IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY AND ROLLING STOCK OF TRAMWAYS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Edward Blackett Beaumont, of No. 2, West-
minster Chambers,. Victoria Street, in the County of Middlesex, Thomas
Barningham, and Christopher Thompson, both of Darlington, in the County of
Durham, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY AND
ROLLING STOCK OF TRAMWAYS."
Sealed the 20th July 1877, and dated the 11th May 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Edward Blackett
Beaumont, Thomas Barningham, and Christopher Thompson at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th May 1877.
FREDERICK EDWARD BLACKETT BEAUMONT, of No. 2, Westminster Chambers,
Victoria Street, in the County of Middlesex, THOMAS BARNINGHAM, and CHRISTOPHER
THOMPSON, both of Darlington, in the County of Durham. IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE PERMANENT WAY AND ROLLING STOCK OF TRAMWAYS."
"
Our Invention relates to an improved construction of tramway rails of the forms
shewn on the accompanying Drawings, and means of supporting and fixing the
same, and to an arrangement of the rolling stock wheels in connection therewith.
The improved rails have two running faces with a groove between them. We
bed these rails on pieces of timber, laid with the grain transversely to the line of
rail, supported on continuous or intermittent sleepers or supports of any known
kind. We prefer however to employ as sleepers blocks of slag produced according
to the Specification of a Patent granted to F. Bolton, the said F. E. B. Beaumont;
and W. H. Ashwell on the 21st August 1876, No. 3277, and we apply such blocks
in combination with our improved rail in the following manner:--The slag blocks
are cast, presenting on their upper face a dovetail or other shaped groove somewhat
wider than the rail, and of sufficient depth to take the rail and its timber bed.. In
this groove we lay the pieces of timber, either close together or with spaces between
them, but preferably close together, side by side, and on the timber we place the
rails, which slope outwards at their outer sides to a broader base. We then drive
hard wood or other suitable keys between the rails and timbers and the sides of the
D

page_text: groove in the slag block, so as to steady the rails and at the same time hold them
down, and we then pour cement or asphalte amongst and over the keys, so that
when it sets it holds all the parts in place, and also prevents access of moisture to
the timber.
In some cases the keys may be dispensed with, the cementing material serving
when it sets as a continuous key, retaining the rails and timbers steadily within
the dovetail grooves of the slag blocks..
For the junction of one rail to the next we employ fish plates under the ends of
the two contiguous rails, omitting the timber support where such a fish occurs.
In order to divide the wear equally over both faces of the duplex rails without
having to take them up and change them from one side to the other we provide the
rolling stock with wheels, some of which have inside flanges in the usual way, and
others are turned so as to have outside flanges.
The treads of the wheels having inside flanges run on the outer face of the duplex
rail, and the treads of the others run on the inner face, the flanges in both cases
running in the groove between.
The accompanying Drawing shews sections of the several forms of our improved
construction of rails.
A, A, are the two running faces, and B is the groove for the flanges of the wheels
to run in.
Figs. 1 and 2 shew the rails secured on timber C in grooves in the tramway
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Frederick Edward Blackett Beaumont, Thomas Barningham, and
Christopher Thompson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th November
1877.
FREDERICK EDWARD BLACK ETT BEAUMONT, of No. 2, Westminster Chambers,
Victoria Street, in the County of Middlesex, THOMAS BARNINGHAM, and CHRISTOPHER
THOMPSON, both of Darlington, in the County of Durham. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
PERMANENT WAY AND ROLLING STOCK OF TRAMWAYS."
Our Invention relates to an improved construction of tramway rails of the. forms
shewn on the accompanying Drawings, and means of supporting and fixing the
same, and to an arrangement of the rolling stock wheels in connection therewith.
.'
The improved rails have two running faces with a groove between them.We
bed these rails on pieces of timber, laid with the grain transversely to the line of
rail, supported on continuous or intermittent sleepers or supports of any known
kind. We prefer however to employ as sleepers blocks of slag produced according
to the Specification of a Patent granted to F. Bolton, the said F. E. B. Beaumont;
and W. H. Ashwell on the 21st August 1876, No. 3277, and we, apply such blocks
in combination with our improved rail in the following manner:-The slag blocks
are cast, presenting on their upper face a dovetail or other shaped groove somewhat
wider than the rail, and of sufficient depth to take the rail and its timber bed. In
this groove we lay the pieces of timber, either close together or with spaces between
them, but preferably close together, side by side, and on the timber we place the
rails which slope outwards at their outer sides to a broader base. We then drive
hard wood or other suitable keys between the rails and timbers and the sides of the
groove in the slag block, so as to steady the rails and at the same time hold them
down, and we then pour cement or asphalt amongst and over the keys, so that
when it sets it holds all the parts in place, and also prevents access of moisture to
the timber.

page_text: construction of rails.
A, A¹, are the two running faces, and B is the groove for the flanges of the wheels
to run in. In the sections shewn at Figs. 1 to 4 the middle and two side parts
have a level bearing upon the support, which may either be a continuous timber
sleeper, as at G, Fig. 1, or a cast-iron chair, as at E, Fig. 2, or a scoria or slag block,
as at D, Figs. 3 and 4. The slag blocks are for this purpose formed with an undercut
groove, in which are placed wood blocks C, which may be either continuous or at
short intervals. The rails being laid on the blocks they are secured in the groove
either by driving keys in the spaces at each side, or by running cement or asphalt
into the said spaces. The rails at Figs. 1 and are secured by bolts H passing
through holes in the bottom of the groove.
In the form of rails shewn at Figs. 5 and 6 the side parts are extended somewhat
below the middle part, and bolts H for securing them are passed through holes in
such side parts, and through the wood sleeper G or iron chair E.
In the section shewn at Fig. 7 the side parts of the rail are made of considerable
depth, so as to constitute a girder of sufficient strength to carry the load, with the
timber or stone supports Fat some distance apart. The rail is secured either by
bolts passing through the flanges I, or by clamps working over these.
Fig. 8 shews a plan of a length of rails of the before-described construction,
shewing the arrangement of the wheels of the rolling stock for running on the same.
The carriages may either be provided, firstly, with one pair of wheels K, with inside
flanges, the treads being arranged to run upon the outer running faces A, A, of the
rails; and, secondly, with a pair of wheels L having outside flanges, the treads being
made to run upon the inner running faces A¹, A¹, of the rails; or each pair of
wheels may be arranged, the one with an outside flange and the other with an
inside flange, as at M, so that the one wheel runs on the outer face of the one rail,
and the other on the inner face of the other rail, as shewn, the other, pair of
wheels being arranged in the reversed position, so as to run on the other two faces
of the rails.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, we claim,―
First. The use for tramways of duplex rails having two running faces with a
groove for the wheel flanges between them, substantially as and for the purposes
herein set forth.
Second. Securing duplex. rails in slag blocks, substantially as herein described
with reference to Figs. 3 and 4 of the accompanying Drawings.
Third. Securing duplex rails on wood or iron sleeper blocks, substantially as
herein described with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7 of the accompanying
Drawings.
Fourth, In tram cars for running on duplex rails arranging some of the wheels to

page_text: run on the outer faces, and others of the wheels to run on the inner faces of the
said rails, the flanges of all the wheels running in the groove between those faces,
substantially as and for the purpose herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Edward Blackett Beaumont, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
F. E. B, BEAUMONT. (L.S.)