Improvements in or connected with Rail-road Chairs.
Year: 1890

page_text: Dite of Application (in United Kingdom), 21st June, 1890
Complete Specification Loft, 21st June, 1900 Accepted, 13th Dec, 1800
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Rail-road Chairs.
I, JOSEPH BAREFORD WILSON, of Woodbury, in the County of Gloucester and tho
State of New Jersey, United States of America, Inventor, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to he
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to an improvement in rail road-chairs; and it consists in the
arrangements of parts, to be fully described hereinafter, and pointed out in the claim.
The object of my invention is to provide a rail road-chair which will not only keep
the rail out of contact with the tie, but prevent the tie from splitting or spreading,
and thus greatly lengthen the life of the tie, which, owing to splitting and to the
number of holes made in it by the spikes, decays at its ends and becomes worn by
having the rails rest directly upon it.
In the drawings,
Figure 1 is a plan view of a chair which embodies my invention.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is a detail.
A represents an ordinary wooden tie; B the rails, and C the chairs, which are
formed of two parts and secured to the ties by means of large wooden screws D, or by
any other suitable means that may be preferred. Each part of the chair is provided
with flanges O at its ends, so as to extend down any desired distance upon opposite
sides of the tie for the purpose of preventing it from splitting, spreading or swelling.
These chairs are made of uniform length, and where the ties are too wide to fit
between these flanges the tie must be reduced in width at the point where the chair
is applied to it.
In case the ties are too narrow to fit between the flanges the chair affords the same
bearing for the rail that it does upon the widest ties. Each of these parts of the chair
has the recess in its side to receive the flange upon the rail raised any suitable distance
above the top of the tie, so as to prevent the rail coming in actual contact with tho
tie and wearing the tie at this point.
Where the rail is allowed to rest directly upon the tie the constant vibration and
movement caused by passing trains cause the rail to work and cut into the top of the
tie, and thus greatly injure it at this point. The passage of trains over the track
causes the inner edges of the rails to wear away, and causes the rail to push the outer
portion of the chair outward sufficiently far to allow the rail to spread.
In order to realign these rails and to force them quickly and readily back into
position against the inner portions of the chairs, either a conical spike I may be
driven into the tie outside of the chair or there may be a slot cut through the tie at
each end, and in this slot be placed a wedge or spike, which will serve to force the outer
portions of the chairs and the rails back into position.
When it is found that the rails have begun to spread at any point, it is only
necessary to drive this wedge or spike deeper into the tie, and this movement will
serve to force the parts back into position,

page_text: By means of this construction a person can realign the track as fast as he can walk
along. By fastening these portions of chairs in place by means of wooden screws or
other suitable fastenings there will be no necessity of constantly withdrawing the
spikes and redriving them, as is the case where no chair is used and the rails are held
only by the spikes.
The constant drawing and redriving of the spikes cause the tie to split and to be
filled with holes, which become filled with water, ret, and cause the entire ends of the
tie to be destroyed, while its central portion remains perfectly sound.
By preventing the ends of the ties from being destroyed, instead of a tie lasting
only three to five years, as is now the case, it will last from fifteen to twenty-five
years.
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 :-
The combination of the tie, the wedge or spikes which are driven into the tie
outside of the chair, and the chair formed of two separate and distinct parts and
provided with flanges at their ends to catch over opposite sides of the tie and the rail,
substantially as specified.
Dated this 21st day of June 1890
F. W. BARKER,
Applicant's Agent.