THEPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Featherstone Griffin, of New Adelphi
Chambers, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Inven-
tion of is THEPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 17th January 1862, and dated the 23rd July 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Featherstone Griffin.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd July 1861.
I, GEORGE FEATHERSTONE GRIFFIN, of New Adelphi Chambers, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," to
be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to obtain a simpler and more economical
system of permanent way for railways than any hitherto in use, to effect which
I propose to rest the rails on hollow sleepers of cast iron, formed by preference,
oblong; and in order to obtain the greatest amount of bearing surface and of
strength consistent with economy of metal, I prefer to make the sleepers
corrugated, both internally and externally. I dispense with the use of chairs,
and secure the rails in position on the sleeper by means of jaws or chair arms
cast on each end of the sleeper, of such shape as may be suitable to the form
of rail for which they are intended. Such jaws or chair arms may be
advantageously made partially hollow, those on one side being fitted with a
spring catch firmly imbedded in the sleeper falling into a ratchet on the side
of the key, and I prefer to make the key of cast iron, hollow, and slightly
wedge-shaped. This spring catch and key may also be applied to all railway
chairs cast in form to receive them. The sleeper is to be filled with ballast
packed in the way usually adopted when hollow sleepers are employed, and to

page_text: give greater strength to the sleeper, and ensure a firmer hold upon the ballast,
I prefer to have a double flange cast all round the sleeper at its base. The
rails are kept in proper gauge by means of tie rods of wrought iron divided
and bent at each end, so as to form when in position the letter T, and these
tie rods being dropped into suitable recesses cast in the sleeper, are securely
retained in position by the superincumbent rail, but can be readily taken
up when the rail is removed. The rails resting on a considerable length of
sleeper, it is not necessary to employ fish plates or any other extraneous mode
of uniting the ends of the rails, as the rails can be effectually connected by
means of an iron key of sufficient length, to be driven through both jaws or
chair arms on the sleeper (or more than two jaws or chair arms may be used
if desirable), such key when driven up being secured from movement by the
spring catches falling into the ratchet at or near each end of it. To remove
a rail key, it is only necessary to press back the spring catch by means of a
key. By this system of permanent way I expect not only to obtain at
moderate cost many of the advantages of a continuous longitudinal sleeper, but
I secure the rail in its proper position by means of fastenings which cannot work
out by vibration or by changes of temperature, and I altogether dispense with
the use of nuts, bolts, trenails, and wedges. Although from motives of economy
I propose to employ cast iron for all parts of this system of permanent way
except the tie rods and spring catches, the same advantages may be obtained
if the sleepers be made of wrought iron, and the keys of either wrought
iron or of steel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Featherstone Griffin in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 23rd January 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
FEATHERSTONE GRIFFIN, of New Adelphi Chambers, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 3
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said George Featherstone Griffin, Her special licence that I, the said
George Featherstone Griffin, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such 3
others as I, the said George Featherstone Griffin, my executors, administra-
tors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to

page_text: 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,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Featherstone
Griffin, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Featherstone Griffin, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings forming part of this my Specification, and to the figures and letters
of reference marked thereon, similar letters of reference denoting similar parts
where such parts appear, or may be seen at each of the Figures respectively,
Figure 1 representing an isometrical view in plan of a portion of my permanent
way as laid down; Figure 2, a section of sleeper, shewing the rail key and
spring; Figure 3, key for opening spring catch; Figure 4, wedge or rail key;
Figure 5, section of Figure 4; Figure 6, spring catch; Figure 7, head of
spring catch; Figure 8, a spring catch differing in form with Figure 7;
Figures 9, 10, and 11, tie bars with differently formed ends.
The object of my Invention is to obtain a simpler and more economical
system of permanent way for the passage or transit of railway rolling stock
than any hitherto in use. I rest the rails on hollow sleepers of cast iron H,
by preference corrugated, both internally and externally, in order to give the
greatest amount of bearing surface and of strength consistent with economy
of metal, and such sleepers may be oblong, and placed at certain distances
apart, as shewn Figure 1 in the Drawing, or may be made longer, and laid
so as to form nearly or quite a continuous line without intermediate spaces, as
may be found most desirable. I dispense with the use of chairs, and secure
the rails in position by means of jaws or chair arms, which may be cast on
each end of the sleeper, and made partially to suspend or support the rail, as
shewn at (Figure 1), or on each end, and in the centre, as shewn at the
jointing of the rail (Figure 1), or in any other convenient position, and of such
shape as may be suitable to the form of rail for which they are intended.
These jaws or chair arms may be advantageously made partially hollow, and

page_text: those on one side are fitted with the spring catch C, firmly set or wedged in
the sleeper; this spring catch is intended to fall into the ratchet, see Figure 4,
cast on the rail key B.
Instead of the spring catch shewn in the Drawing (which is of iron, steel,
or other metal) I may elect to use vulcanised india-rubber, or other elastic
material enclosed in metal, and shooting a metal bolt or other spring appa-
ratus which will effect the same object as the spring shewn in the Drawing.
And the spring catch above mentioned may be applied to railway chairs cast
in form to receive them. I prefer making the rail key of cast iron, hollow and
slightly wedge-shaped, see Figure 5; but they may be cast solid, or made with
wrought iron, and solid or hollow, or of wood, with a cast or wrought iron
ratchet upon the side, or in any position suitable for double headed, single
headed, or bridge rails. The sleeper may be packed with ballast in the way
usually adopted where hollow sleepers are employed; but I much prefer
packing them in the following manner:-I take a sleeper, without jaws,
and open at the top, which I term a packing sleeper. I place this in the
position which the sleeper to be laid permanently is to occupy, and tightly fill
it with ballast rammed through the open top; I then lift off the packing
sleeper (by handles adapted for that purpose) and place the real sleeper on
the shape or mould thus left. To give greater strength to the sleeper, ensure
a firmer hold upon (and obviate its tendency to cut into) the ballast, I cast the
double flange I around its base. Where intermediate spaces are left between
the sleepers (as shewn at Figure 1) the double flange extends all around its
base; but it is scarcely necessary to observe that if the sleepers be laid con-
tinuously, the said flanges will only be cast on each side of the sleeper. The
rails are kept in proper gauge by means of the wrought-iron tie rods E, the
ends of which may be formed as shewn at Figure 9, or by splitting the rod as
far as necessary, and bending the parts formed by the split at right angles,
see Figure 10; or the ends of the tie rod may be formed as shewn at
Figure 11, and the ends of these tie rods being recessed in the hollows cast in
the sleeper, as shewn at Figure 1, will be securely retained in position by the
superincumbent rail, and be easily lifted when the rail is removed. The rails
resting on a considerable length of sleeper, it is not necessary to employ fish
plates or any other extraneous mode of uniting the ends of the rails, as the
rails are effectually connected by the centre jaw or chair arm (Figure 1), S
which may be longer, if desirable, or a rail key of sufficient length to be driven
through jaws at or near each end of the sleeper may be used, such key being
secured by the spring of each jaw falling into a ratchet on the rail key; but I
much prefer the method shewn in the Drawing. To remove a rail key it is
.

page_text: only necessary to press back the spring catch by means of a key A, Figure 3,
which may be simply a wedge-shaped piece of iron, or the keyhole may be so
arranged as to require a key of a peculiar pattern in order to increase the
difficulty of abstracting the rail keys for purposes of theft or mischief. By
this system of permanent way I obtain at moderate cost many of the advan-
tages of a longitudinal sleeper while leaving intermediate spaces between the
sleepers, as shewn at Figure 1 in the Drawing, (but where desirable a con-
tinuous line of my improved sleepers may be laid down,) I secure the rail in
its proper position by means of fastenings, which cannot work out by vibration
or by changes of temperature, and I altogether dispense with the use of
wooden sleepers, and nuts, bolts, trenails, wedges, (excepting as regards the
rail key, spikes,) screws, or similar pieces.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and means by
which I carry it into practical effect, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the relative proportions of parts as indicated by the accom-
panying Drawing, as such must necessarily vary to suit the requirements of
particular cases, and that I claim,-
Firstly, the exclusive use of a double flange, cast with and all round the base
the sleepers, if intermediate spaces be left between them, or a double flange
along each side of them, if to be laid continuously.
Secondly, recessing the tie bars in the sleepers, and retaining them in
position by the superincumbent rail, as shewn in the accompanying Drawing,
whether the ends of said tie bars be formed as shewn Figures 9, 10, and 11,
or otherwise.
Thirdly, the exclusive use of a spring and rail key, with ratchet or ratchets.
as herein-before described and shewn in the Drawing, of whatever material
such rail key be made, and of whatever form or material the spring.
Lastly, the general combination and arrangement of parts essentially as
herein described and shewn in the annexed Drawing, forming (when so
arranged and combined) "Improvements in the Permanent Way of Railways."
In witness whereof, I, the said George Featherstone Griffin, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
G. F. GRIFFIN. (L.S.)