IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Capper, of Bidborough Street, New Road,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 7th February 1860, and dated the 10th August 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Capper at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th August 1859.
I, GEORGE CAPPER, of Bidborough Street, New Road, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a new and improved mode of connecting together
at or near their ends the several lengths of rails employed to form a line of
railway for the rolling stock to run upon, and consists of two pieces of wrought
iron about two feet long, the ends whereof are bent downwards and again
bent to the shape of the rail, so as to form flanges or feet which are intended
to be fixed by trenails or screws to the sleepers of the railway, one foot resting
on one sleeper and the other foot on another sleeper. I propose to use two
of these wrought-iron plates at opposite sides of the rails at their points of
junction, and connect them and and the rails together by bolts and nuts, the bolts
passing through holes in the rails and plates; by these improved means the
chairs and wooden keys at present used on railways near the ends of the rails
are entirely dispensed with, and consequently a saving of expense effected.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Capper in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th
February 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
CAPPER, of Bidborough Street, New Road, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said George Capper, Her special licence that I, the said George
Capper, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
George Capper, 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 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," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said. George Capper, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 George Capper, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :—
This Invention relates to a new and improved mode of connecting together
at or near their ends the several lengths of rails employed to form a line of
railway for the rolling stock to run upon, and consists of two pieces of wrought
iron about two feet long, the ends whereof are bent downwards and again bent
to the shape of the rail so as to form flanges or feet which are intended to be
fixed by trenails or screws to the sleepers of the railway, one foot resting on
one sleeper, and the other foot on another sleeper. I propose to use two
of these wrought-iron plates at opposite sides of the rails, at their points of
junction, and connect them and the rails together by bolts and nuts, the bolts
passing through holes in the rails and plates.

page_text: In order to explain this Invention as completely as possible, I now
proceed to describe the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the
same into practical effect, reference being had to the illustrative Sheet of
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the numeral figures and letters of referenco
трассову
proceed to describe the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the
same into practical effect, reference being had to the illustrative Sheet of
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the numeral figures and letters of referenco
marked thereon respectively as followe
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
The Drawing is to a scale of 4 inches to a foot and exhibits the parts in the
proportions I consider calculated to answer well in practice.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of portions of two rails shewing my improved
mode of supporting them; Figure 2 is an end elevation of Figure 1; Figure 3
a top plan view of Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 is a side elevation of one of
my improved supporting plates: Figure 5 a top plan view; Figure 6 a cross
section through the line A, B, at Figure 4; Figure 7 a plan view of my
improved supporting plate as it would appear previous to the ends thereof
being bent or turned up as at Figure 6. At each of the foregoing Figures
I employ similar letters of reference to denote corresponding parts, in so far
as such parts appear or can be seen at each of such said Figures respectively.
A, A, denote portions of double-headed rails such as are commonly used on
railways; B, the point of junction of the two rails; C, C, wooden cross
sleepers of the ordinary kind; D, D, plates of wrought iron, the ends whereof
are bent so as to serve as feet to rest upon the sleepers C, C, to which they
may be connected by trenails or other convenient and suitable means; E, E,
are bolts and nuts passing through the aforesaid plates and rails for securely
connecting them together after the manner termed "fishing," these plates may
be formed of a piece of flat wrought plate iron, the portion at Z, Figure 7,
being removed by any suitable means, so as to leave projecting pieces d, d, at
the ends of said plate. These parts I propose to bend by any suitable means
so as to form feet or bearing parts as at Figure 6, so that when two of such
said plates are placed opposite to each other, and connected to the rails, they
shall answer the purpose of chairs and "fish plates," with this advantage, that
I obtain a double bearing and support for the rails, and at the same
time protect the lowermost heads of the rails from injury. Plates of the
above description constitute in fact a double bearing joint fastener, equivalent
to two separate divided chairs and fish plates of the ordinary kind, but
considerably less costly and much more effective in practice.
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of my said
Invention of "Improvements in the Permanent Way of Railways," I hereby
declare my Invention to consist in, and I claim supporting and connecting the

page_text: rails of railways to the cross sleepers thereof by means of plates of metal, bent
at their ends so as to present a double bearing or support, each bearing being
affixed to a separate sleeper, as above particularly described, and represented
by the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Capper, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
BENJ. BROWNE, Patent Office,
52, King William Street,
London Bridge.
GEORGE CAPPER. (L.S.)