IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CROSSINGS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Arthur Biddell, of Ipswich, Engineer, for the
Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CROSSINGS."
Sealed the 7th March 1856, and dated the 19th September 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Arthur Biddell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 19th
September 1855.
I, GEORGE ARTHUR BIDDELL, of Ipswich, Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CROSSINGS " to be as
follows:-
These improvements relate to those parts of railways known as crossings,
and consist, first, in forming those parts of the "wing rails" which are subject
to the greatest wear, of chilled or hard cast iron, the "point" being made of
wrought iron, which can be case-hardened or steeled, or it may be made
of steel entirely; and, secondly, in so arranging these parts of a crossing
that the whole of the bent portions of the "wing rails" can be cast in
one piece, and the wrought-iron point firmly attached by rivets or bolts to
this piece, so that the ordinary rails of a railway can be readily joined and
fastened to the casting without cutting or bending either wing or point rails
as is usually the case.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Arthur Biddell in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 14th March 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J, GEORGE
ARTHUR BIDDELL, of Ipswich, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said George Arthur Biddell, Her special licence that I, the said
George Arthur Biddell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said George Arthur Biddell, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CROSSINGS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said George Arthur Biddell, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 George Arthur Biddell, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
These improvements relate to those parts of the wing rails of crossings which
are subject to the greatest wear, and consist in manufacturing them of cast
iron, so that the parts subject to wear from the action of the carriage wheels
shall be very hard; this hardness being produced either by using hard white
iron, or by the ordinary method of chilling cast iron, which is the plan I prefer.
If hard white metal be used in part in the manufacture of these crossings,
whether with or without the method for "chilling," it should be used in the
manner I will now describe, viz:-The surface of the wing rails upon which
the wheels are intended to run should form the lower portion of the mould, so
as to receive the hard white metal, which must be the first portion poured into

page_text: the mould, and immediately afterwards the ordinary metal must be poured in,
so as to form a perfect union of the two kinds of metal.
The objects to be gained by thus using two different kinds of cast iron are
to ensure a hard wearing surface, and to obtain greater strength with the same
quantity of iron. The improvements to which this Invention also relates
consist in inaking the bent portions of the wing rails and a considerable por-
tion of the point rails as nearly as practicable one compact and solid mass of
iron, so that their relative positions are unalterable when once manufactured
as herein described, and perfectly secure against the casualties which so fre-
quently happen from the effects of ignorance, carelessness, or neglect. Another
considerable advantage consists in the facility offered in laying down crossings
of this kind, as none of the ordinary rails forming the permanent way upon
which the wheels run require to be bent or cut.
Having stated the nature of my Invention, I will now describe the accom-
panying Drawing, which represents my Invention in its most approved form
and arrangement.
Figure 1 represents a plan of a crossing made according to this Specifica-
tion; Figure 2, an elevation of the same; Figure 3, a vertical section through
A, B; Figure 4, a vertical section through C, D; Figure 5, a full sized vertical
section through I, K; Figure 6, a full sized vertical section through G, H.
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 are drawn to a scale of three inches to one foot, and
Figures 5 and 6 are full size. The same letters in the several Figures refer to
the same parts.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
a, a, a, a, represent the main piece, which is cast iron, the upper portions of
which form the wing rails of the crossing, the chilling or harder surface being
represented by the dark tinting in Figures 3 and 4. The ends of this casting
form chairs, which receive the ordinary rails b, b, b, b, which are kept tightly in
their places by means of wedges of wood c, c, or by any other well-known or
approved method, by means of bolts, screws, or fishing plates, as desired.
There are also two intermediate chair-like projections or supports shown in
the Drawing; these as well as the end chairs of the casting are also intended
to receive treenails for fastening the crossing to sleepers. Between the two
wing rails there is a groove or recess formed in the casting (shown best in
Figure 4) to receive the wrought iron or steel point rail d, d, which is firmly
attached to the casting, either by rivets, as shown in the Drawing at e, e, e, e,
or by bolts, screws, or wedges, as may be desirable. I prefer making this point

page_text: of wrought iron, having a piece of steel about five-eighths of an inch thick
welded to its upper surface, and hardened, so as to be very durable; or, if
desired, it can be merely case-hardened, or made, if required, entirely of steel.
I wish also to have it clearly understood, that in cases where the angle of the
crossing is very obtuse, I prefer, for the sake of economy, making the point d
also of the crossing of hard cast iron, in the same way as described for making
the wing rails, in which case the entire crossing would be one simple casting
with hard surfaces, and for what are commonly known as "over" or "through
crossings; this plan may be very advantageously adopted, the points being
thick enough to give ample strength when formed of cast iron.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do not claim
generally the making of railway crossings either in part or entirely of cast iron;
but what I claim as my Invention is, the making railway crossings when of
cast iron, with those portions of the wing rails which are subject to the greatest
wear, of harder cast iron (as described) than the other parts of the casting, and
using in combination therewith steel or wrought-iron points, so connected as to
be capable of removal and renewal.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Arthur Biddell, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
HENRY W. CARPMAEL.
G. A. BIDDELL. (L.S.)