IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAYS
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Irlam, of Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 3rd June 1853, and dated the 14th December 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Irlain at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 14th December 1852.
I, WILLIAM IRLAM, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAYS" to be as follows:-
My improvements relate, Firstly, to the construction of turn
tables, the points of novelty thereof consisting in placing the
rollers upon which the apparatus runs within brackets or sup-
ports attached to, or formed upon, the metal part of the table,
which rollers travel therewith upon rails situate below; also in
the adaptation of a screw jack, or other screw apparatus, which,
when desired, may be brought into operation so as to lift the
table from the solid bearing upon which it rests, thereby facili-
tating its being turned; also in a peculiar method of construc-
ting turn tables of wrought iron. This I effect by placing bars
crosswise to each other, and uniting them by means of angle

page_text: iron, or otherwise; these bars are not provided at their ends with a
circular rail, being so stayed as to support each other without that
usual adaptation.
Secondly, my improvements consist in a method of causing
switches to return to a determined position. This I effect by means
of a spring, instead of employing the levers and weight commonly
used for the purpose.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, filed by the said William Irlam in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 14th June 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS. SHALL COME, I,
WILLIAM IRLAM, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in
the sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Irlam, Her
special license, that I, the said William Irlam, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the suid William
Irlam, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at. any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, excrcise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAYS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Irlam, 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 Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
inmediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Irlam, 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 statement and accompanying Drawings
(that is to say):
My improvements relate, Firstly, to the construction of turn
tables, the points of novelty thereof consisting in placing the rollers
upon which the apparatus runs within brackets or supports attached
to, or formed upon, the metal parts of the table, which rollers travel
therewith upon rails situate below; also in the adaptation of a screw
apparatus, which, when desired, may be brought into operation, so
as to lift the table from a solid bearing upon which it rests, in order
to facilitate its being turned. Another point of novelty consists in
a method of constructing turn tables of wrought iron; this I effect
by placing bars crosswise to each other, and uniting them by angle
pieces, or otherwise, which bars are not supported by the usual
continuous circular rail.
Secondly, my improvements consist in a method of causing
switches to return to a determined position; this I effect by means
of a spring, instead of employing the levers and weights commonly
used for the purpose. And in order that my Invention may be fully
understood, I have appended to this my Specification one Sheet of
Drawings, which I will now proceed to describe. Figure 1, is a
sectional view of a turn table, constructed according to my several
improvements; and Figure 2, is a plain view thereof. The main
portion of the table is formed by bars of wrought iron a, placed
crosswise to each other, and secured by means of bolts to a central
angular piece b; these bars also serve as rails for the carriages to
run on. To the outward ends of the rails a, are attached pieces c,
of a hooped form, corresponding to the upper portions of brackets d,
and which are bolted to them in the plan view Figure 2; therefore
the latter are seen above the former. The brackets d, are provided
with rollers e, which, when the table is to be turned, run upon rails
f, adapted to chairs, which are carried by the sleepers g. The
pieces. c, are united by angle bars c*, which may either be straight

page_text: or curved, as shewn in the Drawing. Upon the centre of the table
is cast a stud h, supported by a box i, which stud rests upon the
squared part of a screw j; the thread of this screw passes through
the boss of a pinion k, by which, therefore, it is capable of being
raised within its square socket, as in ordinary screw jacks. The
pinion k, is in gear with another m, attached to a shaft n, capable
of being turned at any convenient situation by ordinary apparatus.
The sleepers g*, are furnished at top with rails o, upon which the
rails a constituting the main line, rest, and by them the support is
furnished during the passage of a train. The masonry forming the
circular recess is shewn at p, the space between which and the turn
table is covered by the metal ring 7, supported by upright ribs r,
cast upon the chains of the rails f. During the passage of a train
the weight, as before mentioned, will be taken chiefly by the rails o;
but when it is desired to move the table, the shaft n, is to be turned,
by which means the pinion k, will be caused to revolve, and by
acting upon the thread of the stud h, will cause it to rise and lift
the table from the supports o. If a carriage be now placed upon
the rails a, and if the weight thereof were equally distributed, it
would be borne by the centre portion only; but this will rarely be
the case, and one side will be more heavily weighted than the other,
under which circumstances the table will cant over, until one or
other of the rollers e, bears upon the rails f, which will then become
a support, and upon which it may be turned. In order that the
side of the table which cants downward may keep clear of the rails
o, the ends o*, thereof are bevilled off, as shewn in the Drawing. In
the Drawing referring to this part of my Invention, I have shewn a
turn table with cross rails for carriages; it will be evident; however,
that the rails may be dispensed with for that purpose if desired, and
be arranged as part of the framing only. My improvement in
switches is shewn in the plan view at Figure 3. To the main rail
α, is attached the centre part of a spring 6, the extremities thereof
bearing against the inside of the switch c, and tending therefore to
force it outward, in which position it will remain until drawn
forward by a lever, or other ordinary apparatus connected to the

page_text: rod d; this spring, therefore, fills the place of the weights and box
usually employed. Instead of the flat spring shewn in the Drawing,
one of a spinal or other form may be employed if desired.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed,
I desire it to be understood that I claim as secured to me,-
Firstly, the adaptation of brackets or supports formed or attached
to the metal part of the table, for the purpose of carrying rollers
upon which the table turns.
Secondly, the adaptation of a screw apparatus for raising the
table from its supporting parts.
Thirdly, constructing turn tables of wrought iron bars placed
crosswise to each other; such bars constituting the framing for
the table, and also the rails for the trains to run upon.
Fourthly, the application of a spring for causing switches to
return to a determined position.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Irlam, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of June, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
three.
WILLIAM IRLAM. (L.S.)