Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 12th May, 1886.
Complete Left, 12th Feb., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 15th Mar., 1887,
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved construction of flexible permanent way for
railways and tramways; and it consists essentially in a method of fixing the rails
without weakening them by making holes in the web for bolts to pass through.
According to this improvement, which is applicable to rails of any section the rail is
held between jaws or clamps in such manner that it takes its principal bearing thereon
under its upper head in the case of a double-headed rail.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this speci-
fication which represents some of the principal applications of the Invention.
Figure 1. shows the improvement as applied to an ordinary railway with double-
headed rail. a is the rail, and are the jaws upon which the upper head of the rail
takes its bearing, and which clamp the web of the rail on either side; they are
tightened up by a screw bolt c. Figure 2 shows the same method of fixing as applied
to the steadying or laterally guiding rail of what is known as the Lartigue single rail
railway, a guide rail, jaw clamping the web of rail a upon the cross-tice which
forms the other jaw of the pair. The jaw is provided with a tenon which is received
in a mortise (figure 3) made in the upper surface of the cross-tie e. c bolt. Figure 4
shows a modified arrangement, a guide rail, & jaw grooved to receive the flange of the
guide rail and clamping the latter upon the cross-tic e by means of screw-bolt c. The
rail a in this arrangement is clamped against the underside of the cross tie, instead of
upon the upper side as in figures 2 and 3. Figure 5 shows the Invention applied to
the main rail of the elevated single rail railway above referred to. a rail, bb jaws
taking under the upper head of the rail, e bolt, a legs to which the jaws are fixed, or
the jaws may be made in one therewith.
A
V
CLARK
A
M CLARK
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Permanent Way of Railways and Tramways.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention (a communication to me from
abroad by Charles François Marie Thérèse Lartigue, Civil Engineer, and Oliver
Bertrand-Bocande, Engineer both of Courbevoie (Seine) France) 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 an improved construction of permanent way for railways
and tramways and it consists in a method of fixing the rails without weakening them
by bolt holes.
The improvement, which is applicable to rails of any section, consists essentially in
clamping the rails between a pair of jaws on which it takes its principal bearing just
under the head of the rail, the support extending the whole depth of the web. Rails
thus fixed may be laid either in straight lines or curves without previous bending.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this speci-
fication, which represent some of the principal applications of the Invention. Figure 1
shews the improvement as applied to an ordinary double headed rail. Figure 2 shows
the same method of fixing as applied to the steadying or laterally guiding rail of what
is known as the Lartigue single-rail railway. Figure 3 is a detail of same, in under-
side plan to shew the mortise made in the upper surface of the cross-tic to receive a
tenon on the jaw by which the guide rail is clamped upon the said cross-tie. Figure
shows a modified arrangement, in which the guide rail is clamped against the under-
side of the cross-tie. Figure 5 is a plan of figure 4. Figure 6 shews the Invention
applied to the main rail of the elevated single-rail railroad before referred to, supported
upon standards to which the clamping jaws are fixed..
bbare the two jaws, made of wrought or cast-iron and of a form to correspond to
that of the rail so as to embrace it firmly. One of these jaws is fixed by being
rivetted or bolted to the sleeper, while the other jaw is removable and is tightened up
by the nut upon a screw bolt e which passes through both jaws beneath or at one side
of the rail, as the case may be. The rails made be readily fixed at any desired height,
by altering the height of the jaws, whether the same be made in one piece or fixed
upon suitable supports. This mode of fixing the rails can be adapted to all kinds of
wood or iron sleepers.
As applied for fixing the guide rail of the Lartigue single-rail elevated railway, (as
in figure 3) the cross-tic e (which is rivetted to the standards supporting the main
rail) acts as the fixed jaw, the web of the guide rail a being clamped between it
and the jaw band secured by a screw bolt c. In figures 2 and 3, the guide rail is on
top of the cross-tie and the jaw is formed with a tenon which is received in a
mortise d, in the cross-tie e. In figures 4 and 5, the cross-tie acts as the movable jaw,
the guide-rail a being clamped upon the fixed jaw b rivetted to the standard by the

page_text: removable cross-tic e and the screw bolt inserted from below. The jaw b is formed as
at r, so as to engage with the foot y of the rail. The cross-tic is notched, to receive
the flange of the angle iron standard, as shewn in plan in figure 5.
In figure 6, the main rail a of the elevated single rail railway is clamped between
jaws gripping the rail between the two heads, as shewn, and secured by a screw
bolt e passing under the rail. The jaws bare rivetted to the legs or standards d d, but
might be formed in one therewith and thus be fixed directly to the sleeper.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1st. The herein described means of fixing railway-rails, consisting of a pair of
clamping jaws gripping the web and supporting the rail just beneath the head, the
jaws being tightened against the rail by a bolt passing beneath it, substantially as
described, and shewn in the drawing, so as to avoid making holes in the rail.
2nd. The herein described means of fixing the steadying or lateral guide rails of the
Lartigue railway, consisting in the combination of a jaw & conforming to the shape of
the rail and engaging with the foot thereof, and of the cross-tie e, the jaw and cross-
tie being connected by a bolt c passing beside the rail, as specified.
A. MELVILLE CLARK.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.