IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CHAIRS
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Lindley at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th February 1883.
JAMES LINDLEY of Walkley in the County of York, Turner "IMPROVEMENTS
IN RAILWAY CHAIRS"
This Invention relates to a new and improved construction of chair to be used
on railways, in the adoption of which the usual wooden (or other) key or wedge,
is entirely dispensed with, the result being a great saving of cost and of time and
labour in the daily inspections and attention required where wooden keys or wedges
are employed.
The Invention consists in casting or making one portion of the chair with a
projection or heel on the top, the other portion being made with the usual jaw
shaped to hold the rail; in the heel or projection a socket or recess is made, for the
purpose of holding and retaining within it, the lower end of a metallic plate bar or
cramp, the other or upper end of this plate bar or cramp is made to rest against a
ribbed fish plate (or a fish plate having projections formed on it, between which
the end of the plate bar or cramp fits and bears against) formed to securely fit one
side of the rail the other side of the rail being held in position by the jaw of the
chair.
The plate bar or cramp is by preference placed at an angle or slant upwards from
the lower to the upper end.
Through a suitable hole in the plate or cramp bar a metal screw bolt is passed
the head of the bolt being firmly held or secured in a socket or hole formed in the
bottom of the chair, and on the screw formed end of the bolt, above the plate or
cramp bar, a metal-washer and a nut are fitted, and used to tighten up or loosen
the plate or cramp bar as required, for the removal or re-placing of a rail or
otherwise.
The bottom end of the fish plate rests on the chair, and the chair is secured onto
the railway sleeper by spikes or bolts in the usual way.
This improved chair can also be made double (or even treble or quadruple if
required) and can then be used as a joint chair; when so employed it will secure
the rails in a much more efficient manner than the ordinary fish plates now do.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Lindley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th August
1883.
JAMES LINDLEY of Walkley in the County of York, Turner
IN RAILWAY CHAIRS."
"IMPROVEMENTS
This Invention relates to a new and improved construction of chair to be used
on railways.
The unsatisfactory results that attend the use of the wooden keys in the chairs
at present used on railways are well known, and to remedy this state of things the
present invention is mainly designed, as by its adoption the usual wooden (or other)
keys or wedges are entirely dispensed with, and thereby is gained a great saving in
cost and of time and labour in the daily inspections and attention required where
wooden keys-or wedges are employed.-For high speed or heavy travelling the
thorough stability of the railroad is of the first importance, the expansion of wooden
keys in wet weather and their slipping in dry weather have long been felt to be
serious difficulties, but by this invention they are entirely obviated and much
greater firmness of the rail is secured.-The use of my improved railway chairs will
prevent the rails from oscillating in the chairs and will do away with that constant
knocking which causes the ballast to work from under the sleeper, putting the
permanent way out of repair and causing much greater wear and injury to the
rolling stock.
The improved construction of railway chair made according to my invention
consists in casting or making one portion or side of the chair with a projection or
heel on the top the other portion or side being made with the usual jaw suitably
shaped to hold the rail; in the heel or projection a socket or recess is formed for
the purpose of holding and retaining within it the lower end of a metallic plate
keep-bar or cramp, the other or upper end of which is made to rest or lay against
a ribbed fish plate (or a fish plate with projections formed on it between which the
end of the plate keep-bar or cramp is made to fit and bears against) so formed as
to securely fit one side of the rail, the other side of the rail being held in position
by the jaw of the chair. The plate keep-bar or cramp is placed at an angle or on
a slant upwards from the lower to the upper end.-Through a suitable hole made
in the said plate or bar a metal screw bolt is passed, the head of the bolt being
firmly held or secured in a socket or recess formed in the bottom or base of the
chair, and on the other or screw-formed end of the bolt above the plate or bar a
metal washer and nut are fitted and used to tighten up or loosen the plate or bar
as required for the removal or replacing of a rail or otherwise.-The fish plate fits
the side of the rail the bottom or base of the rail resting on the chair which is
secured on the railway sleeper by means of spikes or bolts in the usual way.
In order that my improvements in the construction of railway chairs may be
the more readily and fully understood I have illustrated my Invention on the
accompanying sheet of explanatory drawings, on which Figure 1, is a side
elevation in perspective of my improved chair as fastened onto a sleeper and
holding a portion of a rail.-Figure 2, is a view of the same in section, and
Figure 3, is a perspective view of a line of rails showing the improved chairs
applied thereto.
In Figures 1, and 2, a, is the projection or heel on the chair, b, the jaw portion
of the chair.c,-shown by the dotted line in Figure 2,--is the socket or recess
for holding and retaining the lower end of the plate or keep-bar d; e, being the
upper end of the plate or bar resting against the fish plate f.-g, shown in dotted

page_text: lines in Figure 2, is the screw bolt which is passed through a hole made in the
plate or bar d, the head of which is firmly held in the socket or recess h, (shown in
dotted lines in Figure 2,) in the bottom or base of the chair. -i, is the metal
washer and , the nut fitted on the top end of the bolt g, for tightening or loosening
the plate or bar when required.-The fish plate f, fits the side of the rail and the
bottom or base of the rail rests on the chair at j.
This improved chair can be made double (or even treble or quadruple if required)
and when so made it is applied and used as a joint chair, that is, at that part of
a line of rails where the end of one length of rail meets or joins the end of the
next length, as shown at a, b, on Figure 3, and when so employed it secures the
rails in a much more efficient manner than the ordinary fish plates do; and the
double treble or quadruple form of chair is also applicable for use at other parts of
the lines of rails, such as at the crossings or points or at any other parts where
chairs are or can be used.
In arranging and fixing the chair,-before putting it on the sleeper it is
necessary to put the bolt g, into its place in the underside or base of the chair, then
to place the chair in position on the sleeper, spike it down thereon in the usual way
and put in the rail.-The fish plate f, is then put against the rail and the plate or
keep-bar d, is dropped into its place with the bolt g, through it, the washer i, is put
on and the nut i¹, securely screwed down on the bolt, thus completing the fixing of
the rail in the chair.
Having thus described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings my
improved construction of railway chair and the mode in which my invention is
carried out in practice I would add in conclusion that what I claim as constituting
the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore mentioned Letters Patent is :-
The construction or manufacture of an improved chair for use on railways in
which the ordinary and objectionable wooden key or wedge is dispensed with and
much greater firmness of the rail secured, the chair being made and applied
substantially as herein specified, and as illustrated on the accompanying sheet of
explanatory drawings, or any equivalent modification thereof or variation therein
In Witness whereof I the said James Lindley have hereunto set my hand
and seal this thirtyfirst day of July-in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty three.
TERA TTYDYTT
TER
CA
MES LIN
LINDLEY (L.B.)