CERTAIN TAGS IN IL COSCOPILATION OPI PODANENT WAY OR RAILWAYS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Perceval Moses Parsons, of Duke Street, Adelphi,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "CERTAIN
TAGS IN IL COSCOPILATION OPI PODANENT WAY OR RAILWAYS"
Sealed the 25th August 1854, and dated the 18th March 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Perceval Moses Parsons
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th March 1854.
I, PERCEVAL MOSES PARSONS, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PERMANENT
WAY OF RAILWAYS" to be as follows:-
My improvements consist of certain improved methods of constructing
chairs, supports, and fastenings for securing and supporting the rails of rail-
ways at their ends and elsewhere.
Firstly, I construct the chairs which secure the ends of the rails of a
suitable form to receive them, and I place in the jaws small blocks-or pieces of
wood or other suitable elastic material, and I drive in wedges or keys of cast or
wrought iron or other suitable metal between and against them and the rails;
or I place in the chair, against the rails, metal keys, clamps, splices, blocks, or
plates, and I drive in wedges made of wood or other suitable elastic material
between and against them and the jaw of the chair.
Secondly, I construct chairs for securing the ends of the rails in two similar
parts, each being made with a jaw to receive the rail and a taper plate or splice
projecting from the side of the other chair, and vice versa. In the jaws I

page_text: place small blocks of wood, or other suitable elastic material, and I drive the
projecting plate or splice of each chair into the jaw of the other chair, between
and against the wood blocks and the rails; or I place the projecting plates or
splices of each chair into the jaw of the other, and I drive in keys or wedges
of wood or other suitable elastic material between and against them and the
jaws.
Thirdly, in order to strengthen the chairs sufficiently to resist the strain of
the keys or wedges, I construct them with ribs, webs, or flanges at the bottom
and sides. I construct the chairs, metal keys, clamps, splices,-blocks, or plates
so as to support the rails entirely by their upper flanges, or entirely by their
lower surfaces, or by both combined.
2.
Fourthly, I secure the ends of the rails by means of clamps or taper plates
or splices, in two similar parts, made to fit against the two sides of the rails,
and support them by their upper flanges, each clamp, plate, or splice having a
jaw or arm at one end, into which may be placed small blocks or pieces of
wood or other suitable elastic material to receive the opposite end of the other;
these I force each into the other with the rail between, or I place each in the
other with the rail between, and I tighten them by driving in wooden or other
elastic keys or wedges between them and the jaws or arms. These clamps,
plates, or splices form a surface to rest on the sleeper, and are secured thereto
by treenails or other suitable fastening, or may be driven into a recess made.
in the sleeper, and secured by treenails or otherwise. The bottom surface
of the rail may also be allowed to bear upon the sleeper.
Fifthly, I construct the wooden keys or wedges for securing the rails, and
the clamps or splices or plates, in chairs or other supports, and the blocks or
pieces to fit in the chairs for the metal keys to bear against, with the grain or
fibre crossways, in reference to the direction of the line of rails, or in. such a
manner that the ends of the grain or fibre will be placed against the sides or
jaw of the chair or other support and the rail or metal clamp, plate, splice, or
key, and will receive the strain or pressure. In some cases I drive in the
keys or wedges vertically or diagonally instead of horizontally. I also,
cases, notch, serrate, or make recesses in the sides of the metal keys, clamps,
plates, or splices which come in contact with the wood or other elastic material,
so that the fibres of the wood or the other elastic material employed may enter
these notches, serrations, or recesses, and prevent the keys, clamps, plates,
or splices from being shaken out or becoming loose. The various arrange-
ments herein-before described for supporting and securing the ends of the
rails may also be employed for supporting and securing them at intermediate
points.
some

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Perceval Moses Parsons in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 8th September 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PERCEVAL
MOSES PARSONS, of Duke Street, Adelphi, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Perceval Moses Parsons, Her special licence that I, the said Perceval
Moses Parsons, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Perceval Moses Parsons, 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 law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PERMANENT WAY
OF RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst others), that I, the said Perceval
Moses Parsons, 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 Perceval Moses Parsons, 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):-
My improvements consist of certain improved methods of constructing
chairs, supports, and fastenings for securing and supporting the rails of rail-
ways at their ends-and elsewhere.
Firstly, I construct the chairs which secure the ends of the rails of a suitable
form to receive them, and I place in the jaws small blocks or pieces of wood or
other suitable elastic material, and I drive in wedges or keys of cast or wrought
iron or other suitable metal between and against them and the rails, or I place
in the chair against the rails, metal keys, clamps, splices, blocks, or plates, and
I drive in wedges made of wood or other suitable elastic material between and
against them and the jaw of the chair.

page_text: Secondly, I construct chairs for securing the ends of the rails in similar
parts, each being made with a jaw to receive the rail, and a taper plate splice
projecting from the side of the other chair, and vice versa. In the jaw I
place small blocks of wood or other suitable elastic material, and I drive
the projecting plate or splice of each chair into the jaw of the other chair,
between and against the wood blocks and the rails; or I place the projecting
plates or splices of each chair into the jaw of the other, and I drive in keys or
wedges of wood or other suitable elastic material between and against them
and the jaws.
Thirdly, in order to strengthen the chair sufficiently to resist the strain of
the keys or wedges, I construct them with ribs, webs, or flanges at the bottom
and sides. I construct the chairs, metal keys, clamps, splices, blocks, or
plates, so as to support the rails entirely by their upper flanges, or entirely by
their lower surfaces, or by both combined.
Fourthly, I secure the ends of the rails by means of clamps, or taper plates
or splices, in two similar parts made to fit against the two sides of the rails,
and support them by their upper flanges, each clamp, plate, or splice having a
jaw or arm at one end, into which may be placed small blocks or pieces of
wood or other suitable elastic material to receive the opposite end of the other;
these I force each into the other with the rail between, or I place each in the
other with the rail between, and I tighten them by driving in wooden or other
elastic keys or wedges between them and the jaws or arms. These clamps,
plates, or splices form a surface to rest on the sleeper, and are secured thereto
by treenails or other suitable fastening, or may be driven into a recess made in
the sleeper and secured by treenails or otherwise. The bottom surface of the
rail may also be allowed to bear upon the sleeper.
Fifthly, I construct the wooden keys or wedges for securing the rails, and
the clamps or splices or plates, in chairs or other supports, and the blocks
or pieces together, in the chairs for the metal keys to bear against, with the
grain or fibre cross ways, in reference to the direction of the line of rails, or
in such a manner that the ends of the grain or fibre will be placed against the
sides or jaws of the chair or other support and the rail or metal clamp, plate,
splice, or key, and will receive strain or pressure. In some cases I drive in the
keys or wedges vertically or diagonally instead of horizontally. I also, in
some cases, notch, serrate, or make recesses in the sides of the metal keys,
clamps, plates, or splices which come in contact with the wood or other clastic
material, so that the fibres of the wood or the other elastic material employed may
enter these notches, serrations, or recesses, and prevent the keys, clamps, plates,
or splices from being shaken out or becoming loose. The various arrange-

page_text: ments herein-before described for supporting and securing the ends of the
rails may also be employed for supporting and securing them at intermediate
points.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will now proceed to de-
scribe the methods by which my Invention is to be carried into effect, reference
being had to the accompanying Drawing.
Figure
ian, partly
section;
5,
2, ST elevation, g
an end elevation; and Figure 4, a cross section of parts of the permanent way
of a railway, illustrating those parts of my Invention included under the first,
third, and fifth heads. Similar letters refer to similar parts in each Figure.
C is a chair which is made rather wider than the sleeper S on which it rests;
its ends are provided with ribs or flanges F, F, which, in addition to the con-
nection they form between the sides and the sole plate in the usual way, are
made to continue all round and extend below its base or sole, and are for the
purpose of giving increased strength to the base or sole, and thereby rendering
the chair better able to resist a strain tending to burst it open; these additional
ribs or flanges F, F, may be placed at the ends of the chair, as shewn in the
Drawing, in which case they would pass down on each side the sleeper, and
they may also be placed between the ends, in which case there must be recesses
made in the sleepers to receive them. The jaw on one side is made to fit and
support the rails R, and is in direct contact with them, and the jaw on the
opposite side is provided with recesses into which are placed small blocks or
cushions of wood D, D, or other material of sufficient strength to resist a
considerable amount of crushing force, and yet to a slight extent of an elastic
or yielding nature. The chair C being thus prepared, the rails R, R, are
secured in it, and connected together by driving in the metal key or wedge A
between the rails on one side, and the blocks or cushions of wood or other
elastic material D, D, on the other. When wood is the material employed for
the elastic blocks or cushions D, D, I prepare them so that the grain or fibre
may be across the direction of the line of rails and that in which the key is
driven, so that the ends of the grain or fibre may come in contact with the
key on one side and the side of the chair on the other, and sustain the pressure
(caused by driving in the key) in the direction of the length of the grain or
fibre. If the grain is not placed endways, as thus described, I should then
recommend that the blocks or cushions be compressed by the well-known pro-
cess adopted for the wooden keys and treenails of railways. Various methods

page_text: of preparing the chairs and fitting and fixing the elastic blocks or cushions to
them will suggest themselves, but the following is the best with which I am at
present acquainted :-I make the sides of the recesses in the chair for the
reception of the blocks or cushions of a dovetail form, as seen on plan
(Figure 1), and parallel or slightly taper towards the bottom, and I make the
inside face of the chair or recesses sloping or inclining inwards rather. more
than the intended inclination of the rail, and following the taper of the metal
key. The blocks or cushions being prepared rather thicker than the intended
finished size, I drive them tightly into the dovetail recesses from the top, and
finally cut off their inside faces to the same inclination as the rail, the taper of
the key, and to the required distance from the opposite side of the chair. The
chair may be constructed to fit and support the rail in various ways, but I
prefer making it to fit at the three points marked a, b, & c; the key also
should be made to fit the rail at corresponding points to a and b on the side
opposite to the jaw of the chair, viz., at d and e, and a space should be left
between each side of the web of the rail and the jaw of the chair on one side,
and the key on the other. In some cases I construct the chair and key so
that the rails may be supported entirely by their upper flanges resting on the
jaw of the chair on one side and the metal key on the other, which key is
made to rest on the chair. This method of construction is shewn in end view
at (Figure 5). R is the rail supported on one side by the jaw of the chair C,
and on the other by the key A, which is somewhat different in form from the
former one, and rests on the chair C, which is provided with the elastic blocks
or cushions D, D, and is in other respects similar to that first described, and
requires no further description or illustration. In some cases, for the purpose
of additional security against the metal key getting loose or coming out of its
place, I serrate, notch, or make small indentations or projections on a part of
it in contact with the wooden or other elastic blocks or cushions. The form of
the indentations or projections I should recommend to be similar to the teeth
of a file or saw much elongated, and of small depth. The elastic blocks or
cushions especially, when made of wood with the grain endways, as, before
described, after being compressed by the driving in of the key, will, by their
reaction, press into the serations or indentations, and assist in holding the key
in its place.
Instead of the arrangements before described, I in some cases place the
metal key A, or in place of it a metal clamp, plate, or splice made to fit the rail
in the chair, made, with the strengthening flanges before described, first, and
secure it by afterwards driving in wooden or other elastic keys or wedges, either
vertically, diagonally, or horizontally, in the place of the blocks or cushions;

page_text: this, it will be seen, may easily be accomplished by a slight modification in the
construction of the chair.
Figure 6 is a plan; Figure 7, a side elevation; and Figure 8, an end view
of parts of the permanent way of a railway, illustrating the second part of my
Invention. C, C, are two chairs, each of which has one side extended beyond
the base forming a taper key or wedge, or a parallel or other plate, clamp, or
splice A, A, fitting against the side of the rails. R, R. The rails R, R,
being placed in the chairs C, C, they are brought together, and the ends of the
keys A, A, attached to each chair is forced into the jaw of the other J, J,
and when sufficiently tight are held down to the sleeper and prevented from
withdrawing by the treenails or pins T, T, or by bolts or screws.
Figure 10 is a plan; Figure 11, a side elevation; and Figure 12, an end
elevation of parts of the permanent way of a railway, illustrating the fourth
part of my Invention. A, A, are two metal plates, clamps, or splices made to
fit against the rails R, R, and support them by their upper flanges; each of the
metal plates or clamps A, A, is provided with a jaw at one end J, J, and being
placed against the rails, the end of each plate or clamp A, A, is forced into the
jaw of the other until sufficiently tight; they are then secured to the sleeper S
by the treenails or pins T, T, or by bolts and nuts. The plates or clamps A, A,
are so constructed that when fixed to the rails as described, their lower
surfaces will be about level with the lower side of the rails R, R, or they may
be made to pass and meet under them, and will form a surface either with or
without the rails R, R, to rest on the sleeper S.
The double chairs described under the second head, as well as the jaws
attached to the double clamps, plates, or splices last described, may be pro-
vided with the strengthening flanges and the elastic cushions D, D, before
described, as shown, or not. I should recommend their use if the chairs or
clamps are made of cast iron, but if made of wrought iron or other tenacions
material they may be dispensed with. The double chairs and the double plates
or clamps with jaws, instead of being fastened by driving the one into the other
as before described, may be placed the one in the other loosely and tightened
up by driving in wooden or other keys in place of the wooden blocks,
or by
means of screws passing through the jaws or other suitable fastening. The
arrangements above described are intended more particularly to secure and
support the joints or ends of the rails of a railway, but may also be applied to
secure and support the rails at intermediate points between the ends.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the means of carry-
ing it into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the
precise details or the exact form or dimensions of the several parts shewn and

page_text: described, nor do I lay exclusive claim to them, except as is herein-after men-
tioned. But I declare that I claim as my Invention,―
Firstly, securing, supporting, and connecting the rails of railways by means
of chairs made with ribs or flanges on their under side for the purpose of
increasing their strength.
Secondly, the application of blocks or cushions of suitable elastic material
(particularly wood, with the fibres in the direction before described,) in the
chairs to receive the pressure of metal keys or wedges between the rails and
the elastic cushions or blocks.
Thirdly, I claim the general combination of chairs with strengthening
flanges on their under side, elastic blocks or cushions, and metal keys or metal
plates, clamps, or splices, and wooden or other elastic keys or wedges.
Fourthly, the use of keys or wedges made with serrations, indentations, or
projections, as before described.
Fifthly, securing, supporting, and connecting the rails of railways by means
of double chairs, constructed cach with one side extended in the form of a
wedge, key, plate, or splice so as to be secured into the jaw of the other.
Sixthly, securing, supporting, and connecting the rails of railways by pairs
of plates, clamps, or splices, each having a jaw which embraces and secures the
end of the other.
In witness whereof, I, the said Perceval Moses Parsons, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
JNO. ALCOCK.
P. M. PARSONS. (L.S.)