IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILS AND CHAIRS FOR RAILWAYS, AND ROAD, COLLIERY, AND OTHER TRAMWAYS
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Brown at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 26th June 1880.
WILLIAM BROWN, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Manufacturer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILS AND CHAIRS FOR RAILWAYS, AND ROAD, COLLIERY,
AND OTHER TRAMWAYS."
My Invention consists in constructing the rails and chairs of railways, and road,
colliery, and other tramways, in the manner herein after described.
By my
Invention the rails are made very light, and seat themselves firmly in their chairs,
that is, no keys or wedges are required to secure them in their places in the chairs.
According to my Invention I make the rail with a single head, and I give to
the body of the rail a curved or slightly hooked figure, the said curved body
tapering from its junction with the head to its lowest part. The body of the rail
is curved or hooked inwards, that is, the convex side of the curved body is on the
outer face and the concave side on the inuer face of the body, the concave inner
face of the body joining the head at about the middle of its underside. The rail in
cross section has the general figure of the mark of punctuation called a comma.
I make the cheeks of the chairs of different heights, the outer cheek having a
height nearly equal to that of the rail, while the inner cheek has about two thirds
the height of the outer cheek to allow sufficient clearance for the flanges of the
wheels. The space between the two cheeks nearly corresponds in figure with the
sectional figure of the rail, that is to say, the inner bearing face of the outer cheek
bas a concave figure nearly the counterpart of that of the convex face of the curved
body of the rail, while the bearing face of the inner and shorter cheek has a convex
figure the exact counterpart of the concave figure of the inner face of the body of
the rail. The bearing face of the inner cheek is thus undercut for receiving the
concave face of the rail.
My improved rail is placed in the chair from the top, the curved body of the
rail being depressed into the chair and at the same time turned through a small
angle. The body of the rail is thereby made to engage with the undercut cheek
of the chair. When the rail is seated in the chair no keys or wedges are required
to keep it in its place, the pressure of the flange of the carriage wheel against the
under and inner side of the head of the rail pressing the said rail firmly to its
bearing against the outer cheek of the chair.
.

page_text: The ends of the rails may either abut against one another in the chair, or an
abutment may be formed at the middle of the chair for the rails to take an end
bearing against, or a recess may be left in the chair to receive a loose abutment for
the same purpose.
Or instead of making the body of the rail curved or hooked
throughout, as described, those parts only which are to be fitted in the chairs may
be curved, the other parts being straight, the straight parts of the rails in this case
preventing end movement. I prefer however to make the body of the rail curved
throughout.
Or the rail and chair may be modified in the following manner:-I make the
body of the single headed-rail straight and with an angular foot to fit into a
corresponding seat in the chair, and I provide one side of the said body with a
longitudinal rib which takes into a corresponding groove in one of the cheeks of
the chair. This rail is introduced into its chair by an end motion, the angular foot
and rib described fixing it firmly in the chair without the use of a key or wedge.
The rib on the rail may either be made along the whole length of the rail or at
those parts only which are to be fitted in the chairs. Chairs constructed according
to my Invention may either be loose and fixed to the sleepers in the ordinary way,
or the chairs may be made and connected to the sleepers according to the methods
described and claimed in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me on the
25th day of May, 1879, No. 2055.
My improvements in rails and chairs for railways are applicable to bridge rails
and rails of various sections and their chairs.