IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAYS OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Michael Lane, of Reading, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAYS OF RAILWAYS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Michael Lane at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th June 1861.
I, MICHAEL LANE, of Reading, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAYS OF RAILWAYS,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the permanent ways of
railways. For these purposes longitudinal bearers of wrought-iron are used,
and they may be of any desired length, and they may be employed at intervals
along the rails of a railway, but it is preferred that they should be continuous.
The lengths of which the longitudinal bearers are composed, and the lengths
of rails supported and held thereby, may, when desired, be so laid as to break
joint. The bearers are each composed of two separate parts, one outside
and one inside of the rail, and the two parts are both rolled or formed to
a similar section. Each of the two parts of a bearer consists of a plate, by
preference of about six inches in width, but this may be varied, and the plates
may be of any desired length. These plates rest on the ground at a slight
inclination from the side of the rail which they support. That edge of each
plate which comes next the rail is turned downwards to the extent, by pre-
ference, of about three or four inches. At the sides of the turned-down parts of
the two plates, and near the upper surface where the rail is received between
them, grooves are formed, one in each plate, and by preference angular

page_text: grooves, so that when the two grooves of the two parts of a bearer come
opposite each other they will form a dovetail space between the two turned-
down parts of the plates of which a bearer is composed. These plates are
connected together at intervals by screw bolts and nuts, the bolts passing
through the turned-down parts of the plates. The rails used with these bearers
are rolled with an under web or projecting rib which is of a dovetail section,
or of such other section as will correspond with the space produced by the
grooves, in the two parts of which a bearer is composed. The under surfaces
of the rail near the outer edges press on and are supported by the plates of
the bearer, the under surface of the rib or projection under the rail not
coming quite down to the bottom of the dovetail space.. It will therefore be
understood that a rail will be held securely between the two plates of a bearer
which press the rail on each side, and by reason of the dovetail or other
section of the under part of the rail corresponding with the
tail form of the space between the two plates or parts of which a bearer
consists, the rail will be prevented rising; and it will also be understood that
pressure on the rail will, by pressing down the bearer, tend to cause the rail
to be held more and more tightly between the two parts of the bearer.
undercut or dove-
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Michael Lane in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th December 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MICHAEL
LANE, of Reading, in the County of Berks, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Michael Lane, Her special licence that I, the said Michael
Lane, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Michael Lane, 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 THE PERMANENT WAYS OF RAILWAYS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Michael Lane, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their

page_text: 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 Michael Lane, 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 the permanent ways of
railways. For these purposes longitudinal bearers of wrought iron are used,
and they may be of any desired length, and they may be employed at intervals
along the rails of a railway, but it is preferred that they should be continuous.
The lengths of which the longitudinal bearers are composed, and the lengths
of rails supporting and held thereby, may, when desired, be so laid as to break
joint. The bearers are each composed of two separate parts, one outside and
one inside of the rail, and the two parts are both rolled or formed to a similar
section. Each of the two parts of a bearer consists of a plate, by preference
of about six inches in width, but this may be varied, and the plates may be
of any desired length. These plates rest on the ground at a slight inclina-
tion from the side of the rail which they support. That edge of each
plate which comes next the rail is turned downwards to the extent, by
preference, of about three or four inches. At the sides of the turned-down
parts of the two plates and near the upper surface where the rail is received
between them, grooves are formed, one in each plate, and by preference
angular grooves, so that when the two grooves of the two parts of a
bearer come opposite each other they will form a dovetailed space between the
two turned-down parts of the plates of which a bearer is composed. These
plates are connected together at intervals by screw bolts and nuts, the bolts
passing through the turned-down parts of the plates. The rails used with
these bearers are rolled with an under web or projecting rib, which is of a
dovetailed section, or of such other section as will correspond with the space
produced by the grooves in the two parts of which a bearer is composed.
The under surfaces of the rail near the outer edges press on and are sup-
ported by the plates of the bearer, the under surface of the rib or projection
under the rail not coming quite down to the bottom of the dovetailed
space. It will therefore be understood that a rail will be held securely between
the two plates of a bearer which press the rail on each side, and by reason of the
dovetail or other section of the under part of the rail corresponding with the

page_text: under cut or dovetail form of the space between the two plates or parts of
which a bearer consists, the rail will be prevented rising; and it will also be
understood that pressure on the rail will, by pressing down the bearer, tend to
cause the rail to be held more and more tightly between the two parts of the
bearer.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed more fully to
describe the manner of performing the same.
.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
which represents a transverse section of a rail and bearing plates of the forms
I prefer, at the same time I would state that the section of the under web of
the rail may be varied, and such is the case also in respect to the parts of the
bearing plates which nip or grip the under web or rib of the rail.
a, a, are the two bearing plates, which are connected at intervals by means
of screw bolts and nuts b. In the Drawing the under web or rib of the rail c is
shewn to be of a dovetail section, which is gripped securely by the corresponding
angular faces of the bearing plates, so that the rail c is more and more pre-
vented rising in proportion as it is more and more pressed downwards into the
space between the nipping or gripping surfaces of the bearing plates a, a.
This holding-down of the rail, it will be seen, is consequent on the web or rib
being of a greater width than the narrowest part of the space formed between
the nipping or gripping surfaces of the bearing plates, aided by the mode in which
such bearing plates are connected together in order to admit of their coming
closer together when pressed down. The bearing plates rest by their outer
edges a' on the ground, but at intervals I use transverse iron or other sleepers
as shewn at d, and secure the outer edges of the bearing plates thereto by screw
bolts or otherwise so as to prevent the rails and the bearing plates getting out
of gauge.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have understood that what I claim is, the com-
bination of bearing plates and rails in the manner herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Michael Lane, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
M. LANE.
L.8.)