AN IMPROVEMENT IN CON- NECTING AND SUPPORTING THE ENDS OF THE RAILS OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Barnes, of 2, Royal Exchange Buildings,
in the City of London, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN CON-
NECTING AND SUPPORTING THE ENDS OF THE RAILS OF RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 2nd May 1856, and dated the 14th November 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Barnes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th
November 1855.
I, WILLIAM BARNES, of 2, Royal Exchange Buildings, in the City of,
London, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "AN IMPROVE-
MENT IN CONNECTING AND SUPPORTING THE ENDS OF THE RAILS OF RAILWAYS" to
be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object an improvement in connecting and sup-
porting the ends of the rails of railways. For this purpose the end of each.
railway bar is formed or cut with a slit or opening in order to receive a filling
and connecting piece, which is formed in such manner as to enter horizon-
tally into the slit or opening formed in either of two contiguous railway bars,
and to be slided partly therefrom into the slit or opening at the end of the
other bar, and by such means to retain the ends of the two bars to the same
level; and in order to prevent either of the ends so connected from shifting
jaterally, the filling and connecting piece is made with projecting flanches,
which come on either side of the two railway bars, and they prevent the ends

page_text: shifting laterally, or separating one from the other in either direction. The
filling or connecting piece is retained from moving by keys or fastenings. By
these means the ends of the rails will be securely upheld and retained secure,
and yet admit of being readily taken up and replaced.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Barnes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th May 1856.
c
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BARNES, of 2, Royal Exchange Buildings, in the City of London, send
.greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of November, in the year of our. Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Iler
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Barnes, Her special licence that I, the said William Barnes, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Barnes, 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
wend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN CONNECTING
AND SUPPORTING THE ENDS OF THE RAILS OF RAILWAYS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Barnes, 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 Barnes, 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 thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object an improvement in connecting and sup-
porting the ends of the rails of railways. For this purpose the end of eacli
railway bar is formed or cut with a slit or opening in order to receive a
filing and connecting piece, which is formed in such manner as to enter

page_text: horizontally into the slit or opening formed in either of two contiguous railway
bars, and to be slided partly therefrom into the slit or opening at the end of
the other bar, and by such means to retain the ends of the two bars to the
same level; and in order to prevent either of the ends so connected from
shifting laterally, the filling and connecting piece is made with projecting
flanches, which come on either side of the two railway bars, and they prevent
the ends shifting laterally, or separating one from the other in either direction.
The filling or connecting piece is retained from moving by keys or fastenings.
By these means the ends of the rails will be securely upheld and retained
secure, and yet admit of being readily taken up and replaced.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of one arrangement of parts for carrying out
my Invention, and Figure 2 is a transverse section thereof; Figure 3 shows
a side view, and Figure 4 a transverse section, of another arrangement of parts
for carrying out my Invention. a, a, in each case is a connecting piece, which
enters into slits or openings formed in the ends of two contiguous rails, by
which the two ends of the two railway bars are kept correctly together, as
shown. The connecting piece a, a, may be fixed directly to a sleeper, as in
Figures 1 and 2, by bolts, keys, or otherwise to the sleepers, or the connecting
piece may be used with a bearing plate 6 interposed between the connecting
piece a, a, and the sleeper. If desired, the connecting piece may be mado
suitably for passing bolts through it and the ends of the rails, and be fixed by
screw nuts, or cotters, or keys. When the form of rail is such that it is
fixed by its own foot or flanch, a connecting piece may be used without any
flanch or foot, as is shown in Figures 5 and 6.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Barnes, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
GEO. PITT,
4, Old Square.
WILLIAM BARNES. (L.B.)