Improvements in or relating to Keys and the like for the Permanent Way of Railways.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Nov., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 1st Aug., 1893-Accepted, 2nd Sept., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Keys and the like for the
Permanent Way of Railways.
We, THOMAS HODDER HEARD, Traveller, of 7 Loudoun Street, Derby in the
County of Derby, and WILLIAM GEORGE BIRKINSHAW, Commission Agent of
Quarndon, near Derby in the County of Derby, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the securing of keys and the like upon the permanent
way of railways after they have been driven into place, it being well known that
as at present arranged the keys which secure the rails in the chairs frequently
become loose with changes of weather and the vibration due to the traffic; the
present invention is designed to prevent the keys becoming loose under these
conditions.
In carrying out the invention we employ any suitable shape and size of key
preferably of usual construction and also preferably of wood and provide this with
one or more holes at one or both ends into which suitable wedges or pins may be
driven after the key is in place. To ensure the expansion or opening out of the
end of the key upon the insertion of the wedge or equivalent we prefer to run a
saw-cut from the end of the key into the wedge-way and if desired beyond that, so
that when the wedge or equivalent is inserted the saw-cut will open and the
necessary enlargement at the end of the key will be obtained.
Conveniently the wedge-ways which may be in the form of a round hole may be
formed edge-wise through the key so that the wedge may be driven down vertically
from the top. It will be understood however that the wedge-ways may be formed
in the broad face or in the end of the key as well as or instead of in the narrow
face thereof.
For the wedge, we prefer to use the ordinary trenail or similar pin commonly
employed on railways for fastening the chairs and the like so that no special wedge
need be employed for the keys; we may however employ any suitable form of
wedge as for example a tapered screw-nail or a bolt having an outside tapered nut
the neck of the bolt being also tapered so that upon screwing down the bolt the
wedging action would be obtained. Other forms of wedges will readily suggest
themselves.
Dated this 27th day of October 1892.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Keys and the like for the
Permanent Way of Railways.
We, THOMAS HODDER HEARD, Traveller, of 7 Loudoun Street, Derby in the
County of Derby, and WILLIAM GEORGE BIRKINSHAW Commission Agent of
Quarndon, near Derby in the County of Derby, 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 relates to the securing of keys and the like upon the permanent
way of railways after they have been driven into place, it being well known that
as at present arranged the keys which secure the rails in the chairs frequently
become loose with changes of weather and the vibration due to the traffic; the
present invention is designed to prevent the keys becoming loose under these
conditions.

page_text: In carrying out the invention we employ any suitable shape and size of key
preferably of usual construction and also preferably of wood and provide this with
one or more holes at one or both ends into which suitable wedges or pins may be
driven after the key is in place. To ensure the expansion or opening out of the
end of the key upon the insertion of the wedge or equivalent we prefer to run a
saw-cut from the end of the key into the wedge-way and if desired beyond that so
that when the wedge or equivalent is inserted the saw-cut will open and the
necessary enlargement at the end of the key will be obtained.
Conveniently the wedge-ways which may be in the form of a round hole may be
formed edge-wise through the key so that the wedge may be driven down from the
top. It will be understood however that the wedge-ways may be formed in the
broad face or in the end of the key as well as or instead of in the narrow face
thereof.
For the wedge, we prefer to use the ordinary trenail or similar pin commonly
employed on railways for fastening the chairs and the like so that no special wedge
need be employed for the keys; we may however employ any suitable form of
wedge as for example a tapered screw-nail or a bolt having an outside tapered nut
the neck of the bolt being also tapered so that upon screwing down the bolt the
wedging action would be obtained. Other forms of wedges will readily suggest
themselves.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 shows a section of a railway chair with rail and key in place, and
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the improved key with the wedge in position.
A is the railway chair, B the rail, C the improved key and D the wedge. The
key C is provided at the smaller end with a saw-cut or equivalent division C¹ and
has also a hole E formed into it substantially parallel with the saw-cut into which
the wedge D can be driven; the hole is preferably tapered as well as the wedge.
In use the key is driven in in the ordinary manner, then the wedge is inserted and
driven as far in as may be necessary to force apart the divided ends of the key C,
thus preventing the wedge from falling out. In the drawings the saw-cut is shown
at an angle, but as already stated it may be formed wherever found most convenient.
Should the key become loose the wedge D can be driven further home and the key
thus secured again.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inveu-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. Securing a wooden railway key by forcing apart the portions of the divided
smaller end.
2. A railway key having the smaller end divided for the purpose of securing it
in the chair by wedging substantially as described.
3. The combination with a railway key divided at the smaller end of a wedge
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
4. A railway key having a saw-cut such as C in the smaller end and an opening
or enlargement such as E substantially as and for the purpose described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
5. The combination with a railway key having a division such as C¹ at the
smaller end and an enlarged opening such as E of a trenail or circular wedge such
as D substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 25th day of July 1893.
THOMAS HODDER HEARD.
WILLIAM GEORGE BIRKINSHAW.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicants.
THOMAS HODDER HEARD.
WILLIAM GEORGE BIRKINSHAW.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicants.