CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS. BRIDGES, LOCKS, AND OTHER ERECTIONS WHOLLY OR IN PART CONSTRUCTED OF METAL, ALSO IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAKES FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
Richard Stuart Norris, of Warrington, in the County of Lancaster,
Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,
by Her Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster the Tenth day of February, in the fourteenth
year of Her reign, and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-one, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Richard Stuart Norris, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Richard
Stuart Norris, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and such
others as I, the said Richard Stuart Norris, my executors, admini
strators, or assigns, shall 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 and Wales, and the Town of Berwick upon Tweed,
my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE
PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS. BRIDGES, LOCKS, AND OTHER ERECTIONS
WHOLLY OR IN PART CONSTRUCTED OF METAL, ALSO IMPROVEMENTS IN
BRAKES FOR RAILWAY CARRIAGES," in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso that I, the said Richard Stuart Norris, shall
23

page_text: "
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be enrolled 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said Richard Stuart Norris, do hereby declare that the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed,
is particularly described and ascertained in and by the drawings hereto
annexed, and the following explanation thereof, that is to say:
My improvements relate, firstly, to a method of joining together,
fastening, or supporting the bars of railways, various parts of iron
bridges, locks, and other crections, and consist in effecting such
object by casting molten iron, or other suitable metal, upon or
about the said rails or other parts intended to be joined, fastened,
or supported. The apparatus used for effecting this part of my
improvements may b: of any ordinary suitable construction, and
may be extended to a great variety of applications; 1 shall, however,
in this my Specification describe certain methods which I prefer for
effecting the required object, and afford such instances of its applica-
tion as will serve for examples. Secondly, my improvements consist
in the use of a portable cupola, and appendages for casting portions
of railways, bridges, locks, or other erections, at or about the situation
where such articles are intended to be used. And in order that my
Invention may be clearly understood, I have appended certain illus
trative drawings, which I will now proceed to describe. Figs. 1, 2, 3,
and 4, represent, in several views, a construction of metal chill mould,
which I employ for casting iron; or other suitable metal, on to the
bars of railways, so as to join two of such bars together, and at the
same time form a chair for the immediate support thereof. The appa-
ratus is formed in two principal portions, which are shewn separated
in end views at Figs. 1, and 2, and in top views at Figs. 3, and 4. To
a plate of metal, is secured by bolts a block b, which is provided
with a cavity constituting one half of the mould, corresponding to the

page_text: form of chair desired to be produced.. Ends to this cavity are formed
by projecting parts, the outward edges d, d, of which correspond in
form to the section of the railway bars intended to be joined. The
other half bx, Fig. 2, is similarly formed, and both are provided with
perforations, through which pins e, e, are passed, constituting cores for
forming spike holes in the feet of the chair. The plate a, a, is pro-
vided with guide pieces f,f, which serve to regulate the position of the
half mould *, so as to cause it to be situated opposite to the fixed
half b, when the two are brought together. In using this apparatus
as applied to joining rails, which are in their places on lines of rail-
ways, the plate a, à, is to be placed under the rails upon which the
metal is to be cast, the edges d, d, of the mould 7, being brought
into contact therewith; the other half mould is then to be slidden
between the guide pieces f; f, until its projecting edges d*, dx,
shall also be situated against the rails and the projecting parts
9, 9, of each half mould in contact with each other, as seen in
the section of the parts so arranged at Fig. 5, and in the side view
thereof at Fig. 6. A pin h, is then passed through a hole formed in
the plate, so as to secure the separate pieces in that position. A
cavity will thus be formed corresponding to the section of the intended
chair, and within which the rails to be joined and supported are
situated, acting, in fact, as the core used according to the usual method
of casting chairs. Molten iron or other suitable metal is now to be
poured through the orifice, when the mould will be filled, and a chair
formed upon the rails fitting thereon exactly at every point, as shewn in
the side view Fig 6*, spike holes for attachment to the sleepers being
at the same time produced by the core pins e, e, which pins should be
removed immediately the metal is sufficiently set, so as to prevent their
becoming too tightly fixed by the contraction of the casting: In order
to provide for the escape of air during the casting process, an aperture /,
is formed upon the half *, communicating with the interior of the
mould. I have hitherto described my Invention as applied to a "joint
chair" ofrailways, and shewn in the drawings a certain form thereof; it
will be evident, however, that by merely modifying the shape of the
moulds, "middle chairs," and other. constructions may be in like

page_text: manner cast. I have also described the use of chill moulds, for regu-
lating the flow of the cast metal, but, if desired, they may be formed
of sand or other suitable material. Figs. 7, 8, and 9, represent my
improvement as applied to fastening a chair (which has been cast
in the ordinary manner) to a railway bar, by casting iron or other
suitable metal into the space usually occupied by the tightening
key or wedge. In order to effect this, the wooden or other key or
fastening is withdrawn, and pieces of wood or other suitable material
placed at each end of the now vacant place, as shewn at 1, 1.
in the plan view Fig. 7. I then beat up sand or ballast, as
represented by the dots, when the pieces 1, 1, being withdrawn,
a mould will be formed into which the molten metal is to be
poured, and thus a key will be cast fitting the cavity at every
point, and extending over the face of the chair at m, m, so as to
be prevented from leaving its proper situation. The key or fasten-
ing thus produced is shewn in cross section at Fig. S, and in
longitudinal view at Fig. 9. Figs. 10, 11, and 12, represent an
example of the application of my improvement to the construction of
bridges. Fig. 10, is a sectional view, the skew back bed plate, and
portion of a girder. Fig. 11, a horizontal section thereof, taken about
the line 1, 2, of Fig. 10; and Fig. 12, is a side view, looking towards
the left hand of Fig. 10. The girder is shewn a, a, placed in the
mortice, b, of the bed plate c, c. A loam plate, or thin plate of
wrough iron or other material, is then placed so as to cover the mor-
tice,, from 1, to 2. Molten iron or other suitable metal is then
poured into the cavity, by which means the girder and bed plate will
become firmly united. Figs. 13, and 14, represent a mode of applying
my improvement to the construction of locks, the former being a sec-
tional elevation and the latter a top view of the foot box of a lock.
The foot step a, a, having been adjusted in its proper position within
the box b, b, I pour molten iron or other suitable metal into the sur-
rounding space c, c, and thus effect a perfect union of the two. In a
manner similar to this the ends of girders may be keyed in or fastened
together, and various other portions of metallic erections joined or
supported. In cases where it is necessary to provide for an expansion

page_text: and contraction of the parts to which my improvements is applied, I-
adopt the following or other method of interposing a stratum between
the new casting and those parts intended to be joined or supported.
Upon coarse canvas or other suitable fabric I spread a coating of
loam and lime, or any such substance, a piece of which is placed
in contact with the rails or other parts, so as to cover the entire surface
intended to be cast upon. Thus far I have mentioned how my improve-
ments may be carried into effect by the use of any ordinary apparatus:
I will now, however, proceed to describe a portable cupola for melting
the metal to becast upon the spot where it is desired to be used, and which
constitutes the second part of my Invention. This apparatus is shewn in
the two views of Sheet 2, of the accompanying drawings; Fig. 15, being a
side elevation thereof, and Fig. 16, a top view of the same. The barrel of
the cupola is shewn at a, a, composed of sheet metal, and lined with fire
bricks or fire clay. It is provided with a door of the usual construc-
tion at b, and a spout at c; on either side are handles, d, d, d, for the
convenience of lifting when it is required to be removed from the
framework; and to the upper part are attached standards e, e, upon
which the ladles may be placed in order to keep them in a heated
state. The cupola thus formed is attached by means of bolts to a
framing, ff, upon which is also affixed the casing g, J, g, of a
rotatory fan h, h, h. The fan casing g, lias plates i, i, riveted thereto,
which plates are united by means of bolts to angle piece's attached to
the sides of the cupola; it is also furnished with a pipe, projecting
forward through an orifice formed in the barrel of the cupola. Upon
the axis of the rotatory fan h, there is a small pulley , which is con-
nected by means of a band to a larger pulley 7, upon the axis of which
there is a pinion 'm, taking into the teeth of a wheel », which wheel is
capable of being put in motion by means of the winch handles o,o, by
turning which, therefore, the fan /, will be caused to rotate, and drive a
blast of air into the cupola a, and thus effect a speedy melting of the
metal. This apparatus may readily be conveyed from place to place
where my improved method of applying cast metal, as before described,
is required to be used; or it may be applied to the purpose of casting
ordinary railway chairs, or other parts of railways, portions of bridges,

page_text: locks, or other erections, upon or about the spot where such articles are
required to be used. Having thus described and ascertained the nature
of my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be per-
formed, I desire it to be understood that I claim, as secured to me under
the above in part recited Letters Patent,-Firstly, joining, fixing, or
supporting the bars or other metallic portions of railways, bridges, locks,
and other metallic erections, by pouring molten iron or other suitable
metal on to or about such parts. Secondly, the employment of a
portable cupola for the purpose of casting portions of railways, bridges,
locks, or other erections at or about the situation where such castings
are intended to be used. In witness whereof, I, the said Richard
Stuart Norris, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of
August, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-one.