IMPROVEMENTS IN CROSSINGS OR CONNECTIONS OF TRAMWAY RAILS
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
We, HENRY WITHY of 11 Farndale Terrace West Hartlepool in the County
of Durham Iron Shipbuilder RICHARD WILLIAM VICK of South Terrace West
Hartlepool aforesaid Iron Shipbuilder and CHARLES SALT of 5 Cambridge Terrace
West Hartlepool aforesaid Foreman Blacksmith do hereby declare the nature of
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CROSSINGS OR CONNECTIONS OF TRAMWAY
RAILS" to be as follows:-
:-
This Invention relates to improvements in constructing the crossings or
connections of Tramway rails and is especially applicable to rails wherein a central
web forms the connection between a broad bottom flange or foot and the rail head
the projections of the bottom flange or foot and the rail head beyond the thickness
of the central web forming a hollow or trough like recess on either side―The object
of this Invention is to obviate the difficulty of connecting two or more such train
rails together when required to form an intersection or connection without seriously
mutilating the ends of those tram rails which aro fitted into the hollow sides of the
others by which mutilation their ability to sustain a load is greatly reduced this
mutilation and reduction of the strength of the ends of the said rails being
excessive when the angle between the converging rails is small-According to the
said Invention instead of cutting or reducing the end of the rails down to the
required level to fit them into each other or into a rail which may be selected to
pass through the intersection or connection in such a way that a portion of the rail
head is left unsupported by the web.-we cut off a portion of the bottom flange
and a portion of the rail head to an angle corresponding to that at which the lines
are set and we bend the web only of the rail to an angle or line such that it first
extends under the point of the head formed by the cutting and then extends
parallel with the web of the rail to which the rail so cut is to be applied this part
of the web so bent occupying the space between the head and foot of the said rail
to which it is to be applied. Packing pieces may be inserted between the webs of
the rails when placed together which are then bolted together by bolts passing
through the webs. By this means the rail heads may be cut to a fine point
without the point being deprived of the support of the web-The strength gained
....מ

page_text: by this means is not only of use in sustaining the weight of vehicles but in the case
of a stone or other obstruction getting into the groove at the point of the rail the
said point is sufficiently supported vertically and laterally by the arrangement
described We may if desired provido a sole plate to the whole system of rails
forming one intersection or connection sufficiently largo to firmly support these 5
rails in their respectivo positions.

page_text: We HENRY WITHY, RICHARD WILLIAM VICK and CHARLES SALT all of West
Hartlepool do hereby declare the nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN CROSSINGS OR CONNECTIONS OF TRAMWAY RAILS" and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :—
This Invention relates to improvements in constructing the crossings or
connections of Tramway Rails and is especially applicable to Rails wherein a central
web forms the connection between a broad bottom flange or foot and the rail head,
the projection of the bottom flange or foot and the rail head beyond the thickness
of the central web forming a hollow and trough like recess on either side, which in
the case of Tram Rails of the usual flat bottomed type is of considerable depth-The
object of this Invention is to obviate the difficulty of connecting two or more such
Tram rails together at such angle or angles as aro usually required to form an
intersection or connection of a Tramway and to supersede the present system of
connection which seriously mutilates the ends of some of the Tram Rails by cutting
them down to fit into the hollow sides of the other tram rails to which they are
connected, by which mutilation tho web is so cut away with part of the rail head
that the remaining part of the rail head which is run to a fine point is left without
a web to enable it to sustain the weight of vehicles, which weight may exert an
exceptionally heavy strain in the case of groove headed tram rails should the
groove contain a stone or other obstruction-The smaller the angle between two
converging rails mutilated in this way, the greater the length of rail head or groovo
so left without support of the web, and therefore the greater the effect of such
mutilation.
And in order that the said Invention may bo properly understood we shall
now proceed particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer
to the accompanying Drawings, like figures of reference indicating the same parts
in all the corresponding figures Figures 1. 2. 3. 4 and 5 illustrate our Invention
as applied to tram rails with grooved heads-Figuro 1 being a plan showing the
method of connecting the rails when forming an intersection of three lines-
Figure 2 is a transverse section taken on the line A. A of Figure 1 but drawn to a
larger scale, Figure 3 illustrates in plan the method of connecting the rails when
forming an intersection of two lines-Figure 4 is a transverse section taken on the
line B B of Figure 3-Figure 5 illustrates our method of treating a rail end so as
to connect it to another rail in the manner illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 or in
Figures 3 and 4-In troating a rail end in accordance with our Invention as
illustrated in Figure 5, we cut off a portion of the bottom flange along the line a¹ a²
in such a direction that when the rail is set in position the line a¹ a² corresponds to
the out side edge of the bottom flange or foot of the rail to which it is to be
connected the web b' is then set back from its original position to the position b³ so
that when the rail head is cut off to a fine point along the line c¹ c³ corresponding
to the outside edge of the rail head to which it is to be connected the web b² is
carried under the fine point c³ of the rail head, beyond which it may be extended
if necessary in any direction required for strength or structural compactness---In
the plan view Figure 1 and sectional view Figure 2 illustrating our method of
connecting tram rails together where three lines intersect, the ends of tho
rails R³, R³ R³ and R' are treated in the manner already described with reference
to figure 5 and are then connected to the Rail R' by means of bolts & d³ passing
through the webs of the rails and through the packing pieces e¹ e³ placed between

page_text: the webs to fill up the intervening spaces In plan view figure 3 and sectional
view Figure 4 illustrating our method of connecting tram rails together where two
- lines intersect, the ends of rails R' R' are treated in the manner already described
with reference to Figure 5 and are then connected to the rail R³ by means of
bolts & passing through packing pieces e¹ a placed between the webs to fill up
the intervening spaces If the webs of the rails R¹ R R and R' in Figure 1 and
of the rails R¹ and R' in Figure 3 are extended beyond the points of the corre-
sponding rail heads, other bolts may be passed through the extensions of these
webs and tho web of the continuous rail in order that the whole system of rails
forming one intersection may be the more securely held together-Figures 6. 7. 8
and 9 relate to a modification of our Invention when applied to rails with ordinary
or ungrooved heads-Figure C illustrates in plan our method of connecting this
class of rails when forming an intersection of two lines, Figures 7. 8 and 9 being
sectional views taken on lines A. A, B. B and C. C. respectively-In this
modification of our Invention the rails R' R' only are joined the rails R³ and R'
being bent or inclined so as to diverge at the required angle. The bottom flange
of the rail R having been cut away to the required angle along the line a' a as
already described with reference to figures 1. 3 and 5 so as to correspond with the
outside edge of the bottom flange of the Rail R to which it is connected, the web b¹
is then set back in the manner already described with reference to Figure 5 so that
when the rail head R¹ is cut off to a fine point along the line c² c² the web b1 passes
along to the extreme point c²-If desirable the web b³ of rail R³ may be diverted as
shown from its original position so as to run under and support the extreme point
of the rail R², a packing piece e being placed between the webs b₁ 62, the two rails
may then be bolted together by means of bolts placed at suitable positions as at d.
A. sole plate S as illustrated in Figures 1. 2, 3 and 4 but omitted in figures 6, 7, 8
and 9 may be provided if desired sufficiently large to support all the rails forming
one intersection or connection, and to which the bottom flanges of these rails may
be secured by bolts or rivets.
We do not limit ourselves to the precise form of connections or intersections
herein before given as examples, as the same may be varied without departing
from the nature of our Invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is.
Constructing crossings or connections of rails for tramways by cutting and
treating the ends of rails and joining them together or to the main rail
substantially as and for the purpose herein before described with reference to the
accompanying Drawings.