IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CHAIRS
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL
DPECIFICATION.
I CHARLES HENRY ROSHER, care of A. M. and W. Clark, 53 Chancery Lane,
London, Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CHAIRS" to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to an improved construction of railway chair possessing
the requisite facilities for readily fixing and removing the rail without the use of
the ordinary wooden keys or wedges, thereby avoiding the necessity for the
frequent examination and tightening up of the keys which are liable to become
loose and fall out.
My improved chair is constructed in two parts which are united by a joint
situated beneath the rail. The two jaws of the chair which are adapted to closely
embrace the lower head and web of the rail, (or to clip the foot of the rail in the
case of a Vignoles rail) are therefore cast separately and each in one piece with
their respective base plates, the base plates being so shaped as to form a scarf or
overlapping rebated joint the one with the other more or less immediately beneath
the rail. Besides being so jointed together, the one base plate is formed with a
central tongue piece which extends beneath the rail and is received in a
corresponding recess or cavity formed in the other base plate, this tongue being
preferably of dovetailed form so as to afford a grip for the other base plate, which
is correspondingly formed to fit it. The rail does not therefore rest on the joint
alone, but on the solid tongue piece also. This tongue piece may extend partly or
wholly through the base of the other half chair and may either be separately
bolted to the sleeper or the same bolt which secures the other half chair, may pass
through the tongue piece also.
One half chair may be secured to the other by means of a bolt fixed to the base
of the one and passing through the base of the other, and it may be provided with
n screw out or other means of tightening the grip of the two jaws upon the rail.
The jaws are of a form to correspond to the section of the rail and may be solid
or ribbed, the metal being so disposed as to be best adapted to resist the strains
to which it will be subjected. In the case of Vignoles rails, the jaws would be
mere clips to hold the foot of the rail.

page_text: In either case the chair may be so made as to give the desired cant to the rail,
and it may be secured by two or more bolts according to the class of traffic. The
rails can be removed by withdrawing a bolt and taking away one half chair without
disturbing the other. Thin strips of wood or other material may be placed
between the rail and the chair to give elasticity and deaden sound.
I CHARLES HENRY ROSHER care of A.-M. and W.-Clark,-58-Chancery_Lane.
-London,_Civil_Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CHAIRS and in what manner-the-same-is-to-be-
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My Invention relates to an improved construction of railway chair possessing
the requisite facilities for readily fixing and removing the rail without the use of
the ordinary wooden keys or wedges, which are liable to become loose and fall out
and therefore require frequent examination and tightening up.
My improved chair is constructed in two parts which are united by a joint
situated beneath the rail. The two jaws of the chair which are adapted to closely
embrace the lower head and web of the rail (or to clip the foot of the rail in the
case of a Vignoles rail) are therefore cast separately and each in one piece with its
respective base plate, the base plates being connected by a scarf or overlapping
rebated joint. Besides being so jointed together, the one base plate is formed with
a central tongue piece which extends beneath the rail and is received in a
corresponding recess or cavity formed in the other base plate, this tongue being
preferably of dovetailed form so as to afford a grip for the other base plate, which
is correspondingly formed to fit it.
The chair may be so made as to give the desired cant to the rail and it may be
secured by two or more bolts, according to the class of traffic. The rails can be
removed by withdrawing a bolt and taking away one half chair without disturbing
the other. Packing pieces of wood or other material may be placed between the
rail and one or both jaws of the chair to give elasticity and deaden sound.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
Specification wherein Figures 1 to 7 represent one type of chair. Figures 8 to 10
a second type or modification of the first, Figures 11 to 13 a third type Figures 14

page_text: to 16, a fourth type and figures 17 to 19 a fifth type. The same letters of
reference indicate similar parts in all the figures. Figures 1 and 2 are side and
end elevations, figure 3 a plan, figure 4 a sole or under sido plan and figure 5
detail views of the first type of chair. Figure 6 is an elevation and figure 7 a sole
plan of the same type, as constructed for a double chair to hold a guardrail.
:
A is what I may term the fixed and B the movable jaw of the chair, each cast
in one with its sole piece, that of the jaw A extending wholly beneath the rail and
being formed with a seat c extending the whole width of the chair and of the
lower head of the rail for the latter to rest on it if it is desired to support the rail.
upon its lower head. The rail may however be hung by its upper head resting on
the upper ends of the jaws if preferred, there being in that case a clearance
between the lower head and the part c as shown in figure.
b
The sole piece of the jaw A has two longitudinal extensions a leaving between
them a cavity equal in width to about half the width of the sole and extending
beneath the centre line of the rail to receive a central tongue b, on the solo of
jaw B, said cavity and tongue being of dovetailed cross section, as shown in
figure 5. By this bevelled form and by the tongue 6 entering the cavity beneath
the seat c, the sole pieces of the two jaws interlock in such manner that any
tendency of the one jaw to cant outwards, is resisted by the downward pressure
on the other. In figures 6 and 7 the construction is similar except that tho jaw A
is made double and there are two similar jaws B each interlocking with the jaw A
in the manner above described.
Although not illustrated, all the other types of chairs hereafter described, may
be made double in the same way-Figure 8 is a part sectional elevation, figure 9 n
sole plan and Figure 10 an inside elevation of one jaw of a chair, in which the
jaw A has the central tongue piece a and the jaw B the cavity to receive the same,
both being of dovetailed form as before, whilst the solo piece of the jaw B has tho
extensions 6 which take into cavities in the sole piece of A and extend bencath
the rail seat In this case the tongue a is held down to the sleeper by a pin or
bolt in addition to those in the solo pieces outside the jaws, said pin or bolt boing
enclosed by the cavity in the jaw B The jaw B is formed with a vertical recess
or groove on its inner face to receive a packing piece d of hard wood to givo
elasticity and deaden sound. The other jaw A might be similarly grooved and
packed. The groove being vertical, the packing piece is prevented by the rail
hend from falling out.
Figure 11 is a part sectional side elevation, figure 12 an end elevation, and
figure 13 a sole plan of a chair in which the central tongue piece a extends the
whole length of the sole piece of jaw B and is traversed by the same pin or bolt as
that which holds jaw B, the hole in the latter which receives this bolt being made
oblong and a plug e of wood being inserted before the bolt is driven in, whereby
to form a cushion and cause the jaw B to be tightened up against the rail. The
tongue is of dovetailed form and the jaw B slides on and undergrips it. The face
of the jaw A in this case is grooved and provided with a packing piece d.
Figures 14, 15, and 16 show elevations and plan of a type of chair similar to
that shown in figures 8, 9 and 10, except that the tongue a is not bolted down, but
is made of the same thickness as the bed or part c beneath the rail and is grooved
at the sides as shown in dotted lines in figure 12 to enable the jaw B which fits on
it to grip it, and a transverse taper key is driven into a key way provided for it
in the jaw B and the upper face of the tongue a, whereby the two jaws are drawn
tightly together. The jaw B has a packing piece d of wood as in the former case,
and the jaw A may be similarly packed if desired-Figures 17, 18 and 19 show
elevations and plan of a chair in which the tongue a is carried completely through
to the outside of the jaw B and is fastened to the sleeper by a bolt. The tongue a
is grooved or rebated at the sides and the jaw B fitted to slide on and undergrip
it, the two jaws being drawn together as in the preceding case by a transverse
taper key f driven into keyways in tho jaw B and tongue a.

page_text: 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
1. A railway chair having its jaws made of separable parts, fitted to interlock
together by a scarf or overlapping joint substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
2. The respective constructions and combinations of parts constituting the
respective arrangements of railway chair herein described, substantially as
represented in the respective figures of the drawings.
3. The combination with a railway chair having a vertical groove in the inner
face of the jaw, of a packing piece received in such groove and retained therein by
the head of the rail substantially as described.
Dated this 23rd day of May 1885.
C. FL. ROSHER.
By A. M. & Wm Clark, Patent Agents,
53, Chancery Lane, London.