IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILS FOR RAILWAYS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Piegrome, of Plaistow, in the County of
Essex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
RAILS FOR RAILWAYS."
Scaled the 6th September 1870, and dated the 8th March 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Piegrome at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th March 1870.
I, JOHN PIEGROME, of Plaistow, in the County of Essex, do hereby
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
declare the nature of the said Invention for
STRUCTION OF RAILS FOR RAILWAYS," to be as follows:―
The rail consists of two parts; the lower part is made of rolled iron
and forms what may be termed a longitudinal chair to receive the upper
part, which is of rolled steel and forms the head of the rail, and the
following detailed statement sets forth examples of how the Invention
may be practically effected. When both parts are combined they form
a rail having an iron base and a steel head requiring no chairs or fish
plates to fix it. The lower part or chair plate should consist of a plate,

page_text: say, about six inches (or more) wide, baving a web at right angles to it
like the letter T reversed with a shallow grove in the bottom plate close
to the web. The upper part or steel head may be of any suitable section
and have a web corresponding in depth to that on the chair plate, and a
shallow groove on the under side of the head close to the web. When
placed together the web of each part fits into a corresponding groove in
the other part, and mutually hold each other in their places. They are
then bolted together through holes in the webs and fixed to the sleepers
by bolts through the lower plate. Or the lower part may have two webs,
one to come on each side of the steel head; in that case no grooves are
required in the lower plate, but two grooves are made on the under side
of the steel head one on each side of the web to receive the webs of the
lower plate, and they are to be bolted together in the same manner as in
the other case. Or the steel head may be made with two webs, one to
come on each side of the web of the chair plate; in this case no grooves
are required in the steel head, but a groove is made on cach side of the
web of the chair plate to receive the webs of the steel head.
•
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Piegrome in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 8th September 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
PIEGROME, of Plaistow, in the County. of Essex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said John Piegrome, Her special licence that I,
the said John Piegrome, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said John Piegrome, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 CON-
STRUCTION OF RAILS FOR RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst others) a

page_text: that I, the said John Piegrome, 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 John Piegrome, do hereby declare
the nature of my said 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 my Invention is to substitute for the ordinary iron
rails with iron upper surface rails constructed in the manner hereafter
described, so that such rails shall have a steel head, which may be
capable of being removed, and renewed without having to renew the
whole of the rail, and thus to provide rails large portions of which may
be capable of being kept in use for a much longer period than is now the
case where the ordinary rails are used, whence great economy in, the
maintenance of the permanent way (and when the arrangements here-.
after described for securing and sustaining a system of permanent way
composed of my rails is adopted greater stability also) will result.
My rails whereby I accomplish the above objects are of the following.
construction, that is to say, I make them of two parts, the lower part
or base I make of rolled iron, and this forms what may be termed a
longitudinal chair to receive the upper part which is of rolled steel and
forms the head of the rail. Thus when both the parts above mentioned
are combined together they form a rail having an iron base and a steel
head, and not of necessity requiring chairs or fish plates to secure the
same in position.. The base or lower part or chair plate should consist of
a plate, say, about six inches (or more) wide, having a web at right
angles to it like the letter T reversed, with a shallow groove in the
bottom plate close to the web.
The upper part or steel head may be of any suitable section, and have
a web corresponding in depth to that on the chair plate, and, a shallow
groove on the under side of the head close to the web. When placed
together the web of each part fits into a corresponding groove in the
other part, and both mutually hold each other in their places.. They are
then bolted together through holes in the webs, and fixed to the sleepers
by bolts through the lower plate. Or the lower part may have two webs,

page_text: one to come on each side of the steel head; in that case no grooves
are required in the lower plate, but two grooves are made on the under
side of the steel head, one on each side of the web, to receive the webs
of the lower plate, and they are to be bolted together in the same manner
as in the other case. Or the steel head may be made with two webs, 5
one to come on each side of the web of the chair plate; in this case no
grooves are required in the steel head, but a groove is made on each
side of the web of the chair plate to receive the webs of the steel head.
In placing and securing my rails together to form the permanent way
of lines of rails it will be proper to so place the bases or lower parts as 1
regards the joining of their ends that the heads or upper parts shall not
join their ends at the same places where the bases join ends, but to cause
them to join in different places, that is to say, to have the position of
what is known in mechanical constructions as break-jointing. Further
the lines of rails should be made as shown by the annexed Drawings,
by securing the bases on longitudinal sleepers, and having transverse
iron sleepers, which are provided with clip pieces for clipping or holding
the bases of the rails in position, by which arrangement a strongly
braced system of permanent way will be obtained.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and incidentally described and ascertained in what
manner the same is to be performed or put in practice, I will now in
order that the manner in which the said Invention may with certainty
be fully and particularly described and ascertained, refer to the Drawings
accompanying these Presents as follows:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1, section of rail with double web base or lower part (of iron)
secured in longitudinal sleeper, which is shown elevationally; Fig. 2,
section of rail with single web base or lower part; Fig. 3, plan of a
system of permanent way arranged in accordance with my Invention;
Fig. 4, elevational view.
A, A, head of rail of steel; B, B, B, B, base or lower part of rail of
iron; C, C, screw bolts with nuts securing base and head together;
D, D, longitudinal timber sleeper; E, E, transverse iron sleeper; F, F,
(Fig. 2), spikes whereby the lower part of rail is secured to the longi-
tudinal sleeper; G, G, clip pieces formed or secured on the transverse
sleeper for clipping the base or lower part of rail; H, H, screw bolts
with nuts for tightening the clips.

page_text: "
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and
object of my said Invention, and in what manner the same may be
performed or carried out in practice, I hereby declare that I claim, the
Invention of "Improvements in the Construction of Rails for Railways
as the same is herein-before described, it being understood that I do not
claim the mere details of construction shown and described except as
constituent parts of the said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Piegrome, have hereunto, set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
JOHN PIEGROME. (L.S.)
THOMAS MORGAN,
Secretary to the
5 Inventors' Patent Right Association, Limited,
21, Cockspur Street,
Charing Cross,