IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAMWAYS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jörgen Daniel Larsen, of the Poultry, in the City of
"
London, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAMWAYS."
Sealed the 4th July 1879, and dated the 25th April 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jörgen Daniel Larsen at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th April 1879.
JÖRGEN DANIEL LARSEN, of the Poultry, in the City of London, Civil Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAMWAYS."
I
The main objects of this Invention are to construct a tramway possessing great
durability in general and strength and rigidity at the joints, and also to afford
facility for replacing the worn out rail. I make the rail by preference of steel, and
I form it with one or more lower flanges or webs for the purpose of fitting and
fixing it to a longitudinal rolled or cast girder sleeper. I fix the rail on to the
girder by means of nut and bolt, or by key or pin split or provided with nut.
form the rail and girder, and I place the rail so over the girder as to as far as
possible bring the weight of the wheel over the middle web of the girder. For a
girder of a double T shape, I form the rail with a downward projecting web on cach
side, and of such a depth as to enable me to drive an iron peg through them and
through a hole in the web of the girder; to prevent this peg from getting loose, I
drive a small wedge into each split end of the peg. Or the rail may be fastened to
the girder by bolts through the tread of the rail and the flange of the girder, or
through the groove in the rail and the flange of the girder. For a girder having
only a top flange on one side of the web I carry the tread of the rail thereon, and
unite the rail to the girder by nut and bolt, the latter passing through a flange or
web on the underside of the rail, and through the web of the girder. In some cases
in order to save steel if the rail is made of that material, I hollow out the underside
of the rail, and I form the upper part or flange of the girder to suit.
The rails and girders may be made of such relative lengths as to break joint
with one another, and if desired, do away with fish plates.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Jörgen Daniel Larsen in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th
October 1879.
JÖRGEN DANIEL LARSEN, of the Poultry, in the City of London, Civil Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAMWAYS."
The main objects of my Invention are to construct a tramway possessing great
durability in general, and strength and rigidity at the joint, also to afford facility
for replacing the worn out rails.
In carrying out my Invention, I use instead of a longitudinal timber sleeper, an
iron or steel girder, hereafter called a girder sleeper, having a broad foot base pro-
jecting beyond and under the adjoining paving, and I fix or secure the rail to such
girder sleeper by means of nut and bolt, or by key or pin split or provided with
nut.
The end joints of the rails, and the end joints of the longitudinal girder sleepers
occur alternately, the one in the middle or thereabouts of the length of the other, a
small space being left at each junction to allow of the expansion and contraction of
rail and sleeper.
My Invention will be more fully described by reference to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings.
Figure 1 shews a transverse section of an ordinary form of tramway rail A. The
head 6 of the girder sleeper fits up between the downward projecting web or flange
on each side of the rail A. The head of a screw hooked bolt c passes through a
hole in the flange or web of the rail on each side, and the space from the under side
of the head b of the girder sleeper to below the rail flange is filled up with a piece
of metal d, with a slot or groove in one side to pass the bolt, the whole being then
screwed together with the nut e. These hooked bolts being placed at intervals
along the length of the rail on each side, the attachment of rail and sleeper is firm
and rigid throughout its whole length. To deaden the blow, I insert a sheet of
felt or canvas, or similar suitable elastic material between the head of girder sleeper
and the under side of the rail.
Figure 2 shows a rail of different section secured in the same manner, the head
of the girder sleeper being formed to fit the underside of the rail.
Figure 3 shews a rail similar in section to Figure 2, but without the depending
flanges. In this case I secure the attachment of the rail to the girder sleeper, by
inserting bolts at intervals through rail and sleeper as shown at a, the heads being
countersunk into the rail.
Figure 4 shews a rail with one depending web in the centre. In this case the
head of the girder sleeper being made to fit upon one side of the rib of the rail in
the form of a bracket, I bolt the rail to the sleeper through the vertical webs of
both as shown at a. The foot is partly formed in rolling, and partly by rivetting
to it an angle iron.
Figures 5 and 6 shew a section of rail with two depending webs of different
lengths. In this case, the girder sleeper is of the form of T iron inverted, the rail
being secured to it by bolts a passing through the longer web of the rail and the
vertical web of the sleeper.
Figure 7 shows a similar method of attachment applied to another section of
rail.
Figure 8 is a perspective view of a tramway rail, showing how the pavings can
be brought up close to the rails when the latter are fitted and constructed in the
manner before described.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect, I
declare that I claim as my "Improvements in Tramways,”—

page_text: Firstly. The combination of parts forming my improved permanent way for
tramways, substantially as described with reference to the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly. The mode or means of securing tramway rails to iron or steel longi-
tudinal sleepers or sleeper girders by means of bolts or pins, substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, together with any
mere modifications thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jörgen Daniel Larsen, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine
DOEN
J. D. LARSEN,