IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hugh Greaves, of Salford, near Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, Civil Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 22nd January 1853, and dated the 13th November 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hugh Greaves at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 13th November 1852.
I, HUGH GREAVES, of Salford, near Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS"
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improved modes of constructing and
laying the permanent way of railways, and consists in more effec-
tually securing the rails at their junctions by laying an iron girder
beneath them at that point; in cases where the bridge rail is employed
this girder rests on two transverse sleepers of wood or iron, and the
rails are secured to it by rivets or bolts. The rails and girder are

page_text: secured to the sleepers by bolts which screw into plates beneath them,
and as an extra support chocks of wood are placed between the
girder and the surface of the sleepers; or one transverse sleeper may
be employed, placed immediately beneath the joint and the girder,
recessed into and bolted to it as above described. By another
arrangement three chairs are cast together, and bolted to the apex
of a triangularly sectioned transverse sleeper placed beneath the
joint; by this arrangement a better hold is obtained on the ends of
the rails. Another fastening for rails consists in casting three chairs
on a girder, which is enclosed in a wrought iron curved plate: this
plate has three openings in its surface, through which the chairs
protrude. On the under side of this girder are cast lugs which span
the curve of the plate, and prevent its being flattened or spread when
supporting a weight. In place of using the ordinary transverse
sleepers, which run entirely across. froin one rail to the other, a
separate and shorter transverse sleeper may be used for each rail.
The joints of the rails being supported by a girder of wrought iron
or piece of rail, on which the joint chair may be cast or otherwise
secured, the guage and tilt of the rails is preserved by tic bars.
Shallow bridged rails rivetted together may be employed as a per-
manent way, the hollow space inside being filled with wood to
deaden the sound, or left open, or partially open, for the insertion
of signal or telegraphic wires. Two rails may be so fastened
together in the chairs so as to economise the wear and tear of the
tyres of the whole of the rolling stock by bringing into action the
outer portion of the tyre, and saving the travelling or inner portion,
where they are exposed to the heaviest work. These rails may be
advantageously employed at stations and on inclines.
Rails of any section may be employed for retaining the main rails
in their proper places when "points" or crossings occur. These
rails may be supported in my surface packed sleepers, and rivetted
or otherwise secured to the main rails. When the bridged rail is
employed for this purpose the hollow interior may be used to contain
the rod connected with the points and protect it from injury; or the
recess may be used for containing spiral, elliptical, or other springs,

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,.
filed by the said Hugh Greaves in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 13th May 1853..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
HUGH GREAVES, of Salford, near Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Hugh Greaves, Her special
license that I, the said Hugh Greaves, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Hugh Greaves, 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 terin
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 THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Hugh Greaves, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, 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 Hugh Greaves, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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 ac
companying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon,
that is to say:

page_text: My said Invention relates, first, to an improved mode of forming
the junctions of the rails in permanent ways whereby they are ren-
dered firm and secure; second, to an improved construction of joint
chair; third, to an improved construction of rail for use on inclines
and other places where great wear and tear occurs; and, fourth, to
an improved mode of supporting the rails at the points or crossings
of the line. Figure 1, on my Sheet of Drawings represents a side
elevation of my improved mode of supporting and fastening the bridge
rail at the joints; and Figure 2, is a corresponding transverse section
of the same. A, A, are the bridge rails, which are bolted or rivetted
at B, B, to the wrought iron supporting girder C. This girder rests
at its extremities on the chocks of wood D, D, and is firmly secured
to the transverse sleepers E, E, by the bolts F, F, which are screwed
at their lower ends into the metal plates G, G. The supporting
girders may consist merely of an inverted bridge rail, as shewn in
Figures 1, and 2, and the internal space between the rail and girder
may be filled with wood, as shewn, to deaden the sound and render
the junction more firm. Figure 3, is an elevation of another mode
of supporting bridge rails at the joints to prevent their lipping. In
this arrangement the joint is placed immediately over the transverse
sleeper A, which is recessed at its upper surface to receive the sup-
porting girder B. The rails C, C, are rivetted or otherwise secured
by their flanges to the supporting girder, and the whole is firmly
secured to the sleeper by the bolts D, D, which pass through the
sleepers, and are screwed into the metal plates E, E, beneath thein.
Figure 4, represents a side clevation of an improved compound joint
chair, formed of three chairs A, A, A, cast in one piece, the base or
bearing surface B, being cast at an angle to fit the angular sleeper C.
The centre portion of this compound chair coincides with the joint
of the rail. Pins or screw bolts may be employed for securing the chairs
to the sleeper. By this means a better hold is obtained on the ends
of the rails, which are consequently held more securely, and a good
and firm joint is thereby formed. Figure 5, represents a transverse
section of a rail, showing the mode of securing and supporting it at
the junctions. Figure 6, is a corresponding side elevation of the

page_text: arrangement; and Figure 7, is a plan of a portion of the compound
chair. The ends of the rails A, A, are supported by the sleeper chair,
which is composed of wrought and cast iron combined. B, is a curved
plate of malleable iron (shewn in plan at Figure 7,) formed with three
openings C, C, C, in the centre, to admit the three chairs D, D, D,
which are cast on the girder E. Lugs or bars F, F, F, are cast
upon the girder, and overlap at their extremities the edges of the
curved plate, thereby preventing it from spreading when supporting
a heavy load. The chairs D, D, D, are introduced through the
openings in the plate from the underside, and the rails are then
inserted into the chairs, and secured therein by the keys or wedges
G, G, G, in the ordinary manner. Figure 8, represents a plan of a
portion of a permanent way, and shews my improvements in the
employment of wood for railway sleepers. By this arrangement,
instead of employing one block of wood running across from one rail
to another, I use two separate short sleepers, as at A, A, the guage
and tilt of the rails being preserved by the tie bars B, B, B. This
arrangement is shewn in transverse section on an enlarged scale at
Figure 9. The rails are supported at the joints on a girder of
wrought iron or a piece of rail C, C. The chairs may be cast in one
piece with the supporting girders C, or otherwise secured to them.
Two chairs may be employed at the joint, so that when one key is
backed to take out the rail, the other one will remain undisturbed.
The girder or piece of rail may rest at the ends on two loose chairs.
Figure 10, represents a transverse section of two shallow bridge or
flat bottomed rails, rivetted or otherwise fastened together at their
flanges, the internal space being wholly or in part filled with wood,
as shewn, to deaden the sound and take off the lateral strain from
the rivets. A portion of the space may be employed for the insertion
of signal or telegraph wires. The joints of the upper and lower rails
are so arranged that their respective junctions shall not coincide,
that is to say, that the junction of the lower set of rails are overlapped
by the upper rails, and vice versa. Figure 11, represents a transverse
section of two rails, joined longitudinally, and fastened together in
the chairs. A piece of metal A, is inserted at the joints through

page_text: which are passed bolts or rivets B, to prevent vertical displacement.
This description of rail is particularly applicable for stations, or on
inclines, and other places, so as to economise the wear and tear of
the tyres of the rolling stock, by bringing into action the outer portion
of the tyre C, and thereby saving the travelling portion D, at those
places where the tyres are exposed to the heaviest work; or, in place
of two rails, one broad rail may be employed. The respective joints
of these double rails are overlapped by the rails themselves, as
described in reference to Figure 10. Figure 12, represents a plan of
portion of permanent way, shewing the mode of securing the rails
at the points or crossings. The rails A, A, are secured by chairs, which
are carried by the transverse rails B; B. These rails may be carried
by surface packed sleepers C, C, and may be of the bridge section,
the space inside serving as a receptacle for the connecting rods for
working the points.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of
iny said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be
used or carried into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do
not confine or restrict myself to the precise.details or arrangements
which I have had occasion to describe or refer to, as many variations
may be made therefrom without deviating from the principles or
main features of my Invention; but what I consider to be novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,
First, the system or mode of supporting the joints of rails by a
malleable iron girder or support, which support may consist of a
piece of rail as described in reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, 8, and 9.
Second, the application and use of railway chairs with three heads,
as herein-before described.
Third, the application and use of compound joint chairs, as
described in reference to Figures 5, 6, and 7.
Fourth, the general arrangement and construction of permanent
way, as herein-before described in reference to Figures 8, and 9.
Fifth, the application and use of the compound rail, herein-before
described in reference to Figure 10.

page_text: Sixth, the application and use of the compound rail, herein-before
described in reference to Figure 11, of the Drawings; and,
Seventh, the system or mode of forming points and crossings, as
described in reference to Figure 12, of the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hugh Greaves, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Tenth day of May, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-three.
HUGH GREAVES.
(L.S.)