IMPROVEMENTS IN CHAIRS FOR CONNECTING THE RAILS OF RAILWAYS AND TRAM- WAYS TO METAL AND OTHER SLEEPERS
Year: 1877

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Auguste Pierre Potol at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th March 1877.
AUGUSTE PIERRE POTEL, of Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium, Civil Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CHAIRS FOR CONNECTING THE RAILS OF RAILWAYS AND TRAM-
WAYS TO METAL AND OTHER SLEEPERS."
This Invention consists in an improved construction of chairs for connecting the
rails of railways or tramways to metal and other sleepers. The said chairs may be
used either with transverse or longitudinal sleepers.
In applying this Invention to railways each of the said chairs consists of two
jaws, which press against and grip or hold the rail in position, connecting it firmly
to its metal sleeper. One of the said jaws is fixed and the other jaw is adjustable
and may be made to press more or less tightly against the rail as required. The
said jaws are formed so as to embrace either the foot or web, or parts of both the
foot and web, of the rail. The fixed jaw, by means of a lug projecting behind it
and resting upon the upper surface of the sleeper, is firmly bolted or otherwise
attached to the sleeper, and the said fixed jaw of the chair is formed with an arm
which projects downwards from its lower part, and passing through a suitable slot
or opening made in the sleeper turns inwards, and bearing against the under surface
of the sleeper extends to a little beyond the centre of the rail, where it is jointed or
formed so as to hook on to the end of a corresponding arm projecting from the
under part of the adjustable jaw. The said adjustable jaw is at its upper part
shaped like the fixed jaw, and its lower part passing through a suitable slot or
aperture in the sleeper turns inwards and forms an arm, the end of which hooks on
to or is jointed to the end of the under arm of the fixed jaw, herein-before described.
A lug projects backwards from the lower part of the adjustable jaw beneath the
sleeper, and is connected to the sleeper by a suitable bolt, pin, or hook passing
through the said sleeper, and secured thereto by suitable screw nuts, or otherwise.
By tightening the said screw nuts, or other tightening means used, the said
adjustable jaw is caused to move partially round the jointed or hooked end of its
arm underneath the rail, and to press against the rail as required; and if from the
trepidation caused by the vehicles passing on the rail the adjustable jaw should
work loose it may readily be tightened. Upon the sleeper and affixed thereto by
the bolt or pin of the moveable jaw of the chair is a metal plate which extends to
the foot of the rail, where a tooth or projection upon its end takes into a corre,

page_text: sponding notch in the foot of the rail for the purpose of holding the rail and
preventing its moving longitudinally.
The holes, or slots, or apertures for the passage of the lower parts of the chairs
and bolts or pins through the sleepers, being made to a uniform guage before tho
said sleepers are laid down it becomes necessary to provide for the slight differences 5
in the position of the rails when describing curves, or otherwise. For this purpose
a hexagonal or other polygonal washer or plate, in which is a hole excentric to the
centre of the washer or plate, is mounted upon the bolt, affixing the fixed jaw of
the chair to the rail so as to rest against the back of the fixed jaw, and regulate the
distance of the said jaw from the bolt, holding down the said jaw. Each of the 1
sides of the said polygon being at a different distance from the excentric hole in the
said washer or plate, the distance at which the chair is set will vary according to
the position of the said washer or plate.
In applying this Invention to trainways and very light railways the said chairs
consists of two jaws, formed so as to embrace and grip the rail. Each of the said 1
jaws forming an angular piece of iron somewhat of a V shape, the end of one leg of
each of the said V pieces (lying end to end with their apices outwards), is jointed to
the end of the corresponding leg of the other V piece, and the said jointed legs
together form the basis of the chair upon which the foot of the rail rests, the other
two legs forming the jaws which grip the rail. The said chairs are by preference 2
laid in suitable depressions formed to receive them in wooden or metal sleepers,
and it will readily be 'understood that when any weight passes over the rails the
basis of the chair will be pressed down and the jaws caused to grip more firmly the
rail.