IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Webster, of No. 13, Place du Havre, in the
City of Paris, France, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."-A communication from the
Inventor, the late Charles Gabriel Lemasson, of the Chemin de Fer du
Nord, France.
Sealed the 27th November 1857, and dated the 18th September 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Webster at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th September 1857.
I, THOMAS WEBSTER, of No. 13, Place du Havre, in the City of Paris,
France, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the permanent way of
railways, and consists, first, in an improved construction of railway chair or
support for rails. For this purpose the chair or support is made of two pieces
of angle iron, one side of which is shaped or formed to fit the section of the
rail, and the rail is held between the two pieces of angle iron by means of a
bolt passing through the angle irons and the rail. The other side of the
angle iron is flat and is fixed to the sleeper.
The next improvement consists in an improved joint chair or support for
the ends of rails; for which purpose, the chair or support is formed of two
pieces of angle iron, and between the angle iron and the rails two fish plates

page_text: are placed, and bolts are placed through the angle irons and through the
rails and fish plates, the other side of the angle iron being fixed to the
sleeper.
The next improvement consists in an improved construction of switch. For
this purpose the tongue or moveable. rails of the switch are attached firmly
to the fixed rails by means of fish plates, the flexibility of the tongue rails
being sufficient to allow them to bend to the requisite extent, and the tongue
rails are formed in two lengths, which are connected together by fish plates,
so that the thin portion of the tongue rails which are most exposed to wear
can be replaced without replacing the whole of the rail. The portion of the
line against which the thin ends of the tongue rails come, are formed of rails
of a shorter length than the ordinary length of rail, by which means this por-
tion of the line which is most exposed to wear can be more readily replaced.
The chairs or supports in which the fixed rails of the switch are fixed are
made in two parts, each part consisting of a piece of angle iron, one side of
the angle iron being shaped or formed to fit the side of the rail, the other
being flat and fixed to the sleeper; the rail is held between the two angle
irons by means of bolts passing through the rail and through the angle irons,
the bottom of the rail resting on the sleeper. The angle iron forming the
portion of the chair or support on the inside of the rail is formed with longer
sides than the angle iron forming the other portion of the chair or support,
and it is let into the wooden sleeper to allow the tongue rail to rest and work
on its upper surface. When the tongue rail comes close to the fixed rail, the
inside angle iron must be dispensed with.
The next improvement consists in forming the two middle or wing rails of
crossings in two parts, so that that portion which is nearest to the point of
the crossing and which is most exposed to wear may be removed without
removing the whole of the wing rail, and this portion of the rail is formed of
a rectangular section, so that when one side is worn it may be turned round
and expose another side to the wear; and in order to hold the middle fixed
rails and the point rail in their proper position instead of holding them in a
cast-iron chair I place a piece of angle iron on the outside sides of the
middle fixed rails, (one side of the angle iron being formed to fit the section of
the rail,) and filling pieces are placed between the middle fixed rails and. the
point rail, and a bolt passes through the angle irons and through the rails and
filling pieces, and bolts the whole together; the pieces of angle iron being fixed
down to the sleepers.
The last improvement consists in connecting the guard rail and the fixed
rail of a crossing together, and to the sleeper, by placing a piece of angle iron

page_text: formed as before on the outside of the fixed rail and on the inside of the guard
rail, and placing a filling piece together with two fish plates, between the guard
and fixed rails, and passing a bolt through the angle irons and through the rails,
fish plates and filling piece, and bolting the whole together; the pieces, of
angle iron being fastened down to the sleepers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Webster in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
2nd January 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WEBSTER, of No.. 13, Place du Havre, in the City of Paris, France, Gentle
man; send greeting.
WHEREAS. Her most Excellent Majesty. Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Thomas Webster, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Webster, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Thomas Webster, 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
THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," (a communication from the inventor, the
late Charles Gabriel Lemasson, of the Chemin de Fer du Nord, France, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Webster, my execu
tors 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Webster, 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 (that is to say).:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the permanent way of

page_text: railways, and consist, first, in an improved construction of railway chair or
support for rails.
Figure 1 of the Drawings, shews a tranverse section of the rail and of
the chair or support, which consists of two pieces of angle iron a, a; one side
of the angle iron being bent to fit the section of the rail b, as shewn, and the
rail is held between the two pieces of angle iron by means of the bolt c
passing through the angle irons and the rail. The other side of the angle iron
is made flat and is fixed to the sleeper by the spikes d, or by other suitable
means.
The next improvement consists in an improved joint chair or support for
the ends of rails, a transverse section of which is shewn at Figure 2. The
chair or support is formed of two pieces of angle iron a, a, and between the
angle iron and the ends of the rails two fish plates b, b, are placed, and bolts
c, c, are placed through the angle iron and through the rails and fish plates,
the other side of the angle iron being fixed to the sleeper by means of the
spikes d, or by other suitable means.
The next improvement consists in an improved construction of switch.
Figure 3 is a plan, and Figure 4 a transverse section of the switch. a, a, are
the tongue or moveable rails attached to the ends of the fixed rails by means
of fish plates, the flexibility of the tongue rails being sufficient to allow them
to bend to the requisite extent, and the tongue rails are formed in two lengths,
which are connected together by means of the fish plates b, so that the thin
portion a¹ of the tongue rails which are most exposed to wear can be replaced
without replacing the whole of the rail. The portion of the line c against which
the thin ends a¹ of the tongue rails come are formed of rails of a shorter length
than the ordinary length of rail, by which means this portion of the line which
is most exposed to wear can be more readily replaced. Figure 5 shows a
transverse section of the chair or support in which the fixed rails of the switch
are fixed. The chairs or supports are made in two parts, each part consisting
of a piece of angle iron a; one side of the angle iron being shaped or formed
to fit the side of the rail b, the other being flat and fixed to the sleeper by
means of spikes or otherwise; the rail is held between the two angle irons by
means of bolts c passing through the rail and through the angle irons; the
bottom of the rail resting on the sleeper. The angle iron a forming the
portion of the chair or support on the inside of the rail is formed with longer
sides than the angle iron forming the other portion of the chair or support,
and it is let into the wooden sleeper to allow the tongue rail d to rest and
work on its upper surface as shewn in the Drawing. When the tongue rail
comes close to the fixed rail the insido angle iron must be dispensed with.

page_text: Figure 6 is a plan of a crossing constructed according to my Invention.
a, a, are the wing rails which are made in two parts, so that that part which
is nearest the point b, and which is most exposed to wear may be removed
without removing the whole of the wing rail, and this portion of the rail is
formed of a rectangular section as shewn in the transverse sections Figures
7 and 8, so that when one side is worn, it may be turned round and expose
another side to wear, and in order to hold the middle rails and the point rail
in their proper position, instead of holding them in a cast-iron chair, I place a
piece of angle iron c, c, as shewn at Figures 7 and 8, on the outside sides of
the middle rails a, (one side of the angle iron being formed to fit the section
of the rail,) and filling pieces d, d, are placed between the middle rails a and
the point rail 6, and a bolt e passes through the angle irons c, c, and through
the rails and filling pieces, and bolts the whole together; the pieces of angle
iron being fixed down to the sleeper.
Figure 9 is a transvers section, shewing the improved manner of connecting
the guard rail and line rail of a crossing together, and to the sleeper. a, a, are
pieces of angle iron (one side of each of which is formed so as to fit the
section of the rail) placed on the outside of the line rail b and the inside of
the guard rail c, and a filling piece d, together with two pieces d', formed to
fit the rail, are placed between the guard and line rails, and a bolt e is passed
through the angle irons, and through the fish plates, and filling pieces, and
the whole is bolted together; the pieces of angle iron being fastened down to
the sleepers.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Webster, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth Day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
M° SAMUEL.
THOMAS WEBSTER. (L.S.)