IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Adams Knight, of No. 4, Symond's Inn,.
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."-A
communication from abroad by Hiram Carpenter, of the City of New
York, in the United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Adams Knight
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 21st January 1862.
I, JOHN ADAMS KNIGHT, of No. 4, Symond's Inn, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," to be as.
follows:-
A large portion of the expense of maintaining the permanent way of a
railway is devoted to the supervision of the fastenings of the rails and the
chairs and to the renewal of the bolts, treenails, and keys that is so constantly
required.
The object of my Invention is to connect the cross-ties, sleepers or pedestals,
and chairs and rails, in such a manner that they will constitute a complete and
well-secured system without the intervention of any bolts or keys or any other

page_text: fastenings whatever, and it consists in casting the cross-ties and sleepers or
pedestals together, or when it is desirable that the cross-ties should be of
wrought iron, fitting them together with a socket or other lock joint and in
combining them with chairs that jam upon the rails and hold them securely
without the usual taper keys or wedges. To prevent the injury incident to
concussion upon a perfectly rigid support I interpose a layer of india-rubber
or other similar elastic substance between the rails and chairs.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Adams Knight in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 17th July 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN ADAMS
KNIGHT, of No. 4, Symond's Inn, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Adams Knight, Her special licence that I, the said John Adams
Knight, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Adams Knight, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS" (being a communication
to me from abroad by Hiram Carpenter, of the City of New York, in 'the
United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said John Adams Knight, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 John Adams Knight; do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is

page_text: to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
A large portion of the expense of maintaining the permanent way of .a
railway is devoted to the supervision of the fastenings of the rails and the
chairs and to the renewal of the bolts, treenails, and keys that is so, constantly
required.
The object of my Invention is to connect the cross-ties, sleepers, or pedestals,
and chairs and rails in such a way that they will constitute a complete and
well-secured system without the intervention of any bolts or keys or any other
fastenings whatever, and it consists in fitting the cross-ties and pedestals
together with a socket or lock joint, and in combining them with chairs that
conform to the section of the rails and hold them securely without the usual
taper keys or wedges. To prevent the injury incident to concussion upon a
perfectly rigid support I interpose india-rubber. or other elastic material
between the parts in such a manner that it is easy of access and permits the
adjustment of the track without disturbing the pedestals or ballasting of the
roadway.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and carried into
effect I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure I. is a vertical section of the parts used to support the rail, consti-
tuting one side of a railway, according to my Invention; and Figure II. is a
plan of the same. Figure III. is also, a vertical section of the same combina
tion of parts arranged in a different manner; and Figure IV. is a plan of the
same with the chair removed.
.
The same letters refer to similar parts in the various Figures. The rails a
are held in the jaws of the chairs 6 that fit over or into the cylinders c of the
pedestals d with india-rubber e interposed. The pedestals are held in gauge
by the cross-tief extending between them. The pedestals are cast with a
broad base of sufficient extent to sustain any weight that may be placed upon
them. The cross-tie f is formed with an eye at each end that may be
expanded by heat and shrunk on the cylinder portion of the pedestal. The
jaws of the chairs are shaped in conformity with the section of the rails they
are designed to hold, and they may be fitted either over or into the cylindrical
portion of the pedestal. The elastic material is of vulcanized india-rubber or
other suitable material made in several thicknesses or washers, and it may be
placed either under the centre or the periphery of the chair. When the

page_text: shanks of the chairs are fitted into the cylinders of the pedestals, as represented
in Figure III., the chairs may be made in halves that jam upon the rails with
any force desired. In this latter arrangement the exterior flange of the chair
covers the top of the pedestal and excludes the dust.
Having thus described the methods of constructing and operating my
Invention which I prefer to adopt, I would here state that the arrangement of
the various parts may be modified without departing from the spirit of my
Invention, which consists in combining them to form a railway without
requiring the use of bolts, keys, or other fastenings, and includes any arrange-
ment similar to that which I have described, although superfluous fastenings
may be added thereto.
In countries where wood is cheap a wooden substructure has been con-
sidered preferable on account of its elasticity and saving of wear and tear to
the rolling stock; but its want of durability occasions a constant expenditure
for repairs and renewals that balances the original economy of construction.
And although a substructure of iron or stone has seemed superior on account
of the lasting nature of the material, the rigidity of the bearings has rendered
their parts especially liable to the prejudicial effects of concussion, and it has
been found difficult and expensive to keep the various parts sufficiently and
effectively fastened.
The system of construction which I have invented and described imparts
sufficient elasticity to the track and combines the parts of which it is composed
without the fastenings that are necessarily employed in other systems and that
are so expensive to furnish and maintain. The readiness with which repairs
may be effected is another valuable feature of my Invention. An entire rail
may be raised to adjust the level of the track by regulating the thickness and
number of the india-rubber washers or discs or by interposing ordinary metal
washers, and it may be completely removed and replaced without disturbing
the pedestals, ties, or ballasting. As I prefer to confirm the bearing surface
to the pedestals, which are of cast iron, and to use a small wrought-iron tie
merely to retain them in position and gauge, the first cost of this permanent
way is considerably less than that of any other in use which involves the use
of expensive fastenings. And it is also an advantage that it may be gradually
applied and introduced in effecting the repairs of a road of the ordinary con-
struction, as each tie, with its pair of pedestals, is complete and perfect in
itself and is as effective, when used in connection with any other means of
support for the rails, as it would be if combined with a series of others similar
to itself.

page_text: These special and valuable features of economy of construction and main-
tenance and readiness of adaptation to renewals of other systems are not
occasioned by any of the various component parts seperately considered, but are
the result of their combination in the manner I have invented and described.
I claim therefore as my Invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, the
combination of the pedestals, cross-tie, and chairs, or their equivalents, and
either with or without the addition of any elastic material, substantially in the
manner described and for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal
this Seventeenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-two.
JOHN ADAMS KNIGHT. (L.S.)