Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Feb., 1887
Complete Left, 24th Nov., 1887
Complete Accepted, 27th Dec., 1887
I, JOHN COLBY, of Oulton, in the county of Suffolk, Shipwright, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the construction of railway chairs
whereby the weight of, or on, the rail will cause the jaws of the chair to firmly grip
the web of the rail, thus dispensing with all requirements for wooden wedges or
keys.
On one side of the base plate of the chair, which is substantially of the ordinary
form, is fixed one of the jaws or clips the second jaw or clip being arranged at the
opposite side to turn on a pivot. The bottom of the said pivoted or moveable jaw or
clip is elongated at the inner side so that when the jaw is placed in position within a
suitable cavity in the top of the base plate, and the rail is arranged between it and
the fixed jaw or clip, the rail will bear on the said elongated portion of the moveable
jaw, the consequence being that the weight of the rail will cause the same to be
gripped by the two jaws or clips, whilst any additional weight will have the effect of
increasing the security of the grip.
The outer side of the bottom of the moveable jaw is rounded and the end of the
cavity in the base plate is formed to correspond therewith. In some cases, I place a
metal key between the fixed jaw and the web of the rail.
Dated this 7th day of February 1887
VAUGHAN & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I, JOHN COLBY, of Oulton, in the County of Suffolk, Shipwright, 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
My invention relates to improvements in the construction of railway chairs; and
consists in the combination with a detachable jaw of a pivotal connection between it
and the chair-base, and an extension of said jaw by which it is adapted to receive the
weight of the rail.
The bottom part of the nose of the detachable jaw is elongated for the purpose of
receiving the weight of the rail; and as the top part of the said nose engages with
the web of the rail as soon as rail and jaw are fixed, it follows that the weight of the
rail, and of a load passing over it, upon the above described elongation, will have the
effect of moving the jaw upon its pivot; thereby forcing it against the rail-web, and
intensifying the grip of the chair-jaws upon the respective sides thereof, as well as
that of the detachable jaw upon the foot of the rail.
I do not confine myself to adapting the detachable jaw to swing on its pivot in
either the vertical or horizontal planes, as it is evident that my invention, as the same
has been described, can be embodied, without departing therefrom, in a chair
having a detachable jaw adapted to move either vertically, horizontally, or
obliquely.
The pivotal connection above referred to may be formed either as a convex extension
of the jaw adapted to move about its axis in a corresponding concave recess formed in
the chair-base or a stud adapted to enter a corresponding hole in the jaw may be
formed upon the chair-base.
Either method may be adopted, but I am of opinion that the construction first
mentioned is preferable on the grounds both of economy and durability.
A metal key may be inserted between the fixed jaw and the rail for further
security.
In order that my invention, and the means by which the same may be carried into
effect, may be thoroughly understood; I will proceed to describe the same in detail
referring in so doing to the accompanying drawings which are to be taken as part of
this specification, and read therewith.
Fig. 1 is a sectional longitudinal elevation, taken on the line A-B of Fig. 2, of a
chair constructed according to my invention, shewing it with the rail fixed therein.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the chair illustrated in Figure 1.
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal elevation of a modified form of my invention, shewing it
with the rail fixed therein.
Fig. 4 is a plan corresponding therewith.
Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of Fig. 3.
Fig. 6 is a plan of the chair illustrated in Fig. 5, shewing the jaw open.

page_text: Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a modification of my invention as the
same is illustrated in Figures 5 and 6.
The preceeding figures shew my invention as applied to the ordinary double headed
rail in general use in this country; but I wish it to be distinctly understood that its
applicability is not confined to rails of this section.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the chair base, C, and one lug, c, are made in one
piece; and may be fixed to the sleeper, D, by trenails, d, according to any suitable,
usual, or convenient method.
E is the detachable jaw. An extension, e, circular in cross section, fits in a
concave recess, of a corresponding cross section, formed under an extension, c', of
the chair-base, C.
The extension, e, and the concave recess, between them, form the pivotal connection
between the detachable jaw and the chair-base; being, in fact, the practicable axis
upon which the jaw, E, is moved for the purpose of either fixing the rail, or of raising
it before turning or replacing it.
The elongation, or extension, e², of the bottom part of the face of the detachable
jaw, E, receives the weight of the rail, while the upper portion e³ of the face of the
jaw above the extension, e², is shaped to correspond with that of the foot and of the
web of the rail.
The inner face, c, of the fixed chair-jaw and the outer face of the extension, e³,
are both struck with the same radius and from the axis of the extension, e, as a
centre.
The seat of the detachable jaw is preferably on an incline towards the fixed jaw, c.
My invention constructed as described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 is operated as
follows:
As many chairs as will be required to hold one rail are placed on the respective
sleepers, and the detachable jaws, E, raised into the position shewn by the dotted lines
in Fig. 1. The rail is then laid against the said jaws with the rail-foot resting on the
extensions, e², and against the upper portions, e³, of the detachable jaws, as shewn by
said dotted lines.
The rail is then pushed down into the position indicated by the full lines of Fig. 1.
As each jaw drops onto its seat, the extension, e, bearing against the extension c¹,
thrusts the rail up against the fixed jaw c.
The weight of the rail is now distributed fairly over the series of extensions, e²;
and each extension, e2, being that part of the jaw, E, which is the farthest removed
from the axis of the jaw, it follows that the weight of the rail, and in addition thereto
the weight of a load passing over the rail, will press the jaw, E, down on to its seat
on the chair-base, and also pull the top part, e³, of the jaw with corresponding force
against the web of the rail."
According to the modification of my invention illustrated in Figures 3 to 6, the
detachable jaw, E', moves through part of a circle upon a stud, g, formed upon the
chair-base, and entering a corresponding hole in the underside of the jaw.
One corner of the outer face, f. of the jaw, and the inner face of the extension, d',
of the chair-base, C, are struck from the axis of the stud as a centre. The face, f, of
the jaw is adapted in point of contour to engage exactly with the rail-web and rail
foot, and thrust the rail against the opposite jaw, 9.
The extension of the jaw, E¹, under the rail-foot may be as much as illustrated in
Figure 1, or less, as illustrated in Fig. 2.
It follows that as the jaw, E', inoves in the horizontal plane, it is not necessary to
make the inner face of the fixed jaw, g, arc-shaped; but that it may advantageously
receive a contour corresponding with that of the rail-web and foot.
A pin, h, is driven through the jaw, E', into the chair-base, C, to prevent accidental
motion of the jaw, E'. This pin has a tapered point for easy entrance, and a counter-
sunk projecting head by which it can be easily withdrawn.
Figure 7 illustrates a modification, according to which the jaw, E', has a little play
upon its pivot the stud 9-a piece of packing, h¹, of suitable material being inserted
in the space between the jaw and the chair.

page_text: In laying a length, of rail in chairs constructed according to my invention as the
same is illustrated in Figures 3 to 7, the jaws, E', are taken out, and the rail laid on
its seat. The jaws, E, are then put in, and turned on their respective studs or
pivots, g¹, and forced up against the rail-web. The pins, h, are then inserted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
•
1. The combination, in a railway chair, of chair-base; fixed jaw; detachable jaw;
a practicable axis formed in or upon the chair-base, about which the said detachable
jaw is adapted to be moved in any plane; and an extension of said detachable jaw,
said extension being adapted to form the seat, in whole or in part, of the rail, when the
latter is fixed in the chair.
2. The combination, in a railway chair, of chair-base; a concave extension of said
base adapted to receive a convex extension of a detachable jaw for the purpose of
forming a practicable horizontal axis upon which the said jaw can be moved vertically;
a detachable jaw the face of which is adapted to engage with the web of the rail; an
extension of the bottom part of the face of said jaw adapted in respect of shape to be
the seat of the rail; and a fixed jaw the inner face of which is arc-shaped, being set
out from the axis of the detachable jaw as a centre and with a radius equal to the
distance from the said axis to the opposite outer edge of the rail-foot substantially
as described.
3. The combination, in a railway chair, of the arc-shaped inner face of a fixed
jaw a detachable and pivotted jaw; and an extension thereof adapted to serve as
the seat of the rail, substantially as described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
4. The combination, in a railway chair, of a chair-base; a movable jaw; an
entension thereof adapted to form with part of the chair a seat for the rail; and a
fixed jaw between which and the movable jaw the rail may be fixed, substantially
as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
5. In a railway chair, the combination of a chair-base; a fixed jaw of a contour
to correspond with the rail-web and foot; a jaw adapted to be moved horizontally
about a practicable axis upon the chair-base and to engage with the web of the rail;
a recess in said last mentioned jaw adapted to receive part of the foot of the rail;
an extension to complete the seat of the rail; and a detaining pin to prevent
accidental motion of the said jaw; substantially as above described with reference
to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 21st day of November 1887