Improvements in the Construction, Fixing, and Jointing of Rails for Railways, Tramways, and like Purposes.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Dec., 1886.
Complete Left, 1st Sept., 1887
Complete Accepted, 7th Oct., 1887
Improvements in the Construction, Fixing, and Jointing of Rails for
Railways, Tramways, and like Purposes.
I, ARTHUR WOLSTENHOLME, of 44, William Street, Heywood, Lancashire,
Schoolmaster, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
According to one method of carrying out this, my Invention, the Permanent way is
interfered with to a very slight extent; the sleepers remain unaltered; so do all the
chairs, save one for each rail, which is placed at, or near its centre and secured thereto,
thus providing an arrangement for arresting the longitudinal motion, or creeping,
of the rail as a whole. The rails may thus be free to contract or expand at the joints
only, and the movement past the wedges, which tends to loosen them, reduced to a
minimum.
In carrying out my invention, each end of the rail is so shaped either by
cutting, or by pressure in a die, or otherwise, that when it is fitted to the end of
the rail next adjoining, the two ends together form the improved joint, by overlapping
each other in two directions, either laterally, and vertically by preference, or obliquely
and transversely; the surfaces of contact some of which are by preference angled being
so arranged that when the end of one rail suffers a vertical, lateral, or vertico-
lateral deflection from the weight of a passing train, a deflection similar in direction
The joint thus formed provides a con-
and amount is imparted to the other one.
tinuous tread; that is the wheel gets upon a portion of one rail before leaving the
whole of the other. When the rails have to be taken up a difficulty may occasionally
To overcome this a
occur, and this will be in a greater degree at the curves.
suitable tool is required for the platelayer, of such a nature as will displace the rails
The joint of the
longitudinally for a short distance to enable one rail to be taken out.
rails thus formed allows for expansion and contraction, and yet there is not necessarily
a nut, bolt, or fishplate about it. An elastic pad fitted between any convenient parts
may be used with advantage in some cases. The joint may be employed with
reversible or double-headed rails. In the statement that the permanent way is little
interfered with, I refer to the system of transverse sleepers and double-jawed chairs
which is exemplified on the leading British lines of railway; but the peculiar method
of jointing the rails, herein described, may be employed with other and varied modes
of construction without departing from the peculiar nature of this my invention.
Dated this 30th day of November 1886.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction, Fixing, and Jointing of Rails for
Railways, Tramways, and like Purposes.
I, ARTHUR WOLSTENHOLME of the town of Heywood, in the County of Lancaster,
England, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
The object of the invention is to make a joint for the ends of the lengths of rails
for railways, tramways, and like purposes, so arranged, that while there is the requisite
freedom for expanion & contraction, a special lock joint, both laterally and vertically,
is obtained without the necessity of fish plates and screw bolts for jointing the same
together; and also another object is to fix the rails in such a manner that "creeping
of the rails is prevented.
22
To accomplish this & to effect my improvements, I form the ends of the lengths
of rails, either by forging, cutting, by pressure in a die, or otherwise, in such manner
that when one end of the rail next adjoining another is fitted thereto, the two ends
together form a complete joint, by overlapping each other in two directions in a special
and peculiar manner, either laterally and vertically, by preference, or obliquely and
tranversely thereto. The surfaces of contact, some of which are by preference angled-
or it may be lipped or flanged, or a combination of both-being so arranged that when
the end of one rail suffers a vertical, lateral, or vertico-lateral deflection from the
weight of a passing train, a deflection similar in direction and amount is imparted to
the other.
The joint thus formed provides a continuous tread; that is to say, the wheels get
upon a portion of one rail before leaving the whole of the other.
When the rails require to be taken up, a sufficient number of rails may be displaced
longitudinally to enable one joint to be opened, and thus the first rail may be taken
out. The joint of the rails formed in accordance with my invention allows of expan-
sion & contraction, and yet there is not necessarily a bolt, nut, or fish-plato employed
therein. The joint may be applied to reversible or double headed rails, or other forms
of rails may be arranged therewith.
To prevent the creeping of the rails, I firmly attach one chair, fixed at or about
the centre of each length of rail, to the rail itself, either by means of a bolt or bolts, a
stud or studs or projections taking into a recess or recesses; or by means of suitable
wedges at that point, which will firmly fix the rail to the chair. The rails may thus
be free to contract or expand in relation to the joints only, and the movement past
the wedges, which tends to loosen them, is reduced to a minimum. It will be under-
stood that this portion of my invention refers to the system of transverse sleepers, and
doubled-jawed chairs, as exemplified on the leading British lines of railway.
In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a double-headed rail
with the thickened end prepared for a joint in elevation. Figs. 2, is a longitudinal
elevation of one rail end, and Fig. 3, the same view of the other; while Figs. 4 and 5,

page_text: are plan views of the two ends which are ready prepared for bringing together.
Fig. 6 shows one side of the joint when completed, and Fig. 7, the opposite side;
while Fig. 8, shews the one rolling surface or plan view, and Fig. 9, the opposite.
Fig. 10, is a sectional view of a rail prepared for a joint to be made with one form of
single headed rail, and Fig. 11 is a longitudinal elevation of a joint so made. Figs. 12
& 13, are elevations longitudinal of a modified form of my invention for making the
joints of rails, and Figs. 14 & 15, are plan views thereof; while Fig. 16 is a plan view
of such modified form in the completed joint.
1 form the ends of the rails for the purposes of this joint by thickening in the flute
or recess under the head of the rail for a convenient distance to give the requisite
strength to the joint. This thickened portion is cut, or otherwise formed, into about
half its thickness, by preference, as shewn in Figs. 1 to 11. Each splice has primarily
steps in two directions, that is to say, there is the vertical step from a, a' to b b¹, and
the lateral step from c, c¹, to d, d'. Then a portion or the back part of one rail is cut
or taken away, or otherwise formed, as at e, to allow of the front portion of the other
as at f, to take or fit into it. The bearing surfaces g g are shewn angled or bevelled,
or in lieu thereof may be lipped or flanged as shewn by the dotted lines .c, x, in
Figs. 1 and 6, and 8 and 9, or in combination with angled surfaces, so as to form a
dovetail to resist lateral strain. In the examples shewn the oblique cut is adopted at
the ends of the rails; but this is not essential, and the angle of such cut may be in
the opposite direction to the one shewn.
In the modified form as shewn by Figs. 12 to 16, the angled surfaces are quite
unnecessary.
Although by preference I make the plane of the splice vertical to the rolling surface,
yet a diagonal plane may be adopted without departing from the method shewn and
described.
I am aware that joints formed by overlapping in two directions have already been
proposed, as for instance British patents No. 177 of the year 1856, and No. 1091 of
the year 1860, together with No. 3979 of the year 1884; but these are essentially
different to this my present invention, which forms a peculiar mode of such double
overlapping.
The attachment of each rail to the central chair is not shewn in the drawings,
as it will readily be understood without, and the method of forming rails for jointing
purposes herein shewn and described may be employed with or without such central
attachment, as may be preferred.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The forming of rail ends for the purpose of making a locking joint, in the
joining of lengths of rails for railway and tramway and like purposes, in manner
substantially as shewn and described.
2. The attachment of the lengths of rails to central chairs for the purpose of
preventing "creeping" of the rails, in manner substantially as herein described.
Dated this 30th day of August.
WILLIAM GADD, C.E.,
64, Barton Arcade, Manchester,
Agent.