IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON- STRUCTION OF CROSSINGS FOR THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Woodhouse, of Stafford, in the County of
Stafford, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF CROSSINGS FOR THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 28th September 1855, and 'dated the 18th April 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Woodhouse at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th April 1855.
.....
I, HENRY WOODHOUSE, of Stafford, in the County of Stafford, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF CROSSINGS FOR THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS" to be as
follows:-
The object of my. Invention is so to construct the rails of crossings that
when one part of the wing rail is worn away the rail may be reversed, so as to
bring another portion of the same rail in the place that had been worn away;
also in substituting the check rails for the wing rails, and using them in the
same way, the injured wing rails being put in the place of the check rails; for
this purpose the bend of the wing rails and check rails must be made equal..
The above improvements are particularly beneficial when the double-headed
rails are used, but they are also useful in all other descriptions of rail.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Woodhouse in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 17th October 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
WOODHOUSE, of Stafford, in the County of Stafford, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Henry Woodhouse, Her special license that I, the said Henry
Woodhouse, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Henry Woodhouse, my executors, administrators, and 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 CONSTRUCTION OF CROSSINGS FOR THE PERMANENT WAY
OP RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry
Woodhouse, by an instrument in writing under my 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 Henry Woodhouse, 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
Specification thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings (that is to say):-
My said Invention consists in so constructing the rails of crossings that that
when one part of the wing rail is injured by wear it may be reversed, to bring
another portion of the same rail in the place that had been worn; also in
substituting the check rails for the wing rails, and using them in the same
way.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me. The said
Drawing is a plan, showing how my improved crossing may be constructed.
a, a, and b, b, are rails forming part of the permanent way; and c, c, the rails
of the crossing. These rails unite at the point cl. d, d', are the wing rails;

page_text: and e, e', the check rails; the ends of the wing rails and check rails are of the
same length, and they are bent to the same angle, consequently the wing rails
may be used as check rails, and vice versa. These rails are all of the usual
double-headed form, and they are supported on chairs and sleepers in the
ordinary manner, as shewn in the Drawing. When crossings have been some
time in use (supposing the traffic to be chiefly in the direction of the arrow),
the wing rail d' is first injured by the action of the outer portion of the wheel
flanges between the points ff; and when this wing rail is so much worn at
this part to require repairing, it is turned end over to bring the lower side
uppermost, and the end that was at x is brought to y, so as to bring the part
below
g to the place before occupied by f; the crossing can then be used until
the part g is worn away, when, by substituting the wing rail d for d', the wing
rail d can be used twice in the same manner. I have now supposed that the
wing rails & and have been used each in two places until they require
repairing, and that the parts above or below the injured portions are still
uninjured. These parts can be brought into the positions of the parts worn
away by reversing the positions of the rails; by this means each wing rail can
be used four times, and when they are unfit for use as wing rails they can be
put in the places of the check rails, and the check rails may then be used as
wing rails, thereby enabling the wing and check rails of a crossing to be
employed sixteen times before they are completely worn. The above-described
improvements are particularly beneficial when the double-headed rails are
used, but they are useful in all other descriptions of rails. It is, however,
evident that when the lower surface of the rail cannot be used for the carriage
wheels to run upon, the check rails and wing rails can only be used twice.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, I declare that I claim as of my Invention, so con-
structing the wing and check rails of railway crossings that by transposing
and reversing their positions they may each be used two or four times, as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Woodhouse, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
HENRY WOODHOUSE. (L.S.)