IMPROVEMENTS IN LIGHT RAILWAYS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Russell Shaw, of No. 17, Marylebone Road, in the
County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LIGHT
RAILWAYS."
Şealed the 20th October 1877, and dated the 2nd June 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Russell Shaw at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd June 1877.
HENRY RUSSELL SHAW, of No. 17, Marylebone Road, in the County of Middlesex.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LIGHT RAILWAYS."
My Invention relates to a construction of the permanent way of light railways,
such as renders it simple, portable, easy to pack for transport or to place or remove,
the rails when placed being held firm to gauge. I employ light rails, preferably.
steel, having flanges on the under side, and these rails are simply made in straight
lengths without requiring holes for fish jointing or for fastening to sleepers.
In order to tie the two rails together to gauge I employ cross pieces, which serve
also as sleepers, and as fish plates at the junctions of the rails, these cross pieces being
constructed as follows:-Each cross piece is a bar, preferably of steel, which may
be flat, or if desired be made with a rib along cach edge, or a rib. along its middle.
In this bar near each end I stamp or partly punch either one tongue piece in the
middle of the bar, or two tongue pieces at or near each edge thereof, theso tongue
pieces being turned up at a distance apart corresponding to the desired gauge of the
railway. Beyond these tongue pieces at a distance corresponding to the width of
the rail flange, I stamp or partly punch up other tongue pieces, or I bend up the
ends of the bar.
"
The cross tie-pieces prepared as above described are laid or bedded on the ground
at such. distances apart as may be required, according to the nature of the soil and
the load intended to be put on the rails, or at such distances as may be required for
ties when additional sleepers are employed. The rails are then laid down with their
flanges engaged between the bent up tongues or parts of the tice, bars, and these
bent-up parts are then hammered over the edges of the rail flanges, so as to catch
over them and hold the rails down to the required gauge. Otherwise the tongues
:

page_text: of the ties may in the first place be bent nearly to clip the rail flange, and the ties
thus prepared can be strung on the rail flanges before the rails are laid, being after-
wards hammered tight.
Where joints of the rails occur I employ tie bars of increased breadth, and in this
case I provide either two tongue pieces at each end of the bar, one to take each of
the joining rails, or I make the middle tongue of greater width, so as to extend
over the ends of the two rail flanges. I thus dispense with the necessity for fish
jointing the rails, but fish jointing may be employed if desired. For curves of the
line a like construction is applied to bent rails.
It will be seen from the above description that a light railway can thus be made 1
of the most simple character, consisting of only two organs, the rail and the tie, and
that the construction and mode of combining these organs give great facility for
-packing the parts for transport, and for the placing or removal of the line.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of- the Letters Patent-filed by
the said Henry Russell Shaw in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th
November 1877.
HENRY RUSSELL SHAW, of No. 17, Marylebone Road, in the County of Middlesex.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LIGHT RAILWAYS."
My Invention relates to a construction of the permanent way of light railways,
such as renders it simple, portable, and easy to pack for transport or to place or
remove, the rails when placed being held firm to gauge. I employ light rails,
preferably steel, having flanges on the under side, and these rails are simply made
in straight lengths without requiring holes for fish jointing or for fastening to'
sleepers.
L
In order to tie the two rails together to gauge, I employ cross pieces, which serve
also as sleepers, and as fish plates at the junctions of the rails; these cross pieces
being constructed as follows:-Each cross piece is a bar, preferably of steel, which.
may be flat, or if desired be made with a rib along its middle. In this bar near
each end I stamp or partly punch either one tongue piece in the middle of the bar, or
two tongue pieces at or near each edge thereof; these tongue pieces being turned up
at a distance apart corresponding to the desired gauge of the railway, Beyond these
_tongue pieces, at a distance corresponding to the width of the rail flange, I bend up
the ends of the-bar-
The cross-tie-pieces_prepared as above described may be laid or bedded on the
ground-at.such distances apart as may be required, according to the nature of the
soil-and the load intended to be put on the rails, or at such distances as may be
required-for-ties when additional-sleepers are employed. The rails are then laid
down with-their-flanges-engaged between the bent up-tongues.or parts of the tie
bars, and these bent up parts are. then hammered over the edges of the rail flanges,
so as to catch over them and hold-the-rails down to the required gauge. Otherwise
the tongues of the ties may in the first place be bent nearly to clip the rail flange,
and the ties thus prepared can be strung on the rail flanges before the rails are laid,
being then or afterwards hammered tight.
Where joints of the rails occur I employ tie bars of increased breadth, and in this
case. I provide either two.tongue pieces at each end of the bar, one to take each of

page_text: the joining rails, or I make the middle tongue of greater width so as to extend
over the ends of the rail flanges. I thus dispense with the necessity for fish
jointing the rails, but fish jointing may be employed if desired. For curves of the
lines a like construction is applied to bent rails.
It will be seen from the above description that a light railway can thus be made
of the most simple character, consisting of only two organs, the rail and the tie,
and that the construction and mode of combining these organs give great
facility for packing the parts for transport, and for the placing and removal of the
line.
over the ends of the rail flanges. I thus dispense with the necessity for fish
jointing the rails, but fish jointing may be employed if desired. For curves of the
lines a like construction is applied to bent rails.
It will be seen from the above description that a light railway can thus be made
of the most simple character, consisting of only two organs, the rail and the tie,
and that the construction and mode of combining these organs give great
facility for packing the parts for transport, and for the placing and removal of the
line.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a section, and Fig. 2 a plan shewing one form of cross tie for
a pair of rails according to my Invention, Fig. 3 being an elevation outside one of
the rails, and Fig. 4 a section through the tie bar looking at the inside of one of the
rails.
A, A, are the rails; B is the cross tie which has its ends bent over the outside rail
flange at b, b, and tongue pieces c, c, turned up in the middle of the tie, and bent
over the inside rail flange.
Fig. 5 is a plan, and Fig. 6 a transverse section of a ribbed tie, in which the tongue
pieces o, c, are near the edges of the bar.
Fig. 7 is a plan, and Fig. 8 a transverse section of a similar ribbed tie B', made
wider to serve at the junction of the rails with or without fish plates.
Fig. 9 is a plan, and Fig. 10 a transverse section of a wide flat tie B¹ for junction
of rails, the tongue pieces c, c, being in this case made of considerable width to take
the flanges of both rails.
Fig. 11 is a plan of part of a line shewing the ties B and junction ties B¹ in
place.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, I claim in reference to the construction of light railways securing
the rails between the bent up ends and bent up tongue pieces of bars serving as
cross ties and sleepers, substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Russell Shaw, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven,
“GAAT התזות
זוז:
RUSSELL SHAW. (L.S.)