IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CHAIRS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Zephaniah Bridgewater Smith, of Dudley, in the
County of Worcester, Manufacturer, and John Richards, of Tipton, in
the County of Stafford, Smith, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
RAILWAY CHAIRS."
Sealed the 10th January 1865, and dated the 12th July 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Zephaniah Bridgewater
Smith and John Richards at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents;
with their Petition, on the 12th July 1864.
We, ZEPHANIAH BRIDGEWATER SMITH, of Dudley, in the County of Wor-
cester, Manufacturer, and JOHN RICHARDS, of Tipton, in the County of
Stafford, Smith, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CHAIRS," to be as follows:-
In making railway chairs according to our Invention, we make each of the
said chairs of two pieces of wrought iron cut from bars rolled of the figure
herein-after described. The said pieces or halves of the chairs are of such a
figure that when placed on either side of the rail their upper parts fit the
body and base of the rail. Each of the pieces is furnished with a flange at
its base, one end of each flange passing under the rail. By means of pins
each half of the chair is fixed to the sleeper, and the rail secured between the
two halves. The rail rests on those portions of the flanges passing under it,
and the body of the rail is grasped so tightly by the two halves of the chair,
that the wooden wedges ordinarily used to fix the rail in the chair are not

page_text: required. The bar of wrought iron from, which the halves of the chair are
cut by sawing or dividing the said bar transversely, has the following figure,
that is to say, the said bar consists of a broad flat plate, near the middle of
which is a vertical rib; one side of the said rib is hollowed out at its base so
as to make it fit the side of the rail it is to be used with; the other side
thickens towards the base for the purpose of giving it strength.
Railway chairs made according to our Invention are lighter and stronger
than ordinary railway chairs; they can be put down and replaced more readily
than the ordinary railway chairs, and are not liable to break.
by the said Zephaniah Bridgewater Smith and John Richards in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th January 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ZEPHANIAH
BRIDGEWATER SMITH, of Dudley, in the County of Worcester, Manufacturer,
and JOHN RICHARDS, of Tipton, in the County of Stafford, Smith, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Zephaniah Bridgewater Smith and John Richards, Her special licence
that we, the said Zephaniah Bridgewater Smith and John Richards, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Zephaniah
Bridgewater Smith and John Richards, our 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 law-
fully 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 CHAIRS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Zephaniah Bridgewater Smith and John
Richards, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them,
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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Richards, on behalf of myself and
the said Zephaniah Bridgewater Smith, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
that is to say-
In making railway chairs according to our Invention, we make each of the
said chairs of two pieces of wrought iron cut from bars rolled of the figure
herein-after described. The said pieces or halves of the chairs are of such a
figure that when placed on either side of the rail their upper parts fit the body
and base of the rail. Each of the pieces is furnished with a flange at its
base, one end of each flange passing under the rail. By means of pins each
half of the chair is fixed to the sleeper and the rail secured between the two
halves. The rail rests on those portions of the flanges passing under it, and
the body of the rail is grasped so tightly by the two halves of the chair that
the wooden wedges ordinarily used to fix the rail in the chair are not required..
The bars of wrought iron from which the halves of the chair are cut by
sawing or dividing the said bars transversely have the following figure, that is
to say, the said bars consist of a broad flat plate, near the middle of which is
a vertical or nearly vertical rib. One side of the said rib is hollowed out at
its base so as to make it fit the side of the rail it is to be used with; the other
side thickens towards the base for the purpose of giving it strength.
Railway chairs made according to our Invention are lighter and stronger
than ordinary railway chairs; they can be put down and replaced more readily.
than the ordinary railway chairs, and are not liable to break.
Having explained the nature of our Invention, we will proceed to describe,.
with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which the same-
is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in end elevation, Figure 2, in side elevation,. and
Figure 3 in plan, a wrought-iron railway chair, constructed according to our
Invention, supporting a portion of a rail. The same letters of reference:
indicate the same parts in each Figure.
The said chair consists of two pieces or halves marked respectively a, b,
situated on either side of and under the rail c. Each of the halves or pieces.
a, b, consists of a broad flat flange or base a³, 62, having at one side a vertical
or nearly vertical rib or cheek a³, b. The inner face of each rib or cheek is.
hollowed out at a, b, the said hollowed part having a figure the reverse of
that of the base or head of the rail; the said inner face of the cheek or rib is
thereby made accurately to fit the body and base of the rail, as best seen in
Figure 1. The outer side of the rib or cheek is inclined towards. the base or

page_text: flange a³, b³. One end of each flange or base a², 63, of each of the halves of
the chair passes under the rail, and upon the said part the lower head or base
of the rail is supported. When the two halves a, b, of the chair are closed
upon the rail c in the manner represented in the Drawing, they grasp it so
tightly that the wooden wedges ordinarily used to fix the rail in the chair are
not required. Each end of the flange or base a, b, of the halves of the chair is
provided with a hole, through which holes fastening pins d, d², are passed for
fixing the halves of the chair to the sleeper e. The fastening pin d² on the
side of the base or flange opposite to that at which the vertical cheek or
rib a, b, is situated has a long conical head (or other shaped head), and is
made to bear against the base or lower head of the rail c, and assist in sup-
porting the rail in the chair, as best seen in Figure 1; the rail is thereby held
at opposite points by each half of the chair.
In making the half chairs, we roll bars of wrought iron having in cross
section the figure best seen in the end elevation of the half chair marked a in
Figure 1, and we cut or divide the bars transversely into a series of the half
chairs having the width seen in Figure 3, or of any other width as occasion
may require. After making the pin holes at the ends of the base or flange of
the half chairs, they are then ready for use.
Our improved chair may be used with rails having sectional forms different.
from that represented in the Drawing, the inner faces of the cheeks or ribs of
the chair being rolled of a figure corresponding to that of the rail with which
the chair is used.
The grooves in the rolls which we employ for manufacturing the bars from
which the halves of the chair are cut by sawing or dividing the bars trans-
versely have the figures proper to roll the said bars, but as the said rolls differ
in no essential respect from rolls used for rolling bars for other purposes, and
constitute no part of our Invention, we do not consider a further description
of the said rolls necessary.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we do
not limit ourselves to the precise details herein described and illustrated in
the Drawing, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature
of our Invention; but we claim as our Invention the improvements in rail-
way chairs herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing, that is to say, making each of the said chairs of two half chairs or
pieces of wrought iron cut transversely from rolled bars consisting of a hori-
zontal base or flange and a vertical or nearly vertical cheek or rib, the rail
being supported upon the base or flange of each of the halves of the chair,

page_text: and grasped and held firmly between the two ribs or cheeks of the halves of
the chair, essentially in the manner described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Richards, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
JOHN RICHARDS. (L.B.)