IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS AND TRAMWAYS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS AND TRAMWAYS."-
A communication from abroad by Ramon Bañolas and Victor
Joseph Carlier, both of Madrid, in the Kingdom of Spain.
Sealed the 11th May 1875, and dated the 18th March 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 18th March 1875.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the.
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
AND TRAMWAYS," a communication to me from abroad by Ramon
Bañolas and Victor Joseph Carlier, both of Madrid, in the Kingdom of
Spain, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates partly to the construction of rails for railways,
tramways, and similar purposes, and consists in making the rail of two

page_text: deteriorate the rolling stock are obviated, and the use of fish plates
which but partially remedy those defects is dispensed with.
The rails may also be turned round end for end when the side towards
the middle of the track becomes worn out or deteriorated.
The rail may be attached to the wooden transverse sleepers in the
same manner as when ordinary rails are employed, or the transverse
sleepers may be dispensed with by merely increasing the dimensions of
the foot of the rail, tie rods being employed at intervals.
The rails may be supported upon transverse metal sleepers of a
double T or other convenient form with the interposition of strips or
layers of india-rubber or other suitable materials between the rail and
the sleeper.
In the case of tramways ordinary tramway rails may be employed,
such rails being secured by bolts to longitudinal metal sleepers con-
sisting of bent sheet metal plates or inverted troughs in such a manner
as to break joint therewith, tie bars being employed at intervals for
connecting the two rails of the track.
According to a modified arrangement the rail is composed of a metal
bar attached by means of screws or bolts to the sheet metal bent sole
plate or trough, and the flange of the wheel is guided by angle iron also
bolted or rivetted to the sole plate or trough, the various parts being
arranged so as to break joint with each other, and a sheet or layer of
india-rubber or other suitable material being interposed if desired.
The lower side of the angle iron bar may be prolonged underneath
the rail, and the whole be secured by means of bolts upon metal
transverse sleepers of a double T or other suitable form so as to provide
increased stability, sheets or layers of india-rubber or other supple or
clastic substance being interposed between the rail and the sleepers if
found desirable.
It is obvious that the Invention is applicable to rails and other forms
than those before mentioned.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 17th September 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, 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 seventy-five, in the thirth-eighth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special license, that
I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henry Johnson, 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,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS AND TRAMWAYS," a communication to me
from abroad by Ramon Bañolas and Victor Joseph Carlier, both of
Madrid, in the Kingdon of Spain, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors or administrators,
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 John Henry Johnson, 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, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say:
The said Invention relates partly to the construction of rails for
railways and tramways, whatever may be their shape or dimensions or
the purpose for which they may be specially designed, and consists in

page_text: making the rail of two or more pieces firmly secured to one another, and
so arranged as to admit of the portion on which the wheels travel being
readily replaced when it is worn out or deteriorated, and also to obtain
by the mode of uniting the various parts of the rail, and by overlapping
at the vertical joints the practical realization of the advantages of a con-
tinuous rail. This system of rails admits of their working parts being
composed at less expense of very durable metals, such for example as
steel and their lower part of iron or other less expensive metal. The
lower portion of the rail moreover not being exposed to any wear
resulting from the contact with the wheels of the vehicles travelling
upon the rails may be used for an indefinite period, while in the case of
ordinary rails in a single piece it has of necessity to be replaced when
the head becomes unserviceable.
A thin sheet or layer of india-rubber or other suitable elastic or
yielding material may be introduced between the two portions of which
the rail is composed, which arrangement enables the ordinary wooden
sleepers to be dispensed with in the construction of railways, whilst at
the same time preserving the necessary elasticity and smoothness to the
passage of the vehicles.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings
which represent various modifications of permanent way constructed in
accordance with the said Invention, the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the corresponding Figures.
Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section, and Figure 2 is a side
elevation of a rail constructed according to one modification for use on
railways.
The rail is composed of two parts A and B so arranged that when
firmly connected by means of the bolts C they constitute a complete rail,
presenting the form and dimensions of the rails at present in use in the
construction of railways, and which may be varied according to the
purposes to which they are to be applied.
It is preferred to employ steel for the manufacture of the upper part
or head A of the rail, and wrought iron for the lower part B constituting
the foot and the main portion of the web of the rail; but the whole

page_text: desired.
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It will be observed on reference to Figure 2, that the parts A, B,
are arranged to break joint the one with the other, so that the rail
presents a uniform resistance at all points, whereby the continual
vibrations which rapidly deteriorate the rolling stock are obviated, and
the use of fish plates which but partially remedy those defects is dispensed
with.
The method adopted of connecting together the two pieces A and B
ensures moreover the solidity of the rail since the pressure exerted on the
upper part of the rail has simply the effect of bringing these two pieces into
more intimate contact, whilst they are constantly maintained in contact
by the bolts C. This method of constructing the rails admits of their being
turned round end for end when the side towards the middle of the
track becomes worn out or deteriorated by the friction of the wheel
flanges.
The rail may be attached to the wooden transverse sleepers in the
same manner as when ordinary rails are employed, or the transverse
sleepers may be dispensed with by merely increasing the dimensions of
the foot of the rail, as shewn in the modification, Figure 3. It is obvious
that as this part of the rail does not require to be changed when the
head is deteriorated, its dimensions may be increased to the extent
required for the object in view; it will then be simply necessary to
connect the rails together at intervals with tie rods or bars in order
to maintain the gauge and prevent the lateral divergence of the rails.
Figure 3 also shews the arrangement adopted for obtaining the
necessary elasticity in the permanent way, and which consists in
interposing between the two metal parts A, B, of which the rail is
composed a thin sheet of india-rubber D or of any other suitable material
or fabric, such for example as paper, carboard, leather, lead, and the
like. This arrangement has the effect of rendering the passage of the
vehicles smooth and easy over the surface of the rails, and of neutralizing
the hammering of the rail under the action of the wheels travelling
upon it.
By the interposition of an elastic or yielding material the necessity for
emploving wooden transverse or longitudinal sleepers is obviated and

page_text: Figures 4 and 5 are transverse vertical sections, and Figure 6 is a
sectional elevation shewing the combination with the improved rail for
railways of transverse metal sleepers E, strips or layers F of india-rubber
or other suitable material being interposed between the rail and the
sleepcr. By this means there is imparted to the permanent way a degree
of solidity, stability, and durability not heretofore attainable without in
any way diminishing the flexibility which it should present in order to
ensure its preservation and that of the rolling stock.
It should be observed that the effects of contraction and of expansion,
as in the case of the ordinary systems of fish jointed rails will present no
difficulty, the play allowed between the ends of the rails and in the holes
for the bolts admitting of the free expansion of the metal.
In the case of the permanent way of tramways ordinary tramway
rails G may be employed, as shewn in Figures 7 and 8 (which represent
respectively a vertical section and a plan drawn to a reduced scale of a
portion of one side of a tramway). In this modification the rails G is
secured by bolts I to logitudinal metal sleepers I consisting of bent
sheet metal plates or inverted troughs arranged in such a manner as to
break joint with the rails, as shewn in Figure 8. By means of this arrange-
ment a uniform solidity and rigidity is obtained in all parts, whilst the
necessity for employing the wooden longitudinal sleepers at present in
use is obviated, the two rails of the track being simply connected at
intervals by means of tie rods or bars.
Figures 9 and 10 which represent similar views to those last referred
to illustrate another modification. In this case the rail is composed of
a metal bar J attached by means of screws or bolts K to the sheet metal
bent sole plate or trough H, and the flange of the wheel is guided by an
angle iron bar or rail L also bolted or rivetted to the sole plate or
trough H, the whole of the three parts being arranged to break joint
the one with the other, as shewn in Figure 10.
Between the iron bar J and the metal sleeper H there may be
interposed a thin sheet M of india-rubber or any other suitable substance,
whereby great smoothness is imparted to the track and the hammering
of the rail under the incessant shocks of the wheels of the vehicles
travelling upon it is obviated.
In the modification of rail for tramways shown in transverse vertical
section in Figures 11 and 12, and in sectional elevation in Figure 13, the

page_text: lower side of the angle iron bar L is prolonged underneath the bar J, and
the whole is secured by means of bolts O upon metal transverse sleepers N
which ensure its stability; sheets or layers P of india-rubber or other
suitable elastic or yielding substance are interposed between the rail and
the sleepers, so as to further augment the elasticity of the permanent way
and admit of the metal being used as a point of attachment to the
ground.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The constructing rails in two or more parts connected together
and arranged so as to break joint the one with the other, all substantially
in the manner and for the purposes herein-before described and as
illustrated by the accompanying Drawings.
Second. The interposition between the fixed part or base and the
upper or moveable part of the rail, and between the rail and metal
sleepers of sheets, strips, or layers of india-rubber or other suitable
elastic or yielding material, substantially as and for the purposes herein a
before described and as illustrated by the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this
my Specification set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth
day of September One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.