Improvements in the Means for Securing Rails in Chairs or Sleepers.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 10th June, 1887
⚫ Complete Left, 10th Mar., 1888
Complete Accepted, 20th Apr., 1888
3
Improvements in the Means for Securing Rails in Chairs or
Sleepers.
I WILLIAM EDWARD PARTRIDGE of Flora Cottage Chester Road New Oscott
Birmingham in the County of Warwick Agent do hereby declare the nature of my
said invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object improvements in the means for securing rails in chairs
or sleepers which has presented much difficulty especially in the cases where wood keys
are used and which are continually liable to drop or work out by the shaking of the
parts when the engines or vehicles are going over them. Much trouble and expense
is caused and platelayers have to give a great deal of attention to such keys and after
all many accidents have occured by such keys working out.
In using say a compressed wood key I also prepare a metallic wedge piece which is
so shaped and hollowed on the face as to partly embed itself or parts thereon into the
face of the wood key so that neither the key nor the wedge can possibly move
backwards without the other and this is accomplished by one, two, three or more pegs
or spikes pressed out cast or formed upon the face of the said wedge pieces or sharp
edges may be raised around the holes of the wedges which may be a few large ones
or a greater number of smaller ones. The wood key itself has a piece or pieces of
bent wire driven into the face of the body and is bent around the jaw at one or both
ends which secures the key and as the wedge cannot move without the key both are
locked in position and thus the frequent renewal of wood wedges or keys is avoided
and very little attention is required when the keys are once fastened in position. In
tightening up the wire merely requires bending a little further which does not
occupy more time than a stroke or two of the hammer. Waste ends of telegraph wire
or ordinary fencing wire does very well for the purpose.
JOHN KENDRICK,
77, Colmore Row, Birmingham,
Agent for Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Means for Securing Rails in Chairs or
Sleepers.
I WILLIAM EDWARD, PARTRIDGE of Flora Cottage, Chester Road New Oscott
Birmingham in the County of Warwick Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has for its object improvements in the means for securing rails in
chairs or sleepers, which has presented much difficulty especially in the cases, where
wood keys are used and which are continually liable to drop or work out by the
shaking of the parts, when the engines or vehicles are going over them. Much
trouble and expense is caused and platelayers have to give a great deal of attention to
such keys and after all many accidents have occured by such keys working out.
In using say a compressed wood key I also prepare a metallic wedge piece which is
so shaped and hollowed on the face as to partly embed itself or parts thereon into the
face of the wood key so that neither the key nor the wedge can possibly move
backwards without the other, and this is accomplished by one two, three or more pegs
or spikes pressed out cast or formed upon the face of the said wedge pieces or sharp
edges may be raised around the holes of the wedges which may be a few large ones
or a greater number of small ones. The wood key itself has a piece or pieces of bent
wire driven into the face of the body and is bent around the jaw at one or both ends
which secures the key and as the wedge cannot move without the key both are locked
in position and thus the frequent renewal of wood wedges or keys is avoided and very
little attention is required when the keys are once fastened in position. In tightening
up the wire merely requires bending a little further which does not occupy more time
than a stroke or two of the hammer. Waste ends of telegraphic wires or ordinary
fencing wire does very well for the purpose.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and easily carried into
practice I have appended hereunto a double sheet of drawings upon which is illustrated
its application to a key rail and chair and from which the invention may be easily
adapted to other slightly varying conditions.
Figure 1 shows a piece of ordinary telegraph or other wire bent round and ready
to drive with a key which constitutes a locking wire.
Figure 2 shows an ordinary wood key A with the hole a' bored and ready to
receive the bent end portion of the wire W.
Figure 3 shows the wood key A with the locking wire W driven into the key A
which is now quite ready for application to the chair and rail.
Figure 4 shows a sectional plan of a rail key and chair with the key A driven
home and the locking wire W bent round at w² to prevent the key shaking out.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of my metallic wedges S with the projecting
teeth which enter the key either before driving it in the chair or by the action of
driving.

page_text: Figure 6 is also a sectional plan showing only the key jaw and in this case the
metallic wedge piece S is applied as well as the locking wire W from which it will be
seen that the key A forms the body of the key and the wedge S the face against the
rail and W locks the whole in. Of course the spikes & prevent the wedge and key
from separating.
Figure 7 shows a shorter wedge piece which may be applied as seen at Figure 8
or to any other part of the key and here again the prongs s¹ or other equivalent spikes
or roughness prevents the key and the face from becoming separated.
Figure 8 illustrates a key and chair and rail with the wood key and a short wedge S
with the locking piece W.
Figure 9 shows a wedge S and locking piece w' in one piece which would be applied
on the jaw side as shewn applied by Figure 10.
It will be clearly understood that the wedge pieces may be perforated in any
desired manner to lighten them or for nails or screws and the thickness of the thin
end will be determined by the length thereof and the wedge piece may be used at any
position along the length of the key but when used at the end as shown by Figure 8
the heel and point bear against the rail and no rocking is possible. Simple as is this
device it effectively prevents the annoyance of the wedges dropping out which is
frequently the case with the wood strips which also split and fall to pieces and are
hardly ever used a second time. With these wedge pieces combined with the locking
piece the key is quite secure and no trouble is experienced in keeping the whole
tightly together. They may be made of wrought iron as per Figure 11 with the end 8*
doubled over to form the thick end and the edge returned at to form teeth to enter
the wood key.
It is of course obvious that the wedge would have the same effect if driven into a
saw cut at the middle or any part of the thick end of the key A. It will also be
understood that either S or W may be used separately or together.
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 what
I claim is
.
The improved means for securing the rails of Railways and Tramways in chairs or
sleepers consisting of a metallic wedge piece S having spikes upon its face as also the
locking wire W substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.
Dated this yun day or waren 1000.
JOHN KENDRICK,
77, Colmore Row, Birmingham,
Agent for Applicant.
JOHN KENDRICK,
77, Colmore Row, Birmingham,
Agent for Applicant.