IMPROVEMENTS IN CROSSINGS FOR RAILWAYS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Harris Hill, of No. 38, Parliament
Street, Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention
TO RATTWAYO "
Sealed the 4th March 1870, and dated the 8th September 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Harris Hill at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 8th September 1869.
I, RICHARD HARRIS HILL, of No. 38, Parliament Street, Westminster,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CROSSINGS FOR RAILWAYS," to be as
follows:-
My Invention consists in constructing railway crossings of two
lengths of ordinary rail of any section, and by preference of steel, the
front ends of which are firstly bent on one side to a certain angle and
planed on such bent portion so as to present two angular meeting
surfaces, which may either be bolted together to form a point of the

page_text: most obtuse angle required, or between which is bolted a short point of
steel, chilled cast iron, or of wrought iron, such point having shoulders,
against which the ends of the side pieces abutt, and a tail piece of a
wedge shape fitting between the planed surfaces of the side pieces.
When the crossing is made of bridge rails the side pieces are not
bent over as above described, but are simply planed off sufficiently to
give the requisite angular surfaces. By this arrangement the side
pieces are capable of being made identical in shape, so as to be inter-
changeable for crossings of all angles, the variation in the angle being
made in the short point, the wedge tail of which is made of a correspond-
ingly greater or less angle to suit the varying angle of the side pieces.
These points may be readily removed when worn and replaced by new
ones, and as the crossing consists of three separable pieces capable of
being packed in a very compact manner it offers great facility for
transport. The joint of the two side pieces with the point is by pre-
ference supported upon an ordinary base plate, and the point is formed
with a flange, by which it may be bolted down to such base plate or to
any other support. The wing of the crossings are by preference made
of the same length as the side pieces of the crossing for convenience of
packing, and they are also formed so as to be interchangeable for crossings
of different angles. In order to insure that the bolts securing the side
pieces to the point of the crossing shall take a true bearing against the
side pieces, no matter what angle these may be made to assume, I'
prefer to make the bearing surfaces of the heads and nuts of the bolts
hemispherical or conical, fitting into enlarged or countersunk holes in
the side pieces. When the side pieces of the crossing are arranged at
any angle but the most acute one required I prefer to strengthen their
connection by the introduction of a wedge of iron, steel, or wood between
them behind the point.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Richard Harris Hill, Her special licence
that I, the said Richard Harris Hill, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Richard Harris Hill, my 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 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 CROSSINGS FOR
RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard
Harris Hill, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Harris Hill, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:-
My Invention consists in constructing railway crossings of two
lengths of ordinary rail of any section, and by preference of steel, the
front ends of which are firstly bent on one side to a certain angle and
planed so as to present two angular meeting surfaces, which may either
be bolted together to form a point of the most obtuse angle required, or
between which is bolted a short point of steel, chilled cast iron, or of
wrought iron made from rails or otherwise, such point having shoulders,.
against which the ends of the side pieces abutt, and a tail piece of a
wedge shape fitting between the planed surfaces of the side pieces.
When the crossing is made of bridge rails the side pieces are not bent
over as above described, but are simply planed off sufficiently to give the
requisite angular surfaces. By this arrangement the side pieces are
capable of being made of such a configuration as to be interchangeable

page_text: for crossings of all angles, the variation in the angle being made in the
short point, the wedge tail of which is made of a correspondingly greater
or less angle to suit the varying angular position of the side pieces.
These points may be readily removed when worn and replaced by new
ones, and as the crossing consists of three separable pieces capable of
being packed in a very compact manner it offers great facility for
transport. The joint of the two side pieces with the point is by prefer-
ence supported upon an ordinary base plate, and the point is formed with
a flange, by which it may be bolted down to such base plate or to any
other support. The wings of the crossings are by preference made of
the same length as the side pieces of the crossing for convenience of
packing, and they are also formed so as to be interchangeable for
crossings of different angles. In order to insure that the bolts securing
the side pieces to the point of the crossing shall take a true bearing.
against the side pieces, no matter what angle these may be made to
assume, I prefer to make the bearing surfaces of the heads and nuts
of the bolts hemispherical or conical, fitting into enlarged or countersunk
holes in the side pieces. When the side pieces of the crossing are
arranged at any angle but the most acute one required I prefer to
strengthen their connection by the introduction of a wedge of iron, steel,
or wood between them behind the point.
Having thus set forth the nature of my Invention I will now proceed
more particularly to describe the manner of performing the same, for
which purpose I shall refer to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
Figures 1 to 9 shew.the application of my Invention to a crossing of
an acute angle formed with double-headed rails. Figure 1 shews a plan
of the crossing; Figures 2, 3, and 4 shew transverse sections respectively.
on lines 2-2, 3-3, and 4-4, Figure 1; and Figures 5 to 9 shew
detached details. Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts in
each of the Figures.
A is a steel point (shewn detached in elevation and plan at Figures 5
and 6), which for the purpose of connection to the two side rails B, B,
has a tail picce a formed of a wedge shape at the top and bottom, but
left of the full thickness of the web in the middle to serve as a joggle.
This tail piece fits between the two side rails, which are formed for this
purpose, as shewn in the detached outside and inside elevations and plan
at Figures 7, 8, and 9, the rails being first bent so that the web forms
the required angle, after which they are planed off to the configuration

page_text: shewn, that is to say, they are planed off at 6' to form the meeting surface
for the point A, and at 6 to form the meeting surfaces between the
side pieces themselves when forming the most acute angle, as at Figure 1.
A recess is also formed at on the inside of the web to receive the
parallel portion of the tail a of the point. The three parts are then
secured together by two screw bolts C, C, (or by pins and cotters,) the
bolt holes being made of a sufficiently enlarged diameter to allow bolts
of the same diameter to pass through, no matter what the angle may be
(within certain limits) which the point assumes. The heads and nuts
of the bolts are formed with conical or spherical bearing surfaces, as
indicated, in order that they may take a true bearing against the rails.
The bolts may also be slightly bent in the shanks to effect this object.
The points A may be special castings or forgings, or they may be
prepared of lengths of rail planed to the desired configuration, in
which case the width of the point at the shoulders corresponds with
the width of the original rail. The rails B, B, being formed as shewn,"
are perfectly interchangeable, that is to say, they may be used for
crossings of any angle varying between that shewn at Figure 1 and that
shewn at Figure 16. It will be evident that, by forming the planed
surfaces of the side pieces to different angles from those shown they may
be employed between even greater limits.
The crossing of medium angle at Figure 10 being formed by the
insertion of a point A¹ of medium angle (shewn detached at Figures 11
and 12), while the crossing of extreme angle at Figure 16 is formed by
bolting together the two side rails B, B, so as themselves to form the
point, the point is in each case strengthened by preference by the.
insertion of a wedge D of iron, steel, or wood. between the rails B, B,
as shewn. The crossing may be supported, either upon a wrought-iron
base plate E bolted to the wings or guide rails F, F, as shewn in
Figures 1 to 4, or by means of ordinary cast-iron chairs, as shewn at
Figure 10 and in the transverse sections of this arrangement at Figures
13, 14, and 15, which are sections respectively on lines 13-13, 14-14,
and 15-15. The wings or guide rails F are by preference made to join
with the rails G at a very short distance beyond the angle at x in order
that with a very little adjustment the guide rails may also be used for
crossings of different angles.
Figures 17 to 20 shew to a smaller scale the application of my In-
vention to flanged rails. Figure 17 shews a plan of the crossing;

page_text: Figure 18 shews a section on line 18-18, Figure 17; and Figures 19
and 20 shew side elevations respectively of the rails B and point A
detached. The principle of construction is precisely the same as in the
previous cases, and the several parts are designated by the same letters
of reference. The rails and point are in this case bolted down by their
flanges to the flat base plate E.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what
manner it is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that what I
claim under the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The before-described construction of crossings, wherein the
rails forming the side pieces are so constructed that they may be em-
ployed for crossings of different angles, either by inserting between
them separate point pieces of the required angles, or by bolting the
two rails together for forming the point, substantially as herein-before
set forth.
Second. The employment of separate points with wedge-shaped tail
pieces fitting between and secured to the interchangeable side rails,
substantially as set forth.
Third. Securing the separate parts of the crossing together by means
of bolts and nuts having conical or spherical bearing surfaces, sub-
stantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Fourth. Constructing the wings of crossings so as to be interchangeable
for crossings of varying angles.
Fifth. The employment of a wedge between the side rails for
strengthening the point, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Harris Hill, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.