IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY. OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, WILLIAM HENRY LINDSAY of 14 South Wharf Paddington Basin in the
County of Middlesex Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY. OF RAILWAYS" to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the permanent way of
railways.
For this purpose I support the rails upon a continuous corrugated floor built up
of trough iron or steel formed as described in the specification of a former Patent
granted to me N° 2607 in the year 1882 or I support the rails upon the top of
sleepers of inverted trough iron or steel formed preferably as described in that
specification thicker at the bottom than at the sides of the trough. The troughs
are placed transversely of the lines of rail. The rails I use are flat footed rails and
to hold the rails down on to the top of the inverted troughs I form through each
trough on one side of each rail a bole through which one arm of a U shaped clip
piece is passed-so that this arm may pass below and bear against the underside of
the head of the inverted trough whilst the other comes above the top of one side
of the foot of the rail and holds it down. The foot of the rail on the opposite side
I hold down by the end of a bar which is made to overlap it and which is held
downwards against the top of the inverted trough by the head of a bolt the stem of
which is passed through it and through the top of the inverted trough and formed
with a claw at its lower end to catch below the underside of the top. The holes
are made oblong so that by giving a half turn to the bolt the claw may be with-
drawn, or in place of a bolt a U shaped clip piece made to pass across the top of
the bar and with claw ends to pass down through holes in the top of the inverted
trough and catch below it might be used. The end of the bar next to the rail
I make to project upwards and form a jaw between which and the rail a key may
be driven. The face of the jaw next the rail I form with ratchet like teeth which
prevent the key from moving back after being once driven in. The key I form of
a strip of steel bent somewhat into the form of a figure 8 flattened-the end of the
strip which is towards the ratchet teeth of the jaw will spring outwards and catch
into these teeth and so prevent the key from moving back after it has once been
driven into place. The tail end of the bar above mentioned which holds down one
side of the foot of the 'rail may be formed with a pin projecting downwards from
t to pass into a hole formed to receive it in the top of the inverted trough. Or.in

page_text: place of the bar above mentioned being held down by a claw ended. bolt as above
described the bar may be shaped so as to pass downwards through the hole in the
top of the inverted trough and its end which is below this top and which is
furthest from the rail be caught and drawn upwards by a bolt passed through
another hole in the top and which bolt can be drawn upwards by a nut screwed on
to the upper end of the bolt--or the tail end of the bar might be made to rise
upwards through this second hole and be retained by a key driven through it.
In these cases the end of the bar which holds down the foot of the rail need not be
formed as a jaw for a key to be driven between it and the side of the rail but the
rail may be retained from moving sidewise by the edge of the foot resting against
the bar where it passes down through the hole in the top of the inverted trough.
Dated this 23rd day of April 1885.
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in the Permanent Way of Railways.
I, WILLIAM HENRY LINDSAY of 14 South Wharf Paddington Basin in the
County of Middlesex Engineer 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:—
This Invention has for its object improvements in the permanent way of
railways.
In order to secure flat footed rails to sleepers of wrought iron or steel or to a
continuous corrugated floor formed as described in the specification of a former
Patent granted to me No 2607 in the year 1882 or in other such like ways 1 form
through the upper surface of each sleeper or through the corrugated floor wherever
the rails are to be fastened to it a hole on one side of the rail into which a double
headed or U clip piece is inserted and one head of this piece made to catch under
the sleeper or floor and the other to come above the top of one side of the foot of
the rail and hold it down as has before been proposed.
The foot of the rail on the opposite side I hold down by the end of a bar secured
to the top of the sleeper or floor and which is made partly to overlap the foot of
the rail and form a chair jaw between which and the rail a key or wedge may be
driven.
The key I use is formed of a strip of steel bent somewhat into the form of a
Figure 8 flattened. The face of the chair jaw next the rail I form with ratchet
like teeth. When the wedge is driven between the rail and the chair jaw the end
of the strip which is towards the jaw will spring outwards and catch into these
teeth and so prevent the key from working back after it has once been driven into

page_text: place. This form of key is' applicable for retaining rails in the jaws of chairs
constructed in other ways than above described. When the space between the
chair jaw and the rail is wider than required for the key then I use in addition a
filling block to interpose between them and form the ratchet teeth on the inner
surface of the filling block.
Figure 1 of the drawings hereunto annexed shows a transverse vertical section
and Figure 2 a plan view of a flat footed rail so secured to the top of a metallic
sleeper or floor.
A is the double headed clip piece for holding down one side of the foot of the
rail-B is the bar forming a jaw on the opposite side of the rail-it is held down
to the sleeper or floor by a nut and bolt C and is prevented from moving away
from the rail by its end which is furthest from the rail being turned downwards
and made to enter a hole formed to receive it.
The stem of the bolt is flat sided and fits against the sides of the slots in the bar
and floor or sleeper through which it passes so that it cannot turn when in place
and its lower end has a claw extending from it to catch below the underside of the
aleeper or floor. The slots in the floor or sleeper and in the bar are oblong so that
when the nut on the bolt is slackened and the slot in the bar brought to coincide
with the slot in the sleeper or floor the bar together with the bolt can be taken
away so as entirely to release the rail and allow of its being taken out and replaced
by another.
D is the wedge or key driven between the rail and the jaw end of the bar B-
any ordinary key might be employed but I prefer to use a wedge formed as
described of a strip of steel bent to a figure of 8 form flattened the form of the
wedge is best seen in Figure 2-the ratchet teeth formed in the face of the bar B
are also seen in this figure.-When the wedge is driven into place the end of the
strip of which it is formed catches against one or other of the ratchet teeth and
prevents the key working back. Whenever it is required to withdraw the key
this end of the steel strip of which the key is formed has to be forced away from
the ratchet teeth by a blade driven between them from the smaller end of the
wedge a slight blow on the smaller end of the wedge will then drive it out. The
wedge is kept from working upwards by a slight projecting flange along the top of
the jaw,
Figure 3 is a vertical section and Figure 4 a plan of a double headed rail keyed
into a chair by a spring metallic key formed in the way shown at Figure 2. In
these figures E is a block interposed between the key and the chair jaw-the
ratchet teeth are as shewn formed on the inner face of this block-the block itself
is prevented from moving endwise by flanges at its ends overlapping the ends of
the jaw.
In place of the bar B being formed as a jaw so that the rail may be retained by
a wedge driven between it and the jaw I in some cases form the bar to pass down-
wards through a hole in the sleeper close to the rail and thereby prevent the rail
from moving sidewise whilst at the same time the end of the bar which is above
the sleeper or floor is made to overlap the foot of the rail and hold it down.
To cause this end of the bar so to bear downwards upon the foot of the rail
I cause the other end of the bar to be drawn upwards by a screw bolt or otherwise.
The bar then acts as a lever turning on a fulcrum at the point where it passes
through the sleeper or floor.
In Figure 5 this is shown to be effected by a nut and bolt F with a claw shaped
end to hold on to the end of the lever.
In Figure 6 it is shewn to be effected by the extremity of the bar being carried
upwards through a second hole and held by a wedge G driven into a slot formed
through it.
In Figure 7 it is shewn to be effected in a similar way to that shewn at Figure 6
except that the extremity of the bar is drawn upwards by a nut H screwed on to
its end. Figures 8 and 9 shew a plan view and end view of Figure 7. I also
employ a similar bar B for securing a railway chair to the upper surface of a

page_text: metallic. sleeper or floor as shewn at Figures 3 and 4-preferably I use two. such
levers placed one in the opposite direction to the other as shewn in Figure 4.
.
my
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
claim is
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1. The means substantially as herein before described with reference to
Figures 1 and 2 for securing flat footed rails to metallic sleepers or floors.
2. The wedge or key formed of a strip of metal bent as described.
3. The means substantially as described with reference to Figures 3 and 4 for
securing rails in railway chairs.
¡
4. The
means substantially, as described with reference to Figures 5, 6, 7, 8
and 9 for securing flat footed rails to metallic sleepers or floors.
5. The means substantially as described of securing railway chairs to metallic
sleepers or floors substantially as described with reference to Figures 3 and 4.
Dated this 22nd day of January 1886'
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