IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Livesey, of 75, Cannon Street West, and
John Edwards, of 29, Basinghall Street, in the City of London, for the
ON DATE AVO
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Livesey and John
Edwards at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 8th December 1864.
We, JAMES LIVESEY, of 75, Cannon Street West, and JOHN EDWARDS, of 29
Basinghall Street, in the City of London, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," to
be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to the formation of railway chairs and sleepers of cast
or wrought iron or steel, or such metals combined, and consists of a metal
sleeper, having a channel or trough running beneath the rail either the whole
or part of its distance. Into this trough we propose to place blocks of wood
or cork; also india-rubber or other elastic substance placed between pieces of
timber or other suitable material to prevent the rail acting injuriously on the
rubber or elastic medium. Also in forming a trough, as above, or of larger
dimensions, to receive the rail or chair plate; into this trough we propose to
place steel springs, sawdust, or cuttings of cork, to act as a cushion or elastic
medium. Also in the formation of a railway chair for suspending the rail or
otherwise, having a loose jaw through which passes a bolt either vertically,"

page_text: slightly at an angle, or horizontally; when placed in a horizontal position the
bolt passes through the rail, firmly holding the loose jaw and at the same
time binding it on the chair. When the bolt does not pass through the rail
it is made to pass through the loose jaw and chair bottom, and is so arranged
that a rail can be taken out and replaced by simply loosening the nut, without
the necessity of taking any part to pieces. The bed of the loose jaw is
arranged at a peculiar curve so as to compensate for any irregularity in the
casting, or the wear of the rail before turning. These chairs can be used
separately or on an iron sleeper. Also in the formation of a sleeper or chair
with indents on the jaw and key, the indents on the key being at the same or
a different pitch to the indents on the jaw of the chair; into these indentations
we drive a plug to fasten the key. Also in the arrangement of a tie bar with
a cotter curved or otherwise passing through or under the tie bar immediately
under the rail, the rail preventing the cotter coming out. This cotter, which.
can be made of iron or steel, and so formed by projections or the difference in
the curve of the cotter and its bed, that on being driven it binds the tie bar
firmly to the sleeper, not only keeping the road to guage but preventing any
lateral motion of the sleepers. The cotters and cotter holes are sometimes
serrated or notched, so as to adjust the guage. Also in the use of a T or
angle iron which is fixed to the lower part of the sleeper, so as to be used on
tramways where horses are employed, or for contractors' purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Livesey and John Edwards in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 8th June 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES'
LIVESEY, of 75, Cannon Street West, and JOHN EDWARDS, of 29, Basinghall
Street, in the City of London, send' greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of December, in the year of our Lord'
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said James Livesey and John Edwards, Her special licence that we, the said
James Livesey and John Edwards, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said James Livesey and John Edwards, our
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'

page_text: 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," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said James
Livesey and John Edwards, our executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said James Livesey and John Edwards, do,
hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
Our Invention relates to a more perfect system of elastic permanent way,.
and to a better mode of securing the rails in chairs and sleepers.
Figure No. 1 represents an iron sleeper with a trough or recess imme-
diately under the rail; in this trough we place an elastic cushion, consisting
of a piece of india-rubber (B) or other elastic material between two pieces of
timber (A and C), or of other such substances, so as to prevent the rail acting
injuriously on the elastic substance; this may be placed in two or more:
recesses or the whole length of sleeper. This arrangement is applicable to
other forms of sleeper as well as the one shewn and above referred to. India-
rubber has been frequently tried, but owing to it having been placed either
immediately under the rail or in such a position that a grinding action takes
place, has not been found at all durable. The mode we propose, however,
removes this difficulty, & prevents not only the grinding process, but also
the injurious chemical action which takes place between the india-rubber &
the iron.
Figures Numbers 5, 6, 7, and 8, refer to a novel plan of chair, so arranged
that a rail may be taken out and replaced without taking any part of the.chair
to pieces, and made with an arrangement of a curve for the base of the loose
piece or jaw (D), Figure 6, so that it can adapt itself to any inequalities or
lamination of the rail when turned; we prefer to strike this curve from the
point at (E), so that whatever inequalities may exist in the head of the rail,
the fast and loose jaws shall always remain the same height, and the tilt of the
rail be correctly preserved. In order to take out a rail the nut has simply to
be loosened (not taken off), the slot cast in the bottom of the chair allowing
the bolt and loose jaw to fall back sufficiently to release the rail. The slot in

page_text: the bottom of the chair is cast in a T form, so that the bolt head can be
dropped in from the top after the chair is spiked to the sleeper. In this
chair we prefer to suspend the rail, and thus preserve the under head and
lengthen the durability of the rail.
Another arrangement of this chair with the curved base for the loose jaw
is shewn at Figure 5, with a bolt passing through the rail & loose jaw.
Figures 11, 12, 13, and 14, show how this chair can be applied to iron
sleepers.
Figures 9 and 10 show an arrangement of sleeper with a trough, in which
we propose to place sawdust, cuttings of cork, or steel springs, to act as an
elastic cushion. The rail is firmly secured to a bed plate, so that the elasticity
is secured without any motion of the rail.
Figures 15, 16, 17, & 18, show a simple arrangement of chair or sleeper
which could be applied to either plan, No. 1 or No. 9, or to a simple cast or
wrought iron sleeper without the elastic packing underneath the rail. The
filling pieces (F) are employed to avoid the necessity of moving the brackets (G)
on the plate or sleeper when it is needful to turn a rail. This arrangement
would also apply to bracket chairs used on wood sleepers.
Figures 19 and 20 show a peculiar mode of securing the tie bar by means
of a curved cotter. The sleeper is cast with an open trough so as to avoid the
use of cores and secure perfect accuracy of gauge. The tie bar is passed into
the body of the sleeper until the cotter hole reaches the centre of the trough
or recess; the curved cotter is then driven in; this cotter is made almost flat
or at a much greater curve than the bottom of the trough, and when driven,
the force required to bend it (as seen at Figure Number 20) binds the tie bar
immovably to the sleeper.
the
Figures 21 and 23 show a plan of serrated cotters and tie bars for adjusting
gauge.
Figure 24 shews a very simple arrangement of key for railway chairs or
sleepers, & consists of a taper metal key with indents of any convenient
form; the jaw of the chair is also indented to correspond with the key. When
the key is driven, a pin or plug is dropped into one of the holes made by the
indents coming opposite each other to prevent the key coming out. We
prefer to make the indents in the key at a different pitch from those on the
chair, so that a very slight motion of the key will always bring two out of the
number opposite each other. In this chair we prefer to suspend the rail, and
sometimes we form this chair with an extra loose filling piece (H), so as to
get a large bearing surface for the rail to rest on without necessitating a
heavy chair.

page_text: Having now described the nature of our Invention, and how the same is to
be carried into effect, what we claim as our Invention is,―
Firstly, the use of india-rubber or other elastic substance placed between a
protecting medium, as shewn at Figure No. 1, and the use of sawdust or cork
cuttings, as shewn at Figure No. 9.
Secondly, for a chair wherein the rail can be taken out and replaced
without taking any of its parts to pieces, and the curved base to the loose
jaw and chair to compensate for any inequality in the rail, as Figures 5, 6, 7,
and 8.
Thirdly, for an arrangement of tie bar and grooved or serrated cotter for
adjusting the gauge and casting the sleeper with an open recess for the curved
cotter, avoiding cores, so as to secure greater accuracy in casting, Figures 19,
20, 21, and 23.
Fourthly, the indented key and chair jaw with loose pin, Figure 24.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Livesey and John Edwards, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eighth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
JAMES LIVESEY. (L.B.)
JOHN EDWARDS. (L.8.)
JAMES LIVESEY. (L.B.)
JOHN EDWARDS. (L.S.)