Improvements in Chair-keys and Wedges for the Permanent Way of Railways.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Oct., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 14th July, 1897-Accepted, 14th Aug., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Chair-keys and Wedges for the Permanent Way of
Railways.
I, JOHN THOMAS RYAN, of 57 and 59 High Street, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Cominercial Traveller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention has reference to the Chair-keys and Wedges of the Permanent Way
of Railways, and its object is to prevent the loosening or displacement of the keys
and wedges in use.
In carrying out my Invention, I may take an ordinary key or wedge, and at about
one third of its length from one end, I may bore through it from top to bottom, a
taper hole with a mean diameter of say five eighths of an inch. I also make a
vertical slit or slot from the end of the key to the hole. In use, the key or wedge is
secured, after having been driven up, preferably slit end first, by driving a taper plug
into the tapered hole. Or, instead of a simple tapered plug, I may use a compound
plug, consisting of such a plug in combination with a tapered key or wedge, the two
being formed in one piece or not, as may be convenient. In this case the plug fits
into the tapered hole, and the tapered key or wedge into the vertical slit or slot, both
being driven up after the chair key or wedge itself has been driven between the jaw
of the chair and the rail. Or again, the tapered key may be used with only a part of
the tapered plug or its equivalent.
Dated this 13th day of October A.D. 1896.
W. E. HEYS & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Chair-keys and Wedges for the Permanent Way of
Railways.
I, JOHN THOMAS RYAN of 57 and 59 High Street, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Commercial Traveller, 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:-
This invention has reference to the Chair-keys and wedges of the permanent way
of railways, and its object is to prevent the loosening or displacement of the keys and
wedges when in use.

page_text: In carrying this Invention into effect the ordinary key or wedge may be employed
and be provided at one end with a slot or slit which may if desired open into a taper
or parallel hole. The key is driven into place, preferably slit end first, and is then
secured and retained by a plug or wedge which is forced into the slit or into the hole
in the end of the key. When the slit opens into a hole in the key a compound plug
may be used having a tapered flat part to enter the slit and a circular part to enter
the hole.
Another form of key which may be used has both of its ends larger than the space
between the jaw of the chair and the side of the rail. One end, as before, is slotted,
so that it is capable of being compressed and passing between the chair and the rail.
The key is driven into place slotted end first, until the solid large end of the key
comes against the face of the chair and prevents furtlier movement. The slotted end
now protrudes from the chair at the other side and is expanded or secured in its
expanded position by the insertion of a suitable plug.
In another form of key the slotted or slit leading end may be of suitable dimensions
to pass through the chair and the other or following end may be enlarged so as to
form a head which limits the movement of the key in one direction. After the key
is in place the slit end may be expanded by a plug as before described.
The accompanying figures to which I will hereinafter refer illustrate one form
of key which I may employ and show its application to an ordinary chair and double
headed rail.
Figure 1 represents the chair and key in elevation and the rail in section.
Figure 2 illustrates the chair in plan with the rail and key secured in place.
Figure 3 similarly shows the chair in plan with the rail in place and the key about
to enter.
Figure 4 is a representation to a larger scale of the plug employed for expanding
the end of the key.
A is the chair, which may be of the ordinary or any usual construction, B is the
rail and C is the key. The form of key shown has both its ends enlarged and one of
them formed with a slot D opening into a hole E. This slot and hole permit that
end of the key to be compressed in order to pass between the jaw of the chair and the
rail. In order to facilitate the passage of this end of the key its leading inside corner
is preferably bevelled as shown at F so that it may be entered in the position which it
occupies in Figure 3. It is then driven in the usual manner until it is in place as
illustrated by Figures 1 and 2. The slit end will now have opened out again and is
retained in its expanded position or is still further expanded by driving the plug G
into the slot and hole. The key C is now securely held in place and cannot become
accidently displaced. To remove the key the plug G is withdrawn and the key is
knocked out.
It will be perfectly evident that many other forms of keys than that shewn may be
employed without departing from the spirit of my invention, the essential feature of
which is that one end of the key is slit or slotted so that after the key is in place it
may be expanded or retained in its expanded condition and be securely held by the
insertion of a suitable plug within the slit or similar end.
If desired both ends of an ordinary tapered key may be slit and provided with
expanding plugs, but it will generally be found sufficient to slit the leading end only
of such keys.
Having now particularly described, and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A chair key for railways, having one of its ends slit or similarly formed so that
it may be expanded or retained in its expanded position after the key has been driven
into place, substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the
accompanying drawings.

page_text: 2. A chair key for railways, formed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore
described.
Dated this 13th day of Tulu A D 1907
W. E. HEYS & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.