Improvements in Tramways and Railways.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Feb., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 19th Nov., 1892-Accepted, 31st Dec., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tramways and Railways.
I, ARTHUR KEEN SMITH, of Camden House, Merton Park, Wimbledon, in
the County of Surrey, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:
According to this invention in order that the rails, whether of tramways or rail-
ways, may after the chairs or sleepers have been placed be readily laid, taken up
and relaid as required without disturbing the roadway or the structure below the
rails, I adopt the following construction:-The rails are made each with a deep
groove or with a recess in the bed of the groove, also with bolt holes or slots through.
the lower portions thereof and of a section adapted to rest upon chairs or sleepers
to which the rails are secured by bolts that extend through the said holes or slots
in the rails into the aforesaid groove or recess and are each slotted to receive a
cotter or wedge by which the rail can be forced tightly upon the chair or sleeper.
The upper ends of the bolts and the cotters are located within the lower part of
the groove or recess so that they will clear the flanges of wheels.
The chairs or sleepers may be of considerable length and be arranged to support
the rails from end to end, transverse tie rods being suitably applied or the chairs
may be made comparatively short and arranged at intervals with or without longi-
tudinal base plates; transverse sleepers may be employed, and tie rods be then
dispensed with.
According to one construction the chairs are of a hollow form, of suitable metal
such as wrought or cast iron, with longitudinal ribs or projections inside, between
which the bolts pass and against whose lower surfaces the upper sides of the heads
of the bolts bear when they are tightened up. The heads of the bolts may be
narrower one way than the other so that they can be passed through or between
the said ribs or projections and then be turned to a right or other augle thereto.
Or in place of having heads the lower ends of the bolts may be screwed into nuts
beneath the ribs or projections of the chairs, suitable means being provided for
turning the bolts to screw them up tight.
Instead of solid bolts, bolts resembling split pins may be employed the cotters
being passed through the upper bent parts and the lower ends being turned outward
to engage the ribs or projections of the chairs.
Where the ends of two rails meet they are secured together by one or more bolts
in the end of each rail, the lower end of each bolt engaging with, or being preferably
screwed into, a plate beneath the ribs or projections of the chair and a metal piece
being arranged over the joint and passing through the slots in the upper ends of the
bolts in addition to the cotters.
By my invention difficulty arising from irregular spacing of the holes in the rails
is obviated, an exact fit of the parts not being necessary.
Dated this 19th day of February 1892.
ARTHUR KEEN SMITH.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tramways and Railways.
I, ARTHUR KEEN SMITH, of Camden House, Merton Park Wimbledon, in
the County of Surrey, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
According to this invention in order that the rails whether of tramways or rail-
ways may, after the chairs or sleepers have been placed in position be readily
laid, taken up, and relaid as required without disturbing the roadway, or the
structure below the rails, and also that the fastenings can be easily renewed
tightened or repaired when necessary, also without disturbing the said roadway or
the structure below the rails, I adopt the following construction.
The rails are made each with an ordinary groove and with a recess in the bed of
the groove, also with bolt holes or slots through the lower portions thereof, and of a
section adapted to rest upon chairs or sleepers to which the rails are secured by
bolts that extend through the said holes or slots in the rails into the aforesaid
recess and are each slotted to receive a cotter or wedge (hereinafter called a key)
by which the rail can be forced tightly upon the chair or sleeper. The upper ends
of the bolts and the keys are located within the recess so that they will clear the
flanges of wheels running in the ordinary grooves of the rail.
The chairs or sleepers may be of considerable length and be arranged to support
the rails from end to end, transverse tie rods being suitably applied; or the chairs
may be made comparatively short and arranged at intervals, with or without longi-
tudinal base plates; or transverse sleepers may be employed, and tie rods be then
dispensed with.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figs. 1, 2, and 3 show in side elevation, plan and longitudinal section respec-
tively a portion of a rail with means for securing it to a chair according to this
invention.
Fig. 4 is a cross section thereof to a larger scale.
Fig. 5 is a cross section of the improved rail.
•
Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 are in longitudinal section, side elevation, cross section and
plan respectively, a modified arrangement.
Fig. 10 is a side elevation to a smaller scale of a rail with three chairs to which it
is secured by the means shown in Figs 6, 7, 8 and 9.
Fig. 11 is a longitudinal section showing the mode of jointing rails of the kind
referred to.
Fig. 12 shows a modified form of bolt.
Referring to Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, 1 is a metal rail made with an ordinary
groove 14 and with a deep longitudinal recess 2 in the bed of such groove, the width
of this recess being made sufficiently narrow to prevent the wheels of vehicles
having narrow tyres, such as bicycles and tricycles, entering it. The rail is also
made with suitably spaced bolt holes or slots 3, and of a section, as shown in
Figs. 4 and 5, designed to rest upon chairs such as 4, the dimensions of the rails
being moreover such as to comply with the ordinary or Board of Trade requirements:
for grooved tram rails intended for street use, being for this purpose made about
four inches wide with a groove 1ª about one inch wide. The rail is secured to each
chair by a bolt 5 the lower end of which extends into the chair wherein it is suitably
held as hereinafter described, whilst its upper end is located in the said hole and is
formed with a slot 6 (Fig. 4) to receive a key 7 by which the rail can be forced
tightly upon the chair. As will be seen the upper end of each bolt 5 and the key 7
therein are located within the recess 2 and below the groove 1ª so that they will be
clear of the flanges of wheels running in such groove, the key resting upon the
bottom of the recess.

page_text: The chairs may advantageously be connected by transverse tie rods 8 and by
longitudinal tie bars 9. They are made of hollow form of suitable material such as
cast iron with internal longitudinal ribs 10 between which the corresponding bolt 5
passes and against whose lower surfaces bears the upper side of a nut 14 into
which the lower end of the bolt is screwed and which is prevented from turning by
the sides of the channel 4* in which it is placed. The upper end of each bolt is
formed with a groove 5* as shown to receive a device such as a screw driver by
which it can be turned for the purpose of screwing it into the nut 14 and adjusting
its height so that the lower end of the slot 6 therein shall be at a suitable distance
below the bottom of the recess.
In the arrangement shown in Figs. 6 to 10 inclusive, the lower ends or heads 5ª
of the bolts 5 are made narrower one end than the other as shown so that they can
be passed through the holes or slots 3 in the rail and through or between the ribs 10
in the chair, and then be turned to a right or other angle thereto so that when the
key 7 is driven tightly in place, the upper side of the head of the bolt will bear
against the lower surface of a washer 11 interposed between the bolt head and the
lower surfaces of the ribs 10, the washer serving to distribute the pressure on the
chair. The washer may be formed with feet 12 (Fig. 6) that rest when the bolt 5
is not in place, upon lower longitudinal ribs 13 formed within the chair. If desired
the washer 11 may be dispensed with in this case the upper side of the head of the
bolt will bear directly against the under side of the ribs 10.
Instead of solid bolts such as shown in Figs. 1 to 11 inclusive, bolts resembling
split pins may be employed, the keys 7 being passed through the upper bent parts
thereof, and the lower ends being turned outward to engage the underside of the
ribs 10. Such a bolt is shown by way of example in Fig. 12.
Where the ends of two rails of the form hereinbefore described meet, they can
advantageously be secured together as shown in Fig. 11 by means of slotted bolts 5
that pass through the lower portion of the rail ends and the lower end of each of
which engages with, preferably by screwing, a fish plate 15 arranged beneath the
ribs 10 in the chair 4 and under the joint, a metal bar or fish plate 16 being arranged
over the joint and so as to pass through the slots 6 in the upper ends of the bolts 5
in addition to the keys 7. By this arrangement when the bolts 5, and plates 15
and 16 are in place as shown, and the keys are forced partly through the slot 6 in
the bolts, the lower portions of the adjacent ends of the rails 1 will be firmly held
between the fish plate 16 and the ribs 10 in the chair a space 17 being left between
the rail ends to allow for expansion of the rails.
By my invention difficulty arising from irregular spacing of the holes in the rails
is obviated as the lower ends of the bolts can be engaged with the ribs 10 at any
point along their length.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. A railway or tramway constructed with rails each formed with an ordinary
groove such as 12 and with a deep narrow recess such as 2 extending along the bed
of the groove, and fastened upon chairs or sleepers by means of bolts and keys that
are inserted in place from above, each bolt extending through the recess and the
lower portion of the rail into the sleeper or chair wherein it is held by a nut or
otherwise, and each key being arranged to bear against the bottom of the recess and
to extend through a slot in the upper part of one of the bolts, the arrangement
being such that all the bolts and keys are located beneath, and so as not to obstruct
the ordinary grooves of the rails, and the rails can be removed without disturbing
the roadway by removing the bolts and the keys substantially as herein described.
2. In a railway or tramway having rails constructed and secured to chairs or
sleepers in the manner referred to in the preceding claim, jointing the adjacent ends
of such rails together and to a chair or sleeper by means of fishplates one of which
is arranged to extend beneath ribs within the chair or sleeper supporting the rail

page_text: ends and is connected with the lower ends of bolts passing through the rail ends,
and the other of which is arranged to rest upon the bottom of the recess in the two
rails and to pass through slots in the upper ends of the bolts through which keys
also extend, the arrangement being such that when these keys are tightened up the
lower parts of the ends of the rails will be firmly held in place on the chairs
or sleepers but nevertheless in such a manner as to allow of expansion of the rails
and so that the fastening devices will be wholly below the ordinary grooves in the
rails so as not to obstruct the same substantially as hereinabove described.
3. My improved railways or tramways comprising rails formed with ordinary
grooves with narrow recesses extending along the bed of such grooves, chairs, and
fastening devices these parts being constructed and arranged substantially as
hereinbefore described with reference respectively to and shown in Figs. 1 to 5
inclusive; in Figs. 6 to 10 inclusive; and in Fig. 11 of the drawings annexed.
Dated this 19th day of November 1892.
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.