IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILS AND CHAIRS FOR RAILWAYS AND TRAMWAYS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Winby, of Edgbaston, in the
County of Warwick, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
:
"
Sealed the 15th September 1870, and dated the 19th July 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Winby
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 19th July 1870.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD WINBY, of Edgbaston, in the County of
Warwick, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILS AND CHAIRS FOR RAILWAYS AND
TRAMWAYS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in rolling a lip or rib on one side of each
head of the rail, the said lip or rib being situated underneath the head and
at or near the junction of the head of the rail with the body. The said
lip or rib is slightly inclined upwards, that is, from the body towards the
head of the rail. The chair is formed so as to furnish two bearings to the
said lips or ribs of the rail, one of the said lips or ribs bearing on a concave
depression on the top of the upper jaw of the chair, and the other lip

page_text: or rib taking a bearing on the top of the lower jaw of the chair. The
rail is fixed in its place in the chair by means of a wood key. The said
key does not take the usual lateral bearing, but bears against the under
side of the upper jaw of the chair, and against the inverted head of the
rail. By this method of fixing the rail the working surface of the b
inverted head of the rail is preserved from wear, so that when the rail is
reversed the acting surface of the rail presents a clear uninjured
surface.
My Invention does not materially interfere with the usual mode of
fishing the joint of the rails excepting that the holes required to be 1
punched in the fish plate are situated a little out of the middle line of the
plate.
The chair described may be used as a joint chair, in which case the
fishing of the joints of the rails is effected by strong fish plates secured
by bolts to the inner sides of the ends of the rails.
1
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Winby in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 12th January 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD WINBY, of Edgbaston, in the County of Warwick, Civil
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Edward Winby, Her special
license that I, the said William Edward Winby, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Edward Winby, 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 RAILS AND CHAIRS FOR RAILWAYS AND TRAMWAYS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Winby, a

page_text: 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.
KNOW NOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Winby, 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 :—
My Invention consists in rolling a lip or rib on one side of each head
of the rail, the said lip or rib being situated underneath the head and
at or near the junction of the head of the rail with the body. The said
lip or rib is slightly inclined upwards, that is, from the body towards the
head of the rail. The chair is formed so as to furnish two bearings to
the said lips or ribs of the rail, one of the said lips or ribs bearing on a
concave depression on the body of the upper jaw of the chair, and the
other lip or rib taking a bearing on the top of the lower jaw of the chair,
The rail is fixed in its place in the chair by means of a wood key. The
said key does not take the usual lateral bearing, but bears against the
under side of the upper jaw of the chair, and against the inverted head of
the rail. By this method of fixing the rail, the working surface of the
inverted head of the rail is preserved from wear, so that when the rail
is reversed the acting surface of the rail presents a clear uninjured
surface.
My Invention does not materially interfere with the usual mode of
fishing the joints of the rails, excepting that the holes required to be
punched in the fish plate are situated a little out of the middle line of
the plate.
The chair described may be used as a joint chair, in which case the
fishing of the joints of the rails is effected by strong fish plates secured
by bolts to the inner sides of the ends of the rails.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to
describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in cross section a rail constructed according to
my Invention; Figure 2 is an inside elevation of the same; and Figure 3

page_text: an outside elevation of the same, the said rail being combined with a
chair also constructed according to my Invention. In Figure 1 the
chair is represented in end elevation, the section of the rail being taken
at the joint. The chair is represented in the Drawings as being used as
a joint chair, but the said chair is also used for supporting the rails at
other parts besides the joints. The same letters of reference indicate the
same parts in the several Figures of the Drawings.
a, b, are the heads of the rail, and a², 62, are the longitudinal lips or
ribs rolled on one side of each of the said heads. Each lip or rib a², b³,
is slightly inclined upwards as represented, and is situated underneath the
head and at or near the junction of the head with the body c; d is the
chair, and d³, d³, are the jaws of the same. Each of the jaws d³, d³, of
the said chair is furnished with a bearing, marked respectively d', d³.
The upper bearing d' is concave, and upon the said concave bearing
the lip or rib a² of the head a bears. The lower bearing d³ is a little
convex, and the lip or rib 62 of the other head 6 takes its seat upon the
top of the said bearing d³; e is the wood key by which the rail is fixed.
The said key bears against the under side of the upper jaw d² of the
chair d and against the inverted head 6 of the rail. The manner in
which the rail is fixed in the chair by the key e and supported by the
lips or ribs a², b³, seating themselves upon the bearings d', d³, of the
chair, so as to preserve the inverted head of the rail from contact with
the chair and consequent wear, will be readily understood by an
examination of Figure 1. The inverted head of the rail so supported
when reversed in the chair presents a clear uninjured surface. The fish
plate for joining the ends of the rails is situated inside thereof, and is
fixed by bolts in the ordinary way, the holes in the said fish plate for
receiving the fastening bolts being punched a little out of the middle
line of the plate, as represented in the Drawing.
1
I do not limit myself to the shape of the lips or ribs a³, b, of the rail
nor to the strength of the said lips or ribs.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do
not limit myself to the precise details herein described and represented,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention; but I claim as my Invention,―
Firstly. The improvements in rails for railways and tramways, herein-
before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is to

page_text: say, rolling a longitudinal lip or rib on one side of each head of the
rail for the purpose of supporting the said rail in its chairs and preserving
from wear the working surface of the inverted head of the said rail,
substantially as described and illustrated.
Secondly. The improvements in chairs for railways and tramways herein-
before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that
is to say, making the jaws of the said chairs with two bearings for seating
the lips or ribs of the rail herein-before described, and also making the
upper jaw to receive the fastening key by which the rail is fixed in the
chair, substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Winby, have
hereunto set my hand and scal, this Tenth day of January, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
WILLIAM EDWARD WINBY. (L.S.)