IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS AND FASTENINGS FOR THE SAME
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Livesey, of 75, Cannon Street West, and
John Edwards, of 29, Basinghall Street, in the City of London, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS AND
FASTENINGS FOR THE SAME."
Sealed the 26th April 1864, and dated the 4th November 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Livesey and
John Edwards at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 4th November 1863.
We, JAMES LIVESEY, of 75, Cannon Street West, and JOHN EDWARDS, of
29, Basinghall Street, in the City of London, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
AND FASTENINGS FOR THE SAME," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists of a railway chair or sleeper of either wrought or
cast iron plates, made at a suitable angle to fix to the rails and fastened by
bolts or other convenient fastenings. A slot is made in the chair or sleeper,
through which passes the tie-bar to keep the road to guage, and in order to
give strength to the plates, a cotter is driven in, passing through the tie-bar,
and resting or binding on the plates; these chairs or sleepers can form a
combination of chair, sleeper, and fish plates; for the latter, the plates are
bolted with either four bolts in the usual manner, or with three bolts; the
centre bolt being made round, square, or any other convenient form, passing
immediately through the joint of the rail, each end of the rail being slotted or

page_text: punched with a half round hole, so that when in position the two slots or
punches form a hole to receive the centre bolt; this plan we adapt to any
any other form of fish joint. Also in a chair or sleeper of cast iron, between
the rail and jaw of the chair or sleeper, a filling piece is inserted, so arranged
that a spring or other fastening can be driven in to secure the rail. Also in
making a hollow spike of iron or other suitable material to fasten the chairs
to sleepers, this spike is made hollow, with the internal diameter diminishing
towards the bottom, and is split in halves about two-thirds of its length; when
this spike is driven home a parallel spike is driven into the hollow one, forcing
or expanding the sides and dovetailing it into the sleeper; this hollow spike
may be made in two halves if preferred. Also in making a wooden key with
a metal strap fixed on one side, which is turned up after the key is driven in,
and is thus prevented from shaking out of its place; these wooden keys we
sometimes case with metal to prevent decay or injury by insects.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Livesey and John Edwards in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 4th May 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
LIVESEY, of 75, Cannon Street West, and JOHN EDWARDS, of 29, Basinghall
Street, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said James Livesey and John Edwards, Her special licence that we,
the said James Livesey and John Edwards, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said James Livesey and John Edwards,
our 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 AND FASTENINGS FOR THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said James Livesey and John Edwards, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature

page_text: 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 inonths next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
1
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said James Livesey and John Edwards,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
Our Invention relates to making railway chairs or sleepers of either wrought
or cast iron.
The plates A are made at a suitable angle to fix to the rails, as shewn in
Figures 1 and 2, and are made to any suitable length, made either of flat
sheets corrugated or with strengthening ribs or slightly convex, in order to
give additional strength. A slot or opening is made in the plates through
which passes the tie-bar B. The tie-bars are punched at proper distances to
receive the cotters C, which hold the road to gauge and give additional
strength to the plates. When the angle plates are made of cast iron, we
sometimes use a wood tie-bar D, as shown in Figure 2. These cast-iron
angle plates or sleepers are spiked or bolted to the wood tie-bars, the holes F
in the plates being made oblong to allow them to be moved back when a rail
has to be removed. The sleepers or angle plates are made to act also as fish
plates; but we use only three bolts instead of four, as shewn in Figures 8 and 9,
which shows the same plan applied to ordinary fish plates. The rails are
punched at the ends with a half round or other shaped opening, and when
brought together form a hole to take the centré bolt G; this centre bolt we
sometimes make taper or wedge-shape to keep the joints of the rails from
rising. We sometimes fix the angle plates A to a base plate M, made of any
suitable form about two feet long, as shewn in Figure 3; the tie-bar D of
either wood or iron passing under the base plate, the angle plates acting as an
elastic medium carrying the rails, with this plan we prefer to use our fish plate
as shewn in Figs. 8 and 9.
Our Invention also relates to forming a chair with a steel spring fastening
to hold the rail tight, as shewn in Figures 12, 13 and 14. In Fig. 12, the
filling piece I is put in position, and the spring is then driven in from the top.
In Fig. 13, the spring is put in position first, and the filling piece I is then
driven in as the ordinary wood key; Fig. 14 shews the same plan adapted to
existing chairs.
In Fig. 7. Drawing No. 1. the filling piece I with projections is put in

page_text: position, and the taper bolt H is then driven in and held in its position by a
nut or cotter; this chair is shewn as a joint to an iron sleeper.
These various methods of fastening we apply to any form of iron sleepers,
as shewn in Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7. Fig. 5 shews a plan of a sleeper with three
half chairs, the spring fastening used in the manner already described; Fig. 6
shews the same arrangements with a slightly corrugated solid key K, the
elasticity of the rail acting as the spring.
Our Invention relates also to forming a hollow Lewes' spike, as shewn in'
Fig. 15; this spike is made parallel at the outside and split about one-third
up its length. The inside is made taper or with the metal thickened at the
bottom. Into this hollow spike we drive a solid one, which forces out the
thickened end of the hollow spike and dovetails it into the sleeper.
Figs. 16, 17, 18, and 19 shew the several views of the steel springs we use
for fastening the rails.
Having now described the nature of our Invention and how the same is to
be carried into effect, what we claim as our Invention is,-
Firstly, the arrangement of angle plates with tie-bars passing through, as
shewn in Figs. 1 and 2.
Secondly, the arrangement of angle plates fixed to a base plate, as shewn
in Fig. 8.
Thirdly, the arrangement of fish plates with three holes and taper centre
bolt, as shewn in Figures 8, 9, and 9*.
Fourthly, the arrangement of chairs with steel spring and bolt fastenings,
as shewn in Figs. 7, 12, 13, and 14, also the filling piece with projections, as
shewn in Fig. 7.
Fifthly, the arrangement of sleeper with three half chairs, as shewn in
Figs. 5 and 6.
Sixthly, the formation of a hollow spike, as shewn in Fig. 15.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Livesey and John Edwards,"
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fourth day of May, in
the year our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
JAMES LIVESEY. (L.B.)
JOHN EDWARDS. (L.S.)