IMPROVEMENTS IN FORMING THE PERMANENT WAYS OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Whittle, of No. 11, Frampton Terrace, Boston,
in the County of Lincoln, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FORMING
THE PERMANENT WAYS OF RAILWAYS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Whittle at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 26th June
1865.
I, JOHN WHITTLE, of No. 11, Frampton Terrace, Boston, in the County, of
Lincoln, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FORMING THE PERMANENT WAYS OF RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in forming the permanent
ways of railways. For these purposes at the ends of each rail the web is
thickened so as nearly to fill up the hollow channel, and they are cut with
scarfs or inc es so that when the ends of two rails come together they overlap
for several hes, and it is preferred that such overlapping should be to the
extent of about eighteen inches, but this may be varied, hence the web of the
two overlapping rails at the overlap will be of greater substance or transverse
section than the web of the other parts of the rail. The scarf joints of two
Price Sd.1

page_text: rails are received into a joint chair, and it is preferred that the part or
table of such chair where the joint rests should be considerably wider than
joint chairs heretofore used for receiving butt jointed rails, and. I make such
bearing part of a joint chair about seven inches wide. The scarf joint is
fastened into the chair by an ordinary wood" or other suitable key, and on
cach side of such chair the parts of the two rails which overlap are secured
together or fixed by two screw bolts and nuts it, being preferred in all cases
to use check nuts for the screw bolts.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Whittle in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd
December 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN WHITTLE,
of No. 11, Frampton Terrace, Boston, in the County of Lincoln, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of June, 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 me.
the said John Whittle. Her special licence that. I. the said John Whittle,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as 1, the said
John Whittle, my exécutors, 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
usc, make, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands. and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN FORMING THE PERMANENT WAYS OF RAILWAYS," pon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Whittle. 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that 1, the said John Whittle, 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:
This Invention has for its object improvements in forming the permanent ways

page_text: of railways. For these purposes at the ends of each rail the web is thickened
so as nearly to fill up the hollow channel, and they are cut with scarfs or
inclines so that when the ends of two rails come together they overlap for
several inches, and it is preferred that such overlapping should be to the
extent of about eighteen inches but this may be varied, hence the web of the
two overlapping rails at the overlap will be of greater substance or transverse
section than the web of the other parts of the rail. The scarf joints of two
rails are received into a, joint chair. and it is preferred that the part or table
of such chair where the joint rests should be considerably wider than joint
chairs heretofore used for receiving butt jointed rails, and I make such bearing
part of a joint chair about seven inches wide. The scarf joint. is fastened
into the chair by an ordinary wood or other suitable key, and on each side of
such chair the parts of the two rails which overlap are secured together or
fixed by two screw bolts and nuts it being preferred in all cases to use check
nuts for the screw bolts.
In Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings hereunto annexed are shown a plan
and side view of a portion of a line of railway in which the rails are connected
together with joints, such as are above described. At Figures 3 and 4 are
shown a plan and side view on a larger scale of one of the joints, a transverse
section of the joint taken through the overlapping ends of the rails is shown at
Figure 5. Figure 6 shows separately a section through the overlapping ends
of the rails. In these Figures a, a, are the joint chairs in which the scarfed
ends of the rails bare received. The bearing part of these chairs I prefer to
make broader than usual, and by preference make them about 7 inches wide as
above stated. The scarfed ends of the rails overlap the joint chair, and on
cach side of the chair the overlapping ends of the rails are connected together.
by two screw bolts and nuts c, c, as shown, the overlapping ends of the rails
are thus securely connected together. The two bolts on each of the chairs
may be separate the one from the other, or they may be prevented from
turning by forming them both on one head as shewn at c', or they may be
otherwise secured. The ends of the rails so connected together are retained
in the joint chair by a wooden wedge. At each end of the rail the web is
thickened along so much of the rail as is cut to an incline, this is clearly
shown in the various sections taken through the rails. By connecting
together the ends of rails in the manner above described a saving in the
wear and tear of rolling stock will be effected as the wheels will run evenly
from one rail to another, and also as the ends of the rails rest in a chair no
strain is placed on the bolts by which they are connected together.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of

page_text: -performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is, the
connecting together the ends of the rails of railways, by forming them with
overlapping inclined ends, which at their centre- are supported in a chair, and
which are connected together on each side of the chair by bolts or fastenings
as above described.
.
In witness whereof, I. the said John Whittle, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five,
JOHN WHITTLE. (L.S.)