IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Heward Bell, of Pelton, in the County of
Durham, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF
RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 14th May 1858, and dated the 18th November 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Heward Bell
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th November 1857.
I, WILLIAM HEWARD BELL, of Pelton, in the County of Durham, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT
WAY OF RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
pieces, one of which only
surface becomes worn by
These improvements are intended to effect a considerable economy in the
construction of the permanent way of railways, and also in the renewal of the
same when required, by forming the rails in three
requires to be replaced from time to time as the
traffic, instead of renewing the whole of the rail. In some instances also, the
use of "chairs" is entirely dispensed with, and in other arrangements nearly
flat plates are employed instead.
The details of the form of the rail, and the method of fixing or attaching
the same to the sleepers may be somewhat varied, but the principal elementary
feature of the Invention is always preserved, and consists of a T-shaped rail
forming the head or working surface, supported by two rectangular or

page_text: L-shaped rails or plates, placed one on each side of the lower or vertical flange
of the said T-shaped rail.
The vertical flanges of the side plates (which may be either slightly inclined
or perfectly vertical) are secured one on each side of the head rail, by means
of bolts, pins, cottars, or other suitable fastenings, and the lower flange of the
head rail may either extend downwards to and abut upon the sleeper or not,
as preferred. The inner sides of the vertical flanges of the side plates may
also be furnished with longitudinal grooves or projections corresponding with
projections or grooves upon the lower flango of the head or T-shaped rail.
The rail may be secured to the sleeper by means of spikes or bolts passing
through the lower or horizontal flange of the side plates or rails, or they may
be held down at intervals by plates bolted or otherwise fixed to the sleepers,
and slightly cranked to suit the thickness of the lower flange of the side plates.
In this latter case, the inner cranked plate at suitable intervals is made to
extend across frome ono rail to the other, so as to assist in preserving the
"guage" of the rails. It is also intended that these rails should "break
joint," that is, that the joints of the head rail and side plates should occur
alternately, and not coincide.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Heward Bell in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 18th May 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HEWARD BELL, of Pelton, in the County of Durham, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of November, 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 William Heward Bell, Her special licence that I, the said William
Heward Bell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Heward Bell, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYE," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said William Heward Bell, my executors

page_text: 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 William Heward Bell, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, and on reference to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, that is to say :-
My Invention of improvements in the permanent way of railways is
designed principally for the purpose of forming a continuous rail, by making
the rail in three separate pieces, breaking joint with each other, and also for
the purpose of effecting a considerable economy in the renewal of the working
surface of the rail when necessary, as only one of these pieces is required to
be replaced from time to time as the surface becomes worn by traffic, instead
of renewing the whole of the rail. The use of chairs also is entirely dispensed
with, and in some arrangements or modifications of the Invention nearly flat
plates are employed instead.
The details of the precise form of the rail, and the method of connecting
the three parts together, and of fixing or attaching the same to the sleepers
may be somewhat varied, but the principal elementary feature of the Inven-
tion is always preserved, and consists of a T-shaped rail forming the head or
working surface, supported by two rectangular or L-shaped rails or plates
placed one on each side of the lower or vertical flange of the said T-shaped
rail.
The vertical flanges of the side plates (which may be either slightly inclined
or perfectly vertical) are secured one on each side of the head rail, by means
of bolts, pins, cottars, or other suitable fastenings, and the lower flange of the
head rail may either extend downwards to and abut upon the sleeper, or not,
as preferred. The inner sides of tho vertical flanges of the side plates may
also be furnished with longitudinal grooves or projections corresponding with
projections or grooves upon the lower flange of the head or T-shaped rail.
The rail may be secured to the sleepers by means of spikes or bolts passing
through the lower or horizontal flange of the side plates or rails, or they may
be held down at intervals by plates bolted or otherwise fixed to the sleepers,
and slightly cranked to suit the thickness of the lower flange of the side
plates. In this latter case the inner cranked plate at suitable intervals is

page_text: mado to axtond across from one rail to the other, so as to assist in preserving
the guage of the rails.
But in order that my Invention may be described moro in detail and
perfectly understood, I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings representing
various modifications of the same elementary principle which constitutes my
Invention, and have marked the same with figures and letters of reference
corresponding with those in the following explanation thereof.
Figure 1 represents a section of a rail constructed according to my Inven-
tion, & drawn to a scale of about half the actual size. A is the T-shaped
head rail; and B, B, are the L-shaped side rails, the vertical flanges of which
are slightly inclined. The 3 rails are held together by the bolt C, and aro
fastened down to the sleeper by the spikes D, D. The space E may either
be left open as shewn, or filled in with wood, as shown in Figure 8. Figure 2
shows a modification of this rail, wherein the vertical flange of the head rail
abuts on the sleeper, the vertical flanges of the side plates being reduced for
that purpose.
Figure 3 is another modification, in which longitudinal projections F, F, on
the side plates fit into similar recesses or grooves formed in the vertical flange
of the head rail.
Figure 4 shows another modification, in which the form of the projections
and grooves is somewhat altered, and the flanges of the side plates are
perfectly vertical.
Figure 5 shews an arrangement for holding down the head rail by means of
a bolt C tapped into the under side of the head rail; and Figures 6 and 7 shew
the application of a T-headed bolt for the same purpose; Figure 8 shews in
section the method of attaching the rails to the sleepers by plates, as abovo
described; and Figure 9 is a plan view on a smaller scale of the same,
shewing also the break joint and the method of tieing the rails, so as to
preserve the guage.
In these two Figures A is the head rail; and B, B, the side rails; C, C, are
the cranked plates, which serve as chairs, and are bolted or spiked on to the
sleepers. It will be observed, that at intervals the inner cranked plates
extend across from one rail, to the other, as at C*, for the purpose of
maintaining the guage, and also that the rails break joint, that is to say,
the joints of the head and side rails occur, alternately.
that
It will be evident that in all the above arrangements, or in any mere
modification of the same, the T-shaped head rail will be all that will bo
required to be renewed from time to time as the surface becomes worn by
traffic.

page_text: Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention of
improvements in the permanent way of railways, together with the manner
of carrying the same into practical effect, I would remark in conclusion
that I claim as my Invention, the method of constructing a continuous line
of rail by uniting a T-shaped head rail and two L-shaped side rails, breaking
joint, as shewn in the Drawings, and above described, whatever may be the
precise details of form or arrangement, and also the employment of the
cranked plates shewn in Figures 8 & 9 as a substitute for chairs for such
rails when the rails themselves are not spiked or bolted to the sleepers.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Heward Bell, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
WILLIAM HEWARD BELL. (L.S.)