IMPROVE MENTS IN CONSTRUCTING THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Edwards Wilson, of Upper Norwood, in
the County of Surrey, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE
MENTS IN CONSTRUCTING THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Edwards Wilson.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 5th July 1864.
I, JAMES EDWARDS WILSON, of Upper Norwood, in the County of Surrey,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "Iм.
PROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in constructing the permanent
ways of railways. In constructing a permanent way for a railway it is pre-
ferred that the road or foundation for the permanent way should be formed of
broken stones as in making common roads, and that when the sleepers and
the rails have been combined and laid thereon, as hereafter explained, the
broken stones should be filled and packed or rammed in nearly to the level
of the upper surfaces of the rails, leaving sufficient space for the passage of
the flanges of the wheels. The railway bars used are similar in form to those
usually called contractors' rails, but they are formed flaton the upper surfaces
and only slightly rounding at the edges. The central web, which connects
the head and foot flanges of the rail, is deeper than is generally used; however,
[P 8d71

page_text: to the construction of the rail I make no claim. The transverse sleepers
are of wrought iron rolled to an H form, and are used horizontally thus I.
The lower flanges of the rails are screwed to the transverse sleepers, the
screws entering through the top flange of the sleeper and passing into the
web which connects the upper and lower flanges. The holes through the
lower or foot flanges of the rails are drilled by a machine in which two or
more drills are used, correctly set to each other, and thus it is ensured that
the boles shall be correct one with the other, and also with the holes drilled
and tapped in the transverse sleepers. The holes in the sleepers also are
drilled in a machine wherein two or more drills are correctly combined to
make simultaneously two or more holes, and in like manner it is preferred
to use two or more screw taps acting together to tap the holes in the sleepers.
The ends of the rails are fish-jointed in the following manner:-Two fish
plates are used, one on each side of the ends of two rails. Each fish plate is
drilled with four holes, and such holes are tapped with screw taps. The
drilling of the four holes is effected by a machine wherein four drills correctly
spaced are simultaneously caused to drill the holes. By these means accuracy
of construction is obtained. The holes in the webs of the rails are drilled in
a machine wherein two drills correctly spaced are simultaneously driven, and
they produce the two holes simultaneously in the end of a railway bar. In
order that these holes should allow for expansion and contraction the bed or
table on which the rail is held is caused to move to and fro, or the drills are
caused so to move, by which means elongated holes are produced. The screw
bolts used to fasten the fish plates are cut with right and left handed screws,
and the fish plates on either side are tapped or formed with female threads
accordingly, thus the rails will be held more securely than heretofore. In
order that the junctions of two railway bars where they come together and
are fished shall be as capable of resisting deflection as the solid parts of a
rail,the fish plates are extended downwards below the lower or foot flanges of
the rails, and the fished plates are turned under the lower flanges of the rails.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Edward Wilson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th January 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
EDWARDS WILSON, of Upper Norwood, in the County of Surrey, Civil 3
Engineer, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said James Edwards Wilson, Her special licence that I, the
said James Edwards Wilson, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as 1, the said James Edwards Wilson, 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 CONSTRUCTING THE
PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said James Edwards Wilson, 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 James Edwards Wilson, 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:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in constructing the perma-
nent ways of railways. In constructing a permanent way for a railway it is
preferred that the road or foundation for the permanent way should be formed
of broken stones properly beaten, and, as in making common roads; brought
to a true surface, and that when the sleepers and the rails have been com-
bined and laid thereon, as hereafter explained, broken stones or any sort of
ballast should be filled and packed or rammed in nearly to the level of the
upper surfaces of the rails, leaving sufficient space for the passage of the
flanges of the wheels. The railway bars used are similar in form to those
usually called contractors' rails, but they are formed flat on the upper surfaces
and only slightly rounding at the edges. The central web, which conuects.
the head and foot flanges of the rail, is deeper than is generally used.
I make no claim however to the construction of the rail. The transverse
sleepers are of wrought iron rolled to an H form, and are used horizontally,
or the other way H thus I. The lower flanges of the rails are screwed to
the transverse sleepers, the screws entering through the top flange of the

page_text: sleeper, and passing into the web which connects the upper and lower flanges.
The holes through the lower or foot flanges of the rails are drilled by a
machine in which two or more drills are used, correctly set to each other, and
thus it is insured that the holes shall be correct one with the other, and also
with the holes drilled and tapped in the transverse sleepers. The holes in
the sleepers also are drilled in a machine wherein two or more drills are
correctly combined to make simultaneously two or more holes, and in like
manner it is preferred to use two or more screw taps acting together to tap
the holes in the sleepers. The drilling machines thus used may be of an
ordinary construction, excepting that two drills are applied capable of being
simultaneously actuated. The end of a sleeper is held on the bed of the drilling
machine up to a proper stop or guage, when the two holes are simultaneously
drilled; then the other end of the sleeper is similarly placed on the bed, and
two hold drilled in the same. In order that a sleeper may be thus turned
end for end in the drilling machine, each sleeper is to be cut correctly to
length; or other forms of guages may be used to indicate the correct dis-
tance between the holes near one end and the holes near the other end,
without requiring the sleepers to be correctly cut to length. In drilling the
holes in the rails it is desirable that there should be a long bed to the drilling
machine, and pointers indicating the position to which a rail is to be brought
when about to drill a pair of holes through the flanges or lower part of the
rail, and having drilled one pair of holes the rail is to be moved on the bed so
as to bring it into position for having another pair of holes drilled; the
distance the sleepers are apart will govern the distance apart of the succeeding
pairs of holes in the rails. The ends of the rails are fish-jointed in the fol-
lowing manner:-Two fish plates are used, one on each side of the ends of
two rails. Each fish plate is drilled with four holes, and such holes are
tapped with screw taps. The drilling of the four holes is effected by a
machine wherein four drills correctly spaced are simultaneously caused to
drill the holes. By these means accuracy of construction is obtained. The
holes in the webs of the rails are drilled in a machine wherein two drills
correctly spaced are simultaneously driven, and they produce the two holes
simultaneously in the end of a railway bar. In order that these holes should
allow for expansion and contraction, the bed or table on which the rail is held
is caused to move to and fro, or the drills are caused so to move, by which
means elongated holes are produced. The screw bolts used to fasten the fish
plates are cut with right and left hand screws, as has heretofore in some
cases being done, and the fish plates on either side are tapped or formed with
female threads accordingly, thus the rails aided by the form of fish plates

page_text: hereafter described will be held more securely than heretofore. In order that
the junctions of two railway bars where they come together and are fished by
the right and left handed screws may be as capable of resisting deflection as
the solid parts of a rail, the fish plates are extended downwards below the
lower or foot flanges of the rails, and the fished plates are turned under
the lower flanges of the rails, as is shown in the Drawing annexed.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is the
combined arrangement of the permanent way of a railway herein described,
and also the mode of obtaining correctness by simultaneously drilling and
tapping the holes as herein explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Edwards Wilson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
J. EDWARDS WILSON. (L.S.)