IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLIANCES FOR SECURING RAILWAY RAILS
Year: 1885

page_text: We, ARTHUR THOMAS ALLEN and HENRY CAVILL both of the Hallamshire
Engineering Works Arundel Street, Sheffield in the County of York Engineers do
hereby declare the nature of our said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLIANCES
FOR SECURING RAILWAY RAILS to be as follows:-
.
Our invention relates to a novel method of securing railway rails to their chairs,
or other similar bearings, by a peculiar arrangement of keys, the object being to
prevent the keys from getting loose and dropping out, and to accomplish this
without the use of screws, bolts, pins or similar extra appliances.
It consists in the use of a double key or wedge, the butt ends being shaped into
the form of a knuckle joint, so that when forced into position, each prevents the
other from working loose.
In carrying the invention into practice we make the chair with an ordinary jaw
on one side to fit up against the side of the rail; on the other side are two lugs
standing at some distance apart and leaving sufficient room for the ends of the
wedges to pass between the face of the said lugs and the web of the rail. The
thick ends of the keys or wedges, which are preferably of wood but may be made
of any suitable material, are shaped to form a knuckle joint, or so that they will
work one upon the other.
When the rail is in position, with one side against the ordinary jaw of the chair
two of the keys or wedges are put together so as to resemble the shape of the
letter V, and the points inserted at the backs of the lugs before mentioned, which
are rounded or shaped to facilitate their entrance; in this position the point of each
wedge is between and in contact with the inside face of the lug, and the web of
the rail
Force is now applied to the projecting butt ends or joint, usually by the blow
of a hammer, which forces the wedges to the right and left until they are flat
against the web of the rail, in which position it is impossible for either of them to
shake or become loose.
•

page_text: '
Improvements in Appliances for Securing Railway Rails.
We, ARTHUR THOMAS ALLEN and HENRY CAVILL, both of the Hallamshire
Engineering Works, Arundel Street, Sheffield, in the County of York, Engineers do
hereby declare the nature of our invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLIANCES
FOR SECURING RAILWAY RAILS and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention relates to a novel method of securing railway rails to Chairs,
Sleepers or other similar bearings, by a peculiar system or arrangement of Keys,
the object of the invention being to prevent, the Keys from becoming loose from
any cause, such as the jar or shake of passing trains, creeping of the rails, or like
causes, such object being attained without the use of screws, bolts, pins or the like.
It consists in the use of a double Key or wedge, the butt ends being formed into
a Knuckle-joint, or so shaped that when put together and forced into position
against the web of the rail, each part is prevented by the other from working
loose.
And in order that the invention may be clearly understood and defined, we have
annexed an explanatory sheet of drawings in which similar letters indicate
similar parts.
Fig. 1, is a plan of a Chair, with the double Key in position against the web
of a rail, (shown in section,) and the various positions of the Key indicated by
dotted lines.
Fig. 2, aide elevation of same.
Fig. 3, the double Key, separated.
Fig. 4, Key in metal with wood faces.
In carrying this invention into practice as applied to a chair, we make the chair
as shown in Figa 1, & 2, with an ordinary fixed jaw on one side A, against which
the rail fits in the usual manner; on the other side of the chair are two lugs or
supports B, B, having sufficient space between them to permit the double Key. C
& C¹ to be passed between them as indicated by the dotted lines, and so shaped as
to allow the Key to be forced forward in the position shown by the second set of
dotted lines, resembling the letter V, in which position the Knuckle joints engage.
The faces of the lugs B, B, are rounded or bevilled to facilitate the passage of
the two portions of the Key, and they may be serrated or otherwise indented, or
left plain as desired.
When the Key is in the position described as V shaped, a few blows of a mallet
applied to the Knuckle-joint, or the butt end of C, will force the parts C and C to
the right and left until they are flat against the web of the rail D, and bear firmly
against the faces of the lugs B, in which position it is quite impossible for them to
shake or become loose.
しゅ
We may, (if under certain conditions it is desirable), instead of making the
double Key of wood as shown in Fig. 3, make it of a suitable metal, and provide it
with removable faces of wood, or other material, as in Fig. 4. and although we
prefer to make the Knuckle joint as shown, it is not absolutely necessary to finish
it in such a correct manner.

page_text: Instead of the Ohair as described, or invention may be applied to metallic
sleepers, the jaws and lugs being either attached thereto, or formed out of the solid
sleeper by any
suitable process.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
The improved appliance for securing railway rails, consisting of a double or
Knuckle jointed Key, made and applied in the manner substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated.