IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF FORMING FISH PLATES, AND IN THE MODE OF FIXING OR ATTACHING THEM TO THE JOINTS OF RAILS ON RAILWAYS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Enock Price, of Doncaster, in the County of York,
Railway Contractor, and Edmund Hawkins, of the same Place, Builder
and Contractor, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF
FORMING FISH PLATES, AND IN THE MODE OF FIXING OR ATTACHING THEM TO
THE JOINTS OF RAILS ON RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 12th August 1859, and dated the 24th February 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Enock Price and Edmund
Hawkins at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 24th February 1859.
I, ENOCK PRICE, of Doncaster, in the County of York, Railway Contractor,.
and I, EDMUND HAWKINS, of the same Place, Builder and Contractor,. do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MODE OF FORMING FISH PLATES, AND IN THE METHOD OF FIXING OR ATTACHING
THEM TO THE JOINTS OF RAILS ON RAILWAYS," to be as follows, and consists,. first,.
in forming the plates of iron used for connecting the ends or joints of rails on
railways, and usually called "fishes" or "fish plates" in such a way that
either side of the plate may be placed against the side of the rail, and also

page_text: that each plate may be used indifferently on either side of the rail, and with
either face placed in connexion with the side of the rail or rails; I propose to
effect this by forming each fish plate identically similar to each other, and also
that the outline or contour of each shall be symetrical about a mesial plane
passing either longitudinally or transversly through it; thus, supposing a plane
to pass through the axis longitudinally, the outline of the fish plate on the
right of the plane would be exactly similar to that on the left; this outline
will of course vary slightly to suit the different kinds of rails to which the fish
plates are applied.
The next part of my Invention relates to the method of fixing these fish
plates to the rails; and here I would mention that at present the great defect
in the use of fish plates is in the difficulty of fixing or keeping them fixed
to the rails, this is caused in most cases from an inability to tighten up the
two plates to the rail, owing to the cylindrical form of the bolts, the vibration
causing the bolt to rotate and gradually loosens it. To meet this difficulty, I
make my bolt square with a thread on the end 'for the nut, and I cut out the
holes in the fish plates, through which it passes rectangular. By this arrange-
ment it becomes impossible for the bolt to turn when put through the fish
plates, and when tightened up to become to loose. Instead of making the
bolt square throughout its whole length, the neck or small portion next the
hend may only be made square, by means of which the same results will
be obtained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Enock Price and Edmund Hawkins in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 24th August 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ENOCK
PRICE, of Doncaster, in the County of York, Railway Contractor, and EDMUND
HAWKINS, of the same Place, Builder & Contractor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most. Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Enock Price and Edmund Hawkins, Her special licence that we,
the said Enock Price and Edmund Hawkins, our exécutors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Enock Price and Edmund

page_text: Hawkins, 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 lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
5 Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF
FORMING FISH PLATES, AND IN THE METHOD OF FIXING OR ATTACHING THEM TO THE
JOINTS OF RAILS ON RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said Enock Price and Edmund Hawkins, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and
0 seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 Enock Price, for myself and on behalf
5 of the said Edmund Hawkins, do hereby declare the nature of our said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
.described and ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to say:-
.It consists, first, in forming the plates of iron used for connecting the ends or
joints of rails on railways, and usually called fishes or fish plates, in such a
way that either side of the plate may be placed against the side of the rail,
and also that each plate may be used indifferently on either side of the rail,
.and with either face placed in connexion with the side of the rail or rails.
I propose to effect this by forming each fish plate identically similar to each
other, and also that the outline or contour of each shall be symetrical' about
5.a mesial 'plane, passing either longitudinally or transversely through it; thus,
supposing a plane to pass through the axis longitudinally, the outline of the
fish plate on the right of the plane would be exacly similar to that on the
:left; this outline will of course vary slightly to suit the different kinds of rails
to which the fish plates are applied.
The next part of our Invention relates to the method of fixing or keeping
them fixed to the rails; this is caused in most cases from an inability to tighten
up the two plates to the rail owing to the cylindrical form of the bolts, the
vibration causing them gradually to become loose. To meet this difficulty,
1 make my bolt square with a thread on the end for the nut, and I cut out
the holes in the fish plates through which it passes rectangular. By this
arrangement it becomes impossible. for the bolt to turn or oscillate when put
through the fish plates, nor can it get loose when properly tightened. Instead
of making the bolt square throughout its whole length, the neck or small

page_text: portion next the head may be made square; by means of which the same
results will be obtained. We also propose; in order to secure the nuts in their
places on the bolts and prevent them from coming loose by the vibration, to
encircle them, that is, each pair when properly screwed up, with a bridle
or collar.
In order that the foregoing description may be fully and clearly understood
we have appended the accompanying Drawings to this Specification, which
.are intended chiefly to illustrate the form and general outline of the parts,
and the combination for effecting the objects before described; it being
understood, however, that we do not confine ourselves to the exact form and
details, as modifications and substitutions by well-known equivalents may be
made, so long as the general principles are retained.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the fish plate, shewing the square holes or
openings; Figure 2 is an end view of the rail, shewing the mode of applying
the fish plates; a, a, are the fish plates; b, the bolt, with the neck be formed
square, and fitting the hole in the plate a; c, the nut; a part of the collar or
bridle is seen at d, in its position over the nut; Figure 3 is a side elevation
of Figure 2; and Figure 4 shews the form of the bolt with the neck made
square; Figure 5 is a side elevation of a fish joint, two bolts are removed to
shew the square holes in the fish plate and the cylindrical holes in the rail;
b, b', are the extremities of the bolts; c, c', the nuts with the bridle or collar d
placed in position over them; Figures 6 and 7 are views of the collar or
bridle before mentioned, the former a plan and the latter an elevation, which
we construct preferably of wrought iron. When the bridle is in its place over
the nuts, it is fastned and held on by compressing its middle portion.
Having now described our Invention and the manner in which it is formed
and acts, I wish it understood that what we claim and want secured by the
before in part recited Letters Patent, are,-
First, forming the holes to receive the bolts in fish plates square or angular,
substantially as described in the Specification.
Second, forming the fish plates themselves so that either and each side of
the plate can be applied to either side of the rail indifferently, substantially as
described in the Specification and illustrated in the Drawings.
Third, forming the neck of the bolt, or that portion of it about one inch
from the head, square or angular, and so as to coincide with the holes in the
fish plates, and thus obviate the possibility of the bolt turning. while being

page_text: screwed or tightened up, as described in the Specification and generally illus-
trated in the Drawings appended thereto.
Fourth, making use of a collar or bridle of a rectangular form for the
pose of retaining the nut on its place when on the screws of the bolts.
pur-
In witness whereof, I, the said Enock Price have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of August, Eighteen hundred "and
fifty-nine.
ENOCK PRICE. (L.S.)
Witness to the signature of the said
Enock Price,
JAMES WRIGHT,
42, Bridge Street, Blackfriars,
London.,