Improvements in Railway Chairs, Wedges, and Rails, and the Method of Connecting and Fixing same upon the Permanent Way of Railways.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Nov., 1890-Accepted, 10th Jan., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Chairs, Wedges, and Rails, and the Method
of Connecting and Fixing same upon the Permanent Way of
Railways.
ALFRED SMITH The Grove Dedham Essex Architect (retired) do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The several drawings, accompanying this Specification, are intended to illustrate and
materially aid in describing the nature of this invention, and the manner in which it
is to be performed, and applied, in constructing new, reconstructing or replacing old,
and modifying existing lines upon railways, in accordance therewith.
Abbreviated terms are hereinafter made use of, and applies to this my said invention,
they are as follows:
The term rail means the new, iron or steel, railway rail, reversible, endwise and
edgewise, with both edges identical, and usable for traffic, with connecting fillets
upon its sides, at each end, for placing into a double chair.
The term double chair, means the rail-suspending, and rail-end-connecting, iron
or steel, new railway chair, to be used at the joint ends of every two rails, to
receive, connect, and carry them; and the single chair, means an iron or steel,
new railway chair, to be used in the intermediate rail space between every two
double chairs, to suspend and carry the rails.
The term wedge, means an iron, steel, or hard wood, new railway wedge, to be used
in connecting the single, and double chairs, with rails; in joining the ends of the
latter, and for suspending and fixing them, also interlocking the several parts.
SHEET 1.
Drawing A, represents a plan; C, a transverse section of rail, side view of single
chair, and wedges; W, is the back, or chair side, and W 2, outside of wedge C.
A is the middle, A i the top edge, and Aj the bottom edge of rail; bk, b k, is a
single chair; C, C, are wedges; d, d, are wrought iron taper-necked bolts, securing
the single chairs Uk, to wood sleepers m, m; e, e, are iron or steel pins, passing
through upper part of single chair bk, and back, and middle part of wedge C, C, to
prevent it from being jerked out of single chair bk, after the wedge is fixed; the pins
are precautionary and are not absolutely necessary; ei, e i, is a space for allowing
wedges C, C, room to act in, both downwards and inwards, (not upwards) after pins e, e,
are fixed.
Rail A, is placed in the middle upper space of a single chair bk, is suspended,
carried and fixed, in a perpendicular position, and quite independent of all bottom
support from the chair, by aid of the wedges C, C; which are situate partly beneath
the inside edges at ff, of rail A, and formed to fit into the sloping oblique grooves,
made in each upper inner side of single chairs bk, at h, h, h, h, 9, 9, gi, gi, gi, in
which grooves, the backs of wedges C, C, when their tops are weighted by the rail,
slides downwards and inwards against the sides of it, at its middle part A, at f,f;
thereby pressing against it so as to suspend, securely fix, and prevent the rail from
sinking upon its bottom edge Aj, to come in contact with the bed kl, of single
chair hk, bk. Wedges C, C, are held in place laterally, by means of the oblique
sloping planes h, h, h, h, in the upper inner parts of single chairs bk, bk, and the
corresponding projecting angnlar planes, formed on the back side of wedges C, C,
at h, h, h, h; upon the top of the latter are rounded projections which fits into grooves
at formed in, and between, the middle part A, upper edge A i, and lower Aj of
[Price 11d.]

page_text: of rails, and illustrate the principle of my said invention, adapted to modified forms,
and sizes, of railway rails, chairs, and wedges.
A, is the middle part, Ai, the top, and Aj, the bottom edge of rails, C, C, the wedges,
16%, the chairs, as they appear when fixed in position.
Pins are not required in either case, as the formation of the inner edges and sides
of rails at ffffff, and the lips r, r, that are upon the top parts of wedges C, C,
prevents the latter from being jerked out of the chairs b The swell in the middle
part of rail A, at fa, fa, (drawing O.) is intended to receive and concentrate, some of
the weight that comes upon the rail's top edge Ai; when the wedges C, C, are pressed
downwards and inwards by weight coming upon their top parts, at 1, they clasp the
rail at the lower part of its sides, at faa, ja a, as well as at fa, fa, thus, firmly
fixing it and concentrating the downward pressure, or weight.
in position.
Pins are not required in either case, as the formation of the inner edges and sides
of rails at ffff, ff, and the lips r, r, that are upon the top parts of wedges C, C,
prevents the latter from being jerked out of the chairs bk. The swell in the middle
part of rail A, at fa, fa, (drawing O,) is intended to receive and concentrate, some of
the weight that comes upon the rail's top edge Ai; when the wedges C, C, are pressed
downwards and inwards by weight coming upon their top parts, at r, r, they clasp the
rail at the lower part of its sides, at faa, fa a, as well as at fa, ja, thus, firmly
fixing it and concentrating the downward pressure, or weight.
SHEET 4.
Drawing E, represents a plan, and G, a section of rail, side view of a double chair,
and wedges.
A 2 is the middle part, Ai 2 the top, and Aj 2 the bottom edge of rail;
bk 2, bk 2, the double chairs, C2, C2, the wedges, e 2, e 2 pins, d, d, d, bolts, and
m, m, sleepers; F, F, the rail-end-connecting fillets; illustrating the several parts in
position as fixed. In the plan (E,) the end parts of two rails A2, A2, are put
together at a, a, and seated into the top part of a double chair 2, 2, joined at the
ends a, a, by means of the fillets F, F, indicated by dotted lines, and suspended and
fixed in position by the side wedges C2, C2, which have extended sides, or
lugs CC, CC, through which, and the upper part of double chair 62, 62, pinse 2, e 2,
are placed, to prevent the wedges 02, 02, from being jerked out of double
chairs 62, 62. Indicated by h2, h2, h2, g, g, g i, g i, f, f, f, f, are the several
grooves, planes, lips, or parts, coinciding with those belonging to, and formerly
described in connection with, the single chairs, wedges, pins, and rails; acting in
precisely the same manner.
The dotted chain lines p 2, p 2, p 2, shows an alternative arrangement in size, and
form, of double chair 62, 62, and wedges C2, 02; whereby the sides of the former
are extended and carried down solid upon the sleeper, so as to dispense with lugs CC,
and receive the wedges C2, C2, in their extended form, being inverted semi-coned
shaped instead of angular; these chairs, and wedges, involves the same principle, and
acts in precisely the same manner as the others, before described.
Drawing F, represents a plan through the middle part of the ends x, x, of two rails;
the middle of wedges, and upper part of double chair, upon line J, J, drawings I, H
and G.
Drawing I, is a section through the end part of a rail, rail-end-connecting fillets,
wedges, and double chair; upon line K, K drawings E, F, and H, illustrating the
several parts as they appear in position when fixed.
A 2, is the middle part, A i 2, the top, and Aj 2, the bottom edge of rail;
F, F, F, F, are the rail-end-connecting fillets which form an integral part of rail;
Cz, are the wedges, CC, CC, their extended sides or lugs; 2k, b2 k, are
double chairs, e 2, e 2, pins, passing through the latter and wedges; d, d, d, are bolts,
and m, m, sleepers.
Wedges C2, C2, are grooved upon their inner, or rail, sides at n, n, n, n, to receive
the rail-end-connecting fillets F, F, F, that are on the ends of rails, A 2, A2; when
the ends a, a, of the latter are put together, and the wedges C2, C2, are fixed in
their places. in the upper inner parts of double chairs 62, 62; and the sloping oblique
projecting planes, upon the back sides of the former, come into contact with the
corresponding inner oblique sloping planes, formed in the double chairs, at h 2, h2,h 2, h2;
and the top part of wedges 02, C2, receive the weight of, and are clasped by the

page_text: SHEET 6.
Drawing H, represents an end view of a double chair, side view of the end parts
of two rails, meeting at x, x; and a side view of a wedge, with extended sides
or lugs.
Drawing P, represents a side view, with double chair and wedge removed, of the
end parts of two rails, placed together at the ends, showing the rail-end-
connecting fillets F, F, in readiness for placing in the upper middle part of the double
chair 2 to be clasped and fixed by wedges (2, 02, as formerly described.
Drawing ✗, represents the inner, or rail side of the wedge C2, showing
grooves n, n, to receive rail-end-connecting fillets F, F, and which clasps the latter,
on its sides at fn, when the wedge C2, is fixed in a double chair and in action; the
sides fm, fm.
of the former come in contact with the sides of rails A 2, A 2,
at ffm, f f m, and act as before described.
e2 is the pin, which passes through double chair 62, and lugs CC, CC, of
wedge C2; d, d, are bolts, m, a sleeper, and N, N, outlets in edges of rail to carry off
moisture.
A 2, is the middle, Ai 2, the top, and Aj 2, the bottom edge of rail; 2, 12,
and are the interlocking parts of double chair, wedge, and rail, as formerly
described.
Although the several parts illustrated by the annexed drawings and described in
this Specification, are drawn to a fixed scale, they can nevertheless be easily modified,
in size, weight, or form, so as to suit the requirements of any new, old, or existing
railway, or such like works, without necessarily interfering with the main principles
involved in this my said invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is
1st. An improved method of constructing new, reconstructing old, or modifying
existing, lines of railway, or such similar works, with new forms of rails, double, and
single chairs, wedges, and kindred fittings, of the various sectional forms, illustrated
by the several drawings annexed hereto, which are particularly described by the said
Specification, and hereinafter further described in detail as follows:-With a railway
rail, A, A 2, (steel or iron) having dovetail end-connecting fillets, F, F, upon the
sides, A, A 2, thereof, at each end, x; with top, Ai, Ai 2, and bottom, Aj, Aj 2,
edges grooved inside for wedge lips, f, f, and identical in size, and shape; reversible
endwise and edgewise; both edges, Ai, Ai 2, and Aj, Aj 2, are usable for traffic-
the rail ends, x, x, are joined by the end-connecting fillets, F, F, inside double
chairs, 2, 62, without making holes through the middle part, A, A 2, of rails,
or using bolts, and plates; the rails are carried, and fixed, by their sides, A, A 2,
and inside upper edges, Ai, A i 2, at f, f, in the double, 62, 62, and single, b, b,
chairs, separate, and without bottom support, at k l, from either chair.

page_text: With a double, 62, 62, and single, b, b, chair, (iron or steel) with openings in the
middle upper part, of their top sides, 9, 9, 9, 9, i, j, j, j, kl, kl, for rails; inner
slanting oblique planes upon the inside upper part, 9, 9, 9, 9, of each side of rail
openings, and oblique sloping grooves, gi, gi, gi, gi, h, h, 2, h 2, in the slanting
planes, for receiving the wedges, C, C, C2, C2, on each side of rail.
With a double, C2, C2, and single, C, C, wedge having oblique sloping
planes, h, h, h2, h2, gi, gi, projecting from their outer, or chair sides, to fit into the
corresponding inner oblique grooves, or planes, formed in the double, and single
chairs; projecting lips, f, ff, f, upon their inner upper sides, to fit into the corre-
sponding inside grooved edges, Ai, Aj, A i 2, Aj 2, of rails, at f, fff; with
inner, or rail side, fm, fm, of double wedge, C2, grooved at n, n, n, to receive
the dovetail rail-end-connecting fillets, F, F, that are on, and form an integral part of,
each end of rail, A 2, A 2, and A, A; side lugs, C, C, C, C, with holes e 2, e2,
through same, also through upper parts of single, b, b, double, 62, 62, of chairs, and
back side projecting edges, h, h, h 2, h2, of wedges, for pins, e, e, and e2, e2; the
holes e 2, in double chair, 62, are slotted below, and in back side of single wedge, (),
above, as indicated at e i.
2nd. Applicable, to any kind of railway, or similar works, as the several parts can
be made, in height, breadth, size, or weight, suitable to accompany existing rails,
chairs, and other fittings belonging thereto, now in use; which can be effected easily,
quickly, and gradually, as their several parts become worn out and and unusable; and
without necessarily disturbing any sound part, or existing rails, and chairs, except
those of the latter, that are immediately in the way of a length of new rail; this
can be done without interfering with the main principles involved in my said
invention.
3rd. Durable, because both edges of the rail are equal in size, and usable for
traffic are not weakened by having holes through them, and they have solid ends
that are enclosed, and joined, in the strongest part of the double chairs, and the
rails are suspended, and fixed in the chairs, by their sides and inner edges.
4th. Facility, for removing an old or worn out rail, substituting a new, or reversing
a half worn out one, and refixing same for further traffic use, according to the means
employed, illustrated, and described, by the drawings and Specification.
5th. Strong, because the rails, chairs, wedges, and kindred parts adjust, interlock,
and fix, by the weight of rail, and become firmer, and more rigid, when weighted, or
pressed down, by traffic usage over the top edges of the latter; the several parts
cannot displace by lateral pressure, nor tensile strain.
6th. Economy, in the general maintenance of railway lines, or similar works, by
obviating the necessity of wholly removing a rail, till both edges are worn and
unusable for traffic; by utilising both edges for, and making them usable for traffic,
and by joining the rails, inside the double chairs so as to dispense with the aid of plates
and bolts.
1000