Im- BRAVENO YN THE PERMANENT WAY OF TRAMWAYS.
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Kincaid, of St. James's Street, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of “Im-
BRAVENO
YN THE PERMANENT WAY OF TRAMWAYS.
OVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF Tramways.
PROVE
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Kincaid at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th March 1872.
I, JOSEPH KINCAID, of St. James's Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF TRAMWAYS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in the method of supporting
the rails of tramways by substituting iron supports or chairs for the rails
in place of wood sleepers at present in use. For this purpose according
to my improvements the tramway rails are supported at suitable distances
apart upon supports formed with a flat base, and having an open space
in the centre. From this base the support for the rail rises, having an

page_text: open space or passages through it in order that the concrete in which the
support is embedded may enclose and surround it so as that it may be
solidly embedded therein.
The upper portion of the support or chair may be of cubical form,
adapted to support the ordinary section of tram rail, or it may be formed
with a groove to receive a T section of tram rail. When the rail is
formed with one or two flanges on the under surface the upper surface
of the support fits the under surface of the rail, so that the vertical sides
of the rail do not project beyond the sides of the supports. The rails in
this case are fixed to the supports either by bolts or spikes passing
vertically through the head of the support.
When Trails are used the head of the support is formed so as to fit
the rail, recesses being formed on the upper surface of the support to
receive wood or other elastic cushions, on which the under surface of the
rail rests. The rail is secured to the support by means of a tapered key
passing horizontally through the support and the rail, by which arrange-
ment the rail may be tightened down to the support from time to time
as required.
The form of the support or chair above the base allows the blocks of
ordinary street pavement to be set close to the rail, and allows the
fastenings to be so placed as that the rail can be removed or renewed.
without disturbing the supports.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Kincaid in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 13th September 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
KINCAID, of St. James's Street, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of March, in the year a
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give

page_text: and grant unto me, the said Joseph Kincaid, Her special licence that I,
the said Joseph Kincaid, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Joseph Kincaid, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT
WAY OF TRAMWAYS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Joseph Kincaid, my executors or administrators, by an instrument 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 Joseph Kincaid, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
:-
This Invention relates to improvements in the method of supporting
the rails of tramways by substituting iron supports or chairs for the rails
in place of wood sleepers at present in use.
And in order that my Invention may be clearly understood and readily
carried into practice I will proceed to describe the same, reference being
made to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon.
According to my improvements the tramway rails (which in Figures 1,
2, 3, and 4 are of the ordinary construction) are supported at suitable
distances apart upon supports a, a, formed with a flat base a', and having
an open space a² in the centre. From the base a' the support a for the
rail b rises, having an open space or passages through it in order that
the concrete in which the support is embedded may enclose and surround
it so as that it may be solidly embedded therein.
The open portion of the support or chair a may either be of cubical
form adapted to support the ordinary section of tram rail, as shown, or it
may be formed with a groove to receive a T section of tram rail, as

page_text: shown at Figure 5, the web c on the under surface of the rail entering
the groove cast on the head of the support a. By this improved system
tram rails of any section suitable for tramways are spiked or bolted on to
cast-iron supports of the form shown in the Drawings, or similar thereto.
Where the ordinary section of grooved tram rail is used (as in Figures 1,
2, 3, and 4), the upper portion of the support is made square, the same
width, or of such a form as to fit the under side. of the rail, with a
vertical hole through the centre, whose diameter is slightly greater at
the top than at the bottom; into this hole a wooden plug is hammered,.
and the rail which rests on the support is secured by spikes driven into
the plug. The lower portion of the support is formed so as to have a
broad flat surface to rest on concrete, as previously described, but with
an open space in the centre, so that the concrete in which it is embedded
binds it solidly in every part. The support may also be made according
to my improvements with the hole horizontal instead of vertical, the rail
being fastentened by spikes or bolts passing through the two side flanges
(made sufficiently deep for this purpose) of the rail, and passing through
the hole in the support.
The supports used at the joints of the rails are shown in Figure 1,
being broader at the top and having two holes instead of one.
When Trails are used, as in Figure 5, the head of the support is
formed so as to fit the rail, recesses being formed on the upper surface of
the support to receive wood or other elastic cushions b¹, on which the
under surface of the rail rests. The rail is secured to the support by
means of a tapered key a' passing horizontally through the support and
the web c of the rail, by which arrangement the rail may be tightened
down to the support from time to time as required.
The form of the support or chair a above the base allows the blocks of
ordinary street pavement to be set close to the rail, and allows the
fastenings to be so placed as that the rail can be removed or renewed
without disturbing the supports.
The spikes that hold down the rails are driven into the wooden plug
that becomes an extremely compressed wedge, so that the rail is fastened
much more fixedly than by spikes into the ordinary timber sleepers now
used, and the support is of such a form that when embedded in the
concrete it cannot move unless the whole concrete block also moves.

page_text: The supports may be made any height to suit the depth of paving
used in the streets.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing or carrying the same into practice, I would remark that I
do not confine myself to the exact details herein-before described; but
what I claim is, the improved method of supporting the rails of tram-
ways upon iron supports formed substantially in the manner herein-
before described, and shewn in the Drawings hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Kincaid, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Ninth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE,
Patent Agent,
JOSEPH KINCAID. (L.S.)
34, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, W.C.