IMPROVEMENTS IN RAIL- FASTENINGS AND JOINTS FOR RAILWAYS AND TRAMWAYS to be as follows:
Year: 1885

page_text: I, JOHN POYSER of Mansfield in the County of Nottingham Accountant do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAIL-
FASTENINGS AND JOINTS FOR RAILWAYS AND TRAMWAYS to be as follows:-
"
My present invention relates to a modification of the chair or rail fastening
described in the provisional and complete specifications accompanying my applica-
tion for Letters Patent made the 26th June A.D, 1884 and numbered 9420, and of
the improvements on the same described in the provisional specification accom-
panying my application for Letters Patent made the 13th December 1884 and
numbered 16387, all which three specifications have been duly accepted.
In the said specifications, a chair is described, in which the rail is forced against
a jaw of ordinary form, by a vertical wedge driving.a key against the rail, the said
wedge and key being retained between a pair of jaws suitably shaped for the
purpose.
In my present modification; I replace the said pair of jaws by a single solid jaw,
and I drive a key against the rail by means of a vertical wedge inserted between
the inner face of the jaw and the outer face of the key.
The key, I generally prefer to make of wood, and to place it with the end grain
abutting against the side of the rail, as described in my herein before. mentioned:
specification N° 16,387 of 1884, but it may be of metal if desired.
To prevent lateral motion of the wedge & key, I may give various forms to the
different parts, thus the jaw may be a plain solid jaw, somewhat like the key jaw
in an ordinary chair, and the wedge may be provided with slight vertical shoulders
at each side to embrace the jaw, or a vertical groove may be provided in the face
of the jaw and a corresponding rib on the face of the wedge, or a groove may
be made in the wedge and a rib formed on the jaw, or the surface of the one
may be concave and the other convex. Any of these devices will prevent lateral
movement of the wedge, but will in no way interfere with its vertical action.
To prevent the key moving laterally, I prefer to recess the face of the wedge to
receive the key, but I may provide a vertical rib on the wedge and form a
corresponding groove in the key.
To apply my said invention. to an existing chair, which has a projecting lip on
the upper edge of the key jaw, or has the inner face of such jaw curved, I divide

page_text: the iron wedge into two parts vertically, one such part having slight shoulders to
embrace the sides of the jaw and being so formed as to leave a flat face for the
other part, which then becomes the wedge. Any of the same arrangements may be
employed to prevent lateral movement between the wedge and the part embracing
the jaw, as are described above for preventing lateral movement between the wedge
and the jaw.
To remove the vertical wedge, a crowbar or handspike may be inserted under-
neath at the side, or a small taper wedge may be driven in, or a recess may be
formed in the top of the jaw and a lip be provided on the vertical wedge to enable
a crowbar to be used in that position.
Dated the montre fifth da
1007
i
Tramways.
I I, JOHN POYSER of Mansfield in the county of Nottingham, accountant, 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:
1.
My present invention relates to a modification of the chairs or rail fastenings,
for which Letters Patent were granted to me bearing date the 26th June. A.D. 1884
and numbered 9420, and of the improvements, on. the same for which Letters Patent
were granted to me bearing date 13th December A.D. 1884, and numbered 16,387.
In the said specifications a chair is described. in which the rail. is forced against a
jaw of ordinary form by a vertical wedge. driving a key against the rail, the said
wedge and key being retained between a pair of jaws suitably shaped for the
purpose.
יד
13
In the modification which forms the subject of my present invention, I replace
the said pair of jaws by a single solid jaw, and I drive a key against the rail, by.
means of a vertical wedge inserted between the inner face of the said jaw and the
outer face of the key.
iw
'
3
The key, I generally prefer, to make of wood; and to place it with the end grain
abutting against the side of the rail. as described. in my hereinbefore mentioned
specification No 16,387 of 1884, but it may be of metal if desired.
9..
The accompanying sheet of drawings' illustrates various modes of putting my
invention into practice,uthe. difference between the several arrangements therein

page_text: "
Bewn, being the means employed for preventing lateral motion of the wedges
and keys.
Similar letters of reference denote similar parts throughout the figures.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, and
'
Figure 2 is a plan, partly in section through the line XX, in Figure 1, of a
railway chair designed for a double headed rail and constructed according to my
invention.
'
.
г
. X
C is the rail, A the jaw of ordinary form against which the rail abuts directly,
and A the jaw to receive the thrust of the wedge.
B is the wooden key, having the end grain abutting against the side of the rail;
and D is the vertical metal wedge.
Lateral motion of the key and wedge is prevented, by the ribs.or flanges D¹ D'
on the wedge, which enter corresponding rebates on the key, and by the central
rib Ds on the wedge, which enters a corresponding groove or recess in the jaw A.
Figures 3 and 4, 5 and 6, 7 and 8, 9 and 10, 11 and 12, 13 and 14, 15 and 16,
17 and 18, are, respectively, similar views of chairs constructed according to my
invention, modified arrangements being shown in each case, for preventing lateral
motion of the key and wedge.
The jaw A¹ and base of the chair are omitted in these said figures.
In figures 3 and 4, central ribs D³ D*, on each side of the key, enter corresponding
grooves in the jaw and key; in Figures 5 and 6, external shoulders D° De D' DⓇ
are formed on the wedge, the jaw and key being left plain; in Figures 7 and 8, a
rib D' enters a groove in the key, while shoulders D7 D, as in Figures 5 and 6,
embrace the jaw A; in Figures 9 and 10 shoulders D¹ D2, as in Figures 1 and 2,
are employed to hold the key, while similar shoulders D° D10 are formed on the
wedge to enter corresponding rebates in the jaw; in Figures 11 and 12 a rib D, as
in Figures 3 and 4, and shoulders D° D10, as in Figures 9 and 10, are employed; in
Figures 13 and 14, shoulders D¹ D2, as in Figures 1, 2, 9 and 10, are employed,
while the wedge is formed with a curved back D", the jaw A being correspond-
ingly curved on the face; in Figures 15 and 16 a similar curved arrangement is
shewn, combined with a central rib D'; in Figures 17 and 18 shoulders D* D*, as
in Figures 5 and 6, are shewn combined with a central rib D³, as in Figures 1
and 2.
Figures 19 and 20, are two similar views shewing the application of my
invention to railway chairs of ordinary pattern, to replace the horizontal wooden
key driven in between the jaw and rail, as used with such chairs.
In these chairs the jaw A is usually somewhat curved on the face, as shewn
clearly in Figure 19, and therefore to provide a suitable surface for the wedge D
to bear against, I divide the said wedge vertically into two parts D and E, the
part E being preferably curved on one side to fit the curved face of the jaw A, and
having shoulders E¹ E' to embrace the sides of the jaw, while the other side is flat
to form a face for the wedge D to act against, lateral motion between the key B,
wedge D and piece E, is prevented by the shoulders D D D7 Ds, as shewn, but
any other suitable means may be employed for this purpose.
And I wish it to be understood, with regard to the previous figures, that I do
not confine myself to the various methods therein shewn of preventing such lateral
motion, although the said figures represent the methods, which in practice, I
consider most useful for this purpose.
It will also be clearly understood, that although my improved chair is shewn as
designed to receive an ordinary double headed rail, it may be constructed to receive
any other section of rail required, and my improved chair may be made as a
combined metal sleeper and chair if so desired.
To remove the vertical wedge D, a crowbar or handspike may be inserted
underneath at the side, or a small taper wedge may be driven in under it, or a
recess F¹ may be formed in the top of the jaw A and a lip F be provided on the
wedge D to enable a crow bar to be used in that position.

page_text: My invention provides a strong and cheap means of fastening a rail in a chair,
the wedge can be readily removed or replaced without danger of breaking the
chair, while it affords a strong grip on the rail. The wedge and key cannot get
out of place sideways, while the vibration of passing trains, so far from loosening
the wedge, tends to tighten its hold, and when the key is of wood with the end
grain arranged as previously described, it is unaffected by heat or moisture and
cannot become loose through shrinkage.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed; I declare that what
I claim is: 1
.
".
in
.
(1) A chair for securing railway and tramway rails, having a jaw A, key B
and wedge D, constructed substantially as and for the purposes herein described
and shewn; or any mere modification thereof.
(2) The combination with a chair of ordinary pattern, for securing railway
rails, of a key B, wedge D and piece E, constructed substantially as and for the
purposes herein described and shewn, with reference to Figures 19 and 20 of the
accompanying sheet of drawings, or any mere modification thereof.