IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO RAILROADS
Year: 1851

page_text: DALTO
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DANIEL
DALTON, of Spon Lane, in the Parish of West Bromwich, in the County of
Stafford, Ironfounder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-sixth day of April,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, in the fourteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Daniel Dalton, my exors, admors, and, assigns, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Daniel Dalton, my exors,
adñiors, and assigns, or such others, as I, the said Daniel Dalton, my exors,
adiñors, or assigns, should at any time agree with and no others, from time to
time, and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-on-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE
TO RAILROADS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I,
the said Daniel Dalton, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Daniel Dalton, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in, and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:-
The improvements consist of various constructions and combinations of
rails and longitudinal iron sleepers to be laid end to end on the ballast so as to
form in effect firm continuous iron bearings and rails, as will be understood by
reference to the accompanying Drawings, aided by the following description.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figures 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, and 11 are sections of the various rails and
sleepers. In each Figure, a, is the rail, and b, the sleeper. The dotted lines
at e, in Figures 1, 2, 3, 8, 10, and 11, shew the lug, cast on each end of such
sleeper, when the sleepers are of cast iron, for the purpose of connecting the
sleepers to each other, and to the transverse tye rods, as shewn at g and h in
Figure 7. Figure 4 is a section of part of a railway, from sleeper to sleeper
at e, in Figure 7, shewing the form and position of a transverse tye rod con-
necting two opposite sleepers b, b. Figure 5 is a wrought-iron bolt intended
to connect the tye rods and sleepers, as at g, h, in Figure 7. Figure 6 is a nut
to be screwed on to the bolt. Figure 7 is part of a railway, laid according to
section, Figure 1; in this Figure, and also in Figures 1, 3, 8, 9, and 11; a is
the rail; b, the sleeper; c, the side supports; and d, are keys to hold the rail
in its place; in Figure 7, c, are the tye rods; f, the lugs to which the same
are fastened; and 9, are bolts and nuts for fastening the tye rods to the
sleepers, and the sleepers longitudinally to each other. Figure 1 is similar to
Figure 8, except that one key only is used, the support on one side being cast
so as to fit close to the one side of the rail; and in this case such support may
be extended throughout the length of the sleeper if desired, so as to form a con-
tinuous lateral support to one side of the rail. In Figure 3 also, the support
on one side is cast so as to fit close to one side of the rail; and in this case
also, such support may be extended throughout the length of the sleeper if
desired, so as to form a continuous lateral support to the rail; and this sleeper,
with a slight variation, may be made applicable to a double-headed rail, as shewn
at f, Figure 3. In Figures 1, 2, 3, and 8 the rails are of wrought iron, and
the sleepers of cast iron. In Figure 2 the rail and sleeper are fastened together
by bolts and nuts, as shewn at d; in this section the side supports c may be
both continuous throughout the length of the sleeper. In Figure 9 the rail a

page_text: is of wrought iron, the sleeper bis of cast iron; the chairs c may be of wrought
iron or cast iron, fastened to the sleeper, but in which case the sleeper b will
be made of wrought iron, with bolts and nuts, as shewn by dotted lines at ;
or if preferred, the rail and sleeper are connected by horizontal bolts and nuts,
as at f, in lieu of chairs or side supports. In Figure 10, the rail a is of
wrought iron, the sleeper 6 of wrought iron or cast iron, as may be preferred;
and the rail and sleeper are connected and fastened by bolts and nuts, as shewn
by dotted lines horizontally as at d, or perpendicularly as at c, as may be pre-
ferred; when made of wrought iron the centre rib which is to fit the rail, is by
preference to be rolled hollow, and it is the use of this metal rib which constitutes
the novelty of this bearer. In each case, the sleepers are laid end to end
longitudinally upon the ballast, so as to form a continuous support to the rail,
as shewn by Figure 7. When wrought-iron sleepers are used, the two lines
of railway may be connected by tye rods, attached to the sleepers by bolts and
nuts, as at x, Figure 7, and at x, Figure 9. Figure 11 is a section shewing
another form of rail and sleeper; in this Figure similar letters indicates
similar parts, as in Figure 1; the rail is of wrought iron, and the sleeper of
cast iron; the rails and sleeper are laid as in Figure 7. Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 8,
9, 10, and 11, are drawn to a scale of about three inches to a foot, of such
dimensions as are considered desirable for a railway on the narrow gauge; and
Figure 7, to a scale of about one inch to a foot; felt may be placed between
the rails and sleepers if desired. The cast-iron sleepers may be cast with
hollows in the centre ribs, as shewn in Figure 13, which is a Drawing of the
under side of a sleeper, and by the dotted lines G, in the various sections.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to
the precise details herein given, so long as the peculiar construction and com-
bination of either part of my Invention be retained; and I would state that
cach of the above constructions of longitudinal bearers is suitable to lie on the
ballast. I would, however, remark, that I do not claim the making of con-
tinuous longitudinal bearers of cast or wrought iron, other constructions of
continuous iron bearers for rails of railways having before been used; but
what I claim are the several constructions and combinations of longitudinal
bearers and rails herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Daniel Dalton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.
DAN (L.S.) DALTON.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fifth day of October,
in the year of our Lord 1851, the aforesaid Daniel Dalton came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification;
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in. form,
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord One:
thousand eight bundred and fifty-one.