IMPROVEMENTS IN FORMING THE JOINTS OF THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS, OR IN SECURING OR CONNECTING THE. RAILS TOGETHER SO AS TO FORM A CONTINUOUS RAIL OF EQUAL STRENGTH AND RIGIDITY THROUGHOUT
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for
Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FORMING THE JOINTS
OF THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS, OR IN SECURING OR CONNECTING THE.
RAILS TOGETHER SO AS TO FORM A CONTINUOUS RAIL OF EQUAL STRENGTH AND
RIGIDITY THROUGHOUT."-A communication from abroad by William
Louis Winans and Thomas Winans, of St. Petersburg, in the Empire
of Russia
lealed the 13th May 1870, and dated the 23rd December 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward.
Newton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 23rd December 1869.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery.
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FORMING THE
JOINTS OF THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS, OR IN SECURING OR CONNECTING

page_text: THE RAILS TOGETHER SO AS TO FORM A CONTINUOUS RAIL OF EQUAL STRENGTH AND
RIGIDITY THROUGHOUT," to be as follows :-
The object of this Invention is to effect a more secure and perfect
connection of the I section rails to each other than has previously been
effected so as to form a continuous track of equal rigidity and strength
throughout.
The Invention consists in using a new form of fish plates, rendering a
railway track quite as strong and secure at the junction between two
adjacent rails as at any other point. To the outer side of the rails at the
joints thereof is adapted a fish or splicing plate of forged or rolled iron
or steel, by preference (with a view to lightness and strength) of such
dimensions as together with a smaller fish or splicing plate on the inner
side of the rails will preserve the full strength thereof at the joints, and
make the rails practically continuous, thus causing an equal weight to fall
upon each sleeper, and making it admissible to place the sleepers at
equal distances apart. These fishes are applied between the upper and
lower tables of the rails, and fit upon moderate angles, which should be
equal above and below the axes of the bolts by which they are secured,
so that in taking up the slack (caused by wear) by tightening the nuts
on the bolts (which hold the fishes laterally in place) the relative
positions of the splices to the rails and to the axes of the bolts
may be maintained without undue strain upon the bolts. In applying
these fishes it is absolutely necessary that they have a firm bearing
on both the upper and lower tables of the rails, otherwise the move-
ments of trains over them would cause wear which in a short time
would destroy the supporting surfaces to such an extent as to render them
useless. To obtain this firm bearing notwithstanding the inequalities
incident to the manufacture of the rails, as well as to facilitate the
taking up of the looseness which will naturally be caused by the
movement of trains over them, the outer and stronger fish or splicing
plate is made of a
form so as to allow the rails to have a
lateral movement past each other, so that both rails may be brought
into firm contact with the wedging surfaces of this fish plate, while
the proper fit of the inner fish plate is secured by its flexibility
laterally, which allows the bolts to spring or bend it sufficiently to secure
a firm and close fit between it and the top and bottom table of each
rail, though the surfaces of them may not be in the same line or plane.

page_text: To prevent the bolts or nuts employed for securing the splices from
turning, in consequence of the movements caused by the passage of
trains over the rails holes are bored through the heads of these bolts,
and through these holes there is inserted a strong wire, the end of which
is bent so as to retain it in place notwithstanding the jar caused by
the passage of trains.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
left by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 23rd June 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her
special licence that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FORMING THE JOINTS OF THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS;
OR IN SECURING. OR CONNECTING THE RAILS TOGETHER SO AS. TO FORM A CONTINUOUS
RAIL OF EQUAL STRENGTH AND RIGIDITY THROUGHOUT," being a communication
to me from abroad by William Louis Winans and Thomas Winans, of
St. Petersburg, in the Empire of Russia, upon the condition (amongst.
others) that I, the said William Edward Newton,. my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain.
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was.
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date.
of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say):-
The object of this Invention is to effect a more secure and perfect
connection of the I section of rails with each other than has previously
been effected so as to form a continuous track of equal strength and.
rigidity throughout.
The Invention consists in using a new form of fish plates whereby a
railway track is rendered quite as strong and secure at the junction
between two adjacent rails as at any other point.
In the accompanying Drawing we have shewn various views of rails
connected together in the improved manner. Fig. 1 is a plan view, and
Fig. 2 a side elevation representing the ends of two rails connected
together according to the Invention; Fig. 3 is a transverse section of
the same.
It will be seen on referring to these Figures that to the outer side of
the rails a, a, at the joints thereof is adapted a fish or splicing plate 6 of
forged or rolled iron or steel by preference (with a view to lightness and
strength) of the form shewn in the Drawings, and of such dimensions as
(together with a smaller fish or splicing plate c on the inner side of the
rails) will preserve the full strength of the rails at the joints and make
them practically continuous, thus causing an equal weight to fall upon
each sleeper and making it admissible to place the sleepers at equal
distances apart. These fish plates are applied between the upper and
lower tables of the rails and fit upon moderate angles which, as shewn at
Fig. 3, should be equal above and below the axes of the bolts d by which
they are secured, so that in taking up the slack (caused by wear) by
tightening the nuts & on the bolts d (which hold the fish plates laterally
in place) the relative positions of the splices to the rails and to the axes
of the bolts may be maintained without undue strain upon the bolts.
In applying these fish plates b and c it is absolutely necessary that they
should have a firm bearing on both the upper and lower tables of the
rails a, otherwise the movements of trains over them would cause wear,
which in a short time would destroy the supporting surfaces to such an
extent as to render them useless. To obtain this firm bearing notwith-

page_text: standing the inequalities incidental to the manufacture of the rails as
well as to facilitate the taking up of the looseness which will naturally
be caused by the movement of trains over them (for a short time after
they are first laid down and until the bearing surfaces of the rails and
the fish or splicing plates become enlarged by wear to a sufficient extent.
to support the load without further change) the outer and stronger fish
or splicing plate 6 is made of such a form (as shewn at Fig. 3) as will
allow the rails to have a lateral movement past each other so that both
rails may be brought into firm contact with the wedging surfaces of this
fish plate, while the proper fit of the inner fish plate c is secured by its
flexibility laterally, which will allow the bolts d to bend it sufficiently to
secure a firm and close fit between it and the top and bottom table of
each rail a although the surfaces of the rails may not be in the same line
or plane. To prevent the bolts d or nuts d' (employed for securing the
splice plates b and c) from turning (in consequence of the movements
caused by the passage of trains over the rails) holes d² are bored through
the heads of these bolts, and through these holes there is inserted a
strong wire or rod e, the end of which is bent as shewn by dots in Fig. 2
so as to retain it in place notwithstanding the jar caused by the passage
of trains.
In all of the views or Figures the parts indicated by the letter 6
represent the outside and stronger of the fish or splicing plates, and
those indicated by the letter c the inside or more flexible of the fish or
splicing plates. The parts indicated by the letter d represent the bolts
with holes & through their heads, and those indicated by the letter e
represent the strong wires with their ends bent for preventing the bolts
from turning round. In all of the views a indicates the spliced
rails.
I am aware that various means of coupling rails have been patented,
but I do not believe that any combination of a forged or rolled iron or
steel splice embracing all of the features above described has been used
or invented. What I therefore claim to be new and desire to claim as
the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent is, the combination of a
heavy and rigid fish plate placed upon one side of the rail with a lighter
and more flexible fish plate upon the other side of two adjacent rails,
thereby giving the full strength of the rail, the splicing or fishing plates
being of such form as to enable the play to be taken out and wear of

page_text: the surfaces to be compensated for under all circumstances, as above set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-third day of June,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)