IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY CHAIRS AND FASTENINGS
Year: 1875

page_text: for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY
CHAIRS AND FASTENINGS.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Somerset and
Isaac Richardson Hayes at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 19th March 1875.
We, JOHN SOMERSET and ISAAC RICHARDSON HAYES, both of
Bradford, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF RAILWAY CHAIRS AND FASTENINGS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists principally in forming the chair with a trans-
verse recess or notch the full width of the head of the rail in such a way
that the rail can be dropped into it, and in providing two vertical wedges
or clips for holding the same in its place,

page_text: The jaws of the chair we make only about half the depth of the rail,
and inside each jaw and in the sole plate we form a vertical recess.
The
rail is fastened by means of two clips or wedges slightly tapered, and so
formed that they fit the sides of the rail and meet beneath the bottom.
These wedges or fastenings being placed one on each side of the rail the
whole is dropped vertically into the chair and the rail becomes wedged
therein, the weight or pressure of an engine or carriage passing over in
pressing down the rail tightens these wedges, and thus the rail is held
firmly in its place.
In order to prevent the chair from notching the rail (when a double
headed rail is used) we place on the chair beneath the rail pieces of
leather, felt, or wood, interposed between the chair and the rail.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Somerset and Isaac Richardson Hayes in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th September 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, Jonn
SOMERSET and ISAAC RICHARDSON HAYES, both of Bradford, ncar
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said John Somerset and Isaac.
Richardson Hayes, Her special license that we, the said John Somerset
and Isaac Richardson Hayes, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said John Somerset and Isaac Richardson
Hayes, our 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 CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY CHAIRS AND FASTENINGS,'
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said John Somerset-
and Isaac Richardson Hayes, our executors or administrators, by--an
"

page_text: instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and
scals, 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 Scal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said John Somerset and Isaac
Richardson Hayes, 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 and
accompanying Drawings:-
Our Invention consists principally in forming the chair with a trans-
verse recess or notch the full width of the head of the rail in such a way
that the rail can be dropped into it, and in providing two vertical wedges
òr clips for holding the same in its place, thus dispensing with the
ordinary side wedges. A double chair of this construction may also be
employed as a substitute for fish plates.
Such being the nature and object of our said Invention we will now
proceed to describe in detail the manner in which the same is to be or
may be performed or carried into practical effect, and in order that the
same may be clearly understood, we have annexed hereunto a Sheet of
Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with figures
and letters of reference corresponding with those in the following
explanation thereof:-
Fig. 1 in the annexed Drawing is a side view, Fig. 2 a vertical section,
and Fig. 3 a plan view of a railway chair and fastening constructed
according to our Invention and adapted for fixing a double headed
rail.
The jaws a, a, of the chair we make only about half the depth of the
rail, and inside each jaw and in the sole plate b, b, we form a vertical
recess c, c. The rail d, d, is fastened by means of two vertical clips or
wedges e, e, slightly tapered, and so formed that they fit the sides of the
rail and meet beneath the bottom. These wedges or fasteners e, e, being
placed one on each side of the rail, the whole is dropped vertically into
the chair and the rail becomes wedged therein; the weight or pressure
of an engine or carriage passing in pressing down the rail tightens these
wedges, and thus the rail is held securely in its place. But as an

page_text: additional security we sometimes propose to make a longitudinal groove
in the inside of the chair and insert a key f, f, (see also detached views
Fig. 4). This key is passed between the rail d, d, and the jaw of the
chair with its bit in a vertical position, and it is then partly turned round
into the position shown at Fig. 1, when it effectually locks the rail and
prevents it from rising or being lifted until the key f, f, has been turned
back (by a special tool provided for the plate layers) and withdrawn.
In order to prevent the chair from notching the rail we place on the
chair beneath the rail pieces g, g, of leather, felt, or wood, interposed
between the chair and the rail.
Fig. 5 shows the the application of our Invention to a single headed
rail. In this case the wedges e, e, do not meet beneath the rail, but
only extend to the lower side thereof, as shown at Fig. 6.
Having now described the nature and object of our said Invention,
together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be per-
formed or carried into practical effect, we wish it to be understood that
we claim as our Invention the peculiar form and construction of chair
and vertical wedges herein-before described and illustrated by the
Drawing annexed, whether the same is used with or without the addition
of the key ff, or its equivalent.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Somerset and Isaac Richard-
son Hayes, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fifteenth
day of September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-five.