IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY CHAIRS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City
of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY CHAIRS."-A communication
from abroad by James H. Swett, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in the
United States of America.
Sealed the 7th February 1861, and dated the 30th August 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th August 1860.
I, JOHN HENRY. JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North
Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY CHAIRS," a communication
from abroad by James H. Swett, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in the United
States of America, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar system or mode of manufacturing
wrought-iron railway chairs, and consists in first rolling a bar or slab of
wrought iron with two longitudinal ridges or ribs on one side thereof near its
edges, one of such ridges being larger than the other, and containing sufficient

page_text: metal to form the rail-holding jaw of the chair. This bar or slab is then
passed vertically or edgewise between a pair of rolls which form the larger rib
or ridge, into an overhanging lip extending from end to end of the bar or slab.
This bar or slab so rolled is now sawn transversely into short lengths equal to
the desired width of the chair, and a mandrill of the size of the base of the
rail to be fitted into the chair is slipped under the lip of each chair, and by
the aid of a single blow from a fly press or steam hammer straightens the
chair and shapes the lip, so that it will exactly fit the rail. The chairs may
now have the spike holes formed in them, after which they are ready for use.
If desired, two lips or jaws may be made by making both ridges or ribs of the
same size, and giving the bar a greater curve, which curve may be subse-
quently taken out by hammering or by passing through a pair of vertical rolls,
which receive it immediately on its leaving the cutting rolls.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 28th February 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex, and
of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
, Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year, of Her, reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John
Henry Johnson, my executors, adininistrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said John Henry Johnson, "my executors, administrators, or
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 MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY CHAIRS," a
communication from abroad by James H. Swett, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania,
in, the United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said John Henry Johnson, by an instrument in writing under my

page_text: 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 John Henry Johnson, 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 accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
The said Invention relates to a peculiar system or mode of manufacturing
wrought-iron railway chairs, and consists in first rolling a bar or slab of
wrought iron to a 'slightly curved or channelled form, and with two longi-
tudinal ridges or ribs on the convex side thereof near its opposite edges, one
of such ridges being wider and higher than the other, and 'containing sufficient
metal to form the rail-bolding jaw of the, chair. This bar or slab so formed is
then passed vertically or edgewise between another pair of rolls; which groove
or channel the larger rib so as to form it into an overhanging lip running. from
end to end of the bar or. slab. This bar or slab after leaving the last-mentioned
pair of rolls is sawn transversely into short lengths, each length or section so
severed corresponding to the width of the chair, the length of such chair being
of course equal to the width of the bar or slab from which it has been severed.
A species of mandrill of the size of the base of the rail for which the chair is
to be adapted is now introduced under the overhanging lip of the chair, and by
the aid of a blow from a fly press or steam hammer it straightens the chair
and finally. shapes the lip, so that it will exactly fit the rail. The chairs may
now have the spoke holes formed in them, after which they are ready for use.
If desired, two lips or jaws may. be made by making both the ridges or ribs on
the bar or slab of the same size, and large enough for the purpose. . In this
case the bar should have a greater curve or channelling imparted to it, which
may be subsequently taken out by hammering or rolling; the object of making
the bar or slab channelled or slightly trough-shaped. is to afford facility for the
entrance of the grooving into the side of the ridge or ridges when forming the
overhanging lip or jaw of the chair.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of. Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
Figures..

page_text: Figures 1 and 2 represent-respectively a face view and transverse section of
the bar or slab after the two ridges or ribs a and b have been rolled thereon;
the larger rib a. is the one from which the holding jaw of the chair is
formed.
!
.
Figure 3 represents the bar or slab whilst under the action of the grooving
or channelling rollers which form the lip. The roller A is grooved so as to
receive the larger rib a of the bar when placed vertically or edgewise, as
shown in the Drawing; above this roller works the grooving or channelling
roller or knife-edged disc B, which enters the metal of the rib a, and forms an
overhanging lip from end to end of the bar or slab. This Figure illustrates
clearly the object of making the bar or slab slightly trough-shaped, namely, to
admit of the roll or disc B entering the side of the rib a in a direction parallel
with the opposite or under surface of the bar. The bar or slab on leaving
these rolls is cut into lengths, as herein-before described, and these lengths are
each straightened. by hammering, but I prefer to straighten or flatten the bar
itself before being cut into lengths by passing it through a pair of vertical rolls
which receive it immediately on its leaving the last-mentioned or grooving
rolls.
Figure 4 represents a perspective view of a complete wrought-iron single
jawed chair constructed after the manner herein-before described.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that what I consider to be novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent, is,
First, the general system or mode of manufacturing railway chairs, as
herein-before described.
Second, the application and use of the peculiar construction of railway
chair, herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of February, One thou-
sand eight hundred and sixty-one..