IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Whatley Tyler, of 12, Norfolk Crescent,
Hyde Park, in the County of Middlesex, Captain, Royal Engineers, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 18th August 1857, and dated the 25th May 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Whatley Tyler
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th May 1857.
I, HENRY WHATLEY TYLER, of 12, Norfolk Crescent, Hyde Park, in the
County of Middlesex, Captain, Royal Engineers, do hereby declare the nature
of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object an improved method of securing railway
rails to their chairs, sleepers, or supports; and also of securing the ends of
railway rails by means of fishing plates; and of securing railway chairs to their
sleepers or supports. For these purposes I employ bolts having plain stems
and heads at each end. The head at one end of each bolt is square, round, or
of other ordinary form, and the head at the other end is made considerably
wider in one direction than in the other. The bolts are made of a length to
suit the thickness of the pieces or parts which they are to secure, and in each

page_text: of these pieces or parts a long and narrow hole is made, corresponding in form
to the oblong head of the bolt, and the pieces or parts are firmly held together
by clips, while the bolts are put in and turned one quarter round. The bolts
are afterwards secured by sliding or placing over their heads locking plates,
which prevent them from turning, for which method of securing the bolts a
previous Patent has been granted to me; or, they are secured from turning by
driving keys by the side of the bolts into the holes in the parts connected by
the bolts.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Whatley Tyler in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 23rd November 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
WHATLEY TYLER, of. 12, Norfolk Crescent, Hyde Park, in the County of
Middlesex, Captain, Royal Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Henry Whatley Tyler, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Whatley
Tyler, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Henry Whatley Tyler, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Henry Whatley Tyler, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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 Henry Whatley Tyler, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object an improved method of securing railway
rails to their chairs, sleepers, or supports; and also of securing the ends of
railway rails. by means of fishing plates; and of securing railway chairs to their
sleepers or supports. For these purposes I employ bolts having plain stems
and heads at each end. The head at one end of each bolt is square, round, or
of other ordinary form, and the head at the other end is made considerably
wider in one direction than in the other. The bolts are made of a length .to
suit the thickness of the pieces or parts which they are to secure, and in each
of these pieces or parts a long and narrow hole is made, corresponding in form
to the oblong head of the bolt, and the pieces or parts are firmly held together
by clips, while the bolts are put in and turned one quarter round. The bolts
are afterwards secured by sliding or placing over their heads locking plates,
which prevent them from turning, for which method of securing the bolts. a
previous Patent has been granted to me; or, they are secured from turning by
driving keys by the side of the bolts into the holes in the parts connected by
the bolts.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Sheet 1 of the Drawings shews the method in which I prefer to apply my
Invention, when securing the ends of railway rails by means of fishing plates.
a is the end of one of the rails; b, b, are the fishing plates; c, c, the double-
headed bolts; d, the locking plates; and e, e, are washers. The parts are put
together in the following manner :-
The fishing plates are pressed inwards by a strong clamp, the double-headed
bolts are somewhat heated, inserted hot, and turned a quarter round, and the
locking plate is then forced down over them to secure them in position. Any
inaccuracy of fit, as regards the length of the bolts, is corrected by washers, as
shewn in transverse section. The washers are passed over the smaller head of
the bolt, and placed between the larger head and the fishing plate, and they
cannot therefore escape. The notches in the locking plate are made d
smaller at the bottom than at the top.
Sheet 2 of the Drawings shews the method in which I prefer to apply my
Invention, when securing railway rails to their chairs, and when securing rail-

page_text: way chairs to their sleepers or supports. a is the railway rail; b is the chair,
which is shewn separately in the Figures of Sheet 3; c is the double-headed
bolt for securing the rail to the chair; d, d, are metal washers. In order to
attach the rail to the chair, the rail and chair are pressed together by a strong
clamp, the bolt is heated, inserted hot with the narrow bead first, and turned
a quarter round; and to prevent the bolt from afterwards turning round, the
locking key is dropped over the narrow head and into the recess cast in the
chair, which is more plainly shewn in the side view of Sheet 3; e, e, are double-
headed bolts for securing the chair to the sleeper; f,f, are locking plates;
and 9, 9, are washers. In order to attach the chair to the sleeper, the sleeper
is prepared of the required depth and bored with an oblong hole, correspond-
ing to that in the bed of the chair, the chair and sleeper are pressed together
by a strong clamp, the bolt is passed up through the sleeper and chair (after
having been previously somewhat heated) with the narrow head first, and
turned a quarter round, and a locking key, as shewn in the Drawing, or a
plug, as shewn in Sheets 4 and 5, is used to secure it in position. In either
of the above cases, washers are employed to correct any inaccuracy of fit as
regards the length of the bolts. These washers are passed over the narrow
head of the bolt, which they are made nearly to fit, and they lie between
the square head and the sleeper or rail, as the case may be, so that they cannot
escape.
Sheets 4 and 5 of the Drawings also shew the method in which I prefer to
apply my Invention, when securing railway rails to their sleepers or supports.
In all these Figures a represents the rail; b, the sleeper or support; c, c, the
double-headed bolts; d, d, plugs, by which the double-headed bolts are secured
from turning when in position; e, e, are washers.
The parts are put together in the following manner :-
The sleeper is prepared of the required depth, and bored with an oblong
hole; the upper heads of the bolts are long and narrow, the lower heads
square, the foot of the rail is bored with an oblong hole. The rail and sleeper
are pressed together by a strong clamp, the bolt having been somewhat
heated is pushed up through them with the narrow head first, the bolt is
turned a quarter round, and the plug is driven in to secure it in position.
• Washers are employed to compensate for any inaccuracy of fit as regards the
length of the bolts, they are made to pass over the smaller head of the bolt,
and lying between the square head and the sleeper they cannot escape. The
ballast need not be opened out when the bolts require to be tightened up. In
that case the plug is extracted and the bolt turned round from the top, a

page_text: washer is slipped over and forced under the narrow head, and the bolt, having
been again turned round into position, is secured as before by the plug, which
prevents any subsequent movement of the bolt or the washer.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Whatley Tyler, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
HENRY WHATLEY TYLER. (L.B.)
Witness,
C. W. PASLEY,
Lieut.-General, R. Engineers,
12, North Crescent, Middlesex.