IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS AND TRAMWAYS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Morris, of 2, Westminster Chambers, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS AND TRAMWAYS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Morris at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th January 1880.
WILLIAM MORRIS, of 2, Westminster Chambers, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS AND
TRAMWAYS."
My Invention consists mainly as follows:-
I make or construct chairs and sleepers for railways, and longitudinal sleepers
and chairs for tramways of cement, as hereinafter set forth.
However, by preference, I purpose to use Portland cement; nevertheless, I can
use any kind of cement or combination of cements for the manufacture or
construction of my chairs and sleepers. Further, I use any kind of cement either
neat or mixed with sand or ballast, or any other suitable materials, for the
manufacture or construction of the said chairs and sleepers, and I can make my
said chairs and sleepers of neat ceinent in one portion of the chair and sleeper, and
the other portion of cement mixed with a certain portion of sand, ballast, or other
suitable material. Or the one portion referred to, instead of being of neat cement
may be combined with a proportion of sand, ballast, and other suitable materials.
I can also use asphalte in combination with the cement, or the cement, sand,
ballast, and other suitable material combined. The cement chairs or sleepers are
constructed or manufactured in moulds to suit the form of chair or sleeper
adopted.
I can also make my chairs and sleepers of brick.
Also my Invention consists in the construction of fish plates for fastening the
ends of the rails of railways and tramways together; same to be made of malleable
cast steel or other suitable material.
This I call the "rib fish plate," which is in formation as follows:-At each bolt
hole I purpose to cast or form a boss with the plate for the nut and head of the
bolt to come against; the fish plate takes the form of the rail, and goes under

page_text: the bottom of the rail as far as the centre, or as near thereto as desirable, where it
meets the fish plate to be fixed on the opposite side. I purpose to form or cast
vertical ribs at and between the bolts, which commencing at the under portion
of the head of the rail are continued under the rail (in the case of double
headed rails) as far as the centre of the rail, or as near thereto as desirable, but in
the case of flat bottom rails I do not purpose the ribs should be formed under the
rail, but I adopt horizontal ribs on the fish plate, one in a line with the centre line
of the bolts, and one near the bottom of the rail.
I also use other minor vertical ribs commencing at the under portion of the head
of the rail, and ending at the first horizontal rib in line with the centre of the
bolts, and others again commencing at the lower horizontal rib, and continuing in
the direction of the upper horizontal rib.
In some cases I use wood or other packing or bearers for the rails, also keys and
bolts, and in some cases I would have a light super-sleeper or bearer. of wood or
other suitable material for the rail used in combination with my cement chair and 1
sleeper above described. Further, it may be found desirable to use ties of iron or
timber for securing the chairs and sleepers in position.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Morris in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th July
1880.
WILLIAM MORRIS, of 2, Westminster Chambers, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS AND
TRAMWAYS."
Fig. 1 is a section of a cement or concrete chair or sleeper applicable to a flat
bottom rail showing the wooden or iron keys, rail, and bearer, suitable either for a
railway or tramway. a is the body of the cement or concrete chair or sleeper;
b, portion of the same, which I propose to form of different proportions of cement,
sand, and ballast, to the portion a; c, are wood or iron keys which are placed about
one yard apart; d, are longitudinal or transverse granite setts; f, f, are dovetail
screw bolts with nut and clips to secure rail to chair or sleeper; r, the rail, which
is shown resting on a bent plate of steel filled with wood to give elasticity to the
rail, or timber only may be used.
Fig. 2 is a similar section to Fig. 1, intermediate between two main chairs or
sleepers, showing d, longitudinal sett, and a¹, the concrete chair continued to the
surface of the road in lieu of granite if so desired, with a neat cement capping
indicated by the letter t.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged section of Fig. 1. The letters as before refer to the same
parts of the chairs and sleepers as previously described.
Figs. 4 and 5 are sections of rails suitable for tramway purposes.
Fig. 6 is similar to sections Figs. 1, 2, and 3, but arranged for the use of a double
headed grooved rail.
Fig. 7 is an enlarged plan view of portion of Fig. 6 showing the web of rail,
dovetail bolt, nut and clip to secure rail in position, also key c.
Fig. 8 is a general plan view. The letters refer to the same parts in this as in
the other Figures. d, d, longitudinal granite setts; m, granite setts laid transverse
or at right angles to the rail, and may if desired be laid close up to the rail; c, c, are
the wood or iron keys which are removable when it is required to get at the
dovetail bolts and clips; c', c¹, are also keys removable when desired to disconnect
a fish joint; q are the fish plates and bolts similar to those in general use for
railways, or they may be made of the form to be hereafter described.
Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section of Fig. 8, and shows fish plate g and bolts to
same. j, bearers for rails to rest upon; f, dovetail bolts, nuts, and clips; c¹, recess
for keys at fish joint; c, recess for keys at dovetail bolts and clips. The portion a
may be cast or made separate, or the portion a, a¹, may be cast or made in one
piece and jointed at b, or the portion a may be made separate and jointed to a¹
at 8; the portions a¹, a¹, may be cast in moulds in situ, or in moulds or profiles set
up on the ground and the space between filled in with concrete.
Fig. 10 is a section of a concrete chair or sleeper adapted to receive a flat bottom
rail. The letters as before refer to the same parts. 9, 9, are nuts and clips to secure
rail, and k the bolt going through chair as shewn; j is the steel bearer filled with
wood;
e is wrought iron tie.
Fig. 11 is a plan view of the above, showing wrought iron tie in centre of chair,
and nuts, bolts, and clips.
Fig. 12 is another form of concrete chair adapted to a double headed form of
rail. o is the ordinary wood key, and e the wrought iron tie. Fig. 13 is an elevation
of the above.
Fig. 14 is similar to Fig. 12, but shows two wooden keys instead of one.
Fig. 15 is similar to Fig. 10, but having a wooden bearer P instead of the bent
plate j, as shown in the Figures.

page_text: Fig. 16 is an elevation of the above, showing the elongated bolt m¹ to secure
the ends of the rails together where fish plates are not used.
Fig. 17 is a plan view of Figs. 15 and 16.
Fig. 17a is section of an ordinary chair.
Although the various forms of chairs shown in the Drawings are specially
adapted to be made in concrete or other materials hereinbefore described, I can
make the various forms of chairs before described of iron if necessary.
Fig. 18 is a section of a ribbed fish plate, one portion being through a bolt hole
. and the other through the rib at the centre or meeting of the two rails. R is a
section through bolt hole, and S through the rib.
Fig. 19 is an elevation of my ribbed fish plate.
Figs. 19 and 19b are elevations of my ribbed fish plate.
In Fig. 19a ribs are shown at each bolt hole and the body of the fish plate going
under the rail; Fig. 19b shows less number of ribs, but the body of the fish plate
going under the rail as before.
Fig. 20 is a similar section to Fig. 18, but adapted to a flat bottom rail.
י
Having by reference to the accompanying Drawings thus far described the nature
of my said Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I would
here remark that by the use of my Invention I am enabled to construct cement
chairs and sleepers for the permanent way of railways and tramways, and though I
purpose to make them of Portland cement, yet I can make the said chairs and
sleepers (longitudinal or otherwise) of any kind of cement, or of a combination of
cements, or of one kind of cement combined with a combination of cements.
Further, I can make the said chair. sleepers of any kind of cement combined
with sand, or sand and ballast, anu any other suitable materials. I can also make
the said chairs and sleepers of any combination of cements combined with sand,
sand and ballast, and any other suitable materials. I can make the said chairs and
sleepers having some portions formed or made of what is technically known as neat
cement, while other portions of the same chair or sleeper may be of cement
combined with a certain proportion of sand, or sand and ballast, and any other suitable
materials; again, I can make one portion of a chair or sleeper of cement combined
with a certain proportion of sand, or sand and ballast, or any other suitable
materials, while other parts of the same chair or sleeper may be made of cement
combined with a different proportion of sand, sand and ballast, or any other suitable
materials, the various proportions of cement and sand and ballast used in the
making of my chairs and sleepers being determined as circumstances may require.
I can also make one portion of the said chairs and sleepers of a combination
of cements, and other portions of the same chair or sleeper may be made of a
combination of cements combined with sand, or sand and ballast, and any other
suitable materials.
To simplify the description I propose where cement or a combination of cements
is used in combination with sand, sand and ballast, or any other suitable materials
in the construction of my chairs and sleepers to call them concrete chairs and
sleepers, and when made entirely of cement or of a, combination of cements
I purpose to call them cement chairs and sleepers.
I can also use in my Invention any kind of asphalte in the construction of
the said cement and concrete chairs and sleepers; I purpose to make or cast
the said cement or concrete chairs and sleepers in suitable moulds, or I can make
them partly in moulds and partly without, or in situ, with the aid of profiles
and moulds as circumstances may determine. I can also make my chairs and
sleepers of brickwork or partly of brickwork and concrete. Though I include
under my Patent the various forms of chairs and sleepers or blocks shown in the
Drawings which I purpose to use, nevertheless, I claim as my Invention the con-
struction of concrete chairs, sleepers, or blocks for railways and tramways of a
cement or of a combination of cements, or combinations of cements combined with
sand, sand and ballast, or any other suitable materials as detailed above, but made
of a form different to those shown in the Drawings. I purpose to use in connection

page_text: with the said cement or concrete chairs or sleepers, timber, iron, steel, or wood
bearers, wood or iron keys, dovetail and other iron bolts and clips to secure the
rails to the chairs, or sleepers, or blocks, and iron or steel elongated bolts to secure
the ends of rails together, as hereinbefore described, when fish plates are not used.
I also adopt in my Invention the construction of fish plates for fastening the
ends of the rails of railways and tramways together, same to be made of cast steel
or iron. This I call the "rib fish plate" which is in formation as follows:-At
each bolt hole I purpose to cast or form a boss with the plate for the nut and head
of the bolt to come against. The fish plate in some cases takes the form of the
rail and goes under the bottom of the rail as far as the centre, or as near thereto as
desirable, where it meets the fish plate to be fixed on the opposite side. I purposė
to form or cast vertical ribs at and between the bolts, which commencing at the
under portion of the head of the rail are continued under the rail as far as the
centre of the rail, or as near thereto as desirable. I adopt horizontal ribs on
the fish. plate, one in a line with the centre line of the bolts, and one near the
bottom of the rail. I also use other minor vertical ribs commencing at the under
portion of the head of the rail or upper edge of fish plate, and ending with the first
horizontal rib in line with the centre of the bolts, and others again commencing at
the lower horizontal rib and continuing in the direction of the upper horizontal
rib.
Although I show in the Drawings several forms of rib fish plates which can be
made of cast steel or iron, nevertheless I do not confine myself to the particular
forms shown, as I can make them of various desired forms.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and object of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed or carried out in
practice, I hereby declare that I claim the Invention of "Improvements in the
Permanent Way of Railways and Tramways," substantially as hereinbefore
described in which the following are the peculiar and important points:-
(1.) Construction of chairs and sleepers, substantially as hereinbefore set forth
and described.
(2.) Fish rib plates, constructed substantially as herein before set forth and
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Morris, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty.
Witness,
W. HILLIER,
Clerk to Inventors' Patentright Ass³., La.,
21, Cockspur St.,
S.W.
WILLIAM MORRIS. (L.S.)