RAILS AND FASTENINGS FOR RAILWAYS and in what manner the same is to be performed
Year: 1885

page_text: I WILLIAM BEWICK QUELCH of Croft in the North Riding of the County of
York Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for RAILS AND
FASTENINGS FOR RAILWAYS 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 the use of a Rail for Railways or Tramways-of
such form and size as will render unnecessary the use of seperate cross or longi-
tudinal sleepers usually employed as a base or foundation or support for Railways
or Tramways and relates to the form or design of the Rails and the Plates or Chairs
and Fastenings for the joints thereof and the intermediate plates or chairs and
fastenings which may be required to strengthen the Rail and prevent lateral
movement thereof.
According to my Invention I propose to use what is known as the Bridge Rail,
the flanges of which I extend to such a width as the nature of the traffic may
require or as will give the required base, and as regards the rail my Invention
consists of the particular manner or form in which these flanges and the rail are
made, and it may be said by way of illustration that the rail is formed in cross
section of three Arches, the middle one being of considerable height and thickness
on which the wheels of the carriages &c. run, and supported by two vertical sides or
webs, and those at the sides being low and forming the flanges which rest in or on
the ballast without the interposition of wooden or other sleepers as seperate and
distinct parts; and by way of further illustration it may be said that these side
arches or flanges may be described as resembling the form of a man's foot the toes
being at the outside and the heels forming the springing from the vertical sides or
webs of the Rail, and these side arches may be between these parts either perfectly
flat or may have such curve or rise as may be desired, and they are made as thin as
may be. And it is well to state that these heels being in a measure a continuation
of the vertical sides or webs of the rail below the flanges are a most important part
of the Invention, and though on the outside they may be in line with the insides of
the vertical sides or webs of the Rail, the insides of these heels are made with an
inclined face such as is given to Rails in ordinary use for the purpose of receiving
the pressure of the fish-plates and it is this inclined face of the heel or springing of
the side flanges and the outsides or toes of the flanges which rest upon the joint
plate or chair or intermediate chair or plate hereinafter described. The Rails can
be made of rolled or cast Steel or Iron or other suitable material.

page_text: And my Invention further consists of the method proposed to be used to secure
the joints of the Rails And I do this by means of a Plate or Chair of the requisite
length having flanges at both sides above and below, the upper ones being of no
great height, and the width between which on the inner sides corresponds with the
extreme width of the Rail, and these flanges are turned over to fit onto the flanges
of the Rail, the under ones being of greater depth and their use being to prevent
lateral movement and to hold the Tie rods.; and along the middle of the Plate or
Chair is an upright web corresponding in width with the inner space or span of the
Middle Arch of the Rail and in height rather less, and on either side of this middle
upright web are made channels having sides or shoulders having inclined faces
corresponding with the inclined faces of the heels, or springing of the flanges of the
Rail. The Chairs or Plates may be made of rolled or Cast Steel or Iron or other
suitable material.
And though the heels of the Rails and the Channels of the Chairs are particularly
described to be made in a manner which recommends itself as above and as is
shewn on the Drawings it is not to be understood that they shall not be otherwise
made because both or either of the sides of them may be either upright or inclined
or they may be of any desired form and the rail may ride or rest upon the middle
web of the chair or may rest at the same time both on the middle web of and on or
in the Channels of the Chair, and in any case the Rail and the Chair should
correspond.
Through the middle web of the chair or plate I make a desired number of holes
in a slightly inclined direction, and the same number of holes being made at the
ends of the rails in or through both the vertical sides of the Rails, having room for
expansion &c. and the lower sides of these holes being on a level with the crown of
the side Arches or the upper surfaces of the flanges of the Rails and the Rails being
placed in or on or into the Chair or Plate, the whole are drawn and held together
by the insertion in these holes and the driving home of keys or wedges of tempered
steel or other suitable material, and these keys may in case of any tendency to
loosen, which is not anticipated, be held in their places by a spring catch acting ou
a notched face on the keys or by a wire run through the heads of the keys and
fastened to the Rail or by other means, and in addition the flanges of the Rails can
be bolted to the joint Plate or Chair, either with or without plates in the nature of
fish plates being placed over the joint..
Interinėdiate Plates or Chairs similar to the Joint Plates or Chairs but of about
half the length may be fixed to the Rail in the same way by one or more keys at
such distances apart as may be desired.
1
It is proposed to keep the guage by Tie Rods run through both the under flanges
or if preferred through one under flange made in the middle of the Chairs or Plates
and held fast by Cotters either plain or split or by nuts, but in cases where it is
thought desirable by reason of economy or otherwise the Tie rods may be put
through the holes made through the upright sides of the Rail and fastened in the
same way, or in either case the ends of the Tie Rods may be heated and turned
over or riveted and cotters used on the inside only.
It is expected that the enormous power exerted by the Keys acting directly on
the heels of the Rail which fit into the channels and onto the shoulders of the Plate
will make a firm joint and prevent any tendency of the Rails to open or spread and
that in case by any means these Keys should get loose the joint will still be safe by
reason of the upper side flanges of the plate or chair being turned over onto the
flanges of the Rail and if necessary pressed together by a portable Hydraulic
Machine.
•
In order that my Invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed more
particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to the several
Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings; the same letters indicating corresponding
parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of iny Drawing represents a general elevation of the Railway; Figure 2
is a general plan of the Railway; Figure 3 is a plan on an enlarged scale shewing

page_text: the joining of the Rails, the Joint Chair or Plate, the Keys and Spring Catch and
the Tie Rod; Figure 4 is a cross section on an enlarged scale of the Rail and
Chair or Plate shewing the Keys and Spring Catch and the Tie Rods in elevation;
Figure 5 is an elevation on an enlarged scale of the Joint Chair or Plate and
fastenings shewing part of the Rail and part of the Chair in longitudinal section
and one of the keys in cross section; Figure 6 is an elevation on an enlarged scale
of the intermediate chairs and fastenings; Figure 7 is a cross section of the plate
to be used to prevent lateral movement when the intermediate chairs of the same
section as the joint chairs are not used.
In these several Figures A represents the Rail; B. the Joint Chairs and the
intermediate chairs of the same section; and it is to be noted regarding these that
in Figure 4 the Rail A is shewn with the spaces or spandrils between the crown of
the Side Arches and the sides of the middle of the Rail filled in level with the crown
of the Side Arches which makes the side arches or Flanges of the Rail thicken
towards the middle arch and so strengthens them where perhaps greater strength is
required, but they need not necessarily be filled in and I have shewn a dotted line
to signify that they may be left open; and it is also to be noted regarding these
that in this Figure 4 I have shewn by the dotted lines h, h, h, the section of the
heels of the Rail A and the channels of the chair B in another form and it is
perhaps well again to state that these heels and channels may be as shewn and
described, or in any other desired or desirable form, and that whatever form they
are, the heels and the channels should correspond and fit the one into the other ;
I have also shewn in this Figure 4 dotted lines ii, ii in order to signify that for
the purposes or convenience of manufacture or otherwise the inner sides of the sides
or supports of the Middle Arch of the Rail A may be other than perfectly upright
or vertical, and it is obvious that whatever form the inner space or space of the
Middle Arch is, both it and the middle web of the chair or plate must correspond
and fit the one into the other; C. represents the keys; D. the Tie Rods which are
used in connection with the Joint Chairs and the intermediate chairs of the same
section; E. is the Spring Catch which is put through the holes through which the
keys pass; F. is the Tie Rod to be used when the intermediate Chairs are dispensed
with, they are simply put through the holes made in the sides of the Rail and held
fast by Cotters or if preferred bent over or rivetted, and, G. is a plate or casting the
upper part of which fits into the inner space or space of the middle Arch of the
Rail A., it is held in position by the Tie Rods F passing through a hole made in it
for the purpose.
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
1 The particular section or form of Rail.
2 The particular section or form of Joint and Intermediate Plates or Chairs.
3 The method of holding the joint and the Rail and Plates or Chairs fact