IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Easton Spooner, of Bron y Garth, Port
Madoc, in the County of Carnarvon, Engineer, and George Augustus
Huddart, of Brynkir, in the same County, Gentleman, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 21st September 1869, and dated the 14th May 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Easton Spooner
and George Augustus Huddart at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 14th May 1869.
We, CHARLES EASTON SPOONER, of Bron y Garth, Port Madoc, in the
County of Carnarvon, Engineer, and GEORGE AUGUSTUS HUDDART, of
Brynkir, in the same County, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAYS,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a mode of strengthening the joints of the
rails of railways and improving the arrangement of sleepers at the parts
where the joints occur. The abutting ends of the rails, whether they he
double-headed or formed with a flat base, we propose to clip between two

page_text: plates suitably shaped to embrace the web and the foot or lower head of
the rail, and extending vertically a suflicient distance below the rail to
form a stiff rib and admit of being secured by clamping bolts, spring
clamps, or otherwise, as will be presently explained. To give increased
support to the rails we prefer to roll or form the plates with square or
nearly square shoulders corresponding to shoulders formed under the
head of the rail in place of the ordinary curved abutting surfaces, which
by acting like wedges under the pressure of a passing train would tend
to thrust open the gripping plates and loosen the joint. These plates
are secured like ordinary fish plates to the rails by passing bolts through
them and through the webs of the rails. Below the base of the rails the
plates are held together as in a vice, their vertical continuation below
the rails being made of a sufficient depth to act as an under girder or
plate to stiffen the joint and assist in counteracting the vertical strain
put on the rails by a passing train. These plates may be connected
together below the rails by bolts and nuts; or the plates may have their
bottom edges gripped by spring clips, a pin or key being passed through
the plates to prevent their shifting endwise. When spring clips are used
the plates will be countersunk to receive them, or the edges of the plates
may be bent outwards. In lieu of the bolts and nuts or the spring clips
the plates may be connected together below the rails by forming a
rebated rib or flange on one plate, under which the chamfered edge of
the adjoining plate is to be inserted, an interlocking connection will thus
be formed. In order to afford increased support to the rails at the joints
we propose to lay upon longitudinal sleepers the transverse sleepers
between which the joint occurs. These longitudinal sleepers will be
placed directly under the rails and will extend about thee feet six inches
on either side of the ioint.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Easton Spooner and George Augustus 30
Huddart in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th November
1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CHARLES
EASTON SPOONER, of Bron y Garth, Port Madoc, in the County of
Carnarvon, Engineer, and GEORGE AUGUSTUS HUDDART, of Brynkir, in 3
the same County, Gentleman, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-second
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said Charles Easton Spooner and George Augustus
Huddart, Her special licence that we, the said Charles Easton Spooner
and George Augustus Huddart, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Charles Easton Spooner and
George Augustus Huddart, our 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAYS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that wc, the said Charles Easton Spooner
and George Augustus Huddart, our exccutors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and
scals, 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 we, the said Charles Easton Spooner and
George Augustus Huddart, do hereby declare the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters
and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
:-
This Invention relates to the strengthening of the joints of rails of
railways and improving the arrangement of sleepers at the parts where
the joints occur.
In the accompanying Drawings we have shown our improved mode of
jointing rails as applied both to double-headed rails and to single-headed.
rails with a flat base and with some important variations of detail. The.
abutting ends of the rails, whether they be double-headed or formed with.
a flat base, we propose to clip between two, plates suitably shaped to
embrace the web and the foot or lower head of the rail, and of such
depth that when applied they will extend vertically a sufficient distance

page_text: below the rail to form a girder or stiff rib and admit of being secured by
spring clamps or otherwise, as will be presently explained.
In Sheet I. Fig. 1 shews in side elevation, and Fig. 2 in end elevation,
a railway joint formed on our improved plan.
A, A, are the abutting ends of two double-headed rails fitted to chairs
B which are spiked to transverse sleepers C, C, as usual; D, D, are plates
shaped so as to embrace the abutting ends of the rails and to meet below
the rail and form a supporting rib beneath the rails sufficiently strong to
counteract the vertical strain put on the rails by passing trains. These
plates are secured like ordinary fish plates to the rails by passing
bolts E through them and through the webs of the rails. Below the base
of the rails the plates are held together by spring clips F, F, which are
slidden into position over the bottom ends of the plates. This mode of
holding the plates will permit of the free contraction and expansion of
the rails within the plates due to the changes of temperature to which
they are exposed. The plates connected at their bottom edges by spring
clips may in some cases have a tendency to move endwise and loosen the
joint, to prevent this we propose to pass a locking pin or key G through
the plates below the base of the rails. The plates it will be seen are
countersunk on their outer sides to receive the spring clips.
Fig. 3 shews in side elevation, and Fig. 4 in end view, a modified form
of the coupling plates as applied to a flat or broad base rail, In this
arrangement it will be seen that the bottom edges of the plates D are
bent outwards. The spring clips, like those shewn at Figures 1 and 3,
are slipped edgewise on to the ends of the plates.
In lien of using spring clips the plates may be connected together
below the rails by forming a rebated rib or flange on one plate, under
which the chamfered edge of the adjoining plate is to be inserted; an
interlocking connection will thus be formed.
This modification is shown in Sheet II. Fig. 1 represents a double-
headed rail A clamped by a pair of plates D, D'. The plate D is mado
deeper than the plate D' to the extent of a rib or flange d, which is
intended to form a bearing for the bottom edge of the plate D'. The
way of putting these plates together is indicated by the dotted lines.
Thus the plate D having been brought into position so as to lap over the
joint of the abutting ends of the rails the foot of the plate D' is to be
placed on the under-cut rib or flange d, and the plate is then to be moved
up into position to grip the base of the rails. Screw bolts being then

page_text: inserted in corresponding holes in the plates and webs of the rails and
tightened up a firm and strong joint will be formed, the lower ends of
the plates being securely locked together.
Fig. 2 shows the same arrangement, but modified so as to apply to a
broad base or single-headed rail.
Fig. 3 shews a further modification in which the form of some of the
contact parts of the rail and plates is somewhat changed. To give
increased support to the rails we prefer to roll or form the plates with
square or nearly square shoulders, as shewn at d, d, which shoulders
are intended to bear against corresponding shoulders formed under the
heads of the rails in place of the ordinary curved abutting surfaces,
which are liable to act like wedges under the pressure of a passing train,
and thus tend to thrust open the gripping plates and loosen the joint.
This modification applies also to plates secured below the rails by spring
clips, as shewn in Shect I., and to those which are secured by screw
bolts.
In order to prevent the loosening of the screw bolts when tightened,
to which they are very liable owing to the vibration caused by the passing
traffic, we propose in some cases instead of using screw nuts to fit the
screw bolts into tapped holes in one of the side plates. To prevent the
bolts from turning we drill a hole transversely through the heads of the
bolts and insert therein a rod extending from one bolt hicad to the other.
This arrangement is shewn in the side elevation at Fig. 4, and in end
clevation at Fig. 5. The rod H we form with a head, and its opposite
cnd we pierce to receive a pin or key which will serve to retain it in
place.
In order to afford increased support to the rails at the joints we propose
to place the transverse sleepers C, C, between which the joint occurs
upon longitudinal sleepers I, I. This arrangement is shown best in
Fig. 5, Sheet I., which is a partial plan view of the joint shewn at
Fig. 1. The longitudinal sleepers I, I, are placed directly under the
rails, and are intended to extend about threc feet six inches on either
side of the joint.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improvements
in the Construction of Railways," and explained the manner of carrying
the same into effect, we wish it to be understood that under the above in
part recited Letters Patent we claim,—

page_text: First. Connecting the ends of the rails of railways together by means
of plates, which will grip the same firmly and form at the same time
a kind of under girder to stiffen the joint and assist in counteracting the
vertical and lateral strain put on the rails by a passing train.
Secondly. Connecting together the lower ends of our improved joint
plates by the use of spring clips, as described, which admit of the rails
moving endwise (due to the contraction and expansion of the metal)
within the plates.
Thirdly. Connecting the joint plates by the interlocking arrangement
above described.
Fourthly. Modifying the forms of the rails below the head and the
corresponding parts of the joint plates in the manner and for the purpose
explained.
Lastly. Combining with the improved joints short longitudinal sleepers
for receiving and supporting the transverse sleepers nearest the joints, as
described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Charles Easton Spooner and Georgo
Augustus Huddart have hereunto set our hands and seals, the
Tenth day of November, in the year of our Lord One thousand
cight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness to C. E. Spooner's signature,
J..S. HUGHES,
3, Bank Place,
Port Madoc.
C. E. SPOONER.
(L.S.)
GEO. A. HUDDART. (L.S.)
Witness to the signature of Mr. Geo. A. Huddart,
H. K. WHITE,
66, Chancery Lane.