IM- PROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."-A coinmunication
from abroad by Jules Vautherin, Iron Master, of 29, Boulevart St.
Martin, Paris.
Sealed the 16th February 1866, and dated the 1st September 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said, William Clark at. the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his. Petition, on the
1st September 1865. ...
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS" to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to improved means of connecting rails of various
kinds to iron sleepers, especially those of a semi-tubular form. For single
headed or vignole rails the inclination towards the inside of the line is obtained
by means of a rolled plate, while the connection is made by a bolt having a
washer underneath the nut, which embraces on the one hand the foot of the
railaud on the other a similar part formed by rolling on the foot or base plate.;
the head of the bolt is also squared. A longitudinal mortise or opening is
made in the sleeper to permit of the bolt being introduced head downwards

page_text: therein until the square part.projects beyond, when it is turned half round
and again raised so that the squared part may adjust itself to the slot or
opening, in which position it is prevented from turning. I then place the
washer on the bolt, the nut of which presses it firmly against the foot of the
rail and also the raised projection on the base plate, while the bolt, having a
certain amount of longitudinal motion in the mortise before mentioned, a
double locking effect will be produced, inasmuch as immediately the washer
touches one side it will be subjected to a slight inclination until it meets with
the other, consequently the locking is always perfect. The other side of the
rail is held at its foot by a kind of rivet or gib, serving at the same time to
unite the foot plate to the sleeper rail.
These improvements are represented in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, Sheet 1 of the
Drawings, Fig. 1 being a transverse.section of the rail and sleeper; Fig. 2,
detached views of the screw bolt; while Fig.3 shows a plan of the rail andsleeper.
a, rail; b, sleeper; c, inclined base plate; d, rivet for fixing plate c; e, raised
projection opposite the foot of the rail; f, rectangular opening; 1, screw bolt,
´seen separately at Fig. 2; having a head h, which is squared for a part of its
-length, and then enlarged as shown; m, washer, the under part of which is
made so as to embrace the foot of the rail and projection e; n, nut screwing
on bolt . The bolt is introduced head downwards into the rectangular opening
or mortise, as far as its cylindrical part extends, when it is then turned a
quarter round, being slightly raised at the same time to enable the square part
to lodge in the smaller diameter of the mortise, as seen in Fig. 1; the washer
m is then placed in position on the bolt, and screwed down firmly on the foot
of the rail by nut n. When the washer m becomes worn at the point bearing
on the rail, it is simply necessary, in order to renew its contact surface, to
unscrew nut n, and then turn the washer one-sixth or one-eighth round, when
it will be rendered as firm as before. I may also in certain cases dispense
with nut n, and make the washer serve both purposes.
Fig. 4 shows a vignole rail fixed in a similar manner to a semi-tubular
sleeper, except that for the rivet or gibo is substituted a tooth or projection p
formed on the base plate in the rolling. After the latter operation the rib or
projection p is turned down into the form of a hook, while the metal is hot in
a mould.
In this arrangement it will be necessary to use a second rivet 9, which with
rivet d will fix the foot plate to the sleeper. For double-headed rails one
method of fixing consists in placing on the top of the sleeper an iron chair
formed in two parts of angle iron, as seen in Figs. 5 and 6, Sheet 2.
Fig. 5 shows a transverse vertical section of the rail chair formed in two

page_text: chair
parts as described, and Fig. 6 plan of same. a, sleeper; b, rail; c,
formed in two parts; d, fixing rivets; e, rivet for preventing the chair from
rising.
The advantage of this system of chair, formed of two rolled iron plates,
consists in the union of the metals being effected under the rail, consequently
the weight of a locomotive or train will have no tendency to spread or separate
the lateral bearing surfaces.
For double-headed rails a good method of attachment is shown at Figs. 7,
8, 9, and 10, Sheets 3 and 4. In this case the rail is fixed by ineans of two
forms of rolled angle iron a, b, one of which is held fixed by rivets c, c', to
the metal sleeper, the other being movable, and shouldered against a part'd of
plate a. A bolt e, Figs. 7 and 8, holds part 6 in place firmly up to the rail,
which is thus supported at two points f, g; in this case the wood wedge is
dispensed with. Instead of bolt e, I may employ a gib h and cotter i, as in
Figs. 9 and 10. The same locking effect is obtained by the aid of the gib and:
cotter, which in being forced home causes the former to slip up the inclined.
plane of the angle plate, and so produce a perfect fixture of the parts.
The last improvement may be applied with advantage to joint chairs, for
which purpose it is simply necessary to make the angle plates to project a
little higher than before, so as to enable the fish bolts to pass through the
middle of the rail, while, in order to guard against the displacement of the
angle plates, the arrangement shown at Fig. 11 may be adopted.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st March 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of September, in the year of our Lord'
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
nie, the said William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said William
Clark; my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter.

page_text: 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 communication to me from abroad by Jules
Vautherin, Iron Master, of 29, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Clark, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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 William Clark, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the two Sheets of Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to improved means of connecting rails of various
kinds to iron sleepers, especially those of a semi-tubular form. For single-
headed or vignole rails the inclination towards the inside of the line is obtained
by means of a rolled plate, while the connection is made by a bolt having a
washer underneath the nut, which embraces on the one hand the foot of the
rail, and on the other a similar part formed by rolling on the foot or base
plate;
the head of the bolt is also squared. A longitudinal mortise or opening
is made in the sleeper to permit of the bolt being introduced head downwards
therein, until the squared part projects beyond, when it is turned half round
and again raised, so that the squared part may adjust itself to the slot or
opening, in which position it is prevented from turning; I then place the
washer on the bolt, the nut of which presses it firmly against the foot of the
rail, and also on the raised part formed on the base plate, while the bolt
having a certain amount of longitudinal motion in the mortise before mentioned,
a double-locking effect will be produced, inasmuch as immediately the washer
touches one side it will be subjected to a slight inclinatiou until it meets with
the other, consequently the locking is always perfect. The other side of the
rail is held at foot by a kind of rivet or gib, serving at same time to unite the
foot plate to the sleeper rail.
These improvements are represented in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, Sheet 1, of the
Drawings, Fig. 1 being a transverse section of the rail and sleeper; Fig. 2,
detached views of the screw bolt; while Fig. 3 shows a plan of the rail and
sleeper.

page_text: a, rail; b, sleeper; c, inclined base plate; d, rivet for fixing plate c; e, raised
projection opposite the foot of rail; f, rectangular opening; 1, screw bolt,
seen separately at Fig. 2, having a head h, which is squared for a part of its
length, and then enlarged as shown; m, washer, the under part of which is
made so as to embrace the foot of the rail and projection e; n, nut screwing
on bolt 1. The bolt is introduced head downwards into the rectangular
opening or mortise f, as far as its cylindrical part extends, when it is then
turned a quarter round, being slightly raised at same time to enable the
squared part to lodge in the smaller diameter of the mortise, as seen in Fig. 1.
The washer m is then placed in position on the bolt, and screwed down firmly
on the foot of the rail by nut n. When the washer m becomes worn at the
point bearing on the rail, it is simply necessary in order to renew its contact
surface to unscrew nut n, and then turn the washer one-sixth or one-eighth
round, when it will be rendered as firm as before. I may also in certain cases
dispense with nut n, and make the washer serve both purposes.
Fig. 4 shows a vignole rail fixed in a similar manner to a semi-tubular
sleeper, except that for the rivet or gib o is substituted a tooth or projection p
formed on the base plate in the rolling. After the latter operation, the rib or
projection p is turned down in the form of a hook, while the metal is hot in a
mould.
In this arrangement it will be necessary to use a second rivet q, which, with
the rivet d, will fix the foot plate to the sleeper.
I may also simplify the several parts of which the sleeper is composed by
means of an arrangement which permits of the base plate being dispensed
with
In this arrangement the inclination of the rail is obtained by bending the
sleeper at the point intended to receive the rail. The sleeper will be then of
the form shown at Fig. 5, in which the parts a, b, a', 6, are inclined about
five degrees; or of the form represented at Fig. 6, in which the parts c, d,
c, d, of the sleeper are bent to the same degree of inclination. The fixing
of the rail to the inclined part of the sleeper, represented at Fig. 7, is effected
in the following manner:-The rivet o, previously described with reference to
Fig.1, is introduced while hot from the under side, which rivet serves to effect
the lodgement of the foot of the rail. On the inside of the rail a rectangular
mortise e is made in the top of the sleeper, the one sidef of which is slightly
bevilled; in this mortise is introduced, bead downwards, the bolt 1, previously
described at Fig. 2, which, as before mentioned, is turned half round, and
then raised so that the square part g shall adopt itself to the smaller diameter
of the mortise e, and so be prevented from turning; only instead of placing a

page_text: washer and nut on the bolt, as in Figs. 1 and 2, a kind of wedge h is intro-
duced, having a hole of the diameter of the bolt, and bevilled in the side
which bears against the foot of the rail, on the cther side is an inclined tail
piece i adapted to the rear part of the mortise; a locking nut j is also applied
on wedge h. It will be understood that in proportion as the nut j presses on
the wedge h the part of the latter will enter more or less into the mortise,
and bearing on the inclined part of the latter, will effect a lateral
the rail at the same time that the tightening of the nut will exert an upward
pressure:
pressure on
Two different actions are thus produced, one in a horizontal and the other
in a vertical direction, which conditions are indispensable for obviating the
effect of wear, either of the rivet o or that portion of the wedge in contact
with the foot of the rail, as if the rivet becomes worn it is necessary to
slightly shift the rail, and this is effected by tightening up the wedge h by
reason of the double-inclined parts presented at its front and rear parts. The
bolt, instead of bearing two lugs forming a head, may terminate in a hook B
(Figs. 8 and 9), which, after being introduced into the mortise, is screwed up
underneath the foot plate in the manner indicated in the said Figure a;
wedge h is also introduced as before, having tail piece i secured in position by
nut j, and producing the same result as before described. There is, however,
this difference, that the pressure being exerted in the axis of the locking
arrangement, the bolt cannot possibly go out of position.
The two systems of attachment above described may be applied with great
advantage for securing rails to the iron semi-tubular longitudinal sleepers,
represented at Figs. 19 and 20. The inclination of the rail is produced by
rolling the sleeper of a suitable form on its top surface. The rail is connected
to the sleeper by suitable attachments, alternated as seen in Fig. 20. Each
rail rests partly on one sleeper and partly on another, and to provide for
curves in the line it is sufficient to cause the tail of the wedge to enter the
mortise in the sleeper to a considerable extent on one side, and but slightly
entering on the other. In this manner from one-fifth to one-sixth of an inch
play of the rail is readily obtained on each side, which is sufficient for a rail
'on a curve of small radius.
For double-headed rails one method of fixing consists in placing on the top
of the sleeper an iron chair formed in two parts of angle iron, as seen in
Figs. 10 and 11.
Fig. 10 shows a transverse vertical section of the rail and chair formed in
two parts as described, and Fig. 11 pian of same. a, sleeper; b, rail; c, chair
formed in two parts; d, fixing rivets; e, rivet for preventing the chair from

page_text: rising. The advantage of this system of chair, formed of two rolled iron plates,
consists in the union of the metals being effected under the rail, consequently
the weight of the locomotive or train will have no tendency to spread or
separate the lateral bearing surfaces.
For double-headed rails,a good method of attachment is shown at Figs. 12,
13, 14, and 15. In this case the rail is fixed by means of two forms of rolled
angle iron a, b, one of which is held fixed by rivets c, c', to the metal sleeper,
the other being movable, and shouldered against a part dof plate a. A bolt e,
Figs. 12 and 13, holds part in place firmly up to the rail, which is thus
supported at two points f, g; in this case the wood wedge is dispensed with.
Instead of bolt e, I may employ a gib h and cotter i, as in Figs. 14 and 15.
The same locking effect is obtained by the aid of the gib and cotter, which in
being forced home causes the former to slip up the inclined plane of the angle
plate, and so produced a perfect fixture of the parts.
I will lastly mention a simplified modification of the system herein-before
described, which consists in forming the fixed angle plate, as shown in
Fig. 17.
In this arrangement the head of the sleeper is provided with a cross
mortise, as in Fig. 18, the part c, d, of which is slightly inclined. The
detachable angle plate which produces the locking, is furnished with a tail
piece x, x, similarly inclined to the cotter . This tail piece is received at
the part c, d, of the mortise, when the part, r, of the detachable angle plate
bears on the rail; aud as it is necessary for the said angle plate to fit the
rail also at point n, n', this result is effected by the action of the gib and
cotter h, . It will be readily understood that the gib h' being introduced as
mentioned in the previous modification, the locking cotter bearing on the
inclined part of the tail piece x, x¹, will produce a slight motion of the
detachable angle plate; which is further facilitated by the gib
inclined surface of that part of the angle plate ; this motion is only arrested by
the end n, n', of the angle plate coming up against the rail, which will be
thus firmly held at two points, and this is an essential condition for ensuring
its stability.
rising on the
This last improvement may be applied with advantage to joint chairs, for
which purpose it is simply necessary to make the angle plates project a little
higher than before, so as to enable the fish bolts to pass through the middle
of the rail, while in order to guard against the displacement of the angle plates,
the arrangement shown at Fig. 16 may be adopted.
Having described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by

page_text: the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the improvements in the
mode of securing rails of various forms to iron sleepers, especially those of a
semi-tubular form. The chief features for single-headed or vignole rails
being,―
1st, the inclination of the rails to an extent equal to five degrees on the
inside by means of a rolled plate of the forms represented at Figs. 1 and 4
of the annexed Drawings, or by bending the sleeper as in Figs. 5 and 6.
2ndly, I claim the method of securing the rail at foot as described and
represented in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4.
3rdly, I claim effecting the same object by means of the arrangements of
wedges with tail pieces, as represented in Figs. 7, 8, and 9.
4thly, I claim the application of these wedges for securing rails to iron
semi-tubular longitudinal sleepers, as described and represented in Figs. 19
and 20.
In double-headed rails I claim,―
1st, fixing the rail in an inclined position by means of an iron chair formed
of two angle plates, as described and represented in Figs. 10 and 11.
2ndly, I claim fixing the rail in an inclined position by means of two
additional rolled angle plates, one of which is fixed and the other movable,
as described and represented in Figs. 12, 13, 14, and 15. This latter
system possesses the advantage of enabling wood quoins to be dispensed
with.
Lastly, I claim the method of attachment obtained by means of a detachable
angle plate, which has a slight motion, whereby it is caused to bear on the
rail at two points, all as herein-before described and represented in Figs. 17
and 18 of the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
JAMES DAISH,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
W. CLARK.
(L.S.)