IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Augustus Huddart, of Brynkir, in the
County of Carnarvon, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS,”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Augustus
Huddart at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 9th September 1870.
I, GEORGE Augustus HuddaRT, of Brynkir, in the County of Car-
narvon, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PERMANENT WAY OF
RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to fit the rails of railways in their
chairs in a manner that will ensure their bedding therein by the action
of vertical pressure, and thereby effectually resisting the lateral strain
to which the rails are subjected by the passage over them of the rolling

page_text: stock. To this end I form the chairs with inclined jaws, the opening
between them being shaped in end view, and the rails I roll to a
corresponding section so that the inclined sides may fit against the jaws
of the chairs. Below the rail I leave a space in the chair to allow the
rail to settle down, and I secure the rail in the chair by means of
binding screws applied to a projection on one or on both of the jaws of
the chair; or I insert a wedge between the projection or projections and
the shoulder or shoulders of the rail. This principle of supporting rails
may also be applied to the ordinary double-headed and the Trails by
the use of filling plates suitably shaped to embrace the rails and fit the
chairs. When fixing double-headed or Trails in chairs of this novel
construction I apply filling pieces to the lower head of the foot of the
rail, which filling pieces embrace the foot of the rail and are shaped
externally to fit the jaws of the chair. As the pressure of a wedge or
binding screws will hold these parts firmly together, the filling pieces
may serve the purpose of fish plates (without any other attachment)
when-applied-to-a-junction-chair.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Augustus Huddart in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 9th March 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
AUGUSTUS HUDDART, of Brynkir, in the County of Carnarvon, Gentle-
man, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George Augustus Huddart, Her
special licence that I, the said George Augustus Huddart, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Augustus
Huddart, 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

page_text: and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I the said George Augustus
Huddart, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing.
under my, 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 George Augustus Huddart, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say). :—
The object of this. Invention is to fit the rails of railways in their
chairs in a manner that will ensure their bedding therein by the action
of vertical pressure, and thereby effectually resisting the lateral strain
to which they are subjected by the passage over them of the rolling
stock. To this end I form the chairs with inclined jaws the opening
between them being V shaped in end view, and the rails I roll to a
corresponding section, so that the inclined sides may fit against the jaws
of the chairs. Below the rail I leave a space in the chair to allow the
rail to settle down, and I secure the rail in the chair by means of binding
screws applied to a projection on one or on both of the jaws of the
chair; or I insert a wedge between this projection or projections and
the shoulder or shoulders of the rail. This principle of supporting rails
may also be applied to the ordinary double-headed and the Trails by the
use of filling plates suitably shaped to embrace the lower head or the
foot of the rails and fit the chairs.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews in end elevation a rail
and chair constructed according to my Invention; and. Fig. 2 is a plan.
view of the same..
The rail it will be seen is rolled with a head a of the usual form, and
the web b instead of terminating as usual expands laterally into a wedge--
shaped foot c; corresponding with this wedge-shaped extension. of the

page_text: web of the rail is the opening in the chair between the jaws thereof,
for the reception of the rail. The rail it will be seen instead of bedding
· on its seat as usual, rests upon the inclined sides of the jaws d, e; a
space being left below the rail to allow of its sinking lower into the.
chair. It will now be understood that the tendency of the downward
pressure of a passing train will be to make the rails bed the more
firmly in their chairs, but to prevent the possibility of their springing
up wedges may be employed as usual for retaining the rails in their
chairs, or equivalent means may be used for the same purpose.
Fig. 3 shows in end elevation the Invention as adapted to the securing
of a double-headed rail; and Fig. 4 is a front clevation of the same.
In this instance the lower head of the rail is embraced by plates g, g,
the inner faces of which are rolled to a figure the counterpart of the
contact surfaces of the rail. The outer sides of the filling-plates-or-
pieces-g-incline-inward at their lower part to constitute together a wedge,
the inclined sides of which correspond with the inclination of the jaws
d, e, of the chair as before explained. By means of transverse bolts
the filling plates may be made fast to the rail. This arrangement with
the necessary and obvious modifications applies also to the fixing of
Trails in their chairs, the filling plates or pieces being suitably shaped
to receive the foot of the rail. By extending the length of the filling
plates or pieces they may be made to serve the purpose of fish plates
when applied to junction chairs. This arrangement is illustrated at
Fig. 4 where the filling piece g is shown as embracing two adjoining rails
and as extending through two junction chairs.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improve-
ments in the Construction of the Permanent Way of Railways," and
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to
be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent, I
claim,―
First. Forming the rails of railways with a wedge-shaped foot and the
chairs for receiving the same with correspondingly inclined jaws in the
manner and for the purpose above described.
Secondly. Embracing the lower head or foot of double-headed and
Trails with wedge-shaped filling plates or pieces for fitting into the
inclined jaws of chairs and employing the wedge-shaped filling pieces

page_text: where the joints of the rails occur as fish plates or coupling pieces as
above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Augustus Huddart, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of March, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one.