CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAYS, RAILWAY ENGINES AND CARRIAGES, AND CERTAIN OF THEIR APPURTENANCES
Year: 1849

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PERCEVAL
MOSES PARSONS, of Lewisham, in the County of Kent, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-eighth day of
February, One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine, in the twelfth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Perceval Moses Parsons, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Perceval
Moses Parsons, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Perceval Moses Parsons, my exors, adñors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term
of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and
in the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and in all Her
said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAYS, RAILWAY ENGINES AND CARRIAGES, AND CERTAIN OF
THEIR APPURTENANCES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
that I, the said Perceval Moses Parsons, shall cause a particular description
of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled
in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months

page_text: next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Perceval Moses Parsons, hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the present Specification thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed (that is to say) :-
My said Invention consists,―
Firstly, of certain improvements in the turntables used on railways, whereby
the revolving platform, when at rest, is supported partly on a centre pivot and
partly on a series of moveable or temporary bearings at or near the periphery,
which bearings are forced under the revolving platform by means of self-acting
agents, such as weights or springs, and when the table is required to be
turned the moveable supports are withdrawn and kept so during the operation,
and the platform left supported on the centre pivot alone.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of this improved turntable on the lines a, b.
Figure 2, a plan partly in section on the lines c, d, and with part of the top
covering removed for the purpose of more clearly shewing the necessary
gearing. Figure 3 is a plan on an enlarged scale of a segment of the table.
Figure 4, a sectional elevation on the line e, f; and Figures 5 and 6 are front
and back elevations of parts of the gearing on an enlarged scale. A is the
centre pivot. B, B, B, B, are moveable or temporary bearings, which are
attached to four cross shafts C, C, C, C, which turn in bearings on the move-
able platform, and have weights D, D, D, D, dependent from them, which by
their gravity always tend to turn the shafts in one direction, and thereby to
force the moveable or temporary bearings B, B, B, B, on to the curb R and
support part of the weight of the platform. E, E, are two jointed levers,
which are attached to any two of the shafts at right angles to each other, and
in which the shafts can turn freely, until the stops, the one F on the lever,
and the other G on the eye of the counterweight, meet, when, by moving the
lever E in the direction of the arrow, the shaft to which it is attached, together
with the other three, will be turned, the whole of them being connected
together by levers H, H, and connecting rods I, I, which are attached to four
levers on a ring N, which encircles and turns round the centre pillar O of the
table, so that motion given to any one of the shafts is communicated to all the
When the table is required to be turned, one of the levers (E) is raised
to a nearly vertical position, turning on the joint K.; it is then drawn back in
the direction of the arrow to the position shown by the blue lines at Figure 1,
rest.

page_text: which causes the four shafts C to turn, and the side supports B to be with-
drawn, and leaves the whole weight supported on the centre pivot A. In
drawing the lever E back the lower part of it enters a slot L made for its
reception in the moveable platform which (while it is in this position) prevents
it from turning back again on the joint K, so that it is then available for
turning the table round, and is kept so during the operation. When the
table is turned to the required position the lever E is released, and will be
drawn back to the position shewn in Figure 4 by the gravity of the weights D
acting on the shafts (C), which at the same time force the bearings B. on to
their seats on the curb R. The lever E when drawn out of the slot (L) is at
liberty to turn on the joint K and drop into its resting place, as shewn at P,
Figure 2. Two levers E are provided for the purpose of always having one
handy, whichever line of rails may be occupied by a carriage. The one not
in use will always allow the shaft to turn freely in it, on account of the
arrangement of the stops F and G, before described.
Secondly, my Invention consists of three several improved modes of laying
and securing the rails of railways, whereby the chairs generally made use of
when cross sleepers are employed are entirely dispensed with, and the rails
secured both to cross and longitudinal sleepers in a more durable and efficient
manner than heretofore.
The first of these methods is applicable to either cross or longitudinal
sleepers. I make use of a rail similar to the one shewn in section in Figures
7 and 8, or to the ordinary bridge rail as shewn in Figure 10, or any kind of
rail having a flat bottom flange. I lay this rail upon the sleepers and secure
it to them by means of wooden trenails driven through holes in the bottom
flange into the sleepers, as shewn in the Figures 7, 8, and 9. For the
purpose of preventing the treṇail being cut when the flange of the rail is thin,
as in the ordinary bridge rail, I encase the head of the trenails in thimbles or
ferrules, as shewn in Figure 10. To secure the joints of rails of the descrip-
tion shewn in section in Figures 7 and 8, I make use of a pair of clamps (L)
of cast or wrought iron, made so as to fit in between the top and bottom
flanges of the rail, and bear against them before touching the sides. These
clamps are drawn together by a bolt M, which passes through the joint of the
rails, the end of which have a recess cut out of them sufficiently large to
allow the bolt to pass and admit of the expansion of the rail, as shewn in
section in Figure 8, and in elevation in Figure 9.
The second of the methods embraced under this head consists in securing
the ordinary double flange or double T rail to cross sleepers without the aid
of chairs or trenails. I cut recesses in the upper sides of the sleepers at the

page_text: required distance to bring the rails to the proper gauge, and into this recess I
place the rail, and key it up by means of wooden or metal keys or wedges, or
compressed wooden keys (which last I prefer) on one side, as shewn in
Figure 12. Or I insert keys or wedges on both sides, or a parallel block on
one side and a taper key or wedge on the other, as shewn at Figures 16 and
20, which are sections taken at intermediate sleepers across the rail, an
elevation of which is given in Figure 14. The keys are made so as to fit well
up to the under side of the upper table or flange of the rail, so that it is sup>-
ported partly by them as they rest on the sleeper; and partly on the sleeper
itself, by which means the whole weight is spread over a large area on
the sleeper. To secure the joints where the ends of two rails meet, and
render them even and rigid, I apply splices of wrought or cast iron to one or
both sides of the rail, which are made to fit in between the two flanges, and
secured by means of bolts which pass through holes in the wob of the rail,
which holes should be of a sufficient size to allow for the contraction and
expansion of the rail. The top edges of the splices are lipped over so as to
forn a bearing surface for the wooden keys to bed against, which are driven
into the sleeper at the joint on one or both sides. Figures 11, 13, 17, 18,
19, 21, are different sections taken at the joints, illustrative of this second
plan of securing the rails. A, A, are the rails; C, the splices; B, the bolts
for holding them together; D, the wedges driven tight into the recesses .cut
into the sleepers E, the largest of which should be selected to be placed under
the joints of the rails.
The third of the plans belonging, to this head has reference to the laying
rails on longitudinal sleepers. A portion of the sleepers is cut away from end
to end for the reception of the rail, as shewn in Figures 24, 25, which are
sections taken across the line of rails, and Figure 22, taken at the joint of the
rails, of which a side elevation is given in Figure 23. The mode of fastening
the joints is precisely similar to that first before described. The rails G are fixed
in their places by means of cross transomes F, cut to the proper length, and
against which the rails G and longitudinal sleepers H are forced by tie bolts I.
The ends of the cross transomes, and with them the rails, are held down by
the trenails K. The cross transomes may be made out of the part of the
longitudinal sleeper which is cut away for the reception of the rail.
Thirdly, my Invention consists of certain improvements in the switches of
railways. As switches are at present constructed, it is customary either to
make the ends of the switch tongues enter notches in or house them under
the upper table of the fixed rails, both of which practices are objectionable;
as in the first instance, the evenness of the rail and the gauge of the line are

page_text: injuriously interfered with, and in the second, the bending and planing the
tongue rails to fit the fixed rails is expensive, and requires great care to make
it perfect. A further objection to this last kind of tongue is, that it cannot be
applied to a rail with a perpendicular side, such as a bridge rail. Now by my
improvements I am enabled to make two switch tongues at one simple operation,
which can with equal facility be adapted to any kind of rail at present in use, and
at any part of the line, and that without either cutting or drilling holes in the
fixed rails. To fix them in the chairs I make use of bars of iron of a section
similar to that represented in Figures 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30, that is to say, the
upper surface or table is made to correspond with the upper table of the fixed
rails, and the sides are inclined more or less straight or curved, or a combination
of both, so as to make the base wider than the upper surface. The degree of
inclination given to the sides must be regulated by circumstances, but should
be such that when the flanges of the wheels bear at the point where the
upper surface is rounded off to meet the sides, the rest of the flange should
just clear the sides below the flange. It may be continued to any angle or
any form, straight or curved. To make two pairs of switch tongues, 1 take
two bars of this description and cut them through by plane surfaces square
with their base, and in opposite longitudinal oblique directions to the angle
required for the points of the switch tongues, as shewn in Figure 75. A
portion of the point may then be cut off as being useless, from about where
the cutting plane meets the upper part of the inclined sides, as at the points
a, a, Figure 75. The tongues are then ready to be fitted to their places, the
flat sides being always placed against the fixed rails. Figure 31 is a plan,
Figure 32 an elevation, and Figures 33, 34, 35, and 36, cross sections (taken
at the chairs against which they are respectively placed), of a pair of these
improved switches. A, A, are the fixed rails; B, B, the moveable tongue
rail, formed as above described; C, C, the chairs into which the fixed rails
are fastened by means of wooden keys, and which form a be: for the tongue
rails to work on, besides supporting them laterally when closed; D, D, are
the joint chairs (an elevation of which is given in Figure 38, and a sectional
elevation on the line a, b, in Figure 37), into which the tongue rails are
secured as follows:-A notch on each side is cut out of the bottom flange or
angle of the tongue rail near the thick end, as shewn at Figure 39, and at
E, E, Figures 31, 32, and the chair is made with a stop partly lipped over, as
shown at F, F, Figure 38, and the end of the tongue rail is dropped over this
stop, the notch allowing it to do so, after which it is pushed forward until
the part of the bottom flange remaining at the end touches the stop on
the chair and is covered by the part lipped over. The fixed rail G is then

page_text: keyed into the chair against the end of the tongue, which keeps it in its place.
The other ends of the tongue rails are connected by a rod H, which
passes through holes in the fixed rails, as shewn in the cross section Figure 51,
and is provided with jaws, into which the tongue rails are slid previous
to being fixed in the joint chairs. The same rod H is used for working the
switches, being connected to a switch box in the usual manner. Figure '40 is
a plan, and Figures 41 and 42 are cross sections, shewing how my improved
switch tongue may be applied to an ordinary bridge rail. In this case the chairs
C are made of a different form in order to adapt them to the bridge rail, but they
support the tongue in the same manner. A pin (I) is fixed into the thick end of
the tongue, which turns in the joint chair D (Figure 42) when the tongue is
moved. On the. end of the tongue rail there is a small stud or projecting
picce K (Figure 43), over which the fixed rail is placed, which prevents the
tongue from rising out of its place. Figure 44 is a section of a double T rail,
and Figure 45 a section of a bridge rail, with an end view of the tongue rail
applied on an enlarged scale for the purpose of giving a better idea of its true
form and properties. The imaginary sections in both Figures are taken at
points shown on Figures 31 and 40, and indicated by the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4,
5, and 6, corresponding with the numbers of the respective sections. It will
be seen by examining the Drawing, that, although the sections at the points of
the switch rails are sufficient to give the required strength, their upper part
finishes in the angle at which the switches diverge, so as to make a perfect
junction with the fixed rails, and this without either cutting notches in them
or housing the switch tongues under the upper table, or lowering or in any
manner altering, bevelling, or cutting the external or internal upper or side
surfaces of the point of the tongue rails. It will also be observed that the
wheels will be partly supported by the tongue rails immediately they come in
contact, and will begin to be guided off at the same time; and as the wheels
pass on the tongue rails and the weight is gradually taken by them, so in
proportion will their strength increase.
Fourthly, my Invention consists in certain improvements in the crossings
of railways. I form the point of the crossing on the same principle as that
of the switches last herein-before described, so that the points of a pair of
of switch tongues on my plan, placed with their flat sides together, will give
the form of the point for a crossing of that angle; but in making them I prefer
forming the point out of one piece of iron, which must be made to the form
which two pieces of the above description would give when cut off to the
angle required for the crossing and placed together. Figure 46 is a front
view of the point, with imaginary sections, taken at the point indicated by

page_text: corresponding numbers, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, on the plan Figure 47.
Figure 48 is an elevation of the chair (B); Figure 49 an elevation, and
Figure 50 a section, of the joint chair C, on the line a, b, of Figure 47.
The point A (which I would recommend to be steeled) is driven into the
chairs B, C, into which the wing rails are fixed by means of wooden keys;
and the ends of the main rails D, D; are also fixed into the chair C, and
held against the back end of the point rail, by means of the key which is
forced up by the bolt F screwed into the point rail. It will be seen from
inspection of the Drawing that tho wheels of a carriage passing over or
through a crossing of the above description will not be so likely as usual
to get out of its proper line of direction, and that check rails would thus
be rendered superfluous, except where trains pass at high velocities.
Fifthly, my Invention consists of certain improvements in the wheels of
railway engines and carriages, namely, in forming each pair of wheels (the
tyre inclusive) and the axle all in one solid piece of wrought iron, that is to
say, of several parts united by welding into one; or I form the wheels and
axle in one piece, and the tires in separato pieces, which are afterwards
fastened on by any of the means in ordinary use. To form a pair of wheels
and axle all of one piece I proceed as follows:-The spokes are made of
such a length as to leave an opening in the centre sufficient for the intro-
duction of the axle (the ordinary nave being dispensed with). The inner ends
of the spokes are made of a T form, as shewn in Figures 52 and 53. The
axle is made rather larger at the part intended for the reception of the
wheel than elsewhere, as shewn at 8, Figure 58. This part of the axle,
and the ends of the spokes C, are then brought to a welding heat, the axle
introduced, and the axle and spokes placed on an anvil B, as shewn in
Figures 54 and 55, and hammered, stamped, or pressed together until they
are united into one solid piece. The anvil is made with jaws to open and
admit of the easy introduction of the wheel when the tyre-is put on, and the
recess between the two jaws is of such a depth that if the tyre or rim of the.
wheel gets eccentric on the axle it will bear on the lower part E of the anvil,
between the jaws, which, if required, may be adjusted, by the use of a wedge
or screw, to the utmost nicety. By these means, and by turning the wheel
round and hammering it, it is brought perfectly central with the axle. In
welding the second wheel on to the axle a stop or gauge is used, against
which the wheel already attached to the axle is placed while welding on
the second wheel, so as to get them to the proper gauge. When the operation
of welding is completed, the journals of the axles and the outer tyres, or
the rims for the reception of the outer tyre, are then turned; or the wheels

page_text: and axle may be formed in one piece by forging the axles with an extra mass
of metal round the parts where the wheels (a nave being as before dispensed
with) are intended to come, and out of which extra mass the body of the
wheel, with or without the tyre, may be made as shewn in Figures 56, 57, 58,
and 59. These operations may be accomplished by any of the well known
description of machinery now in use for rolling, stamping, or pressing metals.
Sixthly, my Invention consists in making the tyres or the inner rims
of the wheels of railway engines and carriages with an internal flange all
round, as shewn in the sections Figures 60, 63, 64, 65, and 66 (which last
is a section on the line a, b, of Figure 61), which is partly cut away and
bent round, to form the spokes, as shewn in Figures 62, additional picces
being welded on, as indicated by the red lines, to lengthen the spokes, if
required. Their ends may be welded to the axle, as shewn in Figures 61 and
66, or welded together to form a nave, or they may have a nave cast on
them. The manner in which I attach the. tyre is shewn at Figures 63, 64,
and. 65, which are cross sections to the tyre and rim. The tyre has an internal
flange, with a groove turned in its inside edge for the reception of the inner
rim. This groove is made rather larger than the thickness of the rim, so
that it may drop in easily when the tyre is heated to be shrunk on the wheel.
The wheel being put in the tyre when hot, with the rim in the groove
prepared for it, as the tyre shrinks the lip of the flange is hammered down
on to the inner surface of the rim, and the tyre is prevented from drawing off
or, separating from the rim by a small shoulder B, on the opposite side of
the tyre, through which the wheel can pass when the tyre is expanded by the
beat, as shewn in Figure 65; or the shoulder may be hammered over, as
shewn in Figure 64, the dotted line in which represents its form before being
hammered down against the side of the rim ; or it may be held by the lip
itself being hammered into a small channel, turned in the inner side of the
rim, near the edge, as shewn in Figure 63, or by bolts passing through the
rim and tyre in the usual way.
Seventhly, my Invention consists in forming the springs of railway engines
and carriages of one or more plates of steel or other flexible material, the ends
of which are rigidly attached to brackets, bearings, or blocks, firmly fastened
to the main framing of the carriage, or on to the framing of the carriage
itself, when suitable, and the weight applied somewhere between the two
fixed ends. Figure 67 is an elevation of part of a railway carriage, with a
spring of this improved construction applied to it as a bearing spring. A is
the spring, a plan of which is shewn separately in Figure 68. Both ends
of the spring are rigidly fastened to the blocks B, B, by means of bolts C, C;

page_text: and as additional security against its being detached, the ends are lipped
over and imbedded in the blocks, as shewn at D. The plates may be of
any of the forms represented in plan and elevation in Figures 68, 69, 76, 77,
and 77, or of any convenient modification of these forms. The blocks or
brackets B, B, are firmly fixed to the framing of the carriage, and their under
sides, to which the springs are attached, are slightly inclined, as shewn, which
at first causes the spring to assume a curved form, as indicated by the red
lines at F. The spring is placed on the axle box E, and when the weight
or strain is applied it assumes a form similar to that in which it. is shewn
in Figure 67, varying, of course, by reason of its elasticity and the amount
of strain to which it is subjected. Figure 70 shews how additional plates
may be applied at the centre and two ends to give greater strength if required.
Figure 71 shews also how this improved spring may be applied, so as to
dispense with the axle guards, and to connect the carriages to the axle box
solely by means of such springs. To accomplish this, two of theso springs.
(A, A) are attached to the blocks or brackets B, B, the one above the other,
and firmly fixed at their centres, the one to the top, the other to the bottom
of the axle box (C), and as nearly equi-distant from the centre of the journal
as may be, so that the springs themselves will hold the axle boxes in their
proper position. As an additional security against the chance of either of the
springs breaking, the axle box is connected to the one next adjoining on
the same carriage by the tie rod E, space being allowed in the bracket B,
through which this rod passes, for it to play vertically and horizontally, while
it is prevented from being drawn through, in case of an accident, by the
collar H. The same description of improved spring may also be applied as
a draw spring by fixing the ends to any convenient part of the under framing
of the carriage, or to brackets attached thereto, and connecting the draw bar
to its centre, as shewn in Figure 78, or it may be employed as a buffer spring
by connecting the ends of the buffer rods to the spring at the centre, by means.
of connecting rods or levers, or any other equivalent mechanical contrivances..
Eighthly, my Invention consists in constructing the draw hooks or bars
by which railway engines and carriages are connected, in such manner that.
they can be screwed in or out by. means of a. lever or levers, at the ends of
the carriage, attached to the draw bars themselves, or to nuts through which.
they work, so as to adjust them to any required length. Figure 72 is an
elevation, Figure 73 a plán, and Figure 74 an end view, of an arrangement
of this kind. A is the draw bar, which has a hook at one end, as usual, and
is screwed at the opposite end into a nut B, attached to the draw spring C in
such manner as to leave room for the end of the draw bar to be. screwed

page_text: through the nut; D is a shackle, with swivel link E attached to the hook ;
and F, a weighted lever dependent from the hook. To connect two carriages
they are brought together, and the swivel link of the one placed on to the
hook of the other, and either or both of the hooks screwed back by means
of the weighted levers F until the buffers touch or are sufficiently tight, the
joint in the swivel link E allowing either of the hooks to turn round indepen-
dently of the other.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, in the several
parts thereof, and in what manner the same are to be performed, I declare
that the improvements which I claim, as constituting my said Invention, are
as follows:-
First, I claim the improved railway turntable before described, in so far as
regards the peculiar arrangements and combinations by which the moveable
platform when at rest is supported, partly on a central pivot, and partly on
moveable or temporary supports, which are forced to their bearings by means
of self-acting agents, and are withdrawn when the table is required to be
turned, leaving the table supported by the central pivot alone while rotating.
Second, I claim securing the rails of railways directly to longitudinal or cross
sleepers by means of wooden trenails, without the intervention of the ordinary
chairs, as before described, and also encasing the heads of such trenails in
thimbles or ferrules.
Third, I claim the plan of securing the rails, by inserting them in recesses
cut in cross sleepers, and making them fast therein by keys or wedges, as
represented in Figures 11 to 21, both inclusive and before described, as also
the modification of the same, represented in Figures 22, 23, 24, and 25, and
also before described.
Fourth, I claim the methods of securing the joints of rails which are attached
to the sleepers without the aid of chairs, and which are supported by the
sleeper itself immediately at the joint, by means of clamps or splices, as
herein-before described.
Fifth, I claim the employment in railways of switches with the tongue
rails of the improved forms herein-before described, whether as regards the
whole or only the points of the tongue rails; also, securing the fixed rails
into the switch chairs by means of wooden keys where tongue rails which are
less in depth than the fixed rails are employed.
Sixth, I claim the improvements in railway crossings, before described, that
is to say, in so far as regards the peculiar form given to the points.
Seventh, I claim the forming of pairs of wheels and axles of railway engines
and carriages all in one piece, or the pairs of wheels and axles all in one piece,

page_text: with the exception of the tyres, and also the mode of constructing railway
wheels by forming the spokes out of a flange on the inside of the tyre or rim,
and the mode of attaching the tyres, as herein-before described.
Eighth, I claim the forming of the springs of railway engines and carriages
of one or more plates of steel, or other flexible material, the ends of which are
rigidly attached to bearings or brackets fixed on the framing of the engines
or carriages, or to the framing of the engines or carriages themselves, if of a
suitable form, in such a manner that when the load or strain is applied between
the two fixed ends of the springs it will cause the said springs to yield, bend,
or spring at or from the points of attachment, as well as at the point where
the weight or strain is applied, as before exemplified and described.
And, ninth, I claim the mode of constructing the draw bars or hooks of
railway engines and carriages, by which they can be screwed in or out to any
required length by means of a lever at the ends of the carriage attached to
them, or a nut into which they are screwed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Perceval Moscs Parsons, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine.