AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVE- MENTS IN WROUGHT-IRON PINS FOR RAILWAY CHAIR FASTENINGS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Archibald Sinclair, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVE-
MENTS IN WROUGHT-IRON PINS FOR RAILWAY CHAIR FASTENINGS."
Sealed the 22nd August 1856, and dated the 5th June 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Archibald Sinclair at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his l'etition, on the 5th
June 1856.
I, ARCHIBALD SINCLAIR, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Engineer,do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVE.
MENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN WROUGHT-IRON PINS FOR RAILWAY CHAIR FASTENINGS,"
to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in making the said pins,as herein-after explained, for
the purpose of avoiding the necessity of boring the wooden sleeper to receive
the same, which boring is effected for the purpose of preventing the pin froin
splitting the sleeper, which splitting impairs the firm fixing of the chair. I
make the said pins from iron, rolled or shaped in such a manner that the said
iron is disposed in four ribs or feathers situated at right angles to one another;
the transverse section of the said iron presenting the figure of a cross composed
of four arins of equal or nearly equal length, and situated at right angles to
one another. Although I prefer iron of the figure last described, yet I sóuie-

page_text: times carry my Invention into effect with iron having three ribs or feathers.
I make that part of the pin which is driven into the wooden sleeper of iron, of
either of the forms described. The said pins may be formed with the ordinary
mushroom head,having a short cylindrical part underneath.or conical or other
shaped heads may be used.
The essence of my Invention consists in disposing the iron of that part of
the pin, which is driven into the sleeper, in the form of ribs or feathers, as
described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters l'atent, filed
by the said Archibald Sinclair in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th September 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ARCHIBALD
SINCLAIR, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Archibald Sinclair, Her special licence that 1, the said Archibald
Sinclair, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Archibald Siuclair, 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 AN
IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN WROUGHT-IRON PINS FOR RAILWAY CHAIR
FASTENINGS," upon the condition (amongst others) that 1, the said Archibald
Sinclair, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
iny, 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 Archibald Sinclair, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the samo is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists of the method or methods of constructing the said
pins, herein-after described, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing. By
constructing the said pins according to my Invention, it is unnecessary to bore
the wooden sleeper to receive the saidpins, and the risk of splitting the sleeper
by the said boring is avoided.
Figure 1 represents, in elevation and section, a railway pin constructed
according to my Invention. The said pin is made from iron rolled or shaped,
of the form represented in the section a, the figure of the said section being
cruciform, and composed of four ribs, flutes, or feathers, situated at right
angles to one another. The pin may have the ordinary hemispherical or
mushroom top, having a cylindrical part underneath, as represented, or the
flutes may be carried up to the head. I sometimes give a twisted figure to
the flutes, as represented in Figure 2,in which case the pin takes a screw-like
motion in being driven. The holes in the railway chairs with which my im-
proved spike is used may be made circular, or of the form of the spike,
whether the flutes be straight or twisted. When the said holes are made
circular, a piece of wood may be inserted therein, and the spike driven through
the wood, as represented in the section Figure 3, where b represents the hole
in the iron chair; c, the wood in the said hole; and d, the pin driven through
the wood c.
Although I prefer to carry my Invention into effect in the ways described
and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3, yet I do not limit myself thereto, as my
said Invention may be modified in various ways. Instead of making my im-
proved railway pin of iron having four flutes, I sometimes employ iron having
only three flutes,as represented in section in Figure 4; or two flutes only may
be employed,as shown in the section, Figure 5; or a greater number of flates
than four may be employed,as represented in Figures 6 and 7; and the flutes
in the said Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7 may either be straight or twisted. Instead
of arranging or disposing the flutes around a central shaft, as represented in
Figures 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7, the said flutes may be otherwise arranged.
Figures S, 9, 10, and 11 represent, in section, various forms of iron which
may be employed in making pins according to my Invention. I prefer, how-
ever, the methods of carrying my Invention into effect represented in Figures
1 and 2.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described and represented as the same may

page_text: be varied without departing from the nature of my said Invention; but I claim
as my Invention the improvement or improvements in wrought-iron pins for
railway chair fastenings herein described, and represented inthe accompanying
Drawing, that is to say, making that part of the pin which is to be driven into
the sleeper, or a portion of that part, of a ribed, fluted, or feathered figure,
whether the said ribs, flutes, or feathers be straight or twisted.
In witness whereof, I, the said Archibald Sinclair, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of June, in the year of
our Lord Oue thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
ARCHIBALD SINCLAIR. (L.S.)