IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILS FOR RAILWAYS AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Truswell, of Bradford Road, Batley, in the
County of York, Tramway Manager, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
RAILS FOR RAILWAYS AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Truswell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th February 1880.
GEORGE TRUSWELL, of Bradford Road, Batley, in the County of York, Tramway
Manager. "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILS FOR RAILWAYS AND OTHER SIMILAR
PURPOSES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in rails.
In this construction the rail consists of one solid piece of metal with tread, groove,
and flange on both upper and lower surfaces of the rail, thus forming a double
headed or double faced rail. The tread A, groove B, and flange C ou the upper
surface, aro exactly opposite to and in the same line with the tread a, groove b, and
flange c on the lower surface of the rail. Along the side faces of this double headed
rail is a longitudinal cavity d, somewhat similar to that in the double headed rails
in use on railways. The cavity on the flange side of the rail receives the key. The
tread, groove, and flange on the upper surface of the rail are formed somewhat
deeper than those on the lower surface. After undergoing the wear and tear to
which it is exposed, and on it becoming necessary to reverse the rail, the upper
surface is by such previous use reduced to such a depth that the rail when reversed
rests in exactly the same manner in the chair as it did before it was reversed, and
thus the longitudinal cavity in the side face of the rail is brought directly opposite
to the key bed in the jaw of the chair, and the key by which the rail is fastened to
the chair has the same binding effect as when the rail was in its original position.
The rail must therefore on being newly laid be inserted in the chair with the
deeper tread, groove, and flange upmost. The chair in which this rail rests is
similar to an ordinary railway chair. The rail rests and bears entirely on the
bottom of the chair, and is fixed in its place by an ordinary wooden or other key.
When occasion requires, the rail may be reversed by turning it end for end, and
then bringing the under and as yet unused surface upwards, when the worn surfaco
of the rail will then in its turn rest on the bottom of the chair.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Truswell in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th August
1880.
GEORGE TRUSWELL, of Bradford Road, Batley, in the County of York, Tramway
Manager. " IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILS FOR RAILWAYS AND OTHER SIMILAR
PURPOSES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in rails.
In this construction the rail consists of one solid rolled piece of metal with trend,
groove, and flange on both upper and lower surfaces of the rail, thus forming a
double headed or double faced rail. The tread groove and flange on the upper
surface are exactly opposite to and in the same line with the tread, groove, and
flange on the lower surface of the rail. Along the side faces of this double headod
rail is a longitudinal cavity, somewhat similar to that in the double headed rails in
use on railways. The cavity on either side of the rail receives the key. The tread,
groove, and flange on the upper surface of the rail are formed somewhat deeper than
those on the lower surface. After undergoing the wear and tear to which it is
exposed, and on it becoming necessary to reverse the rail, the upper surface is by
such previous use reduced to such a depth that the rail when reversed rests in
exactly the same manner in the chair as it did before it was reversed, and thus the
longitudinal cavity in the side face of the rail is brought directly opposite to the
key bed in the jaw of the chair, and the key by which the rail is fastened to the
chair has the same binding effect as when the rail was in its original position. The
rail must therefore on being newly laid bo inserted in the chair with the deeper
tread, groove, and flange upmost. The chair in which this rail rests is similar to an
ordinary railway chair. The rail rests and bears entirely on the bottom of the
chair, and is fixed in its place by an ordinary wooden or other key. When occasion
requires, the rail may be reversed by turning it end for ond, and then bringing the
under and as yet unused surface upwards, when the worn surface of the rail will
then in its turn, rest on the bottom of the chair.
In order that my Invention may be fully understood, I have shewn at Figure 1
of the Drawing hereunto annexed a cross section of a rail constructed according to
my Invention. A, A, are the treads; B, B, the grooves; C, C, the flanges on the
upper and lower surfaces of the rail; D, D, are the longitudinal cavities on the side
faces of the rail. At Figure 2 I have shown the rail resting in a chair suitable for
a tramway. The chair is of a construction very similar to that in uso on railways,
with the exception that the jaws E and F are somewhat longer. G is the key by
which the rail is held in the chair. The key can, if required, be inserted on either
side of the chair, but in one jaw of the chair in which the key is inserted, there is
a hollow cavity forming the key bed. This cavity is constructed in such manner
as to cause the key when driven into its place to come into contact with the upper
portion of the cavity or key bed and the lower portion of the longitudinal cavity
in the rail, the pressure thus being in the direction of the dotted line shown in the
section causes the rail to set firmly in its seat. The web or seat H of the chair is
slightly hollowed on the upper surface to avoid damage to the lower face of the
rail by the downward pressuro. The chairs may be fixed on longitudinal or
transverso sleepers in the ordinary manner of railways, or they may be fitted to
sleepers of any other description.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I would have it understood that I claim the construction of rails for

page_text: railways and similar purposes, substantially as hercin before described and shown
in the Drawing annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the snid George Truswell, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty first day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
GEORGE TRUSWELL. (L.S.)