IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CHAIRS, AND PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION THEINTING
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Middleton, of Hyde, in the County of Chester,
and William Stent, of Fairfield, near Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CHAIRS, AND
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Middleton and
William Stent at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 21st February 1857.
We, JOHN MIDDLETON, of Hyde, in the County of Chester, and WILLIAM
STENT, of Fairfield, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CHAIRS,
AND IN THE JOINTING OF RAILS FOR RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
Wo make the chairs in parts, one part or loose check to slide into the other
part, in the shape of a plain or dovetailed wedge or parallel projection, placed
either across or in a line with the bed of the chair, and bolted or scrowed to
the sleeper, so as to form a solid compact chair.
In jointing the rails, we insert a kind of double wedge to keep the ends of
the rails in contact and prevent them opening or separating, which improve-
ments will be understood by the accompanying outline Drawings, in which is
shewn two plans of arrangement for the chairs.
Fig. 1 represents a view of a chair, in which the projection is parallel,
and placed in a line with the longer side of the bed plate; Fig. 2 is a view of
a chair in which the projection is parallel, but inclined across the bed plate;
and Fig. 3 represents the ends of two rails jointed with the double wedge;
Fig. 4 is a section across the centre of the key.
In Figs. 1 and 2, a is the fast cheek of the chair; b, the loose cheek; c, the
projection upon it; d, the space or part in which it fits on the bed plate; and

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Middleton and William Stent in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 20th August 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, Jonn
MIDDLETON, of Hyde, in the County of Cliester, and WILLIAM STENT, of
Fairfield, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of February, in the year of our Lord
Ono thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year 'of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said John Middleton and William Stent, Her special licenso that
we, the said John Middleton and William Stent, our exccutors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Middleton arid
William Stent, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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, AND IN THE JOINTING OF RAILS FOR RAILWAYS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Jolin Middleton and William
Stent, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, by an instrument in
writing under our hands and seals, or the hand and seal of one of us, 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 we, the said John Middleton and William Stent,
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 following statement (that is to say):-
:-
We make railway chairs in parts, of a peculiar shape or formation, so that
one part, or loose cheek, is made to slide into the other part in an angular
groove, cast in a slanting direction across 'the bed plate of the chair, of which
the fast chcek forms a part. The loose part or cheek sliding in the angular

page_text: groove has a wedge-like action, and becomes tightened when driven across the
bed plate, and is thus secured in its place without a possibility of becoming
loose by means of an eccentric, wedge, or spike driven into the sleeper, thus
forming a solid and compact-chair, which gives an equal bearing or pressure
to the rail. Another modification of the same 'consists in placing it in a line
with the bed plate instead of across it.
The second part of our said Invention consists of jointing tho rails where
they come in contact by inserting a double wedge, part of it into one rail and
part of it into the other, to keep them in contact and prevent their rising or
separating.
These improvements will be clearly understood by reference to the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings, with the figures and letters of reference thereon.
Fig. 1 represents an elevation, Fig. 2 a plan, and Figs. 3 and 4 detached
parts, of one of our improved railway chairs, composed of two pieces or parts.
a is the fast cheek and bed plate upon the sleeper b, to which it is spiked in
the usual manner. Across the bed plate an inclined or angular groove c is
cast in a slanting direction, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3; into this groove is
fitted the loose cheek d, shewn in its place in Fig. 1, and seen detached in
Fig. 4. The chaps of the cheeks being parallel with the line of rails, the
lower part of the loose cheek must be at an angle with its chap or upper part,
so as to correspond with the angular groove of the bed plate, which arrange-
ment affords the power of holding the rail firm by simply forcing the loose
check along the angular groove in the bed plate, producing the effect of a
powerful wedge or inclined plane, and may be kept in its place, by means of
an eccentric, wedge, or spike fastened at d¹ into the sleeper.
e, Fig. 1, represents a stud or projection, which may be cast on the cheek
when desired, so that it may be repeatedly struck with the hammer without.
disfigurement or injury.
In Figs. 5 and 6 we represent an elevation and plan of another railway
chair, in which the loose cheek drops into a groove or mortise in the bed plate
of the chair, and transverse to the line of rails. h is the fast cheek and bed
plato; i, the loose cheek, having its lower part passing through the bed plate,
as shewn by the dotted lines & and 2; the rail shewn in its place, in which it
is firmly held by means of the key, wedge, or eccentric spiked down to the
sleeper.
Fig. 7'represents a railway chair, in which the principle or general arrange-
ment is similar to that described in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4; but the lower part.
of the loose cheek n is of a different form, although maintaining its slanting
position across the bed plate, and has a wedge-like action.

page_text: In Fig. 8 wo represent the ends of two rails placed in a chair o, the said
rails being prevented from separating by means of our improved double wedge,
shewn by the dotted lines p.
In Fig. 9 the space a represents the form of the cavity, in which is placed
the double wedge, shewn at Fig. 10. When the ends of the rails do not
meet at a chair, as seen in Fig. 11, we employ a double wedge r, of malleable,
cast, or wrought iron, with a plate or flange s, as seen in Figs. 12 and 13,
which flange is placed on one side of the joint, a loose plato or nut t being
placed on the other side, the whole being then bolted firmly by the bolt u, by
which means the rails are held firmly together, and prevented from rising or
separating.
In Fig. 18 the loose plate t may be tapped to form a nut, the ordinary nut
then becoming a lock nut.
Having thus fully described the nature of our said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, we desire it to be distinctly
understood that we do not confine ourselves to the exact details herein
described, nor do we claim the constructing of railway chairs in two or more
parts, as we are aware that has been done in various ways; but we claim as
our Invention,―
First, the combination of parts forming our improved railway chairs, and
the means adopted for giving a lateral solid bearing to the rail, and at the
same time causing the self-tightening effect by the action of the slide, as shewn
in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Secondly, the method of uniting or jointing the ends of rails by double
wedges or dovetailed keys and plates or flanges of malleable, cast, or wrought
iron, as all such improvements are herein described, and illustrated in the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Middleton and William Stent, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Nineteenth day of August, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
JOHN MIDDLETON. (L.S.)
W STENT.
Signed, scaled, and delivered by tho within-named John
Middleton and William Stent, in the presence of
EDWARD T. HUGHES,
17, Cross Street, Manchester.
(L.B.)