Improvements in Street Railways or Tramways.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Feb., 1892-Accepted, 12th Mar., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Street Railways or Tramways.
We, ALEXANDER GEORGE EDWARD WESTMACOTT, of State Street, Newtown,
County of Bucks, State of Pennsylvania, in the United States of America, Clerk
in Holy Orders, and JAMES PEMBERTON HUTCHINSON, of Washington Avenue,
in Newtown aforesaid, Civil 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 :-
Our invention relates to street railways, and consists of a treading surface, and
longitudinal stringer of specific conformation, combined in one piece.
Our said invention also consists in the combination therewith of a metallic cradle
conforming to the curvatures of the stringer, as a supporting device and as a
joint piece and also in the minor details of the construction, all as hereinafter set
forth the object of our invention being to supply a rail especially adapted to street
tramways and in which the same may be laid if desired without the use of the
usual cross-tie.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a plan view of our improved railway showing two of the rails and
their combined stringers supported in the cradles at the joints thereof, and the
gauge of the tramway secured and regulated by the tie-rods.
Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof, at joint showing cradle.
Figure 3 is a cross section through the line a 6 of Figure 2.
In the construction of street tramways, the top surface of the rail is usually of
the form shown in the upper part of Figure 3 above the line c d which requires
that the rail should be supported upon and secured to longitudinal stringers, which
in turn are fastened to cross ties imbedded deeply in the soil with the usual paving
as a superstructure. The chief objections to this mode of constructing street
trams are the destruction of the cross-ties and stringers from the action of air and
moisture and the large expense of removing and relaying the paving necessary both
in the original construction and in the repairs.
Our invention simplifies the construction of the road way and greatly improves
the durability thereof. The rail proper above the line c d and marked A,
Figure 3, is constructed as shown in said figure integral with the stringer which
is composed of two sides B B' of double curvatures essentially as shown in cross
section Figure 3, until they meet at the base in a vertical plane passing longi-
tudinally through or near the centre of the top surface of the rail.
These
This particular form of the stringer portion of the rail, imbedded in the ballast,
between the cradles or chairs C hereinafter mentioned, operates to prevent a rolling
or turning or displacement of the rail from a true horizontal position, when as
frequently happens with street railways, heavy wagons pass over the tracks
unevenly bearing sometimes upon the tread and sometimes upon the flange of
the rail, tending thereby to change its horizontal alignment. The double curvature
of the stringer also imparts great elasticity to the integral structure.
combined rails and stringers are supported at their joints in chairs or cradles C,
which are shaped internally to conform to the double curves of the stringer portion
of the rail and stringer combination, the said parts being secured together by tie-
rods E E which pass laterally through the two sides respectively of the chair or
cradle and stringer; and these rods being made of sufficient length can be made to
serve the purpose of tie-rods between the two parallel rails as shown in Figure 1,
each end of said rod uniting the said parts B and C together as described.
Additional tie-rods F (see Figure 1) are preferably supplied to secure the proper
gauge of the tramway and they are applied to the stringers B B' about equidistant

page_text: between the two ends of the rail, and therefore between each set of cradles or
chairs C. The tie-rods F may be constructed similarly to the tie-rods E E which
consist of the rod E, the screw threaded ends and threaded nuts m n applied
thereto on each side of the chairs or cradle C. By means of these appliances
and of slots and keys in the rods between the two tracks, it will be apparent that
gauge of the railway may be readily adjusted and maintained.
the
We prefer to use in addition thereto, separate means for adjustably fastening the
chair or cradle to the stringers of the rails at their joints consisting of a screw
bolt L with threaded nuts on each side thereof as shown in Figure 1. In laying
our improved railway, the chairs or cradles C rest in ballast only, and no sleeper
or tie is necessary.
In order however, to secure more perfect and continued
alignment, we prefer to rest the cradles or chairs C on blocks of metal or stone D
conforming to the external shape of the said cradle C, (see Figure 3) or the
chair C may be given an external shape similar to and in lieu of separate blocks D.
We desire it to be understood that we do not confine our invention to a combined
rail and stringer in which the upper surface or tread of the rail proper is of the
specific conformation shown in the drawings, as the latter may be varied and any
well known form of street rail tread adopted in place of that shown, the essence
of this part of our invention being the combination of such a rail with a longi-
tudinal stringer consisting of inwardly inclined concavo-convex sides made integral
therewith and meeting at the base.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that
what we claim is :-
First. A combined street railway rail and stringer consisting of the rail proper
or tread A with longitudinal sides B B' formed integral therewith, and of concavo-
convex form inclining inwardly towards each other and meeting at the base;
substantially as described.
Second. A combined street railway rail and stringer consisting of the rail proper
or tread A, with longitudinal sides B B' formed integral therewith and of concavo
convex form inclined inwardly towards each other and meeting at the base; in
combination with a chair or cradle C conforming on its interior to the external
shape of the stringer; substantially as described.
Third. A combined railway rail and stringer consisting of the rail proper with
longitudinal sides formed integral therewith and inclined inwardly towards each
other and meeting at the base; in combination with a chair or cradle conforming
on its interior to the external shape of the stringer; and with tie rods E, E,
passing through the same and connecting the two sets of rail stringers and chairs
forming the tram-way; substantially as described.
Dated this 9th day of February 1899
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.