An Improvement in the Means of Securing the Ends of Rails Together and the Rails to Rail Chairs.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 24:h Oct., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 21st July, 1891-Accepted, 8th Sept., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in the Means of Securing the Ends of Rails
Together and the Rails to Rail Chairs.
JOB WILLIAMS 275 Pratts Bridge Bloxwich Road Walsall Staffordshire
Blacksmith do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
To consist of a section of iron or steel made with two sides and a bottom called
channel section, which I shall call a box it is to be used in the manner which I shall
describe in the following one side of the box is is made the shape of the side of the
rail so that when the rail is placed in the box the side of the box touches all parts
of the rail on the one side of the rail the bottom side of the rail to rest on the
bottom of box the other side of the box is made plain but leans inwardly so as
to make the bottom of the box wider than the top also the box is made wider at one
end than the other so as to make the box taper the rails are placed in the box with
their ends meeting at the centre of the box a section of iron the same as now used
tor fish-plates is placed in the box against the side of the rail but extending to the
chairs on both sides of the box which means the chairs nearest the box a key or
wedge I made to fill the space left in the box after the rail or rails are placed in
the box the key or wedge is started from the wide end of the box and driven
towards the narrow end so that the harder it is driven the tighter i becomes and
the one side of the box that leans inwardly keeps the key or wedge from moving
upwardly.
Dated this 23rd day of October 1893.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in the Means of Securing the Ends of Rails
Together and the Rails to Rail Chairs.
I, JOB WILLIAMS, of 275, Pratts Bridge, Bloxwich Road, Walsall, Staffordshire,
Blacksmith, 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 consists of the hereindescribed improvement in the means of
securing the ends of rails together and the rails to rail chairs so as to dispense with
the ordinary two fish plates and fish plate bolts as now in use and to afford a better
support for the rail ends and to enable the rails to be connected together or dis-
connected much more quickly than heretofore and without the necessity of having
holes in the ends of the rails.
I will describe my invention by referring to the accompanying drawing on which
Fig. 1 is a sectional plan of the end portions of two rails connected together in
accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a cross sectional elevation of the same on
line X X of Fig. 1 ;
Fig. 3 represents separately the fish plate which I use in connecting the ends of
the rails together and

page_text: Fig. 4 shews a modified form of the connecting box part of my invention with
the rails connected thereto.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the
figures of the drawing.
In carrying out my invention I provide what I call a box marked A made of
iron or steel of channel section having two sides marked respectively a¹ a³ and a
bottom a. The ends of the rails which are required to be connected together are
marked respectively B' B'. The side a' of the box is made to correspond with the
shape of the inside of the rails B' B' so as to fit against the same as shewn in Fig. 2
and in Fig. 4 when the rails are placed in the box the said rail ends resting on the
bottom a of the same. The other side a' of the box is made plain but as shewn
in Figs. 2 and 4 it leans inwardly somewhat so as to make the inside of the bottom
of the box rather wider than the top; also this side a¹ of the box is not parallel
with the side a when viewed in plan but as shewn by Fig. 1 is slightly inclined
thus making the box taper with the right hand end Fig. 1 wider than the left hand
end. C and D are two of the ordinary rail chairs respectively supporting the
rails B and B conveniently near to the box A at the centre of which latter the
ends of the rails meet see Fig. 1. The rail chairs CD are fixed on sleepers as
usual. The box A can either be made with side flanges a' at the base a³ for fixing
to a sleeper or as shewn by Fig. 4 these side flanges a' may be dispensed with and
in this case the box A. will not be fixed to a sleeper.
To connect the rails B¹ B* together the ends of the same are placed in the box A
as stated above meeting at the centre of the box and one side of each of the rails
fitting against the side a of the box A.; the bar of iron or steel E which is of the
same section as now used for fish plates and is made long enough to extend into the
chairs C and D is now placed in the box A against the side of the rails B¹ B³ and
is there secured by wooden or iron or steel key or wedge F which is made to fill in
the space between the fish plate E and the side a' of the box and this wedge Fis
driven in from the wide end of the box A towards the narrow end of the same thus
securely wedging the box A and rail ends B B and fish plate E together. The
wedge is prevented from rising by the side a' of the box leaning inwardly as
stated above.
As stated above the fish plate E extends into the chairs CD and is there secured
by the ordinary wedges G H which are driven into the chairs so as to secure the
chairs to the rails and fish plate.
It will be seen that by my invention above described the two rail ends B' B³ are
effectually secured together and prevented from jarring loose and are thoroughly
supported by the box A and by the fish plate E extending across the joint from the
chair C to the chair D.
To remove the rails it is only necessary to knock out the wedges F G and H
when the fish plate E and the rails will be loose for removing.
Instead of the fish plate E being made long enough to extend into the chairs CD
this fish plate may be so short that it does not extend into these chairs.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. In combination with the adjacent ends of two rails and the chairs supporting
the rails at a short distance from the said ends, the employment of the channel
section box enclosing and fitting against the bottom and one side of the end portions
of the two rails, the long fish plate E extending through the said box and into both
of the said chairs, and the wedges or keys securing the said fish plate in the box
and chairs and the rails thereto, all arranged and combined together substantially
as and for the purpose herein before set forth.
2. In combination with the adjacent ends of two rails, the employment of the
chanuel section box enclosing and fitting against the bottom and one side of
the end portions of the two rails, the fish plate E extending through the said

page_text: box but not into the said chairs, and the wedge or key F securing the said fish
plate in the box and the rails thereto, all arranged and combined together
substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.
Dated this 9th day of June 1894.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.