IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Davies, of No. 24, Ludgate Hill, in the City
of London, and Arthur Helwig, of No. 73, Old Kent Road, in the
County of Surrey, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 12th July 1867, and dated the 16th January 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Davies and
Arthur Helwig at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 16th January 1867.
We, JOHN DAVIES, of No. 24, Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and
ARTHUR HELWIG, of No. 73, Old Kent Road, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
improvements relate to the construction of a double-headed rail
whose heads or flanges are connected by an inclined or oblique web, to the
construction of a chair with a correspondingly inclined lateral surface for
supporting the rail, and to the employment of slotted bolts which pass through
the web of the said rail, and which by means of wedges or keys are caused to
draw and hold the rail and chair closely and firmly together.
The rails are produced by the ordinary process of rolling, and are formed
with two heads or flanges united by an intermediate web; the latter instead
of being formed sectionally at right angles to the bearing surfaces of the rail
is inclined at an angle of about sixty degrees to the same, so that when the
rail is properly laid the two heads are not transversely in a perpendicular line
with each other, but the side or edge of one head coincides or nearly so with

page_text: the centre of the other. The under surface of each of the rail heads on one
side of the web is rolled flat, and is transversely parallel or nearly so with the
bearing surfaces of the said rail. The chairs for supporting the latter are formed
with an inclined or oblique surface on one side for the web of the rail to rest
upon. The top of each chair is made horizontal and forms a bearing surface
for the under side of the rail head which is rolled flat for this purpose; the
said chair is constructed with a broad base, by which it is firmly supported
upon the sleeper, being secured thereto by bolts or screws in the ordinary
manner; the said flange is formed on one side only of the chair, and does not
extend under the rail; the latter when properly laid is adjusted upon the
chair with its lower head resting on the sleeper. By the above-described
method of constructing the rail and chair the height of the former is greatly
The
reduced, whereby a great saving is effected in the cost of the same.
bearing surface of the lower head is also preserved in good condition for the
rail to be reversed when required, as the said surface rests only on the
sleepers, and is therefore not exposed when a train passes over it to injury
from compression between two hard substances, as it would be if supported
solely by its under surface in metal chairs. The rail is secured to the chair
by bolts which are driven through the web of the former, and into or through
the body of the chair; the head of the bolt rests outside the web of the rail,
and a keyway is formed in that portion of the said bolt which is inserted in
the chair; a corresponding keyway is formed longitudinally through the
latter in such a position that when a key or wedge is driven through tbe said
keyways the bolt will draw the rail and chair firmly and closely together.
When the rail is to be removed from the chair the wedges or keys are readily
driven out of the keyways, and allow the bolts to be drawn out. Longi-
tudinal slots are by preference formed for the said bolts in the web of the rail
to allow the expansion and contraction of the said rail to take place without
injuring or displacing the chairs.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Davies and Arthur Helwig in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th July 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN,
DAVIES, of No. 24, Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and ARTHUR HELWIG,
of No. 73, Old Kent Road, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, send.
greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said John Davies and Arthur Helwig, Her special licence that we, the said
John Davies and Arthur Helwig, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said John Davies and Arthur Helwig, 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," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said John
Davies and Arthur Helwig, our executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should parti-
cularly 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 we, the said John Davies and Arthur Helwig, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings forming a part of this Specification :-
The said improvements relate to the construction of a double-headed rail
whose heads or flanges are connected by an inclined or oblique web, and to
the construction of a chair with a correspondingly inclined lateral surface for
supporting the said rail. The said improvements relate also to the employ-
ment of slotted bolts which pass through the web of the rail, and which by
means of wedges or keys are caused to draw and hold the rail and chair closely
and firmly together.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a plan of our improved rail and chair; Figure 2 is a side
ירז
Figure 1 is a plan of our improved rail and chair; Figure 2 is a side
elevation of the same, Figure 9 is a transverse section on the line a, w,
Figure 1, shewing the mode of securing the said chair and rail together;
Figure 4 is similar section representing a modified form of bolt for connecting
the said chair and rail; like letters indicate the same parts in each of the
Figures

page_text: The rails A are produced by the ordinary process of rolling, and are formed
with two heads or flanges A', A2, united by an intermediate web a; the latter
instead of being formed sectionally at right angles or perpendicular to the
bearing surfaces of the rail heads, is inclined at an angle of about sixty
degrees to the same, so that when the rail A is properly laid the two heads
are not transversely in a perpendicular line with each other, but the side or
edge of one head coincides, or nearly so, with a line drawn perpendicularly
through the centre of the other. The under surface a¹ of each of the rail
heads on one side of the web is rolled flat, as shewn in Figures 3 and 4, and
is transversely parallel, or nearly so, with the bearing surfaces of the said rail.
The chairs B for supporting the rails A are formed with an inclined or oblique
surface on one side for the web a of the said rail to rest upon. The top b¹
of each of the chairs B is made horizontal, and forms a bearing surface for the
flat portion a¹ of the under side of the rail heads; the said chair is constructed
with a broad base, whereby it is firmly supported upon the sleeper c, to which it
is secured by the screws D or by bolts or other suitable fastening. The base or
flange of the chair Bis formed on one side only of the same, and does not extend
under the rail; the latter when properly laid is adjusted upon the chair with
its lower head resting on the sleeper. By the above-described method of con-
structing the rail and chair the height of the former is greatly reduced, whereby
a great saving is effected in the cost of the same. The bearing surface of the
head which is placed downward in first laying the rail rests only on the
sleepers, and is not exposed when a train passes over it to injury from com-
pression between two hard substances as it would be if supported solely by its
under surface in metal chairs; the under surface of the rail is therefore pre-
served in good condition to form a fresh bearing surface when the rail is
reversed. The rail A is secured to the chair B by the bolts E which are
driven through the web of the former and into or through the body of the said
chair; the head E' of the bolt rests outside the web of the rail, and a keyway
is formed in that portion of the said bolt which is inserted in the chair. A
corresponding keyway is formed longitudinally through the chair B in such a
position that when the said bolt is inserted into the hole in the chair and a
key or wedge F is driven through the two keyways, as represented in
Figures 1, 2, and 3, the bolt will draw the rail and chair firmly and closely
together. When the said rail is to be removed from the chairs the wedges
or keys F are readily driven out of the keyways and allow the bolts E to be
drawn out endwise from the said rail and chairs, or the rail and chair may be
fastened together by the bolt G, Figure 4, whose head G¹ fits a recess formed
in the chair; the end of the said bolt is formed with a screw thread, and is

page_text: provided with a nut G2, which when screwed down on the said bolt draws the
rail and chair tightly together. Longitudinal slots H are, by preference,
formed for the bolts For G in the web a of the rail to allow the expansion
and contraction of the said rail to take place without injuring or displacing
the chairs.
The form of the chairs may be modified to any extent in all parts except
its bearing surfaces 6 and 6', and the size of the said chairs may be varied, as
desired. In some cases these bearing surfaces may consist of ribs or fitting
strips instead of a plane surface, and the weight of the chair may be reduced
by casting it with recesses or chambers between the base and bearing
surfaces.
Any ordinary sleepers formed either of wood, metal, or other material may
be employed to support our improved chairs, but if metal sleepers are used
we prefer to place a strip of wood or other similarly soft material between the
upper surface of the sleeper and the lower surface of the rail to prevent injury
to the latter from pressure upon a hard surface.
Having thus fully described our said improvements, and shewn how the
same may be conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, we
claim,―
First, constructing a rail with two heads A', A, oblique or inclined
web a, and bearing surface a', substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
Second, a chair with bearing surfaces b and b' formed at suitable angles to
support the rails A, substantially in the manner set forth.
Third, uniting and securing the rails A upon the chairs B by means of the
slotted bolts E and keys F, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Davies and Arthur Helwig, have
hereunto set our bands and seals, the Fifteenth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
JOH DAVIES.
(L.S.)
Witness,
W. ROB. LAKE,
8, Southampton Buildings, W.C.
ARTHUR HELWIG. (L.S.)