WAY
Year: 1885

page_text: JOHN ELLIOTT, 31 Vernon Road, Leeds, Yorkshire, Railway Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for RAILWAY KEYS to be as follows:-
I make the keys of iron or steel to prevent the shrinking, or contraction,
experienced in wooden keys & which is a souree of weakness in a permanent way.
I make them of a strip of sheet metal folded into a rectangular form, the two
ends not being united but made to lap over one another, & of sizes, or dimensions,
to suit the different kinds of rails & chairs.
The lap point is made near the end which should be driven into the chair,
& being made as a spring it will not break the casting, while in its elasticity will
be found all the advantages of the wooden key, without its disadvantages above
referred to. The back of the key which lies to the rail is that side opposite the
lap point. A further important advantage is that this key when properly driven
into the chair will not become displaced by the movement of vehicles over the
rail.

page_text: I JOHN ELLIOTT of N° 31 Vernon Road, Leeds, Yorkshire, Railway Agent do
hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "RAILWAY KEYS and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
My invention of railway keys consists in making them of iron or steel and
of the construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing.
Railway keys made according to my invention are free from the inconveniences
of ordinary wooden railway keys inasmuch as when placed in position they are
neither liable to become loose by shrinking nor to accidental removal.
In con-
sequence of these advantages the permanent way of a railway provided with
.railway keys made according to my invention is much stronger and more secure
than permanent ways provided with wooden railway keys and the risk of accident
is much diminished.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents in perspective and of full size,
a railway key made according to my invention and Figure 2 represents a horizontal
section of the same taken through the plane A B Figure 1. Figure 3 represents in
perspective on a small scale one of my railway keys in use, that is, applied to the
fixing of a railway rail in its chair.
My railway key is made from a single straight strip or bar of iron or steel
having about the length, breadth and thickness represented in Figures 1 and 2 but
I do not limit myself to any particular dimensions. In making a railway key
according to my invention from the straight strip or bar described the said strip or
bar is first bent at a short distance from one end as represented at a the turned in
end a² being brought nearly but not quite parallel to the side b. The strip or bar
is again bent near its middle as shown at d, the side c being bent somewhat past
parallelism to the side b so as to make a small angle with the said side b, that
part of the side c which overlaps the end a² also making a small angle with the
said end a². The extreme end c² of the overlapping branch c is curved slightly
outwards as represented. The general figure of the railway key somewhat
resembles a rectangle (see Figure 2) the ends of the strip or bar not being united.
The back or side b of the key is that part which in use lies against the web or
body of the rail. When the key is in position the back b lying close against the
rail the parts a² and c² are elastic or have a spring action.
In using my railway key the end a, c² of the key is inserted between the cheek e
of the chair and the web or body f of the rail (see Figure 3) and the key is driven
between the said parts e and f until the parts a, c² of the key have reached the
position represented in Figure 3. During the forcing of the key into position the
part 2 is pressed towards the part a' against which it bears and should the key be
further compressed in the act of forcing it home the part a yields so that there is
no risk of breaking the chair in driving home the key. As soon as the part c²
escapes from the side e² of the cheek c of the chair the part c² begins to return to

page_text: its normal position and when the key is fully driven home as represented in
Figure 3 the key has nearly resumed its normal figure and has no tendency to
move in either direction. It is in this position only slightly compressed but from
the strength of the strip or bar the slight degree of compression to which the key
is subjected is sufficient to cause it to hold the rail firmly in the chair. The
key may be withdrawn when necessary by pressure or percussion applied to the
end a, c².
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I claim
as my invention
Making railway keys from strips or bars of iron or steel bent near their middle
into two branches the end of one of which branches is bent inwards nearly parallel
with the other part of the branch and overlapped by the other branch the end of
the latter being slightly curved outwards substantially as herein before described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
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