IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF GIRDERS OR RAILS, RAILWAY CHAIRS, SLEEPERS, SWITCHES, POINTS, AND CROSSINGS, AND IN THE MODE OF LAYING, FIXING, AND WORKING THE SAME ON LINES OF RAILWAYS AND IN OTHER SITUATIONS
Year: 1868

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Benjamin Browne at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 11th
March 1868. A communication from abroad by William Buckwell,
of Correggio Emilia, in the Kingdom of Italy.
I, BENJAMIN BROWNE, of No 49, King William Street, in the City of
London, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF GIRDERS OR RAILS,
RAILWAY CHAIRS, SLEEPERS, SWITCHES, POINTS, AND CROSSINGS, AND IN THE MODE
OF LAYING, FIXING, AND WORKING THE SAME ON LINES OF RAILWAYS AND IN OTHER
SITUATIONS," a communication from abroad by William Buckwell, of
Correggio Emilia, in the Kingdom of Italy, to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in constructing metal girders or rails used
for building purposes and for the permanent way of railways of the
form of an inverted trough girder in its cross section with its lower
edges spread out something like the letter A for the purpose of
obtaining greater strength with less weight of metal than heretofore
and of greater durability.

page_text: Another feature of novelty in this Invention consists in so forming
the chairs employed to support the rails as that the under side of the
head of the rail rests upon the top of the chair, the chair being
principally inside the rail instead of wholly outside thereof as commonly
practised. It is proposed to fix the said chairs to rolled metal sleepers
corrugated in the direction of their length so as to combine strength
with lightness, durability, and flexibility. It is proposed to employ
a tension sole plate for the chair to rest in, holes being formed through
the said plate for the ends of the chair to pass through, the said ends
being turned downwards for that purpose. The rails are to be connected
to the chairs by keys or cotters passed through holes formed
transversely in the chairs and rails, and the chairs and rails may be
securely fixed to the corrugated cross sleepers by keys or cotters passed
through holes in the turned down ends of the said chairs, the said keys
or cotters tightening against the under side of the corrugated sides of
the sleepers, the central corrugation being formed considerably deeper
than those at the edges which abut against flanges formed at the
ends of the sole or chair plate. The junction of the rails may either
be a "butt joint" or a "splice joint."
To adapt girders or rails of the above construction to wooden
sleepers it is proposed to employ chairs of the following construction,
observing that a particular feature of novelty in the construction of
girders or rails according to this Invention consists in spreading out
the bottom of the rail, thereby obtaining great bearing surface instead
of forming the rail with flanges as heretofore commonly practised and
employed for that purpose. The chair instead of being inside the rail,
as above described with reference to corrugated metal sleepers, is formed
flat and turned up at one side to receive a wooden key for tightening
the rail in the chair. It is also proposed to form projecting flanges
across the chair to receive the bottom edges of the rails, the said chairs
being fixed to the wood sleepers by spikes or trenails as commonly
practised. If desirable, however, the chair may be made to fit inside
the rail and recesses be formed across it to receive the edges of the rails,
flanges also being formed at each side of the chair for fixing it to the
wooden sleeper by spikes or trenails, the rail being also fixed to the
chair by a key or cotter passed through the chair and rail as before
stated.

page_text: It is proposed to construct and fix switches, points, and crossings of
lines of railways upon the foregoing principle, and to operate the
switches by bell-crank levers and rods passed under them and the
fixed rails. Girders or rails constructed as above described may be
advantageously employed to support the roofs and floors of buildings
and the roadways of bridges and other structures.