IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CHAIRS
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Bell, of Portobello, in the County of
Mid Lothian, North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CHAIRS."
Sealed the 23rd April 1853, and dated the 14th December 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Bell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th December 1852.
I, JAMES BELL, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CHAIRS" to be as follows: _
I construct a compound railway chair (cast or made in one
piece) having the form of two ordinary railway chairs connected
by an intermediate portion of such a form as to fit to and support
the bottom and also both sides of the rail or rails placed within
it. This compound chair is more particularly applicable as a joint
chair, and, when so used, the ends of the two rails are slipped
through the chairs into the hollow part of the intermediate portion
and secured by keys, or otherwise in the usual manner, within the
jaws at each end of the compound chair. The joint being in or
near to the centre of the intermediate portion, the ends of the rails

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, filed by the said Jaines Bell in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 7th June, 1853..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS. SHALL COME, I,
JAMES BELL, of Portobello, in the County of Mid Lothian, North
Britain, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Fourteenth day of December, 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
successors, give and grant unto me, the said James Bell; Her
special licence that I, the said James, Bell, my executors, 'adininis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Bell,
my executors, administrators, or 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 my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
III RAILWAY, CHAIRS," within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, upon the condition
(amongst other things) that I, the said James Bell, 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 is 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 Bell, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon;

page_text: similar parts in each of those figures being marked with similar
letters of reference (that is to say):
I construct a compound railway chair (cast or made in one piece)
having the form of two ordinary chairs connected by an intermediate
portion of such a form as to fit to and support the bottom and
also both sides of the rail or rails placed within it. This compound
chair is more particularly applicable as a joint chair; and when so
used, the ends of the two rails are slipped through the chairs into
the hollow part of the intermediate portion; when used as a chair
for supporting a rail at any other part than at the end, the rail
must be passed entirely through the chair to the extent which .may
be requisite. The rail or rails supported by the chair are secured
by keys, or otherwise, in the usual manner within the jaws at each
end of the compound chair. The joint (if any) being in or near
to the centre of the intermediate portion, the ends of the rails will
be so confined and supported that they cannot be easily displaced.
Figure 1, of the said Drawings, is a side elevation of the outside of
the compound chair. Figure 2, is a plan of the same. Figure 3, is a
section at that part of the compound chair, shown in Figure 1, which
is intersected by the line A, B, shewing also a section of a rail placed
in the chair; and Figure 4, is an end elevation of the compound
chair, shewing (in section) a rail and key as held in that part of the
chair. E, E, are the rails. The side F, F, of the compound chair is
made to fit one side of the rail, and the inside of the part G, G, of the
intermediate portion of the chair is also made of a form to fit the
other side of the rail. The jaws H, H, are placed at a sufficient
distance from the rail to admit of the insertion of an ordinary
wooden key J, (as shewn in Figure 4). K, K, are holes for receiving
spikes or screws, or treenails, for securing the chair to the sleepers
or bearers of the railway in the ordinary manner, when transverse
sleepers are employed. The compound chair may either be sup-
ported and fixed on two of such sleepers, or upon one of sufficient
breadth. In laying down the chairs, care should be taken to place
them in such positions that every joint in the rails shall occur
nearly in the middle of the intermediate portion of the chair, so

page_text: that the ends of the rails may be embraced and confined by the
parts F, and G, and be thus securely held in their proper positions.
The chair shewn in the Drawings is constructed so as to hold
and support an ordinary double-headed rail, but the shape of the
interior of the chair may be varied so as to make it hold and
support rails of other forms and descriptions. This compound
chair is particularly adapted for a joint chair, but it may also
be used as an intermediate chair; and the bottom of the internal
part of the chair, from M, to M, is made level, so that the chair may
support the bottom of the rail, and thus give a very firm support
to the rail or ends of rails placed within it. The compound
chair shewn in the Drawings is represented as made of one piece
of cast iron cast in the ordinary manner.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that
I do not claim generally as my Invention the casting or making of
two railway chairs in one piece of metal, or connected together by
means of a piece of metal; but what I claim is, the manufacture in
one piece of metal of a compound railway chair having the form of
two ordinary railway chairs connected together by an intermediate
portion, so that the compound chair may embrace and support the
rail or rails in manner herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Bell, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
JAMES BELL. (L.S.)
Witness,
ANDERSON KIRKWOOD,
of No. 50, West George Street, Glasgow,
Writer.