IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Long, of No. 4, Clayton Square, Liverpool, in
the County of, Lancaster, Iron Master, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Long at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th February 1881.
RICHARD LONG, of No. 4, Clayton Square, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Iron Master. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."
My Invention relates more particularly to securing and holding in position the
rails of permanent way, and this whilst allowing the necessary elasticity for easy
travelling, and securing durability of the road and vehicles.
Heretofore none of the numerous varieties of apparatus employed for the above
purpose have fully complied with the many requirements necessary for obtaining
durability and efficiency.
In order that the rails of permanent way may be lasting and suitable both for
passenger and freight traffic, they must be held in position with the necessary
rigidity, and at the same time have at every portion a certain amount of elasticity,
otherwise grinding and pounding actions takes place, which quickly damage the
rails and rolling stock, and render the motion of vehicles thereon very unpleasant
to passengers and live stock.
Now the object the first parts of my Invention is to ensure that the securing
and holding in position of the rails of permanent way shall be effected in a
thoroughly satisfactory manner without liability in the parts to become loose or
out of order. The object of the last part is to provide an efficient bed for sup-
porting the rails and chairs of permanent way generally.
Under the first part of my Invention I support rails in chairs having the
following combination of parts:-(a) a chair or carrier proper; (b) a truss or
securing piece; and (c) duplex wedges acting in a novel manner. The chair or

page_text: carrier proper is constructed by preference of cast metal, and is secured to the
sleeper or bed by spikes or bolts in the usual or any desired manner. The said
chair or carrier has two standards or uprights, one of which is shaped so that the
web and lower flange of the rail will fit against it, the other is straight, and has
a horizontal recess through which the duplex wedges are driven. Between the
straight standard and the rail is fitted a truss or securing piece, also recessed to
receive the duplex wedges. The said wedges are inserted in opposite directions
through the hole left by the recess in the standard and truss or supporting piece,
and when both of the wedges have been driven home so as to hold the rail firmly
in the, chair, the thin end of the inside wedge is bent or turned round the thick
end of the outside wedge. The wedges are, by the above means, locked firmly in
position, and prevented from working loose or comming out.
Under the second part, to secure elasticity and prevent the lower flanges of
the rails from injury by pounding against the hard metal bottoms of the chairs.
Chairs under the above first part of my Invention are constructed each with a bed
of metal somewhat softer than the rail or chair. The lower flange of the rail
.rests on the said metal bed. The said soft metal is by preference fitted into
a recess in the bottom of the said chair to prevent the same from working out of
its place.
Under the third part, to prevent the joints connecting the ends of rails from
becoming loose by vibrations imparted thereto during the passage of rolling stock,
I construct fish plates with grooves or projections in such manner that steel or
elastic metal washers placed around the bolts used in securing the said fish plates
to the rails shall, when the nuts are screwed home, be turned or bent up at one
side so as to bring all the resistance due to the resilience of the washers on one
side only of the nut. The nuts are thereby locked and prevented from working
loose or turning round.
Under the fourth part I construct a durable & efficient bed for permanent way
of continuous wrought metal girders connected and strengthened at intervals with
wrought iron or steel enveloping or binding pieces.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Richard Long in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th August
1881.
RICHARD LONG, of 4, Clayton Square, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Iron Master. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."
My Invention relates more particularly to securing and holding in position the
rails of permanent way, and this whilst allowing the necessary elasticity for easy
travelling and securing durability of the road and vehicles.
Heretofore none of the numerous varieties of apparatus employed for the above
purposes have fully complied with the many requirements necessary for obtaining
durability and efficiency.
In order that the rails of permanent way may be lasting and suitable both for
passenger and freight traffic they must be held in position with the necessary
rigidity, and at the same time have at every portion a certain amount of elasticity,
otherwise grinding and pounding actions take place, which quickly damage the
rails and rolling stock, and render the motion of vehicles thereon very unpleasant
to passengers and live stock.
Now the object of the first part of my Invention is to insure that the securing
and holding in position of the rails of permanent way shall be effected in a
thoroughly satisfactory manner without liability in the parts to become loose or
out of order; the object of the last part is to provide an efficient bed for supporting
the rails and chairs of permanent way generally.
Under the first part of my Invention I support rails in chairs having the
following combination of parts:-(a) a chair or carrier proper; (b) a truss or
securing piece, and (c) duplex wedges acting in a novel manner. The chair or
carrier proper is constructed by preference of cast metal, and is secured to the
sleeper or bed by spikes or bolts in the usual or any desired manner. The said
chair or carrier has two standards or uprights, one of which is shaped so that the
web and lower flange of the rail will fit against it; the other is straight and has a
horizontal recess through which the duplex wedges are driven; between the straight
standard and the rail is fitted a truss or securing piece also recessed to receive the
duplex wedges. The said wedges are inserted in opposite directions through the
hole left by the recesses in the standard and truss or supporting piece, and when
both of the wedges have been driven home so as to hold the rail firmly in the
chair, the thin end of the inside wedge is bent or turned round the thick end of
the outside wedge. The wedges are by the above means locked firmly in position
and prevented from working loose or coming out.
Under the second part, to secure elasticity and prevent the lower flanges of
the rails from injury by pounding against the hard metal bottoms of the chairs.
Chairs under the above first part of my Invention are constructed each with a bed
of metal somewhat softer than the rail or chair. The lower flange of the rail rests
on the said metal bed. The said soft metal is, by preference, fitted into a recess
in the bottom of the said chair to prevent the same from working out of its
place.
Under the third part, to prevent the joints connecting the ends of rails from
becoming loose through vibrations imparted thereto during the passage of rolling
stock, I construct fish plates with grooves or projections in such manner that
steel or elastic metal washers placed around the bolts used in securing the said fish
plates to the rails shall, when the nuts are screwed home, be turned or bent up at

page_text: one side so as to bring all the resistance due to the resistance of the washer on one
side only of the nut. The nuts are thereby locked and prevented from working
loose or turning round.
Under the fourth part, I construct a durable and efficient bed for permanent
way of continuous wrought metal girders connected and strengthened at intervals
with wrought iron or steel enveloping or binding pieces.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a plan view; Fig. 2, a side elevation; and Fig. 3 a transverse section
of a rail chair constructed in accordance with the first part of my Invention;
(a) chair constructed of cast metal; (b) securing spike or bolt holes; (c,) standard
shaped to fit one side of the rail; (d) straight standard formed or made with a
horizontal recess; e, f, truss piece shaped at one side to fit the rail, and at the
other to fit the straight standard d; g, recess in the truss piece f arranged so as to
be opposite to the recess e in the standard c; h, h¹, wedges passing through the
recesses e, g, and entered at opposite sides; the thin end of the inside wedge / is
bent, as shown at i, round the thick end of the outside wedge so as to prevent the
said wedges from working loose or coming out.
Fig. 4 is an end view of a modification of rail chair under the first part of my
Invention. Here the chair is slipped endways over the rail, instead of the rail
being inserted vertically, as is done in the arrangement shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3.
The chair is also shown adapted to carry a flanged instead of a double headed rail.
The wedges are conveniently formed by rolling. The parts in Fig. 4, like to those
in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, are denoted by the same letters.
Figs. 1 and 2 and 4 are also illustrative of the second part of my Invention; j is a
bed of metal somewhat softer than the rail or chair, preferably soft wrought iron
fitting on the bottom of the chair, and held in position by a projecting piece taking
into a recess in the bottom of the chair. The lower head or flange of the rail rests
on the said soft metal.
Fig. 5 is a transverse section, and Figs. 6 and 7 side elevations of fish plates,
constructed and held in position in accordance with the third part of my Invention.
For the above three views reinforced fish plates, that is, fish plates gradually
increasing in strength longitudinally towards the centre, are shown, but the
Invention is equally applicable to fish plates of equal thickness throughout a rail.
le, k, fish plates; , bolts and nuts; m, washers. The fish plate is formed with
two differently shaped projections n, n, on the lower one of which the washer m
rests, and the said washer, is pressed against the upper projection n' when the nut
is screwed home, and the washer m assumes the position shown by the dotted lines.
The fish plate is formed with two corresponding fillets o, o¹, which serve the
purpose of the projections n, n'. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of fish plate k, and
Fig. 7 of 4.
Fig. 8 is a plan view, Fig. 9 a longitudinal elevation, and Fig. 10 a transverse
section of a bed for permanent way to be used either as a longitudinal or transverse
sleeper; p, wrought iron metal girders for carrying the rails or chairs and rails;
9, steel enveloping or grinding pieces secured at each end of transverse sleepers by
rivetting or otherwise and at suitable distances apart and at the joints of
longitudinal sleepers.
Having now described and illustrated the nature of my said Invention in such
manner that others will be enabled to carry the said improvements into effect, I
claim,―
Under the first part, the chair, truss piece, and wedges, constructed and combined
substantially as set forth.
Under the second part, the combination of a rail chair and soft metal bearing,
substantially as set forth.

page_text: Under the third part, fish plates constructed with grooves or projections
arranged to act in combination with washers, substantially as set forth.
Under the fourth part, the combined wrought iron and steel rail bed or sleeper,
constructed substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Long, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Third day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty one.
RICHARD LONG. (L.S.)