CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PARTS OF THE PERMANENT WAYS OF RAILWAYS AND IN SHAPING IRON;
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
WARD HOBY, late of Blackheath, in the County of Kent, but now of Glasgow,
in the County of Lanark, in Scotland, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Third day of July, in the fourteenth
year of Her reign, did give and grant unto me, the said James Ward Hoby,
my exors, adññors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said James Ward Hoby, my exors, adiñiors, and
assigns, and such others as I, the said James Ward Hoby, my exors, adñiors,
or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PARTS OF THE PERMANENT WAYS OF RAILWAYS AND IN
SHAPING IRON;" within that part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland called England, Her Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, and also in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man,
and in all Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, during the term
of fourteen years thence next ensuing; in which said Letters Patent there is con-
tained a proviso requiring that I, the said James Ward Hoby, shall particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, and cause the same to be enrolled in Her said 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, 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
James Ward Hoby, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by this present Specification or instrument in writing,
reference being had to the several Drawings hereunto annexed, and in which
several Drawings similar parts are marked and referred to by similar letters
or figures (that is to say) :-
My said Invention consists of improved modes of constructing parts of the
permanent ways of railways, and of an improved mode of forming strips or
pieces of wrought iron into the shapes which they are intended to assume; and
my said improvements in the construction of certain parts of the permanent
ways of railways consist,
Firstly, of the modes of fixing or securing the rails of railways in their
proper positions upon or as parts of the permanent ways thereof, as herein-after
described.
Secondly, of a mode or modes of constructing longitudinal iron railway
bearers or sleepers for supporting and securing rails, as herein-after described.
Thirdly, of a mode or modes of fixing and securing the two lines of rails
intended to form a line of railway, and holding them at the intended distance
from each other according to the guage of the railway, as berein-after
described.
Fourthly, of a mode or modes of constructing railway keys or keys which
are intended to be used for securing rails in their proper positions.
For the purpose of fixing or securing the rails of railways in their proper
positions according to the first part of my Invention, I prefer to use what I
call longitudinal bearers, which I lay down upon railways in lieu of ordinary
sleepers, each line of rails being fixed or secured upon a line of such bearers,
by means of this part of my Invention, without the aid of ordinary chairs ;
but transverse bearers or sleepers may also be used in manner hercin-after
mentioned. And the first part of my Invention consists of certain modes of
fixing or fastening the rails of railways upon such bearers or sleepers so that
they may by these means be secured in their proper positions.
One mode of fastening or fixing rails upon longitudinal bearers, according
to the first part of my Invention, is shewn in Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the said
Drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 represents a plan or bird's-eye view; Figure 2, a side view; and
Figure 3, a transverse section of a portion of permanent way with iron
bearers, furnished with fastenings for securing rails thereon, according to my
Invention.

page_text: A, A, are rails of the form commonly called a bridge rail; B, B, are longi-
tudinal iron, bearers in the form of an inverted trough. If such a bearer
be made of wrought iron, the upper surface of it, which carries the rail, is `
rolled with a little projection, as shewn in the section, Figure 4, and which
is afterwards turned down, either by the means herein-after described, or
any other convenient means, into such a position as to form an angular or
curved lip l, shewn in Figure 5, the form of the lip being adapted to that of
the rail which is to be secured by it. In fixing a rail upon this bearer one
of its flanges is to be slipped under the lip l, as shewn in Figure 3, by which
it will be held securely down upon the surface of the bearer, and the other
flange of the rail is to be secured to the bearer by bolts and nuts C, C, as
shewn in Figures 1 and 3, or by rivets, if preferred. The bearers B, B, are
laid so as to cause the rails to break joint, that is to say, they are so laid that
when the rails are placed upon them the joints of the rails shall be as near
the centres of the lengths of the bearers as conveniently may be. The two lines
of rails are in the Figures shewn as held together by a combined tio rod and
stretcher, constructed according to another part of my Invention, as herein-
after described.
In Figure 6 is shewn another mode of fastening rails upon bearers by
means of a projecting curved lip l, such as already described, and by another
longitudinal projection or rib p and rivets or bolts and nuts.
In this mode of securing a rail upon a bearer, one flange of the rail is first
to be introduced under the lip l, and the bottom of the rail being then brought
lown upon the bearer, the other flange of the rail is to be secured by means.
of bolts or nuts or rivets placed at intervals along the bearer, and passing
between the rib p and the edge of the flange and through the substance of
the bearer. The heads of these nuts or rivets, which are supported on one
side by the rib p, will hold the flange of the rail securely upon the bearer.
The chief advantage gained by this mode of fixing one of the flanges of a
rail is that holes are not required to be made in the flange of the rail.
Instead of furnishing a bearer with a rib p, as I have mentioned, it
may be
made only with the curved lip 7; and an angular dog S, which is shewn sepa-
rately in Figure 7, may be used for securing one flange of the rail, as shewn
in Figure 8. This dog is shewn in Figure 8 as fixed to a bearer by means
of a bolt and nut passing through the dog, but a rivet may be used, if.
preferred.
In Figure 9 I have shewn another method of fixing a rail upon a longitu-
dinal bearer by means of a curved lip and a trapezoidal or rhomboidal key,
berein-after more particularly described, one flange of the rail being bevilled at

page_text: the edge to fit the key, as shewn in the Figure; the other flange of the rail,
which is fixed by the lip, may either be made as shewn in Figure 9, or it may
be bevilled as shewn in Figure 10, the lip l in that case being angular in licu
of curved, so as to fit the flange, as shewn in the last-mentioned Figure. If
the bearer be made of wrought iron, it is first rolled or made with the lip l
and the rib p in vertical positions, as shewn in Figure 11. The lip is then
to be bent down either into the curved shape shewn in Figure 9, or into the
angular shape shewn in Figure 10, as may be intended. A small portion of
the rib p, at each place where the key is to be introduced, is to be bent into
the position shewn in Figure 10, so as to form a projection towards the rail;
the other portions of the rib being allowed to remain in the vertical position,
for the purpose of facilitating the entrance of the keys. The plan or bird's-
eye view, Figure 12, shews the mode in which portions m, m, of the rib p are
bent at intervals, so as to form such projections as just mentioned. The rail
being placed in its proper position, as shewn in Figures 9 and 10, a key is to
be introduced behind the rib p, near to each projection of the rib, made as
already mentioned, and then the key is to be driven longitudinally into the
narrow opening between the rail and the projecting part of the rib, so as to
tighten and secure the rail in its proper position. The fastenings which I
have shewn as attached to the bearer in Figure 10 may also be used for
holding or supporting a rail of any other description, having a base similar in
shape to the base of the bridge rail shewn in Figure 10; and in Figure 13 I
have shewn a section of a rail which may be placed upon this bearer, and
secured in the manner already described.
In Figure 14 I have shewn a transverse section of a bevil edged bridge
rail, the base of which is made so as to be secured upon bearers in the
manner shewn in Figure 10. The chief difference between this rail and that
shewn in Figure 10 is, that instead of bevil edged flanges, as shewn in that
Figure, the rail shewn in Figure 14 has only a small bevilled piece or pro-
jection q, projecting from each side of the rail at its base, as shewn in the
Figure, and extending the whole length of the rail; and I deem such projections
sufficient for securing a rail of this description firmly upon its bearers.
In Figure 15 I have shewn in section a rail of the description I have just
mentioned placed in a bearer (similar to that shewn in Figure 10), and
secured by a trapezoidal or rhomboidal key, herein-after described. The
bearer shewn in Figure 15 is also represented as having attached to it my
compound stretcher piece and tie rod, also herein-after described.
In Figure 16 I have shewn a transverse section of a mode in which the
edge of a bridge rail, such as seen in Figure 14, may be varied in shape.

page_text: The edges or projections 7, 9, shewn in Figure 16, are made in the shape of a
small segment of a circle, and if my lips or fastenings are used to secure such
a rail, they must of course be bent into or made in such shapes as may be
necessary to enable them to receive and hold the rail securely; and I have, in
Figure 17, shewn a transverse section of such a rail secured upon a longi-
tudinal bearer according to my Invention.
In Figure 18 I have shewn in section a mode of securing a double-headed
rail of the ordinary description upon a longitudinal bearer by means of a
curved lip l, a rib p, and an ordinary key k. The difference between the
fastenings for securing this rail and those shown in Figure 15 being that the
lip, rib, and key are respectively made of somewhat different shapes, so as the
better to fit the rail or secure it in its proper position.
Instead of rolling, casting, or making an iron bearer with its projecting lip
and rib all in one piece, as I have mentioned (and which I prefer), the lip and
rib may be added afterwards, if thought fit, and secured in their proper positions.
by means of rivets, bolts, and nuts, or otherwise, as may be thought best.
And instead of making the projecting lip and rib of a boarer continuous and
extending from end to end of the bearer, or nearly so, short pieces only of
such lip and rib, or longitudinal studs similar in shape to portions of a lip
or rib, may be placed at such intervals along the bearer as may be thought
sufficient, taking care that the pieces shall be in the same portions as if they
respectively formed parts of a continuous lip or rib fixed upon.the bearer in the
position herein-before described or mentioned. If a bearer be furnished with
several studs or pieces of lip or rib, in lieu of having a continuous lip or rib,
the studs or pieces should be bent, cast, or placed in the positions shewn in
the Figures already described, according to the forms intended to be used, and
a stud or piece of rib should be placed at each part of a bearer where a key is:
intended to be used, the piece of rib being bent, cast, or placed in a proper
position for supporting the key intended to be used for securing the rail, in
lieu of making a bearer with either a continuous lip or rib, or with studs or
pieces of lip or rib, as already mentioned. Conical headed bolts, such as shewn
in Figure 19, may be secured by rivetting or by nuts to the bearer, so as to act.
in like manner as a lip or rib for securing a rail upon the bearer, and the
number of such bolts must be varied, according to the degree of support neces-
sary for securing the rail firmly upon the bearer.
In Figure 20 I have shewn in section such a conical headed bolt as just
mentioned fixed to a bearer in such a position as to make it act or assist in
acting instead of a rib or portion of a rib, and a key may be supported by one
or more of such bolts.

page_text: The forms of the bearers shewn in several of the Figures already mentioned
may be varied, so as in every case to adopt the form which may be deemed
to be the best for securing them firmly upon the ballast. I have shewn several
of such variations in the sectional Figures 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25, of forms
which may be adopted in the construction of bearers to be made with or
furnished with such fastenings for securing rails as I have described; but I do
not claim as of my Invention any of such bearers as aforesaid, except when
made with or furnished with such fastenings for securing rails as aforesaid.
The several descriptions of fastenings herein-before described as applicable
for the purpose of securing rails upon longitudinal bearers may also be used
or applied in securing rails upon transverse bearers or sleepers in the manner
I have shewn in Figures 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31, each of such Figures
being a section of transverse iron sleeper or bearer, shewing a rail in section
at each end, secured by one or other of the several descriptions of fastenings
herein-before described.
The forms of transverse bearers or sleepers upon which rails may be secured
by these fastenings may be varied, as shewn in the transverse sectional Figures
32, 33, 34, and 35.
In Figures 36 and 87 I have shewn another mode of securing rails upon
longitudinal bearers by means of a series of chocks placed against and at
intervals along each side of a rail, and secured to the bearer by means of bolts
and nuts or rivets.
Figure 36 is a transverse section of a bearer shewing this mode of securing
a rail upon it; and Figure 37 is a plan or bird's-eye view of a bearer and part
of a bearer of the same description, and of parts of rails secured thereon.
Upon the middles of the bearers B, B, are placed the rails A, A, and along
each side of the rails are placed at each intervals (which may be varied, if
thought necessary) chocks G, G³, and G, for holding and securing the rails.
These chocks are made to fit accurately to the lower portion of the sides of
the rails, against which they are to be tightly pressed when fixed. The
chocks along one side are secured by.means of rivets, and those along the
other side by means of bolts and nuts, so as to facilitate the laying down or
taking up the rails.
In this mode of fixing or securing rails, I prefer to make the chock G¹,
which is to be placed at the joints of the rails, of greater length than the
others, as shewn in Figure 37, so as to afford greater support at those parts of
a line of rails..
The chock fastenings placed along one side of a line of rails may be varied
in construction, as shewn in section in Figure 38; the chocks along one

page_text: side being made and fixed so as to leave a space between each of them and
the rail, so as to admit of the introduction of keys for securing the rails in
their proper positions. And whenever it may be deemed desirable to adopt
the mode of securing the rails by means of chocks and keys on both sides of a
line of rails the chocks along each side of the rails may be made and fixed so
as to leave spaces for the introduction of the keys, as shewn in section in
Figure 89.
The chock fastenings for rails which I have described may be applied to
longitudinal bearers of other forms, such as the forms shewn in the sectional
Figures 21, 22, 24, and 25, the shapes of the chocks being varied in each case,
so as to make them fit the bearer upon which they are intended to be placed.
And I have, in Figure 40, shewn in section a mode of securing a rail by means
of chocks upon a bearer of the form shewn in Figure 22.
The said second part of my Invention consists of a mode or modes of con-
structing longitudinal railway bearers or sleepers with troughs or recesses of
a peculiar description for supporting and securing the rails of permanent way.
Figure 41 represents a transverse section, and Figure 42 a plan or bird's-eye
view of one form of longitudinal iron bearer which I have invented, and which
is constructed so as to hold a bevil edged bridge rail, and permit it to bo
secured by a trapezodial or rhomboidal key. This bearer is made of iron,
with a trough or recess for receiving the rail; one shoulder or side g of the
recess being made to fit the bevil piece of the rail which is to be placed.
against it, the opposite shoulder or side h being furnished with projections
m, m, m, Figure 42 at intervals, and between each of these projections and the
rail is to be driven a key for securing the rail in its place. Instead of making
the shoulder or side of this trough with such projections as I have men-
tioned, that shoulder or side may be made straight, and of the angle or shape
shewn in Figure 43, the trough or recess being also made slightly wider.
Separate pieces or blocks of the same or nearly the same shapes and sizes as
the projections m, m, m, Figure 42, may be introduced into the trough or
recess in lieu of those projections, and keys may then be driven in between the
pieces or blocks and the rail, so as to secure the rail in its proper position.
In Figures 44 and 45 I have shewn a longitudinal bearer constructed with
a trough or recess in a similar manner to that which I have just described,
but.which is made so as to hold a common double headed rail in lieu of a
bridge rail.
Figure 44 is a transverse section of this bearer, with a rail and key placed
within it; Figure 45 is a plan or bird's-eye view of the bearer, also with a rail
and keys inserted into the trough or recess of the bearer. One shoulder or

page_text: side g of the trough or recess in this bearer is made to fit the lower portion
of one side of the rail which is to be placed against it, and the opposite
shoulder or side h is made with projections m, m, m, at intervals, for supporting
'the keys by which the rail is to be secured. The rail being placed within the
'trough or recess of this bearer, keys of the ordinary description are to be
introduced and driven tight in the usual manner. In this bearer, as in that
shewn in Figures 41 and 42, the projections m, m, m, may be dispensed with,
and the shoulder or side h of the trough or recess made straight; separate
pieces or blocks of the same or of nearly the same shape and sizes as the
projections being introduced for supporting keys to be driven between them
and the side of the rail, for securing the rail in its proper position. The red
lines shew iron clips, which may be added, if required, to strengthen the
bearer, and prevent its form from being altered by the weight passing over it.
In Figure 46 I have shewn a mode of attaching my compound stretcher
piece and tie rod to such bearers as I have just described.
In Figures 44 and 45 I have shewn the shoulders g, g, of the bearers
placed so as to support the outer sides of the rails, but the shoulder may be
so placed as to support the inner sides of the rails, as shewn in Figure 47, the
outer sides of the rails being supported by keys, and the inner sides of the
bearers being made of such shapes as to keep clear of the flanges of the wheels
passing along the railway.
In Figure 48 I have shewn a cross section, and in Figure 49 a plan or
bird's-eye view of a bearer somewhat similar to that which I have. just
described, being furnished with a shoulder g, for supporting one side of tho
rail in a similar manner as that shewn in Figure 44; but in this bearer, in
lieu of the shoulder or side h of the trough shewn in Figure 44, a series of
chocks G, G¹, and G, are fixed to the bearer by rivets or bolts and nuts in such
positions as to support the keys which may be used for securing the rail in its
proper position.
In Figure 50 I have shewn a cross section, and in Figure 51 a plan or
Bird's-eye view of a bearer similar to that which I have just described, but
constructed so as to receive and secure a bevil edged bridge rail instead of a
common rail, chocks and trapezoidal or rhemboidal keys being used for securing
the rail, as shown in the Figures.
In Figure 52 I have shown a cross section of a bearer of a similar descrip- 3
tion to that shewn in Figures 48 and 49, but in this bearer each chock G is
made to fit tightly against one side of the rail, and after the rail is placed upon
the bearer the chocks are fixed upon the bearer by bolts and nuts, so as to
secure the rail in its proper position.

page_text: I
In Figure 53 I have shewn a cross section of a bearer similar to that
which I have just described, but with a shoulder 9 made so as to fit against
and secure one sido of a bevil edged bridge rail, the other side of the rail being
secured by a series of chocks G, which fit against it, and which are to be
bolted or rivetted to the bearer. The shoulder 7 of any of the bearers shewn
in Figures 48, 50, 52, and 53 may either be used for supporting the outer
ile of a rail, as shewn in the Figures, or the inner side of the rail, if preferred.
Instead of furnishing a bearer with a series of chocks for securing or assist-
ing in securing one side of a rail, as I have described, may be made with a
rib p, as shewn in the sectional Figure 54, such rib being similar to the rib p,
shewn in Figure 18; keys of the ordinary description being used to. secure
the rail upon the bearor shewn in Figure 54, in like manner as in that
shewn in Figure 18.
A bearer made for receiving and securing a bevil edged bridge rail may also
be formed in like manner, as shewn in section in Figure 55, the rib p being
made in like manner as that shewn in Figures 10 and 12, and a tropezoidal
or rhomboidal key being used for securing the rail in its proper position.
And instead of making a longitudinal bearer, such as shewn either in
Figure 54 or Figure 55, with a continuous rib p extending the whole or nearly
the whole length of the bearer, it may be furnished with a series of pieces
of rib or longitudinal studs, in like manner as herein-before mentioned in
describing the first part of my Invention. In the several Figures of my
bearer herein-before mentioned, I have shewn the bottoms of the rails resting
upon the bearer; but rails may be supported and secured in some of those
bearers without their bottoms resting upon the bearers.
Thus, in the sectional Figure 56, I have shewn a mode of supporting a rail
in a bearer similar to that shewn in Figure 44, without the bottom of the rail
touching the bearer, by making the shoulder g support the upper flange of tho
rail on one side, and introducing a piece of iron n and key o, so as to support
the upper flange of the rail on the other side, and secure the rail in the bearer,
as shewn in the Figure.
In Figure 57 I have shewn a similar mode of supporting a rail in a
bearer similar to that shewn in Figure 54.
. A line of longitudinal bearers, of any of the descriptions herein-before men-
tioned, which may be used for holding and securing a line of rails, may either
be laid down continuously, and so as to afford a continuous support to the
rails throughout the line, or they may be laid down with intervals between
them, as shewn in Figures 1 and 37; and I prefer to lay down bearers in this
manner, because the intervals between the bearers facilitate drainage. In

page_text: every case in which a rail may be secured upon a bearer by means of fastenings
constructed according to my Invention, as herein-before described, a thin strip
of wood, felt, or other material possessed of a similar degree of elasticity or
compressibility, may be placed under the rail, for the purpose of preventing or
diminishing any jarring or shaking of the rail during the passage of a train
But I do not intend to claim the introduction of a strip of any such material
as aforesaid as any part of my Invention.
The bearers or sleepers which I have described and shewn in the several
Figures before mentioned may be made either of wrought or of cast iron;
when cast iron is used, making them proportionably thicker or stronger. The
iron, whether wrought or cast, may be ribbed in either direction, so as to mako
the bearers as strong as practicable, without unnecessarily increasing tho
quantity of the material employed. And when bearers or sleepers are made
of cast iron, I would in every caso in which it may be practicable cast then
with transverso webs on their under sides.
In Figures 58 and 59 I have shewn a tropezoidal or rhomboidal key, which
I use for securing rails in manner herein-before mentioned; Figure 58 is a
side view of this key, and Figure 59 is a transverse section of it. This key
is made slightly thinner at one end than at the other, and, if necessary, it may
also be made slightly narrower at one end than at the other. The width and
thickness of this key and its sectional form will depend upon the shape or
form of the space or opening into which it is to be driven for securing a rail
in its proper position; I prefer to make this key of wrought iron, but any
other metal sufficiently cheap and strong may be used.
In Figures 60 and 61 I have shewn a mode which may be used to secure
longitudinal bearers to a transverse tie bar, for the purpose of maintaining the
bearers in their proper positions. Figure 60 is a transverse section of a bearer
similar to that shewn in Figure 44, with a side view of a portion of a tie
bar H introduced into a mortico made in the bearer; Figure 61 is a longi-
tudinal section of the same bearer, taken through the line y, z, Figure 60
showing the mortice into which the tie bar is to be introduced. A notch & is
made on the upper side of the tie bar II, near to each end, so as to receive a
stud i, which is made in the mortice. The notches in the tie bar are made at
the proper places for causing the bearers to be held at the required distance
apart from each other, and each end of the bar being introduced into its
mortice, so that the two studs may enter the notches. A key vis to be driven
into each mortice below the bar, so as fo cause the bar to rise in the mortices
and the studs to enter the notches, and thus secure the bearers in their proper
positions.

page_text: The third part of my said Invention relates to the mode or modes of fixing
or securing two lines of rails intended to form a line of railway, and holding
the two lines of rails at the intended distance from, each other, according to
the gauge of the railway. For this purpose I use a tubular or hollow
stretcher, or a tie rod and tubular or hollow stretcher combined.
In Figure 62 I have shewn a cross section of a line of railway, the two
lines of rails being shewn as held together, and at the intended distance apart,
by means of a tubular stretcher. The two bearers shewn in section in this
Figure are furnished with longitudinal webs w, w, projecting downwards from
their bases. Holes are made in each of these webs, and tapped for the reception
of right and left-handed screws. The stretcher E is made of a piece of iron
tube of the proper length, each end of it being threaded, one end of it so as to
form a right-hand screw, the other end a left-handed screw, and those screws are
mado so as to fit into the holes in the webs tapped as already mentioned. The
ends of this stretcher being introduced into the holes which they fit, the stretcher
is to be turned until by the action of the two screws the two lines of rails aro
placed at the intended distance apart according to the gauge of the railway.
Instead of tapping the holes of the webs w, w, they may be made plain and
of sufficient sizes to permit the ends of the stretcher to pass freely through,
cach end of the stretcher being furnished with two nuts, as shewn in Figure
This tubular stretcher may be strengthened by having pieces of bolt iron
introduced into each end of it and welded to it, the screws already mentioned
being in such case formed upon these solid ends, as shewn in Figure 64.
63
This description of tubular stretcher may be applied to longitudinal bearers
of any of the descriptions already mentioned, the holes for receiving the ends
of the stretcher being made at convenient parts of the bearer and either in the.
substance of the bearer itself or in bosses made for the purpose, as shewn in
Figure 65; and where necessary, bevilled washers may be used for the nuts
of the stretcher to act against, as shewn in Figure 66.
Instead of using tubular or hollow stretchers only for fixing and holding two
lines of rails at the intended distance from each other in manner already
attained by tie rods and tubular or hollow described, the same object may be.
stretchers combined.
In Figure 46, already mentioned, I have shewn in section a mode of.
attaching a combined tie rod and stretcher to two bearers at opposite sides of
a line of railway. In this Figure, E is a tubular stretcher, made of the proper.
length for keeping the two lines of rails at the proper distance from each.
other; D is a tie rod, shewn in dotted lines (passing through the tubular.
stretcher and also through the inner side of each. of the bearers, and secured.

page_text: by a nut at each end. The nuts of this rod are to be screwed up until the
inner sides of the bearers are brought up to and held tightly against the ends
of the stretcher E.
In Figures 1, 2, and 3, already mentioned, I have shewn another mode of
applying a combinad tie rod and stretcher to a longitudinal bearer, for the
purpose of fixing and holding the two lines of railway at the intended distance
from each other.
The tie rods D, D, shewn in these Figures, pass through the outer sides as
well as the inner sides of the bearers, and they are secured by nuts at the
outer sides of the bearers, as shewn in the Figures. Each of the stretchers
shewn in Figures 1 and 2 may either be composed of one piece or of several
pieces of iron tube; if one piece of tube be used, holes must be cut in the
inner sides of the bearers large enough to admit the tube; but if three picces
of tube be used, one piece should be long enough to extend from the inner
side of one bearer to the inner side of the other, and two shorter pieces e, e,
being placed within the bearers. When the nuts of the tie rods are screwed
up, the bearers and their rails will be held firmly at the distance apart which
may be intended. This description of combined tie rod and tubular or hollow
stretcher may also be applied to other descriptions of longitudinal bearers, as
already mentioned with respect to the tubular stretcher herein-before described.
The object of making stretchers tubular or hollow in the way I have described
is, that they may be stiffer or stronger and better able to maintain two lines
of rails in their proper positions, and prevent the canting of the bearers and
rails. By making them tubular or hollow in this way, I believe that the
requisite strength may be obtained more economically than if they were made
solid and of the requisite thickness. I believe that iron tubes are the best
materials for making stretchers of this description, but similar benefits may, I
also believe, be obtained by making them of other hollow forms, such as shewn
in section in Figures 67, 68, and 69.
In Figures 70 and 71 I have shewn a mode of combining one of my
stretchers with a pair of chocks such as I have already described. The
stretchers in this case are made of strips of iron, flat at their ends where they
are united to the chocks G, G, and the middle of each stretcher E is bent
transversely into the form shewn by the sectional Figure 72.
The fourth part of my said Invention, being improvements in the constructing,
of railway keys, consists of making such keys of the several descriptions I am
about to describe. One of these keys is a bent key, shewn in Figures 73 and
74; Figure 78 is a transverse section of this key, and Figure 74 is a side
view of it. I make this key of a piece of iron or steel plate, which I bend

page_text: transversely into a curved shape, as shewn in Figure 78, on an angular shape,
as shewn in the section, Figure 75, or into any other similar form. This key
may also be made of cast iron. This key must be inade a little smaller at one
end than at the other, and the size of it, as well as the extent to which it is
to be bent, will depend upon the size and shape of the space into which it is
to be driven for securing a rail. This key may be used for securing a rail in
an ordinary chair in the manner shewn in section in Figure 76, and it may
also be used for securing a rail of the description shewn in Figure 16, upon a
bearer, in manner shewn in Figure 17.
In Figures 77 and 78 I have shewn another of my railway keys, which I
call a compound tubular key; Figure 77 is a transverse section of this key,
and Figure 78 is a side view of it. This key is made of a piece of metal
tube, into which is driven a piece of wood, either previously compressed or not,
as may be thought desirable. One end of this key is to be made slightly
smaller than the other, to facilitate its entrance into the spaco into which
it is to be driven for securing a rail, and I have, in Figure 79, shewn the
flattened appearance which the key will assume after being driven into its place.
In using any of the keys herein mentioned for securing rails, such keys may,
if desired, be driven with a piece of sheet lead or other soft metal between the
key and the rail, or between the key and the rib, stud, shoulder, jaw of a
chair, or other support which holds the key against the rail, so that such
piece of lead or soft metal may have the effect of securing the key in its place,
and prevent it from being shaken out. Tar and other vescid substances may
also be used in a similar manner for the like purpose.
My said improvements in shaping iron consist of a mode of forming strips
or pieces of wrought iron into the shapes they are intended to assume by
means of a combination of rollers, or of a die or dies, and a roller or rollers,
with or without the aid of a mandril acting in conjunction with an ordinary
draw bench or any similar apparatus.
form it into the
These rollers. are
In Figure 80 I have shew three rollers constructed and acting together,
so that they will, in conjunction with a draw bench, shape a piece of
sheet iron according to this part of my Invention, and
shape shewn in the transverse sectional Figure 81.
mounted or placed with such a space between them as to press or bend
a strip of iron drawn through between them into the required shape
without diminishing or materially diminishing the thickness of the metal.
A strip of iron which is intended to be bent in this way is first to have
the end of it bent in such a manner that it will enter the space between

page_text: the rollers, and pass through to the opposite side. When the pincers of a
draw bench are to be fixed upon that end of the strip, and the draw bench set
in motion so as to draw the whole of the strip of iron through between the
rollers, and press it into the required form. A pieco of iron intended to be
shaped in this way is merely to be heated to a red heat, and care should be
taken not to heat it too much, lest the action of the draw bench should have
the effect of diminishing the substance of the iron or of breaking it.
l
In Figure 82 I have also shewn a mode of applying a grooved roller, in
conjunction with a die, for bending the lip of a bearer upon a mandril into a
curved form, as shewn in several of the Figures I have mentioned. In this
Figure, M is the roller, F is the mandril shewn in section, and Q is a groove
die, the upper surface of which is flat and smooth. A strip of sheet iron, with
a lip upon its upper side, and a longitudinal web upon its under side, is
shewn in Figure 83. A strip of iron of this description is to be placed upon
the die, with its web in the groove of the die, and the mandril is also to be
placed upon the top of the strip against
into a curved form. One end of the lip
the mandril F, nearly into the proper
mandril is to be introduced between the roller and the die, and pushed through
sufficiently far for the pincers of the draw bench to be secured to it. The
draw bench being then set in motion, the strip of iron will be drawn through
between the roller and the die, and by the action of the roller against the lip /,
the lip will be pressed down into the intended position.
the lip 7, which is to be bent down
being previously bent down against
position, that end of it with tho
Instead of the grooved dic Q, a grooved roller may be used, the roller having
a circular groove of the same dimensions as the groove of the die shown in
Figure 82.
In Figure 84 I have shewn a pair of rollers having their peripheries
constructed so as to curve or bend the lip and rib p of the bearer shewn in
Figure 11 into the required positions against a mandril F.
The mandril F, shewn in this Figure, is made in three pieces, for the purpose
of facilitating the withdrawing of it from the strip of iron after it has performed
its office, and each side of the mandril, as well as the upper roller which is to
act upon the projecting lip and rib, are to be made of the proper shapes for
bending the lip and rib into the positions required.
The lip and rib at one end of the bearer or strip of iron being bent nearly
into the intended form against the mandril, that end of the bearer or strip
of metal with the mandril upon it, as shewn in section in Figure 84, is to be
introduced between the roller and drawn through as before described, and

page_text: the effect will be to press the lip and rib cither into the position shown in
Figure 9, or that shewn in Figure 10, according to the construction of the
upper roller and mandril.
In Figure 85 I have shewn a pair of rollers and a pair of -dies constructed
and placed so that when in action they will press or form a strip or picce
of iron into the shape or form of the trough bearer shewn in section in
Figure 41.
The upper roller M should be as wide as the strip of metal, or nearly so,
and the lower roller N must be of the same width as the bottom of the trough
of the intended bearer. On each side of the lower roller N is a die Q,
constructed with a winding face on its upper side, as shewn in Figure 86, so
as gradually to press or bend the sides of the strip of iron into the shape
shewn in section in Figure 85. The strip of iron is to be bent at one end
into the required shape, or as nearly so as convenient, and a mandril F being
placed upon the strip of iron, they are to be introduced between the rollers
and drawn through, as before described.
In Figure 87 I have shewn an arrangement of rollers constructed and
placed so that when in action they will form a strip of iron into the same
shape as that which I have just mentioned; and the only difference between
this arrangement and that shewn in Figure 85 is that in this arrangement I
have substituted two rollers V, V, for the dies Q, Q, shewn in Figure 85.
The action of these rollers will in effect be the same as that of the rollers and
dies shewn in Figure 85.
In Figure 88 I have shewn three rollers constructed and mounted so as
with the aid of a mandril to form a strip of iron into the shape of the trough
bearer shewn in section in Figure 44. The upper roller M is made of such
a form as to press or bend the sides of the strip of iron down into the positions
or shapes required, and is furnished with a circular groove so as to admit the
mandril F to pass through and keep it in its proper position during the time
it is in action. The lower rollers U, U, are constructed so as to press or bend
the sides of the strip of iron up against the upper roller, and form the trough
of the bearer upon the mandril F, which is made in two pieces, to facilitate
the withdrawing it from the trough. A strip of metal to be operated upon
by these rollers is to be bent nearly into the shape required at one end, and
introduced with the mandril between the rollers, and drawn through in
like manner as herein-before described. When it is desired to make the rib p
of a bearer, such as that shewn in Figure 10, with such projections m, m, as
shewn in Figure 12, and already described, by means of the machinery shewn

page_text: in Figure 84, the edge of the mandril F which is to be placed against the ril
must be made with recesses of the proper size at such intervals along the
edge as will cause the rib to have the required number of projections; and
the upper roller M must be furnished with projections at the same interval
round that part of it which comes in contact with the rib, cach projection
being of the requisite dimensions for pressing portions of the rib into the
recesses made in the edge of the mandril. In pressing or forming a bearer
into the required shape in this manner, the mandril F must be made in two
or more pieces, so as to enable the workman to withdraw it after the operation
has been performed. In entering a piece of iron intended to be operated
upon in this manner between the rollers, care must of course be taken that
the first recess made in the edge of the mandril is entered or placed in such
a position that one of the projections in the roller M will be immediately
opposite to it, so as to press a portion of the rib into the recess. And when
the machinery shewn in Figure 87 is to be used for making such projections
as already mentioned along one side of a bearer, such as that shewn in
Figures 41 and 42, such projections may be made by means of recesses in
the mandril F (which must be in two or more pieces) and projections in one
of the rollers V, V, in like manner as berein-before described with respect to
the machinery shewn in Figure 84. So also, when such machinery as shewn
in Figure 88 is to be used for making such projections as already mentioned
along one side of a bearer such as that shewn in Figures 44 and 45, such
projections may be made by means of recesses in the mandril F (made in two
or more pieces) and projections in one of the rollers U, U, in like manner as
herein-before described with respect to the machinery shewn in Figures 84
and 87. Instead of a slip of iron drawn through between rollers or between
a die or dies and a roller or rollers in any such manner as I have described,
being subjected to the strain which would be put upon it by its giving motion
to the roller or rollers passing against it when drawn through between them
or between a die or dies or roller or rollers, power may be applied to the
roller or rollers or some of the rollers and to the draw bench simultaneously,
so that the draw bench and roller or rollers may each assist in drawing the
strip of iron through between the rollers or between the die or dies and roller
or rollers, as the case may be.
In those cases in which a mandril shall be used, & the shape of the pieces
of iron operated upon will admit of the arrangement, the mandril may be
made stationary, so as to save the trouble of a separate operation for with-
drawing it from the pieces of iron which have been operated upon. I have

page_text: not described a draw bench, because the construction and use of it are well
known.
Having now described the natures of the several parts of my Invention, and
the manner in which the same are respectively to be. performed, I hereby
declare that I claim as of my Invention,―
Firstly, the mode or modes of scuring rails upon longitudinal or transverse
bearers or sleepers by curved or angular lips upon one side, and by means of
bolts and nuts or rivets, either passing through one of the flanges of each of
the rails, or passing between the edge of each such flange and a projecting rib
or studs, or by means of a curved or an angular dog and bolts and nuts or
rivets on the other side of the rails, as herein-before described.
Secondly, the mode or modes of securing rails upon longitudinal or
transverse bearers or sleepers by means of curved or angular lips on one
side, and by means of ribs or studs and keys on the other side, as herein-before
described.
Thirdly, the mode or modes of applying chocks along each or either side
of a line of rails, either with or without keys, for the purpose of securing such
rails upon longitudinal or transverse bearers or sleepers, in manner herein-
before described.
Fourthly, the mode or modes of constructing the troughs of longitudinal
iron trough sleepers or bearers for holding and securing rails, so that one side
or shoulder of each trough shall fit and support one side of the rail placed
within it, and also so that a key or keys may be introduced within the trough
on the other side of the rail for the purpose of supporting it, in manner herein-
before described.
Fifthly, the mode or modes of constructing longitudinal bearers so that a
shoulder or side of each such bearer shall fit to and support one side of each
of the rails placed upon it, the other side of each of the rails being supported
by means of chocks with or without the aid of keys, or by means of a rib or
studs and keys, as herein-before described.
Sixthly, the mode or moles of constructing a stretcher of tubular or hollow
iron, and also the mode of combining such a stretcher with a tie rod, in manner
herein-before described.
Seventhly, the mode or modes of constructing railway keys of such bent,
curved, or other similar forms as aforesaid, and also of constructing such keys
of metallic tube and wood, in manner herein-before described.
Eighthly, the mode or modes of applying a combination of rollers, or of a die
or dies and a roller or rollers, with or without the aid of a mandril, in conjunction

page_text: with a draw bench or similar apparatus for shaping strips or pieces of sheet-
iron, in manner herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Ward Hoby, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty.
MOLURE, Extra.
JAMES WARD (L.S.) HOBY.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Thirtieth day of December,
in the year of our Lord 1850, the aforesaid James Ward Hoby came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Speci-
fication 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 Second day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.