IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING THE PERMANENT WAYS OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Hamilton, junior, of Liverpool, for the In-
vention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING THE PERMANENT WAYS OF
RAILWAYS
"
Sealed the 18th April 1856, and dated the 16th January 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Hamilton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th January 1856.
I, JOHN HAMILTON, jun', of Liverpool, do hereby declare the nature of
the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING THE PERMANENT WAYS OF
RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in constructing the per-
manent ways of railways. For this purpose corrugated iron is used, bent
into an arched form, in a direction with the corrugations transverse of the
railway. In this manner longitudinal bearings are made, and the parts are
by preference connected together by rivets or otherwise, so as to form a
continuous bearing, and the guage of the longitudinal bearers thus formed of
corrugated iron is maintained by ties of wrought or cast iron. The longi-
tudinal bearers of corrugated iron, it is preferred, should be coated with zinc.
On the upper parts of the corrugated continuous bearers, trough or bridge
rails are fixed by screws and nuts, or otherwise. In some cases a longitudinal
plate of iron is fixed by rivets to the upper surface of the longitudinal corru-
gated bearers, and the trough or bridge rails are fixed to such plate, or similar
bearers may be made and used transversely of a railway.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Hamilton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 16th July 1856..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HAMILTON, junior, of Liverpool, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Hamilton, Her special licence that I, the said John Hamilton, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Hamilton, 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 CONSTRUCTING
THE PERMANENT WAYS OF RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst others), that
I, the said John Hamilton, 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 Hamilton, 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 has for its object improvements in constructing the per-
manent ways of railways. For this purpose corrugated iron is used, bent
into an arched form in a direction with the corrugations transverse of the
railway. In this manner longitudinal bearings are made, and the parts are
by preference connected together by rivets or otherwise, so as to form a
continuous bearing, and the guage of the longitudinal bearers thus formed of
corrugated iron is maintained by ties of wrought or cast iron. The longi-
tudinal bearers of corrugated iron, it is preferred, should be coated with zinc.
On the upper parts of the corrugated 'continuous bearers, trough or bridge rails
are fixed by screws and nuts, or otherwise. In some cases, a longitudinal plate
of iron is fixed by rivets to the upper surface of the longitudinal corrugated

page_text: bearers, and the trough or bridge rails are fixed to such plate, or similar
bearers may be made and used transversely of a railway.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed
more fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shews a transverse section, and Figure 2 a plan, of a longitudinal
bearer, which is made of corrugated iron bent into a curved form. The rails
may be fixed directly to the corrugations by screws or nuts. In some cases
the
corrugated bent longitudinal bearers have a plate or bar fixed by rivets
to the upper surface, as is shewn in plan and transverse section in Figures
3 and 4. The form of rail used may be varied, and I make no claim to any
form of rail; and I would remark that I am aware that corrugated iron
has before been proposed to be employed in the construction of longi-
tudinal bearers of railways. I do not therefore claim the use of corrugated
iron for that purpose generally, but only when the corrugated iron is bent into
an arch or curve, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Hamilton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
S. CARPMAEL.
JOHN HAMILTON, J. (L.S.)