IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Ball Mannix, of Limerick, Ireland, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."-
A communication from abroad by Robert Mudge Marchant, James
Richard Davies, and John Allman Marchant, all of Wellington, New
Zealand.
Sealed the 18th October 1867, and dated the 22nd April 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Ball Mannix at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd April 1867.
I, JAMES BALL MANNIX, of Limerick, Ireland, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the combination, as hereafter described, of steel
or wrought iron with cast iron and timber or wood for the formation of a
uniform continuous rail, of which the portion subjected to wear is of steel or
wrought iron, and the continuous seat for this portion of the rail is of cast
iron on a substructure of timber or wood, the whole being securely united by
screw bolts screwed into and set up in the steel or wrought-iron portion of the
rail. Where freight is a considerable item in the cost of renewal this Invention
will be found of great advantage, as only the steel or wrought-iron portion will
have to be replaced. Another advantage is that the substructure of timber

page_text: by itself may be employed for waggons to run upon for conveying the metals
and other materials for the construction of the railway.
In carrying out this Invention I first secure to sleepers or otherwise
longitudinal timbers dowelled at the joints; upon the timbers I place longi-
tudinal cast-iron seats in 4 feet lengths, or other convenient lengths; the sides
of the seats have depending flanges which clip or embrace the timber; on the
under side the seats are grooved, the grooves being packed at the joints, and
the upper side of the seats is recessed longitudinally to receive the rails, which
are of Bessemer or other steel or wrought iron; these rails are in 12 feet
lengths, or other multiple of the length of the seats. I secure the whole
together by wrought-iron screw bolts screwed up through the timbers and cast-
iron seats and into or through the rails; these bolts are about 2 feet apart,
except at and near the joints where it is preferred to have a bolt at each side
of the joint and another at the joint itself; a washer is interposed between the
head of each bolt and the timber.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Ball Mannix in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd October 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
BALL MANNIX, of Limerick, Ireland, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said James Ball Mannix, Her special licence that I, the said James
Ball Mannix, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said James Ball Mannix, 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 RAILWAYS," (communicated to
me from abroad by Robert Mudge Marchant, James Richard Davies, and
John Allman Marchant, all of Wellington, New Zealand,) upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said James Ball Mannix, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of

page_text: 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
calender months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Ball Mannix, 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say:
This Invention consists in the combination, as hereafter described, of steel
or wrought iron with cast iron and timber or wood for the formation of a
uniform continuous rail, of which the portion subjected to wear is of steel or
wrought iron, and the continuous seat for this portion of the rail is of cast
iron on a substructure of timber or wood, the whole being securely united
by screw bolts screwed into and set up in the steel or wrought-iron portion of
the rail. Where freight is a considerable item in the cost of renewal this
Invention will be found of great advantage, as only the steel or wrought-iron
portion will have to be replaced. Another advantage is that the substructure
of timber by itself may be employed for waggons to run upon for conveying
the metals and other materials for the construction of the railway.
In carrying out this Invention I first secure to sleepers or otherwise
longitudinal timbers dowelled at the joints, upon the timbers I place longi-
tudinal cast-iron seats in 4 feet lengths, or other convenient lengths, the
sides of the seats have depending flanges which clip or embrace the timber;
on the under side the seats are grooved, the grooves being packed at the
joints, and the upper side of the seats is recessed longitudinally to receive the
rails, which are of Bessemer or other steel or wrought iron; these rails are in
twelve feet lengths, or other multiple of the length of the seats. I secure the
whole together by wrought-iron screw bolts screwed up through the timbers
and cast-iron seats and into or through the rails; these bolts are about two feet
apart, except at and near the joints of the rails, where it is preferred to have
a bolt at each side of the joint and another at the joint itself. A washer is
interposed between the head of each bolt and the timber.
The Invention is represented in the accompanying Drawings.
Figure 1 is a transverse section or end view of one of the compound rails;
Figure 2 is a plan with the steel or wrought-iron rails removed, this portion
being shown separately in Figure 3.
A is a sleeper; B, B, are longitudinal timbers dowelled at the joints. The

page_text: position and size of the dowel at the joints is indicated by dots at C, Figure 1.
.D, D, are longitudinal cast-iron seats placed on the timbers B, B; the sides
of these seats have depending flanges d, d, which clip or embrace the timbers.
The under side of the seats D, D, is grooved at E, the grooves being packed
at the joints, and the upper side of the seats is recessed to receive rails F, F,
of Bessemer or other steel or wrought iron. G, G, are wrought-iron screw
bolts screwed up through the timbers B, B, and seats D, D, and into or
through the rails F, F; these bolts G, G, are as before stated about 2 feet
apart, except at and near the joints of the rails F, F, where it is preferred to
have a bolt at each side of the joint and another at the joint itself, as
indicated by dots at g, Figure 2. A washer II is interposed between the
head of each bolt G and the timber B.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as the "Improve-
ments in the Permanent Way of Railways" the combination of steel or wrought
iron with cast iron and timber or wood, substantially as and for the purpose
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Ball Mannix, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of October, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-seven.
JAMES B. MANNIX. (L.S.)