AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR FITTING THE ABUTTING ENDS OF THE RAILS OF RAILWAYS TOGETHER
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
man, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR
FITTING THE ABUTTING ENDS OF THE RAILS OF RAILWAYS TOGETHER."-A com-
munication from abroad by Benjamin A. Mason, of Newport, Rhodo
Island.
Sealed the 20th March 1860, and dated the 5th January 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 5th January 1860.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS
POR FITTING THE ABUTTING ENDS OF THE RAILS OF RAILWAYS TOGETHER," to bo as
follows:-
The object of this Invention is to cut the ends of T-rails for railroads so as
to form a kind of rebate or lap joint. One end of a section of the rail is
formed by cutting out one-half of its thickness for a distance of about six
inches from the end, and about two-thirds the depth from the tread or upper
surface to the bottom or the under face of the web, so that the recess formed.

page_text: will present a longitudinal vertical face in the plane of the middle of the middle
of the thickness of the rail. The extreme end of the rail will present a plane at
right angles to the longitudinal plane of the rail, and the inner end of the
recess a vertical face parallel with the end. The bottom of this reccss will
present a plane which longitudinally is parallel with the tread or upper surface
of the rail, and transversely a plane at an inclination to the base, so as to be
lowest at its junction with the central vertical face, and inclining upwards to
the outer surface of the rail. At the cross section therefore this recess will
present one-balf of what is known as a dovetail rebate. At a distance of one-
half the length of this recess from the end, the lower part or web of the rail
is cut away to form an inclined plane, and the under face of the part which
projects beyond the cross vertical plane is cut to a plane the exact reverse of
the before-mentioned inclined plane, so that the cross section of this projecting
One end of a
part will present one-half of what is termed a dovetail tenon.
section of rail being thus shaped, the adjacent end of the next section is cut
the exact reverse thereof, so that the central longitudinal vertical plane of the
one will come in contact with the corresponding plane of the other, the end of
the projecting part of the one against the cross vertical plane at the end of
the recess of the other, the transverse inclined under face or plane of the one
on to the inclined bottom of the recess of the other, and the cross vertical
plane of the web of one against the corresponding plane of the other, so that
when put together the two sections will be completely locked, and prevent
each other from moving vertically or laterally. The rail to be cut is mounted
in a carriage which is moved forward on ways by a screw shaft. Beyond the
ways, the stocks of four cutters are mounted in a vertical frame; the cutters
being moved up to their work by means of cams working in straps attached
to the stocks of the cutter.
As the rail is presented by the feeding motion of the carriage a vertical
cutter having a reciprocating motion is first brought into action, the same
beginning at the end, and by a succession of cuts removing the metal to form
a rebate, the plane of the shoulder of which is parallel with the end of the
rail, and the longitudinal vertical plane in the middle of the breadth of the
rail. This cutter is formed with a cutting edge at the lower end of its front
face. As this cutter begins to rise out of the way, a horizontal cutter moves
forward to insure the removal of the chip from and give the required face to
the side of the rebate. This horizontal cutter is formed with its lower hori-
zontal edge to go down to the bottom of the rebate in the rail. As this cutter
is completing its cut, the third cutter, which is one of a pair of lateral cutters,
begins to advance so as to complete its cut just after.. This cutter moves at

page_text: an inclination with the base of the rail to correspond with and form the
inclined bottom of the recess in the rail. And in like manner the fourth
cutter acts on the opposite side of the rail to cut a reversed inclination on the
under part of the rail. Suitable gearing is provided for timing the motion of
the cutters to each other, and to the intermittent feed motion.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th July 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of January, in tho year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Ierself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special licence that I, the said Alfred Vincent
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 "AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR FITTING THE ABUTTING ENDS OF
THE RAILS OF RAILWAYS TOGETHER," being a communication from abroad by
Benjamin A. Mason, of Newport, Rhode Island, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and scal, 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 Alfred Vincent Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
The object of this Invention, as communicated to me by my foreign corre-

page_text: spondent, is to cut the ends of T-rails for railroads, so as to form a peculiar
kind of rebate or lap joint, by means of which the abutting ends of the rails
may be securely united together. I would remark that the kind of lap joint
which will be presently explained forms no part of this Invention.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents the two ends of rails after
having been cut to the form required to produce the intended splice; Fig. 2 is
a side elevation of the machine employed for producing the lap joint; Fig. 3
is a vertical section taken at the line A, a, of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a hori-
zontal section taken at the line B, b, of Fig. 3. The same letters indicate like
parts in all the Figures.
One end of a section A of the T-rail is formed by cutting out one half of its
thickness for a distance of about six inches from the end and about two-thirds
the depth from the tread or upper surface to the bottom or the under face of
the web, so that the recess formed will present a longitudinal vertical face a¹
in the plane of the middle of the thickness of the rail. The extreme end of
the rail will prosent a plane at right angles to the longitudinal plane of the
rail and the inner end of the recess a vertical face d', parallel with the end.
The bottom of this recess will present a plane 6', which longitudinally is
parallel with the tread or upper surface of the rail, and transversely a plane at
an inclination to the base, so as to be lowest at its junction with the central
vertical face a', and inclining upwards to the outer surface of the rail; at the
cross section, therefore, this recess will present one half of what is known as a
dovetail rebate. At a distance of one half tho length of this recess from the
end, the lower part or web of the rail is cut away to form the plane b', in a
vertical plane c' at right angles to the longitudinal plane of the rail, and the
under face of the part which projects beyond the cross vertical plane c' is cut
to a plane 6, the exact reverse of the before-mentioned plane b', so that the
cross section of this projecting part will present one half of what is termed a
dovetail tenon.
One end of a section of rail being thus shaped, the adjacent end of the next
section is cut the exact reverse thereof, so that the central longitudinal vertical
plane a¹ of the one will come in contact with the corresponding plane of the
other, the end of the projecting part of the one against the cross vertical plane
d' at the end of the recess of the other, the transverse inclined under face r
plane of the one on to the inclined bottom b' of the recess of the other, and
the cross vertical plane c' of the web of one against the corresponding plane of
the other, so that when put together the two sections will be completely locked
and prevent each other from moving vertically or laterally.
In the accompanying Drawing a, a, represent ways to which are fitted a

page_text: suitable carriage b, adapted to receive and hold a T-rail as it is termed by rail-
road engineers, there being suitable clips c, c, c, c, on the carriage to extend over
the web of the rail to hold it down to the surface of the carriage. This car-
riage is moved forward by a screw shaft d below the ways, the thread of which
acts on a projection at the bottom of the carriage. The end of the screw shaft
bas a cog wheel e, which is turned one cog at each rotation of the main driving
shaft f by a single spur on a wheel g on the said driving shaft. Or the feeding
motion may be imparted by any other suitable mechanical means adapted to
imparting an intermittent feeding motion at the end of each complete operation"
of the series of cutters to be presently described.
In the frame h beyond the ways a, a, are mounted the stocks of four cutters
i, j, k, l, adapted to slide in suitable ways, as represented. The stock of the
cutter is secured to a metal strap m, which embraces an excentric n, by which
the cutter is operated to give a vertical reciprocating motion to cut into the
rail, as it is presented by the feeding motion of the carriage, beginning at the
end, and by a succession of cuts removing the metal to form a rebate and
leave the vertical plane d¹ parallel with the end of the rail, and the longitudinal'
vertical plane a' in the middle of the breadth of the rail. This cutter is formed
with a cutting edge at the lower end of its front face to make the parallel cuts
for the face d', and at right angles with the plane a¹ of the rebate or recess.
As the cutter i begins to rise out of the way, the cutter j moves forward to
insure the removal of the chip from and give the required face to the plane a¹
of the rebate. The cutter projects from its stock o, which slides borizontally
in suitable ways, the motion being imparted by an excentric p, as in the case
of the cutter i, by a connecting excentric strap 9. This cutter is formed with
its lower horizontal edge to go down to the bottom of the rebate in the rail, its
cutting edges corresponding with the vertical plane a.
As this cutter j is completing its cut, the third cutter k begins to advance so
as to complete its cut just after. The cutter k projects from its stock r, which
slides in suitable ways at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the rail and at
an inclination with the base of the rail, to correspond with and form the
inclined bottom of the recess in the rail. The stock of this cutter is con-
nected with and receives motion from an excentric s, in the like manner as the
other cutters.
The fourth cutter l, which is mounted on a stock t like the cutter k, is
placed on the opposite side of the rail, and receives motion in like manner from
an excentric u. It is also set at an equal but reversed inclination, and cuts
away the under part of the rail to form the bevilled under portion of the rai
which projects beyond the cross vertical plane c', to fit on to the inclined

page_text: bottom b' of the recess to be formed in the adjacent section of rail.
Motion
is imparted to the excentrics for operating the three cutters i, k, l, by means of
a pinion von the main driving shaft f, which pinion engages the cogs of three
wheels w, w, w, one on each of the shafts of the excentrics n, s, u. The
required motion is imparted to the excentric of the horizontal cutter j by two
bevil wheels x, y, one on the main driving shaft and the other on the shaft of
the excentric p. ·
In this way, by a series of cutters acting in succession as the rail is pre-
sented and gradually advanced by the intermittent feed motion, the ends of the
sections of rails are formed in the manner described to produce a splice or lap
joint, the excellence of which has been fully recognized, but which has not
gone into general use for the want of suitable machinery for giving at little
cost the required form to the ends of the sections of rails.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "An Improved Mode
of and Apparatus for Fitting the Abutting Ends of the Rails of Railways
together," as communicated to me from abroad, I wish it to be understood that
I do not wish to be understood as limiting my claim to the mechanical arrange-
ment for imparting motion to the several cutters or the carriage, as other and
equivalent means may be substituted; but what I claim under the above in
part recited Letters Patent is, giving to rails the form substantially such as
herein described by the combination of the series of cutters arranged in relation
to each other substantially as described.
.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)