IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CHAIRS AND FASTENINGS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Ashcroft, of the South-Eastern Railway,
London Bridge Station, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN RAILWAY CHAIRS AND FASTENINGS."
Sealed the 12th November 1861, and dated the 17th May 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Ashcroft at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 17th
May 1861.
I, PETER ASHCROFT, of the South-Eastern Railway, London Bridge Station,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN RAILWAY CHAIRS AND FASTENINGS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in railway chairs and
fastenings. For these purposes one of the jaws of a railway chair is formed
with an inclined inner face in the direction from the top to the bottom, in
order to receive a wedge vertically between the inclined inner face of the
chair and a filling piece interposed between the jaw of the chair and the web
of the rail, and such wedge is prevented moving sideways by means of ledges
or projections formed on the inner face of the jaw, between which the wedge
is driven. The filling piece is made of cast or wrought iron, and is formed on

page_text: one side to fit the hollow of the rail (or rails if it be in a joint chair), and on
the other side it is formed with angular grooves and ridges, so that when a
wood or other soft wedge is driven in between the jaw of the chair and the
filling piece the wedge will become grooved on that face which is in contact
with the filling piece, and the other side of the wedge will become similarly
grooved where. it comes against the jaw of the chair by reason of the inner
inclined face of the jaw of the chair being also formed with angular ridges
and grooves; by this means the wedge and the filling piece will be prevented
moving sideways, whilst the wedge being driven vertically will at all times
have a tendency to descend in the space between the jaw of the chair and the
filling piece.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Peter Ashcroft in the Great Scal Patent Office on the
16th November 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PETER
ASHCROFT, of the South-Eastern Railway, London Bridge Station, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Peter Ashcroft, Her special licence that I, the said Peter
Ashcroft, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Peter Ashcroft, 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,
usc, 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 RAILWAY CHAIRS AND FASTENINGS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Peter Ashcroft, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Peter Ashcroft, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in railway chairs and
fastenings. For these purposes one of the jaws of a railway chair is formed
with an inclined inner face in the direction from the top to the bottom, in
order to receive a wedge vertically between the inclined inner face of the
chair and a filling piece interposed between the jaw of the chair and the web
of the rail, and such wedge is prevented moving sideways by means of ledges
or projections formed on the inner face of the jaw between which the wedge
is driven. The filling piece is made of cast or wrought iron, and is formed on
one side to fit the hollow of the rail (or rails, if it be in a joint chair,) and on
the other side it is formed with angular grooves and ridges, so that when a
wood or other soft wedge is driven in between the jaw of the chair and the
filling piece the wedge will become grooved on that face which is in contact
with the filling piece, and the other side of the wedge will become similarly
grooved where it comes against the jaw of the chair, by reason of the inner
inclined face of the jaw of the chair being also formed with angular ridges and
grooves; by this means the wedge and the filling piece will be prevented
moving sideways, whilst the wedge being driven vertically will at all times
have a tendency to descend in the space between the jaw of the chair and the
filling piece.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figures 1 and 2 shew two side elevations of a railway chair and fastening
according to my Invention; Figure 3 is a transverse section thereof; Figure 4,
a plan of the chair; and Figure 5 shews two views of the filling piece
separately. In these Figures A is the chair; B, the rail; C, the filling
piece; and D, the vertical wedge. One of the jaws of the chair A is formed
with an inclined face a, which is grooved or roughed, and the outer side of
the filling piece or block C is also made with a grooved or roughed face, so
that when the wedge D (which I prefer to be of wood) is driven in between
the inclined face a of the chair and the outside surface of the filling piece C
such wedge will become also grooved. By reason of the grooves or roughings
on the surfaces of the wedge and on the chair the wedge will be prevented

page_text: moving laterally, and the wedge will at the same time, by the grooves or
roughings on the other side, prevent the filling piece C from moving laterally.
The surface of the inner side of the filling piece C is made to fit in the channel
of the rail. The ends of the filling piece are flanged or project, and such is
the case with the sides of the inclined jaw à of the chair, between which flanges
or projections the wedge is received and retained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Ashcroft, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of. November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
PETER ASHCROFT. (L.S.)