IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PORTABLE RAILWAYS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Crosskill, of Beverley, in the County of
York, Civil. Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF PORTABLE RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 12th December 1854, and dated the 10th October 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Crosskill at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th October 1854.
I, WILLIAM CROSSKILL, of Beverley, in the County of York, Civil Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF PORTABLE RAILWAYS" to be as follows:-
In having a double or tram railway bar, as shewn in Figure 1, made either
of iron or of wood and iron combined, so that common carriages as well as
railway carriages can travel upon the same line. The iron or combined wood
and iron rails are attached to longitudinal sleepers, marked A, A, Figure 2,
which are connected by two or more transverse sleepers B, B. The longitudinal
sleepers A, A, have chairs placed under the two meeting ends, as shewn in the
transverse sleeper, marked C, and are fastened by eye bolts and sliding pins, as
shewn in Figure 5, transverse section. The chairs, eye bolts, and sliding pins
can be placed either on the bottom of the transverse sleepers C, as shewn in

page_text: the plan, or on the top of them, and they connect the frames of the longitudinal
sleepers to each other with sufficient flexibility to allow them to lay upon an
undulating surface. The transverse sleepers B, B, are attached to the longi-
tudinal sleepers by a single bolt at each end, so as to form a parallel motion,
and allow each length of rail to fold together for convenience of transport, as
shewn in Figure 4. A hasp is provided, marked D, D, Fugures 2 and 3,
to keep the length of railway in its proper position when spread out, as in
Figure 2, or folded together, as in Figure 4. "The longitudinal sleepers and
rails are made of two different lengths, as shewn in the Drawings 2 and 3,
where the long rails are coloured black and the short ones red. To lay a
straight line, the long and short longitudinal sleepers are placed alternately
on each side, as shewn in Figure 2; and when a curve is wanted, all the
long sleepers are placed on one side and the short ones opposite, as shewn
in Figure 3. The difference in the lengths of the longitudinal 'sleepers and
rails can be made according to the radius of a given circle, in order to make
any curve that may be wanted.
What I claim to be-new in the above description is,
.
First, the form of the rail, as shewn in Figure 1, made either of wood or
metal, or both combined, so that a flange wheel or a flat tired wheel may be
used on it at pleasure..
Second, the use of rails fastened upon sleepers of different lengths placed
longitudinally, so as to form a moveable-railway, as above described.
Third, the mode of fastening and unfastening such sleepers together, as above
described.
Fourth, the use of a hasp or hook to keep the frames 'properly apart. when
fixed, and properly together when packed, as above described. *
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Crosskill in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th April 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CROSSKILL, of Beverley, in the County of York, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing. date the Tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and: grant unto me, the said

page_text: William Crosskill, Her special licence that I, the said William Crosskill, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Crosskill, 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, and 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 PORTABLE RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Crosskill, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
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 William Crosskill, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, 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):
The Figures in the description refer to the annexed Drawings. Figure 1 is
a plan, and Figure 2 a section; of my improved railway, which is constructed in
lengths or frames of any convenient size. A, A, are longitudinal sleepers, with
the rails R, R, fastened upon them; and B, B, are transverse sleepers connected
with each of the longitudinal sleepers by the bolts N, N, which pass through
both the transverse and longitudinal sleepers. The bolts N, N, are round, so.
that the transverse sleepers can turn upon them, and each-length or frame can
be folded together for packing or removal, as shewn in Figure 4, without being
taken to pieces. A hasp F is attached to one of the longitudinal sleepers A of
each length of railway, and drops into holes G, G, in the transverse sleepers
B, B, to keep the frames from closing when the line is laid down for use, as in
Figures 1 and 3; and to prevent them opening out when they are closed for
transport, as in Figure 4. The frames or lengths of railway are connected
together by means of the loose sleepers C, C, Figures 1 and 3, which have
loops or chairs D, D, fixed upon them to receive the ends of the longitudinal
sleepers A, A. The sleepers A, A, or the rails N, N, are fastened to the trans-
verse sleepers C, C, or to the loops. D, D, by the pins E, E, or by any other
convenient means. The transverse sleepers C, C, and the loops D, D, keep
the guage of the railway uniform, and by having different sets of loose sleepers
and loops, the same frames may be used to form railways of different guages.
The longitudinal sleepers A. A. and rails N, N, in each frame are of two
different lengths, as shewn in Figures 1, 3, and 4, in which the long sleepers.

page_text: are coloured black and the short ones red. When the long and short rails are
laid down alternately on each side, as in Figure 1, the lengths form a straight
line; but when all the long rails and sleepers are laid down on one side, and
the short ones parallel to them, as, in Figure 3, they form a curve. Rails of
any form may be used for the construction of this railway; but Figures 5 and 6
are sections of improved rails, which will enable vehicles having either wheels
with flanged tire or flat tire to travel upon them. Figure 5 is a section of a
rail, which may be constructed either of metal or wood and metal combined.
Wheels having flanges run upon the raised part II, and flat-tired wheels run
upon the part I, while the raised portions H, H, prevent them from running
off the line. In Figure 6, each longitudinal sleeper A, A, carries two angle
irons K, M, and L, O. The raised parts K, O, both of them, may be made
strong enough to carry wheels with flanged tires, and the flat-tired wheels can
travel on the portion of the rails, shewn in Figure 6, and marked L, L, M, M,
and M, L. By this arrangement, the railway without alteration can be used
for vehicles which have their wheels of different guages or distances from
each other.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same may be performed, and without confining myself to the exact details
above described, I claim the following improvements to be my own Invention:-
First, I claim the construction of railways in frames or lengths, having the
longitudinal sleepers and rails connected to the cross sleepers in such manner
that each length or frame can be folded together for transport or shipment
without being taken to pieces.
Secondly, I claim the connecting together the ends of the longitudinal
sleepers and rails of the frames or lengths above described by means of loose
transverse sleepers, having loops or chairs fixed upon them to receive those
ends, and to which they may be fastened by pins, bolts, or any convenient
means.
Thirdly, I claim the making of the longitudinal sleepers and rails for rail-
ways of two or more different lengths, capable of being arranged so that when
the long and short lengths are laid down alternately on each side, the railway
shall form a straight line, but so that when some or all of the long sleepers and
rails are laid down on one side and some or all of the short ones on the opposite
side, the railway shall form a curve.
Fourthly, I claim the construction of the rails, as shewn in Figure 5, and
inarked H, I, for the purpose of enabling carriages or vehicles baving either
wheels with flanged tires or wheels with flat tires to travel upon the same
railway..

page_text: Fifthly, I claim the arrangement of two angle bars, as shewn in Figure 6,
and marked with the letters K, M, and O, L, for the same purpose as the rails,
as above mentioned in my fourth claim, and also for enabling vehicles with
flanged or flat-tired wheels of various different guages to travel upon the same
railway.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Crosskill, have heretofore set my
hand and seal, this Second day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
WILLIAM CROSSKILL. (L.S.)