Improvements in the Permanent Way of Railways and Tramways.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Aug., 1886.
Complete Left, 11th Feb., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 15th July, 1887.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Permanent Way of Railways and Tramways.
I DAVID SMITH of 227 Dudley Road Birmingham in the County of Warwickshire
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS AND TRAMWAYS to be as follows:-
I roll a Metal Sleeper of section as shewn (figure 1) with the Web high enough to
form supports for any section of Single or Compound Rails. After the Sleepers are
rolled, and sawn, or cut off to required lengths I punch out two holes to admit the
Rails, and Screw Keys, at such distances apart as may be required for any particular
guage of road. After the Rails are in place I introduce the screw Keys, and work
back water until the head, and nut of the Screw Key firmly press against the Rail,
and sleeper. To prevent the Nuts getting loose I drive between the head, and Nut
a taper wedge to fill up the space. I also for the same purpose wrap round. the
exposed part of the Bolt on the space between the Nut, and head a piece of
Wire so that the Nut cannot move until the wire is removed.
I claim rolling a compound Rail as shewn figure No. 2 the 3 pieces may be rolled as
long as they can be handled by a set of say 5 plate layers, and the pieces to break joint
with each other. When either of the two sides meet I strengthen them at their ends
by putting inside a tube of about one yard long as shewn by dotted line inside the
compound Rail No. 2.
Figure 3 shews Screw Key applied to chair and Bull head Rails, as used by London
& North Western Railway Co. and other Companies.
The part of No. 2 Marked No. 4 shews my plan of useing my compound Rail,
and Patent sleeper for Tramways. The sleepers in each case to be about 3 feet
from centre to centre.
I also claim to make the heads of the compound Rails of harder steel than it is
safe to use in making Rails in one piece.
1177

page_text: I also claim to chill, or other ways harden the Head of my compound Rail after it
is rolled. I also claim to make the ordinary chairs with a hole through the Horn.
I place the Nut of the Bolt inside the horn, and introduce the Bolt through the
hole in the horn and screw up the Bolt until it presses against the web of the
Rail, and forces the nut against the Horn of the chair. When my Screw Key
is used with cast chairs, I place a plate inside the Horn with hole in it large
enough to let the Nut turn round, the two ends of the plate are turned so as to
clip the horn of the chair. This is a further security against the movement of the
Key side ways. I claim to make a Screw Key as shewn figure No. 5.
Dated this 30th day of Aust 1886

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Permanent Way of Railways and Tramways.
I DAVID SMITH of 227 Dudley Road Birmingham in the County of Warwick,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
1. I roll (in the usual way) a Metal Sleeper shewn in Drawing No. 2.
The Web A I make high enough to form a vertical support for any description
of Rail heretofore in use, on any Railway, and high enough to give latteral
support to my "Compound " Rail, after described, such support so given to supercede
the use of Cast Iron chairs, as now used with Bull head Rails, and also to
supercede the use of broad bases now in use in T Rails. Such bases are now as
wide, or wider than the height of the rails the base may be reduced to the same
width as the Head of the Rail, and with perfect safety narrower than that. The
metal thus saved may be used to increase the Head, and Web of the Rail. I also
make a sleeper of gutter or channel shape with two Webs A' as shewn by dotted
lines Sheet No. 2.
After the Sleepers are rolled, and cut off to lengths required I make holes in the
Web A of the T sleepers or in the channel shape sleeper in the two Webs Nos. A 1.
and Sheet No. 2¹, to hold the Rails, and their "Keys," or Wedges. The distance of
the holes apart will be regulated by the guage of the Road for which they are
intended.
I roll a Rail in three parts as shewn drawing No. 1.
3. I fasten this (compound) Rail in my Patent Sleeper with my Patent Screw
Key B or my Patent wedge C as shewn in drawing No. 1 and No. 4.
To prevent the nuts of the screw Keys getting loose (when at work) after they are
fixed, and tightened up, I put in a metal wedge D between the nut and the head of
the Key, see drawing No. 3 and 4.
When wedges are used for fixing the Rails in their Sleepers, I drill or punch a
hole in the thick part of the Wedge, I tap this hole to receive a steel screw pin
with a pointed end. After the Wedge is in its place, and driven up tight
I introduce this pointed screw pin, and turn it until the point just pricks the
skin of the Rail. When this done no vibration can move the Wedge see sheet of
drawings No. 2.
For Bullhead Rails I make Wedge Keys of section shewn drawing No. 2.
4. Where two sides of my compound Rail meet I make that part of the Rail as
strong as any other part of the Rail by putting inside the Rail two plates as shewn
by dotted lines see drawing No. 1 E. These plates I make about 3 feet long. I hold
this support in its place at the joint by passing a Bolt through it and the two sides of
the Rail see dotted lines drawings No. 1 & 4. To more firmly hold the compound
Rail together, I use a Bolt every yard, and a distance piece F of wrought, or cast
pipe see drawing No. 1.

page_text: 5. I make the heads of compound Rails with more carbon to harden them than
is considered safe with Rails make in one piece. 1 also chill the heads of
compound Rails to harden them after they are rolled.
6. I make a compound Rail for Tramways see drawing No. 4 and I strengthen
the sides where they meet as described in Paragraph No. 4 for Permanent Way.
When my Patent Tramway Rail is not used with my Patent Sleeper, I roll the
two sides with bases as shewn by dotted lines. In this case I use transverse
Sleepers.
7. I use my Patent Screw Key D' with Bull head Rails and Cast Iron chairs see
drawing No. 3. I also drill holes in the Horns of the present cast iron chairs, and
also cast new chairs with holes in their Horns to admit a round Bolt or Key. I place
the nut of the Bolt, or Key inside the Horn of the chair, and opposite the hole in the
Horn of the chair.
I then introduce the Bolt through the hole, and into the Nut, and screw up the
Bolt until it presses against the Rail, and the Nut is forced firmly against the inside
of the Horn of the chair. To prevent the Nut getting loose by vibration, after it
is fixed in its place, I put between the nut and the Rail a metal wedge to fill up
the space.
I also fasten my compound Rails in their Sleepers with wedges (3″ long 1"
wide & to taper from " to " see Sheet No. 1-Wedge C'.
8. I make my Patent Sleepers when used on curves wider in the guage. In many
cases of curves it requires an increace of width of guage of more than one inch.
Having now particularly described, and ascertained the nature of my inventions,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is
1st. To make a Railway Sleepers substantially as described in paragraph No. I and
drawings No. 2 & No. 21.
2nd. To Roll a Rail in 3 parts as described in paragraph No. 2.
I do not claim to have invented a Compound Rail in 3 parts. What I claim is to
make an improved section of a Compound Rail, and the mode of strengthening the
sides where they meet, as described in paragraph No. 4.
3rd. I claim to make a metal screw Key to superceed Wood Keys for fastening
Rails in their chairs, or in their Sleepers as shewn in drawing No. 3, & No. 4 and
described in paragraph No. 3, 7, & 8.
4. I claim to make the heads of compound Rails with additional carbon in them so
as to render them harder and more durable. I I claim to harden the heads of compound
Rails by "chilling" them after they are rolled.
5. I claim to make a compound Tramway Rail as described in paragraph 6 and
shewn on drawing No. 4.
6. I claim to make Railway and Tramway Metal Sleepers wider in the guage for
curves than they are made for straigh or approximately straigh Roads as described
in paragraph No. 8.
I claim to make all these improvements substancially as described in paragraphs
No. 1 to 8 inclusive and shewn in drawings No. 1. 2. 2¹ 3 & 4 inclusive.
Dated this 9th day of February 1887.