IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY RAILS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Milton Alexander Hamilton, of Detroit, Michigan,
United States of America, now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Manufacturer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY RAILS,"
Sealed the 22nd May 1868, and dated the 25th November 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Milton Alexander Hamilton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th November 1867.
I, MILTON ALEXANDER HAMILTON, of Detroit, Michigan, United States of
America, now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY RAILS," to be
as follows:-
The said Invention relates chiefly to the construction of rails of iron and
steel, the two metals being combined in such a manner that the head of the
rail is covered on the top and sides with steel, the head, neck, or web, and
base of the rail being of iron. The whole rail is rolled or drawn from a pile
or fagot consisting of bars of iron and steel, the steel and iron being welded

page_text: together during the process of rolling. The wearing surface of this rail being
of steel will be much more durable than that of the ordinary all iron rail, and
less expensive than rails made entirely of steel..
The said Invention also relates partly to the production of an iron railway
rail formed partly of old rails, having the top and sides of its head wrapped
around with steel. In forming the pile or fagot several flat iron bars of equal
dimensions, about seven inches broad and one and one-quarter inches in
thickness, are placed one on the top of the other in the ordinary manner, and
a piece of iron of the same breadth as the said flat bars, and about two and
one-half inches in depth at its sides is placed on the said bars. This piece of
iron is formed to receive a triangular piece of steel. One side of the steel
lies flush with the top of this piece of iron extending out or nearly out to the
sides of the said piece of iron, the vertex of the angle formed by the other
two sides of the piece of steel extending to or nearly to the bottom of the
piece of iron. The piece of iron forms a saddle bar and holds the steel in
position. The pile thus formed will be about seven inches in breadth and
depth, and may be made of any desirable length. A piece of steel of a dove-
tail sectional form may be employed instead of the triangular piece; this
dovetail piece fits between pieces of iron of corresponding shape placed upon
the flat pieces forming the body of the pile or fagot. One side of the steel
is placed flush or even with the side of the pieces of iron, the bottom of the
dovetailed side of the steel extending to or nearly to the bottom side of the
same. The pile or fagot may also be formed partly of old iron or old iron and
steel rails in place of the inner or intermediate iron bars or flat pieces above
described. In heating the pile or fagot the same should be placed in the fire
with the steel side downward to protect the steel somewhat from the heat of
the fire and allow the said steel to derive its required heat through the iron
portion of the pile. After being rolled or drawn from a pile or fagot made up
as above described, the iron and steel parts of the rail will be found firmly
welded together with the steel covering the top and sides of the head or heads
of the rail. Many experiments have been tried relating to methods: of
fastening a covering of steel over the heads of iron rails, and also to the con-
struction of rails having their heads of steel welded upon an iron neck or
web and base in such a manner as would as fully protect the sides as
the top of the rail, but heretofore these have proved comparative failures.
By my Invention the strength of the iron head and neck or web of the
rail is unimpaired. The top and sides of the iron rail are more completely
covered with the steel, and the steel. is more securely joined to the iron portion

page_text: of the rail during the rolling by the welding process. The shape of the steel
also greatly adds to the strength of the rail, and the objections arising from
partially imperfect weldings of iron and steel and from other causes are thereby
completely overcome.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Milton Alexander Hamilton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 25th May 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MILTON
ALEXANDER HAMILTON, of Detroit, Michigan, United States of America, now
of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Milton Alexander Hamilton, Her special licence that I, the said Milton
Alexander Hamilton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Milton Alexander Hamilton, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILS FOR RAILWAYS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Milton Alexander Hamilton, 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 I, the said Milton Alexander Hamilton, do
hereby declare the nature of my 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 Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, the same letters
indicating corresponding parts in the different Figures (that is to say): -—

page_text: The said Invention relates chiefly to the construction of rails of iron and
steel, the two metals being combined in such a manner that the head of the rail
is covered on the top and sides with steel, the head, neck, or wob, and base of
the rail being of iron. The whole rail is rolled or drawn from a pile or fagot
consisting of bars of iron and steel, the steel and iron being welded together
during the process of rolling.
The said Invention also relates partly to the production of an iron railway
rail formed partly of old rails, having the top and sides of its head wrapped
around with steel, the whole being welded together during the rolling
process.
•
In the accompanying Drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are end views of rails
rolled from the improved pile; Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6 are transverse sections
of piles from which the rails shown in Figures 1 and 2 are drawn or rolled.
In forming the pile or fagot, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, three bars of iron
a, a, a, of equal dimensions, say about seven inches broad and one and a
quarter inches thickness, are placed one on the top of the other; another piece
of iron D, as shown in Figures 3, 4, and 6, of the same breadth as the "flats "
a, a, a, and about two and a half inches in depth at its sides is placed on the
bars a, a, a, the breadth at the points d, d, is about one-quarter inch or may
be a trifle less. The piece of iron D is formed to receive a triangular piece of
steel C, one side of which lies flush with the top of the sides of the piece of
iron D extending out or nearly out to the outer side of the same at the points
d, d, the vertex of the angle formed by the other two sides of the piece of
steel C extending to or nearly to the bottom of the piece D at the point e.
The piece D forms a saddle bar and holds the steel C in position. The pile
as shewn in Figure 3, thus formed will be about seven inches in breadth and
depth, and may be made of any desirable length. The pile, Figure 3, thus
formed when heated and rolled will produce a rail similar to that shown in
Figure 1, A being the steel covering over and around the head of the iron
portion of the rail B. In Figure 4 a pile is shown having the form of the
piece of steel C with the vertex of the angle extended laterally in order that
a greater amount of steel may be used in the same depth of the pile, as shown
in Figure 3. The formation of the saddle bar D is fitted to correspond with
the shape of the steel piece C. A rail rolled from the pile, Figure 4, will have
a greater proportion of steel around its head than is shown in the rail, Figure 1,
as being formed from the pile, Figure 3. The piece of steel C may have a
dovetail sectional form or a dovetailed flange f projecting from its lower angle
which fits between the pieces D, D, of corresponding shape which form the

page_text: saddle bar, and is placed upon the flats a, a, a, forming the body of the pile,
as shown in Figure 5, the dovetailed flange f will more securely attach the
steel to the iron portion of the rail when rolled. The piece of steel C and
the saddle bar D, as shown in Figures 3, 4, and 5, may be used in a pile in
which old rails 9, 9, 9, of iron or iron and steel are substituted for the inter-
mediate flats a, a, in Figures 3, 4, and 5, from which pile, as shown in
Figure 6, rails may be rolled. The piece of iron or saddle bar D is shaped to
hold the piece of steel C in its different forms, and iron is allowed at the points
d, d, at the top enough to prevent the angles h, h, of the steel C from burning
or becoming decarbonized, as shown in Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6, during the
process of heating. In heating the pile, as shown in Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6,
the same should be placed in the fire with the steel part C downward or at the
bottom; the steel portion of the pile C will thus be protected somewhat from
the heat of the fire, and its required heat will be derived through the iron
saddle bar D, or the iron portion of the pile; thus the overheating of the
steel will be provided against. It is well known that steel will derive a
welding heat much sooner than iron, both metals being allowed the same
degree of heat. By my improved mode of piling, as shown in Figures 3, 4, 5,
and 6, and heating the same as above described, the two metals will attain
the required heat together at the same time, and during the process of
rolling be perfectly welded together. By my Invention the strength of
the iron head and neck or web of the rail is unimpaired, but is greatly
strengthened by the shape of the steel and the objections arising from
partially imperfect weldings of iron and steel in rails are completely
overcome.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements in
the Manufacture of Rails for Railways," I wish it to be understood that under
the above in part recited Letters Patent, I claim,
First. The triangular or V-shaped piece of steel C and the dovetailed section
or flange f, as shown in Figures 3, 4, and 5, in conjunction with any suitable
fagot which will make a rail.
Second. The saddle bar D, as shown in Figures 3, 4, and 5, fitted as shown
at the points d, d, to hold and protect the steel C in conjunction with any
suitable fagot which will make a rail.
Third. The position while heating of a pile or fagot from which a single
headed rail, partly of iron and steel, having its head wrapped around with steel
may be rolled, having the steel portion of the pile undermost during the
heating process.

page_text: Fourth. A rail manufactured substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Milton Alexander Hamilton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day. of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
E. W. TYNDALL.
MILTON ALEXANDER HAMILTON. (L.s.)