In- PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY SPIKES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Scattergood, of West Bromwich, in the
County of Stafford, Manager of Works, for the Invention of "In-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY SPIKES."
Sealed the 20th January 1874, and dated the 28th July 1878. C
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Scattergood at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 28th July 1878.
I; JRATES SOFTFntoon; of West Bromwich, in the Cotinty of Stafford,
Manager of Works, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY SPIKES,'
follows:-
My Invention consists of the process or combination of processes
herein-after described for the manufacture of railway spikes, whereby
the said spikes are rapidly and economically manufactured.
In manufacturing railway spikes according to my Invention, a bar of
wrought iron is taken, square in cross section, the said bar having the

page_text: diameter of the stems of the spikes to be made, and along one face of the
said bar and at equal distances apart, nearly V shaped depressions are
made, the deepest parts of the said depressions being nearly equal to the
thickness of the bar. The sides of each of the nearly V shaped
depressions are of different lengths, and are inclined at different angles
to the opposite or plain face of the bar. There is thus produced a series
of headless spikes, joined together head to point, the point part of each
spike being formed from the longer sides of the V shaped depressions,
and the inclined head part of each spike being formed from the other
and' shorter side of the V shaped depressions, the point part of each
spike being joined to the head part of the next spike by a thin fin or
web of metal. The series of partly made spikes thus joined together are
separated by cutting or dividing them transversely at the thin fin or
web described, between each head and point. The blanks thus made are
inclined at one side of the head part, and are also inclined at the same:
side at the point part, the opposite side of the head and point parts being
nearly straight.
.
I make bars having the figure described by heating a plain bar and
passing it through a pair of rolls so formed as to give the required
shape to one of the faces of the bar, and after the said shaped bar has
been taken from the rolls, and while it is still hot, I divide it transversely
into a series of headless spikes in the manner before described. The
reheating of the bar is thus avoided.
The dividing of the bar transversely may be done after it has cooled.
Instead of forming the bar by a rolling process, a series of depressions
of the kind described may be formed in one of the faces of the bar by a
stamping process, but I prefer to use rolls for this purpose.
Headless spikes or blanks for spikes made according to my Invention
are headed, and their points perfected by the ordinary tools and
processes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Scattergood in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 23rd January 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
SCATTERGOOD, of West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Manager of
Works, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said James Scattergood, Her special license
that I, the said James Scattergood, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said James Scattergood, 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
MANUFACTURE OF RAILWAY SPIKES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said James Scattergood, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
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 James Scattergood, 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, that is to say :-
My Invention consists of the process or combination of processes
herein-after described for the manufacture of railway spikes, whereby
the said spikes are rapidly and economically manufactured.
In manufacturing railway spikes according to my Invention, a bar of
wrought-iron is taken, square in dross section, the said bar having the

page_text: -
diameter of the stems of the spikes to be made, and along one face of the
said bar and at equal distances apart nearly V shaped depressions are
made, the deepest parts of the said depressions being nearly equal to the
thickness of the bar. The sides of each of the nearly V shaped
depressions are of different lengths, and are inclined at different angles t
to the opposite or plain face of the bar. There is thus produced a series
of headless spikes, joined head part to point part, the point part of each
spike being formed from the longer side of the V shaped depressions,
and the inclined head part of each spike being formed from the other
and shorter side of the V shaped depressions, the point part of each 1
spike being joined to the head part of the next spike by a thin fin or
web of metal. The series of partly made spikes thus joined together are
separated by cutting or dividing them transversely at the thin fin or web
described, between each head and point. The blanks thus made are
inclined at one side of the head part, and are also inclined at the same ]
side at the point part, the opposite side of the head and point parts being
nearly straight.
I make bars having the figure described by heating a plain bar and
passing it, by preference; through a pair of rolls so formed as to give the
required shape to the faces of the bar, and after the said shaped bar has 2
been taken from the rolls, and while it is still hot, I divide it transversely
into a series of headless spikes in the manner before described. The
reheating of the bar is thus avoided.
The dividing of the bar transversely may be done after it has cooled.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents in side elevation
and plan a bar of wrought iron, from which a series of headless railway
spikes is to be made according to my Invention, and Figure 2 represents
a headless railway spike made from the bar Figure 1. The said bar is
square or of other shape in cross section, and has the diameter of the
stems of the spikes to be made, and along one face of the said bar at
equal distances apart nearly V shaped depressions a, b, are made, so as
to convert the plain bar into a series of headless railway spikes, the
point part of one spike being joined to the head part of the next spike,
the point part of each spike being made from the side a of the V shaped
depression, and the inclined head part from the side 6 of the said
depression. The opposite face of the bar to that in which the V shaped
depressions are made is straight, except at the parts marked c, situated

page_text: opposite the point parts a of the bar, which parts a have the inclination
represented in the Drawing, and form one side of the points of the spikes
to be made.
By an examination of the Drawing it will be seen that the point
part a, o, of each spike is joined to the head part 6 of the next spike by
a thin fin or web of metal at d.
means of shears or cutters the bar, Figure 1, is divided transversely
at the fins or webs d, so as to convert it into a series of headless spikes
or spike blanks of the kind represented in Figure 2, which said headless
spikes or blanks are headed, and their points perfected by the ordinary
tools and processes.
The pair of rolls which I prefer to use for shaping the bar, Figure 1,
is represented in side elevation in Figure 8, in section taken through the
spindles in Figure 4, and in section taken through the rolls in Figure 5.
The said pair of rolls consists of a plain lower roll e, and an upper roll g,
having on its periphery a series of V or tooth-like projections h, h. In
the periphery of the roll e is a groove ƒ of the size and form of the bar
to be rolled. The projections h, h, of the upper roll are of a breadth
proper to fit in the groove f, and of a shape proper to form the
V depressions a, b, in the plain bar as it passes through the rolls.
Behind the bottom rolle is a horizontal delivery table i for receiving
the heated bar k as it issues from the rolls. The level of the table i
is below that of the groove in the rolls, for the purpose herein-after
explained.
The plain bar of wrought iron being heated is passed through the
rolls, the said rolls being rotated in the direction of the arrows, Figure 5.
By the operation of the rolls the heated bar & is seized and carried
through them, and is shaped on its opposite faces. As the bar passes
from between the rolls it falls upon the delivery table 4, and in con-
sequence of the level of the said table in relation to that of the grooveƒ
in the rolls, the shaping of the parts on opposite sides of the bar to form
the point parts of the bar marked a, c, in Figure 1, is simultaneously
effected, that is to say, the part marked a is shaped by the face of the
projection on the upper roll, and the part maked c is shaped or
3 compressed between the said projection and the periphery of the lower
roll, in conjunction with the horizontal delivery tables, at a level below
that of the groove f, as illustrated in Figure 5.
En

page_text: A bar of the kind represented in Figure 1 is thus made, which is cut
or divided into spike blanks in the manner herein-before described.
Instead of forming the bar by a rolling process, as described and
represented, a series of depressions of the kind described may be formed
on the bar by a stamping process, but I prefer to use rolls for this
purpose.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do
not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated, as
the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention, but I claim as my Invention, manufacturing railway spikes
by the process or combination of processes herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, manufacturing
the said spikes by forming or shaping in one of the faces of a wrought-
iron bar of the diameter of the stems of the spikes to be made a series of
equidistant nearly V shaped depressions, and on the opposite face of the
said bar a series of equidistant inclines, the said inclines being opposite
the before-mentioned V shaped depressions, so as to form from the said
bar a series of headless railway spikes, joined together head part to point
part by a thin fin or web, the said series of partly made spikes being.
separated by cutting or dividing the bar transversely at the thin fin or
web between each head part and point part of the bar, substantially as
described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Scattergood, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of January, in the year 2
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventyal
JAMES SCATTERGOOD. (L.S.)
Witness,
JOSEPH POVEY,
Patent Nut & Bolt Co., Limited,
Spon Lane,
West Bromwich.