IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CHAIRS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Frederick Henson, of New Cavendish
Street; Portland Place; in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
Sealed the 9th February 1866, and dated the 14th August 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Frederick
...Henson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 14th August 1865.
I, WILLIAM FREDERICK HENSON, of New Cavendish Street, Portland Place,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CHAIRS," to be as follows:
My Invention consists in improvements in railway chairs, and in an
improved form of railway chairs constructed in one or more pieces having one
side the usual form or nearly so, the bed of the chair will be partially flat
and partially raised upon the surface; upon the flat portion of the chair
the rail will be bedded, upon the raised portion of the chair a piece of metal,
cast or otherwise, will be fitted thereto or thereon, such piece of metal being*
so formed as to firmly fit upon the raised portion of the bed and abut itself to
the side of the rail and take the place of the ordinary wooden keys' now used,
the whole is secured to the sleepers by bolts or spikes. The raised portion of

page_text: the bed may be of any desired form. In some cases I cast the chairs in one
piece and slide them upon the railway bar or metals, in which case packing
may be found necessary, but where the joints or ends of the railway bars or
metals meet, I propose in some of the modifications of the improved chair to
continue the sides of the chair to greater height for the purpose of fishing the
joints of the said railway bars or metals. The chair may be varied in design
and construction as found most practicable. In some cases a bolt may be put
through the side of the chairs. In the chair now used I propose to cast a
hole in the side or sides so that a bolt may pass through the same and the
wooden key now employed.
My improved. Tailway chairs I intend to make of cast iron or any other
suitable metal.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Frederick Henson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 14th February 1866..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS: SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
FREDERICK HENSON, of New Cavendish Street, Portland Place, in the County
nof Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Frederick Henson, Her special licence that I, the said William
Frederick Henson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Frederick Henson, 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 RAILWAY CHAIRS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Er derick Henson, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under iny, 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 William Frederick Henson, 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:
My Invention consists in improvements in railway chairs, and in an
improved form of railway chair constructed in one or more pieces, having
one side the. usual form now in use or nearly so, the bed of the chair will
be partially flat and partially raised. upon the surface; upon the flat portion of
the chair the rail will be bedded upon the raised portion, a piece of metal
cast or wrought or wood alone will be fitted thereto or thereon, such piece of
metal or wood being so formed as to firmly fit upon the raised portion of the
bed and abut itself to the side of the rail and take the place of the ordinary
wooden keys now used, the whole is secured to the sleepers by bolts, spikes,
or screws. The raised portion of the bed may be of any desired form. In
some cases I cast the chairs in one piece and slide them upon the railway
bars or metals, in which case packing may be found necessary, but where the
joints or ends of the railway bars or metals meet I propose in some of the
modifications of the improved chairs to continue the sides to a greater height
for the purpose of fishing the joints of the said railway bars or metals. In
some cases a bolt may be passed through the side of the chairs. In the
chair now generally used I cast a hole in the side or sides so that a bolt may
be passed through the same and the wooden key now employed. The chairs
are made of cast iron or any other suitable metal or material, or partly of
metal and wood. In varying the design and construction of the improved
forms of railway chairs, I construct the base in a conical, circular, octagon, or
any other suitable form, so that in some instances the woodon sleepers can
be dispensed with. I also cast the chair in lengths of several feet, varying
according to the purpose or requirements to which it is intended to be applied,
such as chairs and sleepers combined, the base of which may be concave or
otherwise. The chief feature of this Invention consists in dispensing with
the wooden keys now used, at the same time effecting a safer and better
method of securing the railway bars or metals to the chairs or sleepers. The
keyless chairs, or chairs and sleepers combined, are made of cast or wrought
iron or other suitable metal or material, and cast and made in the ordinary
way. The cap fitting on the raised portion will be made of metal or wood.
In order to make this Invention more easily understood. I will now refer
to the annexed Drawings.
Figure 1 is a section; Figure 2 is a plan; Figures 3 and 4 are sections
with hollow bridge.

page_text: Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same may be carried into practical effect,
I will add in conclusion that I do not restrict myself to the precise forms of
details, as they may be varied without in any way deviating from the main
features of my Invention, but what I claim is, keyless saddle back or bridge
chairs made in any metal or any suitable materials, or with combination of
chair and sleeper or keyless railway sleepers. The chairs or sleepers and
chairs may be hollow at the base or otherwise, such chairs and sleepers may
be used in combination with wood;
In witness whereof, I, the said William Frederick Henson, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
W. F. HENSON. (LS)