AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF PORTABLE RAILWAY FOR STEAM TRACTION ENGINES ON COMMON ROADS OR LAND
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF PORTABLE RAILWAY FOR STEAM
TRACTION ENGINES ON COMMON ROADS OR LAND."-A communication.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on tho
13th July 1857.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF PORTABLE RAILWAY FOR
STEAM TRACTION ENGINES ON COMMON ROADS OR LAND," to be as follows:-
This Invention of an improved construction of portable railway for steam
traction engines on common roads or land, consists in constructing the railway
of two endless chains of short rails jointed together vertically and laterally or
horizontally, and working over quadrilateral pulleys mounted in adjustable
frames, and so arranged that as the engine is propelled along, the rails are
laid down in front, and form in effect a continuous line of railway for the
wheels to travel over.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 18th January 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Edward Newton, 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
Invention for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF PORTABLE RAILWAY FOR STEAM
TRACTION ENGINES ON COMMON ROADS OR LAND," being a communication from
abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward
Newton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly 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 Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :—
This Invention of "An Improved Construction of Portable Railway for Steam
Traction Engines on Common Roads or Land," consists in constructing the rail-
way of two endless chains of short rails jointed together_vertically and laterally
or horizontally, and working over quadrilateral pulleys mounted in adjustable
frames, and so arranged that as the engine is propelled along, the rails are
laid down in front, and form in effect a continuous line of railway for the
wheels to travel over.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section

page_text: of the apparatus, taken in the line, x, of Fig. 2, which is a plan or top
view of an engine with the portable railway adapted thereto; Fig. 3 is a
front view of one of the axles, with the running wheels mounted thereon;
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of a portion of one of the endless chains of
rails; Fig. 5 is a side view of the same; and Fig. 6 is a plan or top view
thereof. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several
Figures.
In Figs. 1 and 2, A represents a horizontal rectangular frame, which is
mounted on wheels B. Theso wheels are secured to their axles C in the usual
way, or in the manner usually adopted with the ordinary railway car wheels.
On the frame A an ordinary locomotive boiler D and steam cylinders E, E,
are placed, as shewn in Fig. 2. F, F, are connecting rods, which transmit
motion from the piston rods of the cylinders E, E, to the crank shaft C. On
ench side of the frame A, two frames G, G are placed. These frames G, G,
are of forked or V form, as seen best in the plan view, Fig. 2, and are
pivoted at their inner ends to the frame A, as shown at a. At the outer ends
of the frames G, G, shafts b are placed transversely, one shaft in each frame;
and on each shaft 6 a quadrilateral pulley H is placed. These pulleys are
allowed to turn freely or loosely on their shafts, the shafts being stationary.
Around the pulleys II, at each side of the frame A, an endless chain of rails
passes. The rails I are connected together by vertical links c, which allow the
rails to move vertically, and also by horizontal links d, which allow the rails
to move laterally. The vertical movement of the rails is shewn in red at
Fig. 5, and the lateral movement is shewn in red at Fig. 6. This manner.
of connecting the rails I causes the endless chains to be perfectly flexible, and
capable of being bent or turned vertically or laterally, as may be required. It
will be seen, by referring to Figures 4, 5, and 6, that every alternate rail is
longer than the intermediate ones; the shorter rails are connected to rectan-
gular plates J, which serve as bearings, as will be herein-after more particularly
referred to. The endless chains thus formed or constructed are placed around
the pulleys H, and underneath the wheels B, as shewn clearly in Fig. 1.
The outer ends of the frames G, G, at each end of the frame A, are con-
nected by a bar K, and these bars K may have levers e attached to them, by
which the outer ends of the frames G may be moved laterally in either direc-
tion. The frames G, at one end of the frame A, are shewn as moved out of a
straight line with the frames G at the opposite end, as indicated by red lines
in Fig. 2.
From the above description of parts it will be understood that as the
engine is propelled forward, the wheels B, in consequence of running or

page_text: bearing on the rails 1, will cause the endless chains of rails to rotate, and a
continuous railway is thus presented to the wheels, and one that will conform
to the inequalities of the road, in consequence of having the rails I connected
together by joints, as shewn; the rails being also capable of being turned or
moved laterally, the engine may pass around the curvatures of roads.
The plates J, when placed face downwards on the ground, form bearing
surfaces for the rails I, and they are made of a requisite size, proportioned to
the weight of the engine.
Having now described the Invention of "An Improved Construction of
Portable Railway for Steam Traction Engines on Common Roads or Land,"
and having explained the means of carrying the same into effect, as com-
municated to me by my foreign correspondent as aforesaid, I would observe, in
conclusion, that the boiler and engine employed in conjunction with the present
Invention may be of any suitable and convenient form and construction, and
form no part of the present Invention; and I would further observe, that I
am aware that rails and plates have been heretoforo adapted to wheels and
carriages, although in a different manner; I do not therefore mean or intend
to claim the exclusive right of adapting rails or plates to wheels or carriages
for the purpose of facilitating their traction on land or common roads; but that
which I consider to be new in the above-described portable railway, and there-
fore desire to claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as
aforesaid, is the mode herein shown and described of constructing endless
portable railways, and adapting the same to steam traction engines, for the
purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twelfth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFAtt,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)