IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Nuttall, of Oldham, in the County of
Lancaster, and Joshua Taylor, of Bradford, near Manchester, in
the same County, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
93
Sealed the 16th June 1874, and dated the 31st March 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Nuttall and
Joshua Taylor at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 31st March 1874:
We, JoHN NUTTALL, of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, and
JOSHUA TAYLOR, of Bradford, near Manchester, in the same County,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY CHAIRS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel construction of railway chair, and
is designed to dispense with the wooden wedges or packings hitherto
employed for securing the rails in position.
The chair is cast in the ordinary manner, with the exception that the
inner side of one of the jaws is cast in a slightly inclined position to the

page_text: rail, and hollowed out with a vertical or slightly inclined tapered groove
in the centre, so as to admit of a cast-iron or other ball or tube being
placed in between the rail and the jaw; or wedges with convex or
slightly rounded sides may be used instead of balls for fixing the rail in
the chair.
The principal advantage of this form of chair and fastening is that
owing to the slightly tapered form of the vertical groove or recess in
the inner side of the jaw the shaking of the rail by trains passing over
it has a tendency to fix the ball or other equivalent fastening more
firmly into its place instead of loosening it, as is the case with wedges
or keys of the ordinary construction.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Nuttall and Joshua Taylor in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 29th September 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
NUTTALL, of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, and JOSHUA TAYLOR,
of Bradford, near Manchester, in the same County, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said John Nuttall and Joshua Taylor,
Her special license that we, the said John Nuttall and Joshua Taylor,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the
said John Nuttall and Joshua Taylor, 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 Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
RAILWAY CHAIRS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
John Nuttall and Joshua Taylor, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of tho said

page_text: '
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said
'
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,
and accompanying Drawings (that is to say) :-
'
This Invention relates to a novel construction of railway chair, and is
designed to dispense with the wooden wedges or packings hitherto
employed for securing the rails in position."
The chair is cast in the ordinary manner, with the exception that the
inner side of one of the jaws is cast in a slightly inclined position to the
rail, and hollowed out with a vertical or slightly inclined tapered groove
in the centre, so as to admit of a cast-iron or other ball being placed
in-between the rail and the jaw; or cast-iron or other cylinders, tubes,
or wedges, with convex or slightly rounded sides may be used instead
of balls for fixing the rail in the chair.
Such being the nature and object of our said Invention, we will
now proceed to describe more in detail the manner in which the same
is to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect, and in
order that the same may be clearly understood we have annexed here-
unto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the
same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in
the following explanation thereof :-
Fig. 1 in the annexed Drawing is a vertical section of the chair and
rail; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, with the head of the rail
removed; and Figs. 3 and 4 are side views of the two jaws of the
chair.
The chair is formed, as usual, with a sole plate a, a, and two jaws
b and c. The inner side of the jaw c is cast in a slightly inclined
position, as seen at Fig. 1, and is hollowed out with a vertical or slightly
inclined tapered groove d, d, into which the cast-iron or other ball e, e,
is placed.
lin
It will be seen that the rail is held firmly at three points, vizt., by the
and notch a of the jaw b. and by the ball e e the latter haine

page_text: between the two former, and acting as a wedge. The opening between
the top of the groove d, d, and the head of the rail is not sufficiently
wide to allow of the ball being removed whilst the rail is in the position
shown, and therefor there is no danger of the ball getting out of place,
or being lost, or removed. When a rail is to be removed the ball must be
raised to its highest position, and the rail then tilted over, so as to with-
draw the bottom flange from the notch g, when the ball and rail can be
both removed.
⋅
:
It will be evident that, as before stated, a short cylinder or tube, or a
wedge with convex or slightly rounded sides, may be used with this
chair instead of a ball for fixing the rail in its place.
The principal advantage of this form of chain and fastening is that
owing to the slightly tapered form of the vertical groove or recess in the
inner side of the jaw the shaking of the rail by the trains passing over
it has a tendency to fix the ball or other equivalent fastening more 1
firmly into its place instead of loosening it, as is the case with, wedges
or keyes of the ordinary construction.
Having now described the nature and object of our said Invention,
together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be
performed or carried into practical effect, we wish it to be understood
that we claim as our Invention the construction of a railway chair with
an inclined jaw having a vertical or slightly inclined tapered groove in
combination with a ball, cylinder, or other convex-sided or slightly
rounded key or wedge, constructed and acting substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by the. Drawing annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joshua Taylor (on behalf of myself
and the said John Nuttall), have hereunto set my hand and seal;
this Twenty-fifth day of September, in the year of our Lord Ono
thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
JOSHUA TAYLOR. (L.S.)