- MENTS IN CONSTRUCTING THE PERMANENT WAYS OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles William Ramié, of 73, Denbigh Street,
Pimlico, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
Sealed the 26th September 1856, and dated the 4th April 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles William Ramić
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th April 1856.
I, CHARLES WILLIAM RAMIE, of 73, Denbigh Street, Pimlico, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention, for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CONSTRUCTING THE PERMANENT WAYS OF RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in constructing the per-
manent ways of railways. For this purpose ordinary double-headed rails are
used, and they are supported and retained in position in the following
manner-On either side of the rails are fixed, by screw bolts or otherwise,
wings or plates, which by resting on the ground, form longitudinal bearers to
the rails, and such wings or projecting plates are fixed either continuously or
at intervals, and if at intervals, it is preferred that the spaces between the
wings or projecting plates should not come opposite each other, but be alter-
nately on either side of the rail to which they are fixed. It should be stated,
that it is not new to obtain longitudinal bearings or supports by fixing plates or

page_text: wings to the sides of a rail, but the plates or wings, according to this Inven-
tion, are made bent or rolled in the form of angle iron, so that the edge of a
plate or wing will, where it is in contact with the web or side of the rail, lie
close thereto, and admit of bolts being passed through the rail and through
that portion of the wing or plate in contact therewith, and the plate then
comes in contact with the lower head of the rail and rests thereon; the plate
or wing is then formed to incline upwards from the lower part of the rail to
the outer edge of the plate or wing, in order to facilitate packing. On the
under sides of these wings or projecting plates are fixed, either at intervals or
continuously, bent plates or angle irons; the flanges of these bent plates or
angle irons come under the rail, and by being fixed by rivets or otherwise to
the wings or projecting plates, are then by screw bolts or by cotter bolts capable
of being drawn towards each other, and not only to form under supports for
the rail, but at the same time cause those parts of the wings or projecting
plates to clip and hold securely on the lower head of the rails.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles William Ramié in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 4th October 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
WILLIAM RAMIE, of 73, Denbigh Street, Pimlico, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Hér Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth. year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Charles William Ramié, Her special licence that I, the said Charles William
Ramié, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Charles William Ramié, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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
CONSTRUCTING THE PERMANENT WAYS OF RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Charles William Ramié, my executors or admini-
strators, 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

page_text: 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 Charles William Ramié, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
.
This Invention has for its object improvements in constructing the per-
manent ways of railways. For this purpose, ordinary double-headed rails are.
used, and they are supported and retained in position in the following
manner-On either side of the rails are fixed, by screw bolts or otherwise,
wings or plates, which by resting on the ground form longitudinal bearers to
the rails, and such wings or projecting plates are fixed, either continuously or
at intervals, and if at intervals, it is preferred that the spaces between the
wings or projecting plates should not come opposite each other, but be alter-
nately on either side of the rail to which they are fixed. It should be stated,
that it is not new to obtain longitudinal bearings or supports by fixing plates
or wings to the sides of a rail, but the plates or wings, according to this
Invention, are made bent or rolled in the form of angle iron, so that the edge
of a plate or wing will, where it is contact with the web or side of the rail, lie
close thereto, and admit of bolts being passed through the rail and through
that portion of the wing or plate in contact therewith, and the plate then
comes in contact with the lower head of the rail and rests thereon; the plate
or wing is then found to incline upwards from the lower part of the rail to
the outer edge of the plate or wing in order to facilitate packing. On the
under sides of these wings or projecting plates are fixed, either at intervals or
continuously, bent plates or angle irons; the flanges of these bent plates or
angle irons come under the rail, and by being fixed by rivets or otherwise to
the wings or projecting plates, are then by screw bolts or by cotter bolts, capable
of being drawn towards each other, and not only to form under supports for
the rail, but at the same time cause those parts of the wings or projecting
plates to clip and hold securely on the lower head of the rails.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
In carrying out my Invention I can use the ordinary double-headed rail.
My Invention is not, however, dependent on the form of rail used. My.
Invention consists, as above stated, of applying on either side of the rails of a.
railway bent wings or plates of iron, in such manner that the wings or plates
incline upwards from the lower parts of the rails.

page_text: b
Figure 1 shows a transverse section of a double-headed rail a,.having fixed
thereto a wing or bent plate of iron b, on either side by screw bolts or nuts c.
These wings may form a continuous bearer from end to end of the railway.
or may only be used at intervals, in which case I prefer that the intervals or
spaces between the wings 6 should not be opposite each other, but that the
spaces or intervals, where no wing is applied, should be alternate, first on one
side and then on the other side of the rail; and in some cases it is desirable that
the joints, or coming together of the ends of the wings or plates, should not
coincide with the ends of the rails, but should on the contrary break joint
therewith, and thus will a railway be joined from end to end without the
necessity of "fishing" the ends of the rails. c¹, c¹, are further plates, fixed
by rivits or otherwise to the under sides of the wings b, b.
may
These plates c¹, c³,
be applied at intervals, and it is preferred they should be when the wings
or plates b, b, are of considerable length, or the plates c¹, c', may be dispensed
with, or they may be used as longitudinal bearers, whilst the plates b, b, may
be of comparatively short, lengths, as shown in Figure 2, which represents
another mode of applying side wings b, b. In this arrangment, these wings
b, b, are supposed to be in short lengths and to be applied at intervals, whilst
the bent plates c³, c¹, are of greater length and may be continuous bearers of
the rail a. The plates c', c', support the lower head or part of the rail a, and
by means of screw bolts and nuts or of cotter bolts, the plates c¹, c', are drawn
together and are made strongly to clip the rail between them and the wings or
bent plates b.
Figure 3 shows another arrangement, wherein the bent plates or wings b, b,
are fixed to the rail a by cotter bolts, and such wings are supposed to be of
considerable length, whilst the bent plates c¹; c', are of short lengths and only
applied at intervals, and their lower flanches are retained together by a tie
rod d, as shown.
Figure 4 shows a transverse section of a rail a, where the wings b are fixed
to the rail by keys or wedges. The wings 6 in this arrangement are of short
lengths and affixed to the rails a at intervals, and their extent of surface.
bearing is increased by having separate plates fixed thereto by rivits, keys,
or otherwise, and it is preferred, when using this arrangement, together with
under plates c¹, that the under plates c¹ should be applied below the bent
plates or wings b, b, and that they should hold the plates 61, 61, between them.
I would state, that although the plates ', b', are shown to be curved, this may

page_text: be varied, and they may be made flat, the parts of the wings b and plates c³,
which hold them, being made accordingly.
Figure 5 shows a transverse section of another rail a, having wings or bent
plates 6 fixed on either side, and in place of using bent plates c', c', and tie
rods, a transverse bearer e is applied and affixed to the wings or bent
plates b, b.
Figure 6 shows a transverse section of another rail a, with wings b, b,
applied thereto, but in this arrangement the wings b are not fixed to the rail,
but to a bent plate f, which at intervals forms part of the tie bars for pre-
serving the guage.
Figures 7, 8, 9, 10, and 23, show sections of a rail a, with only one head.
b, b, are the wings or bent plates applied on either side thereof, and such
wings incline upwards from the lower parts of the rails a, a, as before
described in respect to the double-headed rails. In Figure 8, the under bar x
passes through the rail.
Figures 11, 12, 13, and 14, show sections of bridge rails, with wings or
bent plates b, b, on either side thereof.
Figure 15 shows a section of another form of rail, with wings b, b, on
either side.
Figures 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 22, show sections of rails where one of the
bent plates or wings 6 has the rail a formed thereon, the other bent plate or
wing b being fixed thereto, as shown in these arrangements; that which is the
peculiarity of my Invention is retained, viz, the bent plates or wings b incline
upwards on either side of a rail from the lower parts of the rails a.
Figure 21 shows a section of a rail a, a, made of two parts, each having a
wing 6 formed therewith, which inclines upwards; and I would state, that it is
not new to make rails of two parts longitudinally. I do not claim the same,
nor, in fact, any of the forms of rails shown; my claim to Invention in all
cases being the mode of applying wings or bent plates to the sides of rails,
such bent plates or wings inclining upwards from the lower parts of the
rai's a.
Figures 24 and 25, show two sections of trough or bridge rails, with wings
or bent plates b, b, fixed to them on either side, as shown. I would remark
generally, that in all cases I prefer to apply the wings or bent plates b, b, or
c, c', to the rails a, in such manner as to break joint with the rails and with
each other, in order to avoid the use of fish "plates" to the ends of the
rails a, a.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any of

page_text: the parts separately; but what I claim is, the. construction of the permanent
ways of railways, by applying wings.or bent plates on either sides of the
rails,, such wings inclining upwards from the lower parts of the rails, as herein
described..
In witness whereof; I; the said Charles William Ramié, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of September, in the year.
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six..
Witness,
A. CARPMAEL.
C. W. RAMIE. (L.S.)