IMPROVEMENTS IN SUPPORTING THE RAILS OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Spencer, Civil Engineer, of No. 6, Cannon
Street West, London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUPPORTING
THE RAILS OF RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 23rd November 1866, and dated the 28th May 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Spencer at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th May 1866.
I, GEORGE SPENCER, Civil Engineer, of No. 6, Cannon Street West,
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SUPPORTING THE RAILS OF RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
My improvements consist in supporting the ends of railway bars or metals
(as they are called) by means of girders of wood or iron placed under the
metals at the joints, and bearing on the cross sleepers next on each side of
the joint, and on which girders the rail ends rest. Sometimes I fix to the
centre of such girders a suitable support so that the rails bear only on such
support for a few inches at their ends. Sometimes I use an additional cross
sleeper or other support under the joint of the rails on which I place a support
for the rail ends, so that it shall have a vertical and lateral support. In all

page_text: cases I prefer to use the fish-joint as well as the additional cross or longi-
tudinal girder.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said George Spencer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th
November 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
SPENCER, Civil Engineer, of No. 6, Cannon Street West, London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said George Spencer, Her special licence that I, the said George
Spencer, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
George Spencer, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SUPPORTING THE RAILS OF RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said George Spencer, 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
Donths next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Spencer, 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 by the following state-
ment:-
My improvements in supporting the rails of railways consist in supporting
the ends of railway bars or metals, as they are commonly called, by means of
girders or bearers of wood or iron placed under the metals at the joints, and
bearing at their ends on the cross sleepers next on each side of the joint, and
on which girders the rail ends rest. Sometimes I fix to the centre of such
girders a suitable support, so that the rails bear only on such support for a

page_text: few inches at their ends. Sometimes I use an additional cross sleeper under
the joint of the rails on which I place a support for the rail ends, so that it
shall have a vertical and lateral support.
In the Drawing Fig. 1 shews a side elevation of one modification of my
plan, and Fig. 2 a section through the rails and joint support.
A, A', are wooden cross sleepers of the ordinary kind; B is the new girder
or bearer, of wocd or iron, resting by its ends on the sleepers A, A'; C is a
support for the ends of the rails, attached by bolts or spikes to the centre of
the new girder or bearer; this may be of wood or metal; D is the fish-joint
plate as commonly used; E, the rail or metal; F, F¹, are the wood keys.
What I claim as new is the mode of supporting the ends of railway bars
as described and shewn herein.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Spencer, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
GEORGE SPENCER. (L.B.)