AN IMPROVED DEVICE FOR SECURING RAILWAY KEYS IN THEIR CHAIRS
Year: 1885

page_text: We, GEORGE ABRAHAM GOODWIN, & WILLIAM FIELD How, both of N° 2 Victoria
Mansions, in the City of Westminster, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of
our invention for "AN IMPROVED DEVICE FOR SECURING RAILWAY KEYS IN THEIR
CHAIRS," to be as follows:-
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Our invention relates to a device to be used in conjunction with the ordinary or
other key employed for wedging rails in their supporting chairs, and is designed to
prevent the said key from working back in the jaw of the chair and thus becoming
loose.
Our device consists of a plate, conveniently of steel, of about the same depth as
the key, and with its ends bent at right angles to the body, so as to embrace the
two sides of one of the jaws of the chair. In the body of this steel clip we provide
one, two, or more tongues, (similar to the tongues of a reed in a musical instru-
ment) which tongues are conveniently stamped round three of their edges out of
the body of the plate, and bent upwards towards the web of the rail. These
tongues are tempered and always press against the key when the latter is driven
into place between the clip and the web of the rail.
Where the chairs are cast to suit our arrangement we prefer that a recess shall
be cast in the internal face of the jaw into which our clip plate can be bedded, and
so prevent any vertical movement.
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In applying our improved clip to existing chairs, we may make the clip plate to
suit the surface of the chair against which it bears, and we may bend over the top
and bottom of the said plate, so as to rest against the top of the chair and the
bottom of the key respectively to prevent any vertical movement of the plate..
Our device thus allows the key to be tightened up at any time, without causing
the slightest reduction in the bearing surface, and should the key become in any
way slack and thus tend to work back in the chair it will be seen that the tongues
of our improved clip are always pressing hard against the key, and the points of
the tongues, being presented in that direction in which the key was driven in, will
bite into the surface of the key, and prevent any backward movement.
Dated thin 15th Ja
ST TOOK
FELL & WILDING,
Agents for the Applicants. "

page_text: In figures 3 and 4, we show a modified form of our clip, in which one end
only C¹ of the clip is bent down at a right or other convenient angle to the body,
so as to overlap the driving end of the wedge. The tongues B¹, in this case, are
stamped out in the direction facing towards the jaw of the chair, and pointing
towards that end of the clip which has its end bent over at an angle to the body.
The wedge and clip are here driven in together between the web of the rail and
the jaw D of the chair; the tongues B¹ of the clip springing out beyond the
further edge of the chair as they pass it, so as to prevent the jarring back of the
clip and thus of the wedge or key with it.
Where the chairs are cast to suit our arrangement we prefer that a recess shall
be cast in the internal face of the jaw, into which our clip-plate can be bedded,
and so prevent any vertical movement.
We may also, if desired, make the clips without bent flanges, and secure them in
the chair, by placing them within a recess cast for the purpose in the interior face
of the jaw on the wedge side of the chair, as shown in figure 6.
In applying our improved clip to existing chairs, we may make the clip-plate to
suit the surface of the chair against which it bears, but we may bend over the
bottom of the said plate or a lug F left thereon, so as to rest against the bottom of
the key as shown in detail, figure 5, to prevent any vertical movement of the clip
plate.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
1st The method of fixing or securing rails and the ordinary railway keys in
chairs by means of a clip-plate of tempered steel provided with tongues engaging
either in the key or against the chair to prevent any backward movement of the
key, substantially as described.
2nd The construction of such a clip-plate provided with spring tongues and a
flange or flanges at one or both ends as and for the purposes substantially as
described.
3rd The combination of a chair recessed on the interior face of the jaw on the
wedge side of the chair with a spring tongued clip-plate, without flanges and
fitting therein, as and for the purposes substantially as described.
Dated thie 15th day of March 1886
FELL & WILDING,
Agents for the Applicants.