AN IMPROVED METHOD OF LOCKING THE NUTS ON RAILROAD RAIL BOLTS
Year: 1861

page_text: ETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer & Patent Agent, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED METHOD OF LOCKING THE NUTS ON RAILROAD RAIL BOLTS."—A
communication from abroad by Messrs. Henry Lawrence, Charles
Harcourt White, and Thomas Washington White, all of Melrose, in
the County of Westchester, State of New York, United States of
America.
Sealed the 28th June 1861, and dated the 22nd March 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 22nd
March 1861.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer & Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF LOCKING THE NUTS ON RAILROAD RAIL BOLTS," to
be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to prevent the nuts on bolts which are used
to secure strengthening bars or fish-pieces on each side of the joints of rail-
road rails from wearing loose, in consequence of the jarring and concussions
occasioned by the passing and repassing of trains over the rail.
The nature of this Invention consists in interposing washers between the
nuts and fishing bars, and securing the nuts to said washers by spring pawls

page_text: on the nuts engaging with ratchet teeth on the washers. The washers are
recessed to receive the nuts, and have annular ribs or flanges on the inner
surface of which the ratchet teeth are cut; in these teeth the spring pawls
engage. These washers on account of their large bearing surface will not be
liable to turn, and as the nuts are secured to the washers, and the whole are
set up tightly against the side of the bar, a perfect lock will be formed, which,
while it will admit of the nuts being set up tighter, will not turn backwards.
The bolts are prevented turning by their necks or heads fitting a recess in the
fish bars, or otherwise. If it is found desirable spikes may be cast or other-
wise formed on the backs of the washers, which may be driven into indentations
made in the fishing bars for effectually preventing the washers turning, or
being turned while on the bolts and against the fish bar. For woodwork the
spikes on the washers will be found desirable, but for ironwork they will not
be necessary. In order to take a nut off one of the bolts, the spring or springs
must be broken out, which can be done by a slight tap with a chisel, and as
the springs are only slipped loosely into grooves in the nuts, another spring
can be used to again apply the nut as before.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st September 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said William
Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Clark, 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
"AN IMPROVED METHOD OF LOCKING THE NUTS ON RAILROAD RAIL BOLTS," a
communication from abroad by Messrs. Henry Lawrence, Charles Harcourt

page_text: White, & Thomas Washington White, all of Melrose, in the County of
Westchester, State of New York, United States of America, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Clark, 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 per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Offica
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of; the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Clark, 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, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto
annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
The object of this Invention is to prevent the nuts or bolts which are used
to secure strengthening bars on each side of the joints of railroad rails from
wearing loose, in consequence of the jarring and concussions occasioned by the
passing and repassing of trains over the rail.
The nature of this Invention consists in interposing washers between the
nuts and fishing bars, and securing the nuts to said washers by means of spring
pawls on the nuts engaging with ratchet teeth on the washers, as will be
herein-after described, so that the nuts may be set up when desired, but will
be effectually prevented from turning loose.
In the accompanying Drawing, which forms part of this Specification,
Fig. 1. is a side view of two ends of a railroad rail bolted together wherein
the nuts on the bolts are locked by this improved device; Fig. 2 shows a
transverse section through the rail at a point where a bolt passes through it;
Fig. 3 is an enlarged view, showing the washer which is used in locking the
nuts, and the attachment of the nut thereto; Fig. 4 is a transverse section
through a washer having spikes on its back; Fig. 5 shows the back of the
washer of Fig. 4. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in the several Figures.
.
A, A, represent the ends of two sections of a common Trailroad rail, and
B, B, are fishing bars, which are formed in the usual manner to fit snugly
against each side of the rails, and to extend some distance on each side of the
joint thereof, for the purpose of strengthening the rail table, and preventing
the ends of the rails from springing either upwards, downwards, or laterally;
C, C, C, C, are the bolts, having angular heads, which pass transversely
through holes made through the bars B, B, and the neck of the rails A, A,

page_text: and which are to receive nuts D, D, D, D, on their ends, on which screw
threads are cut in the usual manner for the purpose of securing the bars B, B,
rigidly to the rails. These bolts and nuts are made in the usual manner, and
indeed this Invention can be readily applied to the old bolts and nuts which
are at present in use; G, G, G, G, represent circular cast-iron washers, which
are flat on one side, and have an annular flange a projecting from the other
side. Around the inside surface of each flange ratchet teeth are formed, as
shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, & 4 of the Drawings. The flanges a on the washers
G, G, project out an half inch, or more or less, and the inside diameter of
these annular flanges should be somewhat larger than the nuts which are used
on the bolts. The nuts D may be made square, octagonal, or any suitable
shape, and in one of the sides of each nut a deep groove is cut, into which is
inserted one end of a strong steel spring g, which is somewhat longer than the
space between the nut and ratchet teeth on the flange a, and it is therefore
bent, so that its free end will engage with the ratchet teeth. This spring or
springs, for one or more may be used, forms the lock for connecting the
nuts D with the washer G, and while it will allow the nut to be turned in
a direction for setting it further on the bolt, the spring will not allow the
nut to be turned backwards or unscrewed. The bolts Care passed transversely
through the bars B, B, and through longitudinal slots through the necks of
the rails A, A, and the heads of these bolts are recessed into one of the bars,
as shown in Fig. 2 of the Drawings, so that the bolts themselves will not turn.
The washers are now slipped on the ends of the bolts with their ratchet
flanges a, a, outwards, and brought up against the bar on this side of the rails.
The nuts D with their springs 9 are now screwed on the bolts, and set up
tightly against the washers by a screw wrench. These washers, on account of
their large bearing surface, will not be liable to turn, and as the nuts are
secured to the washers, and the whole are set up tightly against the side of the
bar, a perfect lock will be formed, which, while it will admit of the nuts being
set up tighter, will not turn backwards. If it is found desirable, spikes c, c,
may be cast or otherwise formed on the backs of the washers, as shown in
Figs. 4 and 5 of the Drawings, which may be driven into indentations made
in the fishing bars for effectually preventing the washers turning, or being
turned while on the bolts and against the bar B. For woodwork the spikes
c, c, c, on the washers G, G, G, will be found desirable, but for ironwork the
points c, c, c, will not be necessary. In order to take a nut off one of the
bolts the spring 9 must be broken out, which can be done by a slight tap
with a chisel, and as the springs are only slipped loosely in the grooves in the
nuts, another spring can be used to again apply the nut as before.

page_text: Having described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the washers G, G, G,
having annular ratchet teeth flanges a formed on them, in combination with
the springs or pawls g, which are secured to the nuts D, substantially as and
for the purposes herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
W. G. E. SWINNOCK,
53, Chancery Lane.
W. CLARK.
(L.S.)