IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of
Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."-A communication from Christian
E. Detmold, resident at the City of New York, United States of
America.
Sealed the 25th February 1859, and dated the 24th December 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th December 1858.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, and of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North
Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," a communication
from Christian E. Detmold, resident at the City of New York, United States
of America, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved mode of joining and fastening the
ends of the rails of the permanent way of railways, whereby the rails are kept
in the same vertical and horizontal planes without any additional chairs or
plates, bolts, rivets, or any other description of fastening, the rails being also
left entirely free to expand and contract.
According to this Invention it is proposed to cut notches or slots in the
webs or shanks of the rails at their ends, and to insert into such notches or
slots wrought or cast-iron joint pieces, of such a section as to enable them to
fit accurately into the slots, and at the same time to fit against the sides or

page_text: under the head of the rail, at the ends thereof. In order to afford facility for
taking up the rails, certain of the rails, say every tenth rail, should have the
slot made of extra length, so as to admit of the joint piece being slid along
such slot, and consequently unlock itself from the adjoining rail end, when the
unlocked rail may be taken up.
At these parts the joint pieces may be retained in their places when locked
by means of wooden wedge pieces driven behind them into the slot, & secured
therein by a pin.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 24th June 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex, and
of 166, Buchanan Street, in the City of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said
John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or
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 PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," a com-
munication from Christian E. Detmold, resident at the City of New York,
United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said John Henry Johnson, by an instrument in writing under my band and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 John Henry Johnson, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is

page_text: 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 :-
The said Invention relates to an improved mode of joining and fastening
the ends of the rails of the permanent way of railways, whereby the rail ends
are kept in the same vertical and horizontal planes without any additional
chairs or plates, bolts rivets, or any other description of fastening, the rails
being also left entirely free to expand and contract.
According to this Invention it is proposed to cut notches or slots in the
webs or shanks of the rails at their ends, and to insert into such notches or
slots wrought or cast-iron joint pieces, of such a section as to enable them to
fit accurately into the slots, and at the same time to fit against the sides or
under the head of the rail, at the ends thereof. In order to afford facility for
taking up the rails, certain of the rails, say every tenth rail, should have the
slot made of extra length, so as to admit of the joint piece being slid along.
such slot, and consequently unlocked from the adjoining rail end, when the
unlocked rail may be taken up. At these parts the joint pieces may be
retained in their places when locked by means of wooden wedge pieces driven
behind them into the slot, and secured therein by a pin.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
Figures.
Figure 1 of the annexed Sheet of Drawings is an end view of an ordinary
rail of the so-called I pattern; and Figure 2 is a side view of the same.
A represents a slot or long notch cut out of the shank or stem of the rail,
which is readily effected by a circular saw of suitable thickness when the rail
is hot, or by any other suitable means. The width of this slot or notch may
be from one-half to three-quarters of an inch, more or less, in proportion to
the size of the rail, its length varying from three to five inches, more or less,
but the efficiency of the joint would be diminished by making it too short; on
the other hand, the difficulty and cost would be uselessly increased by making
it much longer than mentioned above. Figure 3 is an end view of the joint
piece, of which Figure 4 is a side view. This joint piece is made of wrought
iron rolled to the desired pattern, and cut into proper lengths by a circular
saw or other means. It is so shaped, that its narrow part or neck (A¹) fits
precisely into the slot or notch A in the ends of the rails, whilst the upper
groove B clasps the under side of the head of the rail, and the lower groove

page_text: B³ fits close to the under part of the shank or neck, and the inner portion of
the bottom web or base of the rail, as shown in the section of the joint at
Figure 5, and in side elevation of the same at Figure 6.
The ends of the rails into which the slots are cut are slipped up on this
joint piece, and thus a perfect joint is formed, which will entirely prevent all
lateral or vertical displacement of either rail, whilst at the same time it affords
the rails full liberty to expand and contract, the rails being simply spiked
upon the cross ties with hook-headed spikes."
I apply the same principle of joints to the so-called bridge rail, by cutting a
slot or notch through both shanks at the ends of the rails of the same dimen-
sions as above lindicated, and as shown in Figures 7 and 8, which represent
respectively an end and side view of such a rail. A, A, indicate the slots or
notches, which are slipped upon a cruciform joint piece shown in end and
side elevation at Figures 9 and 10 respectively.
This joint piece is also rolled of malleable iron, and of such a shape as to fit
precisely into the inner groove of the rail, whilst the arms of the cross fit
exactly into the slots or notches cut in the shanks of the rails, as shown in
Figures 11 and 12, which shew a section and side view of the joint.
The joint pieces may be made of cast iron, but wrought iron rolled will be'
found the cheapest and most efficient.
An additional and important advantage of this mode of making rail joints
consists in the support which the joint piece affords to the head of the rail,
which is more apt to be crushed at the joint than elsewhere.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would 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, the systems or modes of
joining and fastening the ends of rails for railways, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of June, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-nine.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)