Improvements in the Method of Holding Keys in the Chairs of Permanent Way of Railways and Tramways.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Dec., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 20th Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 21st Sept., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of Holding Keys in the Chairs of
Permanent Way of Railways and Tramways.
JESSE DRAGE Ash Cottage, Eastleigh near Southampton, Civil Engineer, JAMES
PHILIP ANNETT The Elms, Eastleigh near Southampton Signal Foreman do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists of a method of protecting the wood key from injury whilst
being driven home between the web of the rail and the jaw of the chair together with
a ready means of tightening a parallel wood key at any time and preventing its shaking
out.
This we achieve by the use of a metal wedge longer than the wood key the thick
end of the wedge having a suitable shaped head or projection that laps over one end of
the wood key together with a projection on the opposite side to that which comes next
to the wood key, the thin end of the metal wedge having two slits for about half its
length enabling portions of the thin end of the metal wedge being bent round the
opposite end of the wood key this being done both the metal wedge and the wood key
are driven in together the metal wedge coming between the wood key and the jaw of
the chair, when driven home one portion of the thin end of the metal wedge where
divided by the slits is turned back and made to clip the side of the chair thus preventing
the wedge from shaking back, the wood key being made to press tightly against the
web of the rail there is also a prevention more or less to the creeping movement of the
rails.
In some cases we form a projection or projections on the side of the metal wedge
that is next to the wood key which projection indents the side of the wood key or we
form the metal wedge so that the lower side of it laps under the wood key.
1000

page_text: Permanent Way of Railways and Tramways.
JESSE DRAGE Ash Cottage, Eastleigh near Southampton Civil Engineer JAMES
PHILIP ANNETT The Elms, Eastleigh near Southampton Signal Foreman 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 consists of a method of protecting the wood key from injury whilst
being driven home between the web of the rail and the jaw of the chair together with
a ready means of tightening a parallel wood key at any time and preventing its shaking
out.
This we achieve by the use of a metal wedge a longer than the wood key b the thick
end of the wedge having a suitable shaped head or projection c that laps over one end
of the wood key together with a projection d on the opposite side to that which comes
next to the wood key, the thin end of the metal wedge having two slits ee for about
half its length enabling portions of the thin end of the metal wedge being bent round
the opposite end of the wood key this being done both the metal wedge and the wood
key are driven in together the metal wedge coming between the wood key and the jaw
of chair, when driven home one portion of the thin end of the metal wedge where
divided by the slits ee is turned back and made to clip the side of the chair thus
preventing the wedge from shaking back, the wood key b being made to press tightly
against the web of the rail there is also a prevention more or less to the creeping
movement of the rails, we form a projection for projections on the side of the metal
wedge that is next to the wood key which projection indents the side of the wood key
thus preventing the wood key from working outwards in the event of the split ends
breaking. The before mentioned suitable shaped head c of the metal wedge a we shape
⚫at such an angle as to cause it at c¹ to embed itself into one end of the wood key so
preventing it from springing away from the wood key in driving and when necessary
we curve the wedge so as to fit the chair and key. The aforesaid projection & we
form so that it cannot be broken off in driving.
We do not confine ourselves to the number of slits that we make in the thin end of
the metal wedge or whether they be horizontal, vertical or both.
Fig. 1 is a view of chair with key and wedge driven home and ends of wedge bent
round end of wood key and side of chair.
Fig. 2 is a sectional plan showing dovetail form of parallel wood key when driven
home.
Fig. 3 shows wood key and metal wedge ready for driving.
Fig. 4 inside view of metal wedge Figs. 5 and 6 are outside and inside views of
metal wedge showing thin ends split both vertically and horizontally together with
projection d carried the entire width of wedge.

page_text: We are aware of the existance of various forms of double wedges; roughened or
serrated wedges; plain wedges; also plates having split ends either at one or both
ends for the purpose of bending round the ends of the wood key and jaw of chair for
preventing the wood key from coming out; plates with one end bent at right angles
to form a head and splits at the other end the middle part bent or curved to form a
spring plates with bent ends on one side and teeth or slanting projections on the
other side; also plates bent entirely round the wood key with ends turned round to
prevent working back and we wish it to be distinctly understood that we lay no claim
in itself to the split ends of metal plates or to plates with ends bent at right angles
partly or entirely round end of wood key.
The novelty of our form of wedge consists in combining the following advantages
viz. protecting, tightening and preventing the working loose of a parallel wood key
in a chair having parallel jaws by enabling such pressure to be put upon the parallel
wood key as to cause it to assume a dovetail form when driven home in a chair having
parallel jaws the compression being so great as to compensate to a large extent for the
shrinkage which takes place, causing one side of the wood key to press with great
pressure for its entire length against the web of the rail and the opposite side and the
metal wedge to take a solid pressure against the entire width of the jaw of the chair
thus preventing to a great extent the creeping movement of the rails. The head being
shaped so as to embed itself in the wood key causes a solid pressure throughout and
the projection on the opposite side to that which comes next the wood key being made
of such a substantial form as to effectually withstand its being broken in driving. The
wood key and chair jaws being parallel enable the key and wedge to be driven from
either side so that the fish plates do not interfere with driving the keys and giving at
all times a ready and solid means of tightening the wood key.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim
is:
A wedge shaped piece of metal having a head at the thick end (herein lettered c. c¹)
so shaped as to embed itself in one end of the wood key and divided or split at the thin
end together with projections (herein lettered d, ƒ) substantially as described and for
the purpose specified.