IMPROVEMENTS IN SUPPORTING THE RAILS OP RAILWAYS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Spencer, of No. 6, Cannon Street, Engineer,
London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUPPORTING THE RAILS OP
RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 29th August 1856, and dated the 12th March 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Spencer at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th March 1856.
I, GEORGE SPENCER, of No. 6, Cannon Street, Engineer, London, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUPPORTING THE
RAILS OF RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention of improvements is so to connect and support the
rails of railways, that in every part of their length, as well at the bearings as
elsewhere, elasticity may be obtained. To effect this object I propose to use
either of several plans. First, I use wrought or cast-iron corrugated plates,
with the corrugations placed longitudinally or transversely, either continuously or
in blocks, at intervals running under or along both sides of the rails to be sup-
ported; I then place on these, at intervals, short bearers or girders of wrought-
iron, or short transverse bearers of corrugated iron, which are to be attached
to the top of such side or bottom bearing plates, and to these short beares the
rails are to be secured. These short bearers, being clastic, will bend when the

page_text: weight from the rolling load comes on them, and when the load passes on to
the other parts of rail between these clastic bearings the rails will also bend,
and these will be clastic in every part of their length. The corrugated
bearings may extend under and across from one rail to the other, and be placed
at intervals, as ordinary wood sleepers are, and supports for the short bearers
be so placed on them as to allow the short bearers to bend under the passing
load; or corrugated bearing plates may be placed continuously under cach
rail, with the ridge and furrow placed either longitudinally or transversely,
and supports for the short cross bearers supplied in connection with them.
Another plan is to use transverse corrugated bearing plates under each rail,
either continuously or at intervals, or under and across the two rails, and
bend such plates under the rails in an upward curve, and so to get elasticity
out of the bearing plate itself without using the short bearers mentioned
above; or such cross bearers may be used not curved, but the supporting
ground all along and under the rail may be removed for a small width in
the centre, and so allow the bearing plate to bend. All such bottom bearing
plates may be made of wrought or cast-iron, and they may be covered by any
process to prevent rust. Or, the short iron elastic cross bearers may be used
in connection with any of the various forms of bearings in use which are
suitable, such, for example, as Barlow's or Greaves'. These short bearers may
be also made of wood combined with any of the bottom iron bearers mentioned,
or the short bearers may be made of iron and combined with wood bearers, or
both short bearers and bottom bearers may be of wood, but I prefer wrought-
iron for both. Any section of rail may be used by providing suitable supports
or chairs, and the rails may be fished in any of the usual modes. The short
cross bearers may be placed either transversely or longitudinally with the rails
fixed to such kind of supporting plates as may be used.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Spencer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th September 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
SPENCER, of No. 6, Cannon Street West, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,

page_text: the said George Spencer, Her special licence that I, the said George Spencer,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Spencer, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUPPORTING THE
RAILS OF RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
George Spencer, 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 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 immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Spencer, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The object of my Invention of improvements is so to connect and support
the rails of railways, that in every part of their length, as well at the bearings
as elsewhere, elasticity may be obtained. To effect this object, I propose to
use either of several plans, which plans are made up of parts performing
distinct functions; thus, in all the plans shown in the Drawings the parts
marked A are permanent bearers, not intended to have any flexibility. On
these rest the flexible bearers B, so arranged in stiffness and in distance apart
that the rails may have a flexibility as nearly equal as possible in every part of
their length. C are the rails, which may have any required section, and be
supported by any chairs or flange in use. The joint may be fished or not, or
the rail be scarf-jointed on Hurst's patent plan. I use wrought or cast iron
corrugated plates, with the corrugations placed longitudinally or transversely,
either continuously or in blocks, at intervals running under or along both sides
of the rail to be supported; I then place on these, at intervals, short bearers
or girders of wrought-iron, or short transverse bearers of corrugated iron, which
are to be attached to the top of such side or bottom bearing plates, and to
these short bearers the rails are to be secured. These short bearers, being
elastic, will bend when the weight of the rolling load comes on them, and when
the load passes on to the other parts of rail between these elastic bearings
the rails will also bend, and thus will be elastic in every part of their
length.

page_text: Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 show several combinations. The corrugated bearings
may extend under or across from one rail to the other, and be placed at
intervals, as ordinary wood sleepers are, and supports for the short bearers be
so placed on them as to allow. the short bearers to bend under the passing
load, as in Fig. 1; or corrugated bearing plates may be placed continuously
under each rail, with the ridge and furrow placed either longitudinally or
transversely, and support for the short cross bearers applied in connection with
them, as in Fig. 2. All such bottom bearing plates may be made of wrought
or cast iron, and they may be covered by any process to prevent rust; or the
short iron elastic cross bearers may be used in connection with any of the
various forms of bearings in use which are suitable, such, for example, as
stone blocks, Barlow's and Greaves's system, see Figs. 6 and 8. These short
flexible bearers may be also made of wood combined with any of the bottom
iror-bearers mentioned; or the short bearers may be made of iron and com-
wood bearers, or both short bearers and bottom bearers may be
of wood, but I prefer wrought-iron for both. Any section of rail may be used
by providing suitable supports or chairs, and the rails may be fished in any of
the usual modes, or scarfed on Hurst's patent plan. The short cross bearers
may be placed either transversely or longitudinally, with the rails fixed to such
kind of supporting plates as may be used.
bi
"
The line of the ballast is not shown in the Drawings, nor the bolts or
rivets for fixing the rails to the flexible bearers B, or the flexible bearer B
to the bottom bearer A. These details will depend on the opinion of the
engineer.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Spencer, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelvth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
GEORGE SPENCER. (L.S.)
Witness,
EDWARD S. STIDOLPII.