IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Pipes Coles, of Englefield Road, in the
Parish of Islington, Surveyor, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 24th February 1868, and dated the 4th September 1869
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Pipes Coles
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th September 1862.
I, RICHARD PIPES COLES, of Englefield Road, in the Parish of Islington,
Surveyor, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE.
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," to be as
follows:-
The object of my Invention of improvements in the construction of the
permanent way of railways is to construct, arrange, and secure the sleepers
and chairs, and combine them with the rails in such a manner that the
permanent way may be more durable and less likely to get out of repair than
heretofore.
In carrying out my Invention I combine the chair and sleeper together, and
construct and secure the latter in such a manner that it will not be liable to
sink. To this end the sleeper is made of considerable depth, its base being
flat, and either polygonal or circular, or in the form of a cross with vertical

page_text: feathers or flanges, through holes in which tie rods may be passed and
secured by nuts, in order to ensure and maintain the rails at proper gauge.
On the top of these sleepers, and forming part thereof, is cast a box in which
two wedge-shaped blocks are placed. The upper part of this box is open,
but is provided with overlapping flanges, so that the wooden blocks which are
inserted through lateral spaces below cannot be forced out. One or both of
these blocks may bo wedge-formed, so that when driven into the chair they
may both fit tightly. On to the top and exposed part of the upper block the
rail, either of the bridge-form, H form, or other suitable section, is secured by
screws or spikes. These sleepers are set in concrete, of which the upper
part of the road is formed, instead of employing ballast as usual. In placing
and fixing the chairs and sleepers a trench of suitable depth may be first
excavated, and when the sleepers are properly placed and packed ready to
receive the rails the trench is to be filled up with concreto and properly con-
solidated; and in order to dispense with cross sleepers or tie pieces as far
as possible, I excavate the surface of the road between the rails and fill the
space up with concrete, so as to join the two longitudinal trenches and form the
road into a solid mass. The surface of the road must be filled up with concreto
to the under face of the rails which must rest firmly thereon, so as to assist
in relieving the chairs and sleepers from vertical pressure. It will sometimes
be found convenient to lay a longitudinal wooden plate along the line of chairs
for the rails to rest upon. This will give a certain amount of elasticity to the
permanent way, but I do not insist upon it as being in all cases absolutely
necessary. Instead of forming a chair or box on the top of the sleeper to
receive the wooden blocks to which the rails are secured I sometimes dispense
with these block, and employ only a longitudinal wooden bearer, which is
secured between flanges or otherwise on the top of the sleepers. The top of
the road is formed of concrete, as before mentioned, and the longitudinal
bearer rests upon it.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed s
by the said Richard Pipes Coles in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 4th March 1868.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Richard Pipes Coles, Her special licence that I, the said Richard
Pipes Coles, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Richard Pipes Coles, 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 Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard Pipes Coles,
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 Richard Pipes Coles, 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 Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates to an improved railway chair, and the mode of
securing the same in the permanent way of railways, whereby greater steadiness
and durability is obtained, and the cost of maintaining and renewing tho
permanent way of railways is considerably reduced.
This Invention proposes the use of an iron chair (cast iron is preferred)
made hollow in the upper part, and slightly tapering upwards in the trans-
verso section; into this hollow are fitted two wooden wedges, the upper one
entirely fitting into the upper portion of the cavity of the chair, and is forced
into its position by the lower wedge (it is preferred that the wedges are kiln
dried). The chair with its included wedges is then to be placed at intervals
and embedded in concrete of the ordinary composition, and made level with
the upper surface of the chair, and forming a continuous bearing surface for
the support of any of the well-known flanged rails; through the flange of the
rails screws are passed securing the rails to the wedges in the upper portion
of tho chair; between the flange of the rails and the concreto is interposed a

page_text: continuous surface of wood or other clastic packing to relieve the concussive
action of the passing load. At intervals wrought-iron tie rods are made to
pass through holes in the two corresponding chairs and secured by a nut to
prevent the lateral spread of the gauge.
That the said Invention may be better understood I will proceed to explain
the same by the aid of the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the same
letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings represents a transverse vertical section of my
improved form of chair; Figure 2 is a corresponding plan of the same;
Figure 3 is an end elevation of the chair; Figure 4 is a side elevation of the
chair; Figure 5 is a horizontal section of the chair taken at Figures 1 and 2,
with a plan of the base; Figure 6 is a transverse section of a railway, showing
the application of the improvements herein described.
A is an ordinary flanged rail; B and C are two wooden wedges, the upper
one B fitting into the upper portion of the cavity in the chair, and is firmly
fixed therein by the lower wedge C being tightened; D is the iron chair,
hollow at the top for retaining the wedges shown at B and C. The chairs
being placed at intervals and the upper part brought to its proper gradient
are then embedded in a longitudinal mass of concrete (of the ordinary com-
position), the upper part being levelled to form a continuous bearing for the
flange of the rail. A is the longitudinal wood packing nailed to the chair
at B, and to the transverse block G embedded in the concrete, the upper part
of the packing is made level to support the flange of the rail, which is per-
forated at intervals for admitting the screw bolts 6 to be attached to the
wooden wedges B and C for fixing the rails; E is a transverse wrought-iron
tie rod used at intervals, and passes through holes in corresponding chairs
and fastened by the nut and screw f; F is the concrete for fixing the chairs.
The advantages to be derived by the adoption of this system of permanent
way, are, first, greater safety and steadiness in travelling thereon; second, a
reduction in the annual cost of labour and materials in renewing and main-
taining the permanent way of railways.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and
original and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First, the general construction and arrangement of the permanent way of
railways, as herein-before described.
Second, the combination of the peculiar form of iron chair, herein-beforo

page_text: 5
referred to, with concrete of the ordinary composition, and arranged to form a
continuous support for the rail.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Pipes Coles, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
RICHARD PIPES COLES. (L.B.)