IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS, APPLICABLE MORE ESPECIALLY FOR SMALL MINERAL OR PORTABLE RAILWAYS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Wood, of Middlesbrough, in the County of York,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS,
APPLICABLE MORE ESPECIALLY FOR SMALL MINERAL OR PORTABLE RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 12th August 1879, and dated the 28th February 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Wood at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th February 1879.
CHARLES WOOD, of Middlesbrough, in the County of York. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS, APPLICABLE MORE ESPECIALLY FOR SMALL
MINERAL OR PORTABLE RAILWAYS."
This Invention has for its object improvements in the permanent way of railways,
applicable more especially for small mineral or portable railways, and the improve-
ments relate to the means employed for securing the rails of the railway to wrought
iron sleepers.
The sleepers employed are wrought iron sleepers rolled to an inverted trough
shaped form and cut to the required length. To secure rails to such sleepers I
affix key jaws and clips to their upper surface by means of rivetting.
The key jaws and clips are rivets pressed into the required shape. The key
jaw which, by preference, is placed so as to come on the inside of the rail is a rivet
with a long head shaped like the key jaw of an ordinary railway chair, so that a
wooden key may be driven between the jaw and the rail. The clip is a rivet with
a head shaped to catch over the bottom flange or foot of the rail. Holes are
punched in the sleepers, and the rivets are inserted in them and rivetted fast upon
the sleepers. These holes are by preference made square and of the width of the
clip or jaw.
Sleepers having key jaws and clips thus secured to them may be alone used for
supporting the rails, but I prefer to use such sleepers alternately with other sleepers
that have only rivetted to them clips to come either on the inside or outside of the
rails; or each sleeper may have at one end a key jaw and clip to receive and hold
one of the rails and a clip only at its other end to hold the other rail.
In these ways a rail can by knocking out the wooden keys at any time be
quickly taken out without disturbing the sleepers.

page_text: In place of the key jaw being rivetted on to the sleeper it might be formed with
a stem to pass down through a hole in the sleeper, and curve upwards so that its
end may bear against the underside of the sleeper below the rail.
In cases where it is not necessary to have the rails absolutely fast on the sleepers,
as, for example, in collieries and mines, I provide the sloepers with a clip as above
described to clip over the foot of the rail on its outer side; but in place of having
a jaw rivet for a wood key on the inside of the rail I use a small round or flat stud
or jaw with the face which is towards the rail inclined outwards or upright. With
this construction the foot of the rail is first to be inserted under the outside clip
and the rail then allowed to drop down upon the sleeper, the small stud or jaw on
the inside will then prevent the rail from moving away sidewise from under the
clip.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Wood in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th August
1879.
IMPROVEMENTS IN
CHARLES WOOD, of Middlesbrough, in the County of York.
THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS, APPLICABLE MORE ESPECIALLY FOR SMALL
MINERAL OR PORTABLE RAILWAYS."
This Invention has for its object improvements in the permanent way of railways,
applicable more especially for small mineral or portable railways, and the improve-
ments relate to the means employed for securing the rails of the railway to
wrought iron or steel sleepers, and to a simple and effective method of fastening or
securing the ends of the rails constituting a new joint-fastening wherein fewer parts
are required than with the ordinary fish joint.
The sleepers I employ, by preference, are of wrought iron or steel rolled to an
inverted trough shaped form and cut to the required length. To secure rails to
such sleepers I affix key jaws and clips to their upper surface rivetting.
The key jaws and clips are rivets pressed into the required shape. The key jaw
is placed by preference so as to come on the inside of the rail, and is a rivet with
a long head shaped like the key jaw of an ordinary railway chair so that a wooden
key may be driven between the jaw and the rail. The clip is a rivet with a head
shaped to catch over the flange or foot of the rail. Holes are punched in the
sleepers, the key jaws and clip rivets are inserted in them and rivetted fast upon
the sleepers. These holes are by preference made square, and may be of the width
of the key jaw or clip.
Sleepers having key jaws and clips thus secured to them can be alone used
for supporting the rails, but I prefer to use such sleepers alternately with other
sleepers that only have rivetted to them clips to come either on the outside or inside
of the rails.
In these ways a rail can by knocking out the wooden keys at any time be
quickly taken out without disturbing the sleepers or ballast.
In place of the key jaws being rivetted on to the sleepers it might be formed
with a stem to pass down through the hole in the sleeper, and curve upwards so
that its end may bear against the underside of the sleeper below the rail.
In cases where it is not necessary to have the rails absolutely fast on the sleepers,
as, for example, in collieries and mines, I provide the sleepers with a clip, as above
described, to come over the foot of the rail on its outer side; but in place of having
a jaw for a wooden key on the inside of the rail I use a small round or flat stud
or jaw with the face which is towards the rail inclined outwards or upright. With
this construction the foot of the rail is first to be inserted under the outside clip,
and the rail then allowed to drop down upon the sleepers, the small stud or jaw on
the inside will then prevent the rail from moving away sideways from under the
clip.
These fastenings are adapted to the longitudinal system of sleepers, as well as the
transverse or cross sleepers.
In my improvement for the fastening or securing the ends of rails so as to form
the joint, I make a clip or chair in iron or steel, one side of which is formed so as
to clip over the flanges of the rails on the outside, whilst the other side of the clip-
chair projects up on the inside, forming a jaw for a wooden key. The clip chair
being in one piece passes under the rails, consequently well supporting them at the
joint. I prefer to rivet these clip chairs on one end of the rail, so as to have as few
loose pieces as possible. When laying the road down the plain end of the rail has
simply to be pushed into the clip chair, and the wooden key driven in tight between
the rails and the key jaw, as in an ordinary railway chair, this at once fastening the
two rails and the clip chair in the most simple manner.
In order that my said Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a half soction and half elevation, representing a flat bottomed rail
secured to a transverse trough sleeper by two rivets, one rivet forming a clip to
come over the flange of the rail, the other rivet forming a jaw for a wooden key, as
shown.
Figure 2 is an end section of the same.
Figure 3 is a plan of the sleepers, showing the arrangement when using wooden
keys to every alternate sleeper, A being a sleeper having outside clips and inside
jaws, with wooden keys; and B, B, being sleepers having clips only on the outside,
but, if preferred, outside clips and jaws and wooden keys can be used on every.
sleeper.
Figures 4 and 5 show two methods of fixing bridge rails on to wrought iron or
steel sleepers. In these casos no keys or loose fastenings are employed; the rail
simply turns into its place and locks itself. These are chiefly employed at the
working headings in mines where the niners constantly require to shift the rails,
but the main fixed roads are fitted with sleepors, having clips and key jaws for
wooden keys, as shown in Figures 1, 2, 3.
Figure 6 is a plan; and Figure 7, a section of an improved clip chair to form the
joints of the rails used, more especially for agricultural or portable railways. C, C,
is the clip which laps over the flanges of the rails; D is the jaw for the wooden
key E is that portion of the clip chair that passes under the rails, consequently
well supporting the joint. The joint chairs being all in one piece, every rail will
therefore have one of these chairs rivetted fast upon one end. The junction of the
rails is effected by simply laying the rails end to end, the clip chair forming a female
joint, into which is slipped the plain end of the rail. All that is necessary to make
this joint perfectly secure is to drive in the wooden key, as shown on Figures 6
and 7.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I claim,―
First. The forming the clips and the key jaw for the wooden key each out of a
rivet, and the rivetting same on to the sleepers in the manner shown on the Drawings
hereto annexed.
Second. The fastening also made out of rivets, substantially as hereinbefore
described, and illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, for holding the rails upon wrought
iron or steel sleepers in such a manner that the rails lock themselves in their
places.
Third. The mode of fastening the rail ends together at the junction with a clip
chair and wood key, substantially as shown on Drawings annexed hereto.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Wood, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Nineteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
CHARLES WOOD Gal