IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Dunn, of Wylam-on-Tyne, in the County of
Northumberland, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT
WAY OF RAILWAYS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Dunn at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th July 1876.
ROBERT DUNN, of Wylam-on-Tyne, in the County of Northumberland.
PROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."
"LM-
My Invention relates to those parts of the permanent way of railways at which
the fish joints occur, and consists in the employment immediately beneath the
point of juncture of the rails of a chair so constructed that whilst its seat supports
the rail its jaws will enclose the fish plates, the chair being situate between the two
inner bolts of the latter. I also propose to employ in combination with this chair
a check plate to be inserted in the chair between the fish plate which receives the
nuts and the corresponding jaw of the' chair, which check plate is formed with
perforations to fit over the nuts and prevent them from unscrewing, and is in its
turn maintained in position by a set screw screwed into the chair and bearing against
the check plate; or screwed into a nut fitted in a recess in the jaw of the chair, or
formed in one with the check plate, the jaw of the chair in the latter case being
provided with a longitudinal recess to admit of the insertion endwise of the check
plate in its place in the chair, or the check plate may be inserted from the top of
the chair and secured by a key or other suitable means. The seat of the chair
may be fitted with a wood cushion, if desired, to form an elastic support for the
rail. A set bolt may also be employed as a precaution against the breakage of one
of the fish bolts, such set bolt being screwed into the chair or into a nut fitted
therein so as to bear against or enter the fish plate and prevent its displacement.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Robert Dunn in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th January
1877.
ROBERT DUNN, of Wylam-on-Tyne, in the County of Northumberland.
PROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."
"IM-
"My said Invention relates to those parts of the permanent way of railways at
which the fish joints occur, and consists chiefly in the employment in combination
of a chair situate immediately beneath the point of junction of the rails, and
between the two inner bolts of the fish plates, and so constructed that whilst its
seat supports the rail its jaws will inclose such fish plates, and of a check plate
inserted in the chair between the fish plate which receives the nuts and the corre-
sponding jaw of the chair. This check plate is formed with perforations to fit over
the nuts and prevent them from unscrewing, and is in its turn maintained in.position
by a set screw screwed into the chair and bearing against the check plate, or screwed
into a nut which is fitted in a recess in the jaw of the chair, or is forined in one with
the check plate, the jaw of the chair in the latter case being provided with a longi-
tudinal recess to adinit of the insertion end wise of the check plate in its place in
the chair; or the check plate may be inserted from the top of the chair, and in
either case be secured by a key or other suitable means. The seat of the chair may
be fitted with a wood cushion, if desired, in order to form an elastic support for the
rail. A set bolt may also be employed as a precaution against the breakage of one
of the fish bolts, such set bolt being screwed into the chair or into a nut fitted
therein so as to bear against or enter the fish plate and prevent its displacement in
the event of the occurrence of the contingency before mentioned.
And in order that my said 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 of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a transverse vertical section taken through
a rail, and a pair of fish plates at the part where a bolt occurs with the check plate
fitted over the nut of the same, and an end view of the chair situate immediately
beneath the point of junction of the two rails and enclosing the fish plates and the
check plate; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the chair, fish plates, and check plate
complete; and Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section taken through the point of
junction of the two rails.
Figure 4 is a transverse vertical section illustrating a modification of the pre-
ceding arrangement, and Figures 5 and 7 are transverse vertical sections, and
Figures 6 and 8 corresponding side elevations illustrating respectively two other
modifications of my Invention; Figure 9 represents an elevation of the check plate
detached.
A, A, are the rails; a, their point of junction; B, B¹, the two fish plates con-
necting the two rails together by means of bolts b, b, b1, b¹, secured by nuts c, c, c¹, c¹,
in the ordinary manner; C is a chair which I place immediately beneath the point
of junction a of the rails A, A, and between the two inner bolts b, b, which chair
is so constructed that whilst its seat & supports the rails either directly (or as
preferred and shewn in the Drawings) through the intervention of the wood
cushion e the jaws f. f', will enclose the fish plates B, B¹. In this chair I insert a
check plate D having perforations g, g, g¹, g¹ (see the detail, Figure 9), which fit
over the nuts c, c, c¹, c', so as to prevent them from unscrewing, such check plate
being inserted in the chair end wise at h, and then moved laterally into the position
shewn in the Drawing so as to cause it to engage with the nuts. The check plate
may be maintained in position in various ways; for example, in the arrangement
Figures 1, 2, and 3, it is secured by a set screw E screwed into the jaw f¹ of the
chair C and bearing against the check plate D; in the modification, Figure 4, a set
screw E is also employed, but the same is screwed into a nut F fitted in a recess in
the jaw f¹ of the chair in the modifications shewn in Figures 5 and 6, and Figures

page_text: 7 and 8; a washer G inserted endwise is interposed between the check plate D and
the jaw of the chair, and the washer with the check plate is secured in place by
means of a key H introduced into a recess in the jaw f¹ of the chair C so as to bear
against the washer, such key being driven vertically in the modification Figures 5
and 6, and horizontally in the modification Figures 7 and 8.
In Figure 4 I have shewn the application of a set bolt I, which may be employed
as a precaution against the breakage of one of the fish bolts; this set bolt is screwed
into a nut i fitted in the jaw f of the chair, and is caused to enter the fish plate B,
and thus prevents its displacement in the event of a fish bolt failing.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said Inven-.
tion, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I
would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original, and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent, is―
First. The employment in combination of a chair situate immediately beneath
the point of junction of the rails to be connected together and between the two
inner bolts of the fish plates, and so constructed that whilst its seat supports the
rail its jaws will enclose such fish plates, and of a perforated check plate inserted in
the chair so as to fit over the nuts of the fish plates and maintained in its place by
a set screw, wedges, or equivalent devices, substantially in the manner and for the
purposes herein-before described and as illustrated by the accompanying Drawings.
Second. The combination with a chair situate immediately beneath the point of
junction of the rails and fitted on one side with a check plate, as herein set forth,
of a set bolt bearing against or entering the fish plate on the opposite side, sub-
stantially as and for the purposes herein-before described and as illustrated on the
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Dunn, have to this my Specification set
my hand and seal, this Second day of January, One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-seven.
ROBERT DUNN. (L.S.)