IMPROVEMENTS IN. THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Perceval-Moses, Parsons, of Duke Street; Adelphi,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the, Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN. THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 9th June 1857, and dated the 7th February 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Perceval Moses Parsons
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th February 1857.
I, PERCEVAL MOSES PARSONS, of Duke Street, Adelphi, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," to be as
follows:-
The object of this Invention is to provide a simple and efficient means of
remedying the objectionable regidity which is found to exist in thepermanent
way of railways in which the 'sleepers or bearers are composed of iron, stone,
and similar unyielding substances. For this purpose fconstruct such sleepers
of a suitable form, and I interpose in any convenient situation between the
rail and the sleeper or bearers, or between the rail and the chair support or
fastening resting on or attached to the sleeper or bearer, or between the chair
support or fastening which holds or supports the rail and the sleeper, blocks,
[Price 8d.1

page_text: packings, or wedges of wood, arranged and placed in such a manner that the
endgrain or fibre of the wood will be presented to receive or sustain the strain
or pressure caused by securing or supporting the rails, or the weights imposed
on them, so that the strainor pressure will be intercepted by and transferred
from the rail to the chair fastening, support, or sleeper through these blocks
or packings in the same direction, or nearly so, as that in which the fibres of
the wood lie.
This method of applying wood as a cushion possesses many advantages over
the ordinary way of using it to sustain pressure with the grain or fibre side-
ways. It has greater strength to resist pressure, does not shrink endways of
the grain, and the sap'vessels are better protected against the admission of
moisture; for these reasons the quantity of perishable material in a sleeper is
reduced to a minimum, the fastenings are not loosened from the shrinking of
the wood, it is preserved for a longer time, and when destroyed can be renewed
at a trifling expense. In some cases I still further protect and support the
wood by enclosing or confining it in a frame or cavity. I also protect the
wood by impregnating it with creosote or other preservative material.
Secondly, my Invention consists of certain improved modes of constructing
and arranging the parts for connecting the rails and securing them to sleepers
or bearers composed of iron, stone, and similar unyielding substances. For
this purpose I construct the sleepers of a suitable form to receive blocks or
packings of wood under the rail, and between them and the rails or the chairs
or supports on which the rails rest I drive in wedges of iron, or I drive in
wedges of wood between the rails and the sleepers or bearers; or I place
suitably-formed plates, chairs, or supports under or against the rail, and I drive
in wedges of wood between them and the sleepers; the rails, chairs, plates, or
supports being in such case held down by suitable jaws, lugs, keys, or clips,
formed on or connected to the sleeper or the chairs, plates, or other supports.
In those parts where the joints of the rail occur I use metal plates or keys,
placed in one or both of the side channels of the rails across the joint, and
confined by the jaws, lugs, or clips, which have inclined surfaces, or are other-
wise so formed that the plates or keys will be forced into close contact with
the rails by driving in the wedges, before described. On the side of the metal
keys which come in contact with the wood blocks or packings, and in any con-
venient part of the metal sleepers or bearers, or on the chairs, plates, or other
supports which come in contactwith the wood wedges, I form small projections
of a pointed, angular, or other suitable form, which house or embed themselves
in the wood, and thereby assist in preventing the wedges from withdrawing.

page_text: In all cases I prefer using the wood for the packings or keys endways of the
grain, as described in the first part of the Invention, where practicable, but I
do not confine myself to this method of application in respect to the improved
methods of connecting the rails and securing them to the sleepers described
under the second head.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Perceval Moses Parsons in the Great Scal Patent Office
on the 6th August 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PERCEVAL
MOSES PARSONS, of Duke Street, Adelphi, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Perceval Moses Parsons, Her special licence that I, the said Perceval
Moses Parsons, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Perceval Moses Parsons, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Perceval Moses Parsons, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their bands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Perceval Moses Parsons, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing,
and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :—

page_text: The object of this Invention is to provide a simple and efficient means of
remedying the objectionable rigidity which is found to exist in the
permanent
way of railways in which the sleepers or bearers are composed of iron, stone,
and similar unyielding substances. For this purpose I construct such sleepers
of a suitable form, and I, interpose in any convenient situation between the
rail and the sleeper or bearer, or between the rail and the chair support or
fastening resting on or attached to the sleeper or bearer, or between the chair
support or tastening which holds or supports the rail and the sleeper, blocks.
packings, or wedges of wood, arranged and placed in such a manner that the
end grain or fibre of the wood will be presented to receive or sustain the strain
or pressure caused by securing or supporting the rails, or the weights imposed
on them, so that the strain or pressure will be intercepted by and transferred
from the rail to the chair fastening support, or sleeper, through these blocks,
packings, or wedges in the same direction, or nearly so, as that in which the
fibres of the wood lie. Various methods of applying these blocks or packings
(which I term end grain cushions) are shewn in Figures 1 to 12 inclusive of
the Drawing hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 is a plan, and Figure 2 a transverse section, of a cast-iron sleeper
and part of a rail in which the end grain cushion c is interposed between the
rail a and the sleeper b. The end grain cushion is in this case in the form of
a wedge, which is driven in under the rail, between it and the sleeper. The
clips d, d, formed on the sleeper, prevent the rail from rising. The rail is
introduced into the sleeper by slipping it in endways or sideways when the
space below the clips permits.
Figure 3 is a plan, and Figure 4 a transverse section, of a cast-iron sleeper,
chair, and part of a rail in which the end grain cushion c is interposed
between the rail a and the chair d, which rests on and is attached to
the sleeper by the trenails t, t. The rail is secured in the chair by the
wedges e, e.
Figure 5 is a side view, and Figure 6 a transverse section, of a part of
a stone sleeper, a chair, and part of a rail in which the end grain cushion c
is interposed between the chair d and the sleeper b, the chair being held
down by the trenails t, t, which are driven into the sleeper b.
Figure 7 is a side view, and Figure S a transverse section, of another arrange-
ment in which the end grain cushion c is interposed between the chair d and
the sleeper b; but in this, the chair, instead of being held down by trenails, has
its two sides extended downwards in the form of dovetails e, e, which fit into
corresponding recesses in the sleeper; the small-keys f being dropped in their

page_text: places, the chair is prevented from rising, and the end grain cushion in the form
of a wedge is then driven in between the chair and the sleeper.
Figure 9 is a plan, and Figure 10 a transverse section, of an arrangement
in which the end grain cushions c, c, are interposed between the sleeper band
wedges d, d, which support and secure the rail. The wedges d, d, are driven
in between the wood blocks c, c, on which they rest, and the rail a, which they
support by its upper table or flange. The wedges d,d, when driven in lift the
bottom of the rail off the sleeper, but both they and the rail are prevented
from rising beyond the required distance by the lips l,l,formed on the sleeper.
Figure 11 is a side view, and Figure 12 a transverse section of another
arrangement in which the end grain cushion c is interposed between the
sleeper and the wedge . In this arrangement the sleeper is of wrought
iron, rolled to the section shewn in Figure 11, which may be cut into
pieces sufficiently long to extend across to carry the two rails where a
cross tie is required, and into shorter pieces where not; recesses are made
in the upper feathers or ribs for for the reception of the rail, the pro-
jecting parts left forming clips 1, 1, which hold the rail down. The end
grain cushion c and the rail a being put in their places, the wedge dis
driven in between the rail and the wooden block or cushion, and the rail is
thereby supported and secured. I would here remark that I do not confine
myself to the precise arrangements shewn, as these admit of considerable
variation without departing from my Invention; this part of which consists of
applying wood as a cushion with its grain or fibre placed in the manner before
described, by which many advantages are secured over the ordinary way of
applying it sideways; the chief of which are, it has greater strength to resist
pressure, does not shrink endways of the grain, and both ends of the sap
vessels being covered, the wood is better protected against the admission of
moisture; thus, while the requisite amount of elasticity or shock-absorbing
property,so desirable in a sleeper, is secured, the quantity of perishable material
is reduced to a minimum, the fastenings do not become loose from the
shrinking of the wood, it is preserved a longer time from decay, and when
necessary can be renewed at a small expence; the small size also of the
cushions enables many neat and simple arrangements to be adopted for
securing the rails, which would be very inconvenient if the wood were
arranged to receive the pressure sideways of the grain, from the much larger
surface that would be required to sustain the same pressure.
In some cases
the wood is confined in a recess or cavity formed in the sleeper or chair, as in
Figures 3 and 4, 5 and 6, 9 and 10; this affords a further protection against

page_text: moisture, and also keeps the cushion in its place when the wedges before
described are driven in against it. As a still further protection against decay, I
impregnate the end grain cushions with creosote, or other preservative
material used for preserving sleepers; this may be accomplished by simply.
soaking the cushions after they are cut in the preservative material, which
from their small thickness will readily penetrate them.
Secondly, my Invention consists of certain improved modes of constructing
and arranging the parts for connecting the rails and securing them to sleepers
or bearers composed of iron, stone, and similar unyielding substances. For
this purpose I construct the sleepers of a suitable form to receive blocks or
packings of wood under or below the rail, and between them and the rails or
the chairs, or supports on which the rail rests, I drive in wedges of iron; or I
drive in wedges of wood between the rails and the sleepers or bearers; 'or I
place suitably-formed plates, chairs, or supports under or against the rail, and
I drive in wedges of wood between them and the sleepers; the rails, chairs,
plates, or supports being in such case held down by suitable jaws, lugs, keys,
or clips formed on or connected to the sleeper or the chairs, plates, or other
supports. Various arrangements embodying this portion of my Invention are
shewn by Figures 1 and 2, 7 and 8, 9 and 10, 11 and 12, which have been
herein-before referred to and described. In that represented by Figures 1
and the rail is secured by simply driving in a wedge of wood e between the
rail and the sleeper, the rail being held down by the clips d, d; and I would
here remark that I am aware it has been proposed to fasten double-headed
rails to chairs or sleepers by driving in wedges of wood underneath them
lengthways, but the small width of the rail would require the wedge to be of
an inconvenient length to obtain a sufficient amount of bearing surface to
enable it to sustain the pressure upon it. I wish it to be understood that I
lay no claim to such an arrangement, but I confine myself in this arrangement
to a rail having a flat bottom, such as represented in section at Figures 2
and 12. I also drive in the wedge across the rail instead of in the direction
of its length. In the arrangement shewn by Figures 9 and 10, and 11 and 12.
blocks or packings of wood c, c, are placed in or upon the sleeper under or
below the rail, and between them and the rails wedges of iron are driven in.
In that shewn by Figures 7 and 8, a chair & supports the rail, and a wedge of
wood c is driven in between the chair and the sleeper. Instead of a chair d,
other forms of supports may be substituted,according to the particular section
of the rail; thus, with a flat bottomed rail, as in Figure 12, the iron wedge d
may be in the form of a plate, and the wooden block or cushion c in the form

page_text: of a wedge and be driven in between the sleeper and the plate. Various
other forms of rail may be secured in a similar manner by adapting the form
of the plate to them. To secure the joints of the rails in connection with
metal sleepers or bearers, I use metal plates or keys placed in one or both
of the side channels of the rails across the joint, and confined by thejaws,lugs,
or clips, which have inclined surfaces, or are otherwise so formed that the
plates or keys will be forced into close contact with the rails by driving in
wooden wedges,or by driving in the aforesaid metal plates or keys in connec-
tion with wedges or end grain cushions of wood.
Figure 13 is a plan, and Figure 4, a transverse section, of an arrangement
for securing the joint of the rails. a,a,are the rails; b is the sleeper, provided
with jaws or clips e,e,the inner surfaces of which are inclined; f,f,are metal
plates filling the side channels of the rails. Under each rail is a wooden
cushion c,and an iron wedge d which is driven in between it and the bottom
of the rail. The plates ff,being thus pressed against the inclined surfaces of
the jaws e,e,are forced into close contact with the rails, and the joint thereby
rendered strong and even. The wedged is driven in in a direction transverse
to the rail, as shewn in the Drawing, but it may be driven in a direction
parallel to the rail if preferred; or a wooden wedge inay be employed alone or
'in combination with a metal plate, in lieu of the metal wedge and wooden
cushion.
Figure 15 is a plan, and Figure 16 a transverse section, of another
arrangement of joint. In this the plates /,,are themselves wedges, and they
are driven in across the joint between the rails a,a,and the wooden cushions
c,c,which are placed on the inclined surfaces of the sleeper b,b; clips e,e, are
formed on one side of the sleeper, as shewn, or on both sides of preferred,
which clips hold down the keys or wedges f,which when driven in are forced
into close contact with the rails. The end grain cushions c,c, may be made
slightly wedge-shaped towards their lower or upper edges,so that by raising
or lowering them an equal bearing may be obtained at both ends of the
wedges f. f.
Figure 17 is a side view, and Figure 18 a transverse section, of another
form of joint. In this an iron wedge or plate f, fitting into the side channels
of the rails, is driven in or placed across the joint between the rails a, a, and
wedges or end grain cushions of wood c,c, which bear against the inclined
surface of the jaw of the bearer or sleeper b. The wedge or plate fis placed
in the side channel of the rails,and the wedges c, c, are driven in behind it,
and the wedge fmay also be driven endways, if desired; or the end grain

page_text: cushions c, c, are first introduced, and the wedge f is then driven in the
wedge or plate f is thus forced into close contact, with the rails, and,
the joint thereby made strong and even. This form of iron bearer or
sleeper may be used in connection with wooden sleepers s, s, and receiving
support from them in addition to the support it receives directly from the
ballast, elasticity is obtained to counteract or intercept the downward strain
or shocks, while the wooden cushions or wedges counteract or intercept
the lateral and upward strains. This arrangement of bearer and joint may
also be used with metal or stone sleepers, but in that case I should recommend
that the wooden cushions beinterposed between it and the sleepers. If greater
elasticity is required to sustain the weights or downward strains, the jaw on
the side which receives the metal key or wedge may be made to incline in the
opposite direction to that shewn in Figure 18,and the wedge be held down by
clips, as in Figure 16; this will throw part of the weight or downward strain
on to the wooden cushion; the other side may be made in the same manner, or
as shewn in Figure 18, or it may be made to fit into the side channels of the
rails. These various arrangements of securing the rails at the joints come also
within that part of my Invention under the second head, for securing the rails
to metal sleepers or bearers by means of iron wedges and wooden wedges
or cushions, and also under the first head when the wooden cushions or wedges
are so placed that the strain or pressure is transmitted through them in
the same direction or nearly so as that in which the fibres of the wood lie. In
all cases I would recommend it to be so used where practicable, although I do
not confine myself to this method of application in respect to the improved
arrangements for connecting the rails and securing them to the sleepers,
herein-before described. On the side of the metal keys or wedges which come
in contact with the wooden blocks,packings,or cushions, and in any convenient
part of the metal sleepers, or the chairs,plates, or other supports which come
in contact with the wooden wedges, I form small projections of a pointed,
angular, or other form, which house or embed themselves in the wood,
and thereby assist in preventing the wedges from withdrawing.
Figure 19 is a plan, Figure 20 a side view, and Figure 21 an end view,
of these projections a, a, a, which I term jags or barbs. b, b, b, is a part of
the metal wedge, sleeper, bearer, chair, plate, or other support on which the
jags or barbs are formed, by casting or otherwise, and they are so placed that
when the wedge or key to which they belong is driven, or when a wooden
wedge is driven against the sleeper,chair, plate, or support to which they are
attached, their pointed ends will first enter the wood, which by its natural

page_text: elasticity will close up between their square or abrupt ends, and thereby
prevent the wedges from shaking out of their places or withdrawing, unless
force is applied for that purpose, in which case they will cut or plough their
way through the wood. I do not, however, claim the application of these jags
or projections except in so far as the same are applied to metal sleepers
or bearers, or are applied to the bases of chairs or other supports which rest
upon the aforesaid wooden cushions or wedges interposed between them and
the sleepers or bearers.
In witness whereof, I, the said Perceval Moses l'arsons, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
CHARLES COWPER,
20, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane.
P. M. PARSONS. (L.S.)