IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SCREWING UP AND UNSCREWING THE BOLT NUTS OF RAILWAY RAILS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hesketh Hughes, of Homerton, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR SCREWING UP AND UNSCREWING THE BOLT NUTS OF RAILWAY
RAILS."
Sealed the 26th February 1872, and dated the 1st September 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hesketh Hughes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st September 1871.
I, HESKETH HUGHES, of Homerton, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SCREWING UP AND UNSCREWING THE BOLT NUTS OF
RAILWAY RAILS," to be as follows :—
The apparatus consists of a brace or bent framing supporting or
formed on one side with a fork or clip for holding the head of the bolt,
and the other end with a worm and screw arrangement and a socket or
fork to take over the nut.

page_text: The worm and screw mechanism is actuated by a wheel or crank
handle, the rotation of which causes the nut to travel on the bolt
and become tightened up.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Hesketh Hughes in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 1st March 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HESKETI
HUGHES, of Homerton, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, send :
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Hesketh Hughes, Her special licence that
I, the said Hesketh Hughes, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Hesketh Hughes, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 mako, 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 APPARATUS
FOR SCREWING UP AND UNSCREWING THE BOLT NUTS OF RAILWAY RAILS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Hesketh Hughes, 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 im-
mediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Hesketh Hughes, 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

page_text: by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
The apparatus mainly consists of a brace or bent framing supporting
or formed on one side with a fork or clip for passing over and holding
the head of the bolt while the worm and screw or other equivalent
mechanism which is held or attached to the other side is operated
for putting on or taking off the nut, the mechanism having a socket or
fork to take over the nut for the purpose. The mechanism is actuated
by a wheel or a crank handle, the rotation of which causes the socket to
turn the nut upon the threaded portion of the bolt, and to scrow it
up tight against the fish plate or the rail, as the case may bc.
The apparatus is furnished with a clip for embracing the rail to steady
it, and the fork which holds the bolt head is so arranged that the bolt is
prevented turning with the nut, and also that it can be released with
facility.
The accompanying Drawings will fully explain how my Invention
is carried into effect. Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus with a
portion of the frame in section.
a is the railway rail and 6 is the bolt, the head c of which is held in a
clip or fork. d, so that it cannot move when the socket e, which embraces
the nut fis turned by the worm wheel g, which is attached to the spindle
i of the socket, the wheel being within a case or box j to preserve it
from dirt or gravel, as shewn in Figure 2. The wheel is geared into
by a worm k upon a vertical spindle or shaft 7, squared at the upper part
for receiving the hand wheel or handle, by which it can be turned, the
nut fentering the socket by a sliding motion as it moves along upon the
bolt. The clip or fork which holds the bolt head is jointed at its upper
part to a bar m, which connects the box j thereto, and this rests upon the
rail head; by this means the apparatus is easily detachable from the rail,
it being only necessary to turn the lever handle n at right angles to the
position shewn at Figure 1 and then lifting it about its centre or pivot p,
when the clip d will leave the bolt head and release the apparatus. The
lever handle is made with a tail picce q, which lays over and upon
a lug when the apparatus is in position, but which is free to enter
a hole & made in the bar m when the lever is lifted to release the clip d,
as before explained. Figure 3 shows exactly how the apparatus is
applied on either side of the rail a, and it will be understood that
8

page_text: by turning the worm in one direction the nut can be screwed on to
the bolt and by turning it in the reverse direction the nut is removed
from the bolt.
26
In order to permit of the operation being expeditiously effected I fit
a pinion t upon the worm spindle, into which a wheel u is caused to gear,
its spindle having a head squared or similarly shaped to the head
of the spindle, from which the handle or hand wheel can be removed and
be transferred; by this means the nut can be caused to travel along the
bolt at a great speed until it reaches the fish plate w, when the handle is
again shifted on to the licad to obtain tlic necessary grip or bite upon the
rail through. the direct action of the worm and worm wheel:
-
The worm wheel may be of the ordinary kind, as shown in Figure 2,
or of the improved kind; shewn in Figure 4, where in lieu of -tho-teeth
being in a piece with and of the same metal as the body they are made
of steel of roller form, so that they can roll upon the teeth of the worm
and thereby reduce friction, the teeth having necks, which are retained
in position by rivets, which also serve as pins for taking into annular
grooves formed in the necks.
Figures 5 and 6 shew a modified form of apparatus for screwing up.or
unscrewing the nuts upon the bolts, of railway rails, the only difference
being that-in lieu of the worm and worm wheel I fix a ratchet wheel
upon the socket spindle, and operate this by a hand lever, which can bo
moved to and fro to cause the pawl to engage with the teeth. I propose
in this case for unscrewing the nut to remove the ratchet from the
socket spindle and replace it in the reverse direction, but by arranging
two ratchet wheels upon the socket spindle with the teeth in the reverse
direction the socket and consequently the nut can be screwed on or off
the bolt as desired.
P
Figures 7 and 8 show an apparatus with four ratchet wheels arranged
to work in unison through, spur wheels, tho pawls of the ratchets being
so arranged that every to-and-fro movement causes the socket to turn,
the pawls being so placed that either two of them can be put into
contact with the ratchet wheels and two lying idle. The pawls are
governed by a spindle or pin with flats upon it, so as to lift the pawls
not required to work out of gear, the lever or the pin being retained in
any position by the spring paul ; thus two of the pawls are put into
action for screwing up and the other two for unscrewing the nut. This

page_text: first-described Figures. This apparatus is so constructed that a greater
power can be obtained from it for screwing up the nuts; the centre
upon which-the pawls work being out of the vertical axis of the centro
upon which the ratchet wheels are mounted. Should the bolt have a
rounded head I prefer to clip the rail by a tongue, such as I have shewn
in Figure 6.
Figures 9 and 10 represent an apparatus_with_a_ratchet_wheel_only,
the wheel being enclosed in a box or casing provided with lips for laying
upon the rail, the hand lever being moved to and fro to screw up or to
unscrew the nut as the case may be. This apparatus is intended to be
used from either side, a hole being made through the wheel for the nut
to travel through when the wheel is turned.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim the
improved apparatus shewn in Figures 1, 2, and 3 for screwing up and
unscrewing the bolts of railway rails, whether such apparatus be fitted
with the spur gearing or not, as herein-before described.
I also claim the employment of a clip for holding the bolt head of
railway rails or the rails themselves in combination with a socket for
embracing or taking over the nut when such are used, in the manner
and for the purposes named.
I also claim the means or appliances for attaching, screwing, and
unscrewing apparatus upon or to railway rails, as hercin-before described
and shewn in Figs. 5, 6, 9, and 10 of the Drawings.
I also claim the ratchet mechanism for operating the socket when
employed for the purposes specified, with reference to Figures 7 and 8.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hesketh Hughes, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this First day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
HESKETH HUGHES