rigidity of the curved or cambered spring C, according to either modification,
may be increased relatively to its weight by corrugating it in the direction of its
length or forming it buckled.
Either of the modifications above desribed [sic] may be employed also as a rail
joint in lieu of the ordinary fish-plates and bolts, by making the chair of a suitable
width to give a solid support to both rail ends and fixing the spring-key so that
one horn thereof bears against the web of one rail and the other horn thereof
against the web of the other rail.
A further modification of this invention is illustrated by figure 6 (sheet 2).
This view is drawn to about full size and only those parts are shewn which are
necessary to make the invention clear. A is a sectional plan of the rail web, Ba
plan of the chair born on one side of the rail, C a metallic wedge or key and D D
a strong spiral spring. E is a cylindrical stud projecting from the inner face of
the horn B and fitting within the interior of the spring D D for the purpose of
keeping it in position, To fix the rail, the wedge Ċ is driven between the web A
and the spiral spring until the inner face of the spring falls into a recess a a in the
back face of the wedge. The wedge C is shewn by broken lines in position ready
for being driven in between the web and the spring, and the form of the spring
before the wedge is driven in to compress it is indicated by broken lines which shew
the inner face of the spring to be just against the forward part of the wedge as
the latter is about to be driven in,
.

page_text: If the inner edge of the spring and also the edge of the recess are bevelled or
rounded the wedge may be readily driven back when it is desired to remove the
rail.
The curved and spiral springs described and illustrated are made preferably of
tempered steel.
Having now stated the nature of our said invention and particularly described
and ascertained the manner of performing the same, we declare that we do not
claim the use, for the purpose herein described, of an elastic spring in whatever
form the same may be employed, as certain forms of elastic springs have been so
employed before the date of our invention. We do not, however, limit ourselves
to the exact details herein described and shewn, as such are capable of considerable
modification, as will be readily understood; but what we do claim as our invention
and desire to secure by the herein before, in-part-recited Letters Patent is :—
1. The spring-key C curved or cambered on plan, substantially as and for the
purpose herein described, and shewn by figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying
drawings.
2. The combination of the spring-key O curved or cambered on plan with the
eccentric-piece or block E (and means by which the same may be turned) and inner
face of the chair horn D shaped to suit the back of such block, all substantially
as and for the purpose herein described, and shewn by figures 4 and 5 of the accoin-
panying drawings.
3. The combination of the spiral spring D D and wedge C, substantially as and
for the purpose herein described, and shewn by figure 6 of the accompanying
drawings.
In witness whereof I the said John Steen for myself and on behalf of the
said Bernard Peard Walker have hereunto set my hand and seal this
twentieth day of March in the year of Our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and sighter foun
Witness
STEPHEN WATKINS, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E.
Office for Patents, Wolverhampton.
JOHN STEEN. (L.S.)