AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF TRAMWAYS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Silas Nicholls, of Parliament Street, in the City of
Westminster, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE PERMANENT WAY
OF TRAMWAYS."
Sealed the 30th December 1879, and dated the 9th July 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Silas Nicholls at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th July 1879.
SILAS NICHOLLS, of Parliament Street, in the City of Westminster.
PROVEMENT IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF TRAMWAYS."
"AN IM-
My Invention relates to a further improvement on the Invention for which
Letters Patent were granted to me dated August 16th 1878, No. 3247, which
improvement has for its object to strengthen the rails by locking or keying the two
half rails together, and thereby enabling them to be rivetted or bolted together, and
be laid much more expeditiously than before, as it is no longer necessary for the
rivet and bolt holes to correspond accurately with one another, or with the
diameter of the rivets or bolts.
My Invention consists in rolling each channelled or ] shaped half rail with a
shallow longitudinal groove on the inner or hitherto flat unchannelled side of the
web, of a width to correspond to the height of the cast iron distance or packing
blocks, which as described in my said former Patent, are placed between the two
half rails in order to allow the wheel flanges to run between them.
According to my present Invention, the distance or packing blocks and fish
plates set into the said grooves in the inner or opposite sides of the half rails, so
that the two half rails mutually support one another when rivetted or bolted
together, without depending on the bolts or rivets otherwise than to hold them
together, so that I am enabled to make the holes in the rails and blocks as much
larger than the. diameter of the bolts or rivets as is necessary, to allow for any
slight want of correspondence in the position of the holes in the two half rails.
I prefer to form the grooves in which the distance blocks are received as above
mentioned, not by making the web of less thickness than heretofore, but on the
contrary by rolling an extra thickness in the form of a longitudinal angular
shoulder or rib, along the flat side at the proper distance from each head, so as to
slightly contract the lower part of the groove or space in which the wheel flanges
run, rendering the said groove somewhat shaped in cross section.

page_text: the 3rd
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent mica
-by-the-said Silas Nicholls--in--the Great Seal Patent Office on
January 1880.
SILAS NICHOLLS, of Parliament Street, in the City of Westminster.
PROVEMENT IN. THE PERMANENT WAY OF TRAMWAYS."
"AN IM-
My Iuvention relates to a further improvement on the Invention for which
Letters Patent were granted to me, dated August 16th, 1878, No. 3247, which
improvement has for its object to strengthen the rails-by-locking or keying-the-two.
half rails together, and thereby enabling them to be rivetted or bolted together and
laid much more expeditiously than before, as as it is no longer necessary for the rivet
or bolt holes to correspond accurately with one another, or with the diameter of the
rivets or bolts. My Invention consists in rolling each channelled or ] shaped half
rail with a shallow longitudinal groove on the inner or hitherto flat unchannelled
side of the web, of a width to correspond to the height of the cast iron distance or
packing blocks, which as described in my said former Patent are placed between the
two half rails in order to allow the wheel flanges to run between them. According
to my present Invention the distance or packing blocks and fish plates fit into the
said grooves in the inner or opposite sides of the half rails, so that the two half
rails mutually support one another when rivetted or bolted together, without
depending on the bolts or rivets otherwise than to hold them together, so that I am
enabled to make the holes in the rails and blocks as much larger than the diameter
of the bolts or rivets as is necessary, to allow for any slight want of correspondence
in the position of the holes in the two half rails.
I prefer to form the grooves in which the distance blocks are received as above
mentioned, not by making the web of less thickness than heretofore, but, on the
contrary, by rolling an extra thickness in the form of a longitudinal angular
shoulder or rib along the flat side at the proper distance from each head, so as to
slightly contract the lower part of the groove or space in which the wheel flange
runs, rendering the said groove somewhat V shaped in cross section.
Figure 1 is a plan of a rail constructed according to my Invention; and Figure 2
is a cross section of the tramway showing the rails as fixed, the section of the left
hand rail in the latter Figure being taken through one of the chairs in which it is
fixed.
A is the concrete foundation; B, the bed plate; C, the longitudinal ribs thereon;
the wooden packing-pieces-beneath-the-rail; D, the clips to hold the chair;
E, the chair, and F, the keys, all constructed and fixed as described in my aforesaid
Patent; G, G', are the two half rails or lengths of ] shaped or channelled iron or
steel united by bolts or rivets I with distance blocks H of cast iron between, to
form a double headed reversible rail, as described in my former Patent with the
following exception. Each half rail G, G', is rolled with two shoulders or ribs g
on the inner side of the web (as shown clearly in the enlarged cross section of rail
Figure 3), at a distance from the surface of each head of the rail equal to the
required depth of the groove a for the wheel flange. The dotted lines g' show the
old flat form, so that the extra thickness and the shape of the shoulders or ribs will
be readily understood. It will thus be seen that the groove a formed by combining
two half rails as above described is of the full width at the upper part, but is
gradually contracted or V shaped downwards, the angle of the inclined faces of the
shoulders g corresponding to the outline of the wheel flange which is slightly coned
as usual. Between the two shoulders g of each half rail, a channel or groove about
of an inch deep, more or less, and of a breadth to correspond to the height of the

page_text: cast iron distance pieces H is thus formed, and the distance pieces fit in these
grooves in both half rails, and lock the two together, so that they afford one
another mutual support, instead of depending on the bolts alone to prevent the
vertical displacement or bending of either part of the rail.
I would observe that although I have described and shown the opposite faces of
the shoulders g as being bevelled, I do not limit myself thereto as they might be
vertical or parallel to the web of the rail.
Having described the nature of my Invention and the manner of performing the
same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be protected by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
In a tramway rail constructed of two half rails bolted or rivetted together side
by side with distance blocks between as described, the combination of the longi-
tudinal groove or channel formed on the inner side of both half rails with the cast
iron distance blocks fitting therein, substantially as and for the purpose shown and
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Silas Nicholls, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Third day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty.
SILAS NICHOLLS. (L.S.)