IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CHAIRS, FASTENINGS, AND SLEEPERS
Year: 1865

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Henry Henson Henson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
August 1865.
I, HENRY HENSON HENSON, of No. 13, Parliament Street, Westminster, in
the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said. Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CHAIRS, FASTENINGS, AND SLEEPERS," to be as
follows:
My Invention has for its object to secure railway chairs to the sleepers in a
more perfect manner than has heretofore been effected, in order to prevent
their being displaced by the side thrust, that they are subjected to by the
wheels of passing trains.
One of my improvements consists in forming the surface of the sleeper
apon which the chair rests, as also the under surface of the chair itself, as an
inclined plane in such a manner that for the chair to be moved outwards
by the side thrust of the train it would have to be raised up the inclined
plane. As, in order to be so raised, the chair would at the same time have
to lift the train, it will be evident, that no stich' motion can take place'; under
these circumstances such inclined surfaces of the' sleepers and chairs may be
made in various ways; thus they may be formed by recessing down' the
surface of the sleeper, or by forming the incline raised above the surface of

page_text: the sleeper, or by fixing wedge-shaped pieces of wood or metal upon its
surface, the under surface of the chair being made with such an amount of
incline as to bring the jaws in the proper vertical position when placed
upon the inclined surface of the sleeper.
Another of my improvements consists in forming projections, lugs, or
bosses upon the under surface of the chair, which fit into corresponding
recesses or grooves formed in the surface of the sleeper, or in forming
projections upon the sleeper which fit into recesses formed in the under
surface of the chair, in such a manner that any shifting of the chair in an
outward direction is impossible. Such projections and recesses may be
formed in various ways, thus one or more projections may be formed on the
under surface of the chair, fitting either into corresponding recesses or grooves
cut or formed in the surface of the sleeper, or into recesses formed in plates
fixed on or let into the surface of the sleeper, and the projections and recesses
may be either so made that the former can be dropped into the latter, being
conveniently formed as bosses surrounding the bolt holes, or they may be
made with undercut or dovetailed sides, and they may in that case be fitted
into each other by so forming the recesses that the projections can be slid
into them in the direction of the line of rails, or by forming the dovetail
recesses and projections also tapering on plan, and by making the recesses
to such an extent longer than the dovetail projections that the latter can be
dropped down into the widest part of the recesses, and then slid in the direction
in which the thrust of the train takes place until the tapering projection has
wedged itself tight into the recess; by which arrangement it will be..evident
that the thrust of the train will only tend to make the fastening firmer.; .or
again, the projections and recesses may be formed cylindrical with a screw
thread formed or cut upon them, so that the chair is screwed into the recess.
The various modifications above described with reference to projections upon
the chair fitting into recesses in the sleeper may obviously also be applied
when projections formed on or fixed to the sleeper are made to fit into
recesses formed in the under surface of the chair. In this case also the
projections may consist simply of strips of metal or plates, fixed on or partially
lét into the surface of the sleeper in the direction of the rails, which strips or
plates fit into corresponding grooves formed across the under surface of the
chair.
The above described improved mode of fixing the chair by means of
projectious and recesses may also be employed in combination with the
arrangement of inclined surfaces.
.
Another improvement consists in forming the chair or a portion thereof of

page_text: the same width as the sleeper, and in forming lugs or flanges upon the same
to fit against the side surfaces of the sleeper; these lugs or flanges are
provided with bolt holes through which bolts are driven or screwed into the
side surfaces of the sleepers; in addition to the ordinary bolts, spikes, or
trenails driven in the top surface, whereby a considerable increased security
of the fastening for the chair is obtained.
Another improvement consists in forming a bolt hole in the centre of
railway chairs, immediately beneath the rail, and in driving into such hole a
bolt or spike having a countersunk head, so that when driven the top of
the latter is flush with the bed of the rail, and the rail when fixed will thus
prevent the bolt or spike from rising.
Another improvement consists in forming a recess or large hole in the
centre of railway chairs immediately beneath the rail, and in filling in such
recess or hole with a block of wood or other similar suitable material, the
surface of which is raised slightly above the surface of the chair, so that the
rail rests upon the wood instead of upon the chair.
Another part of my Invention relates to the description of combined
railway sleeper and chair, consisting of an inverted dished metal plate or
bowl, upon the top of which the jaws of the chair are formed. One improve-
ment consists in making the surface of the dished plate or bowl polygonal
instead of spherical as heretofore, and, either in addition to or instead of the
above, I form the surface of the sleeper with steps instead of with one
continuous inclined surface, whereby I afford the sleeper a better hold upon
the ground and render it less liable to alter its position.
Another improvement consists in forming a recess in the top of the dished
plate between the jaws of the chair, and filling the same with wood or other
similar suitable material upon which the rail is made to rest, as before
described with reference to the improvements in the ordinary chair.