IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILS FOR RAIL- ROADS
Year: 1837

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
PURSER VAILE, of Oxford Streut, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-fifth day of November, in the first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Henry Purser Vaile, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and autho-
rity, that 1, the said Henry Purser Vaile, my exors, admňors, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Henry Purser Vaile, my exors, admors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILS FOR RAIL-
ROADS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said
Henry Purser Vaile, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more
fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Henry Purser Vaile, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and

page_text: ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say)—
According to the ordinary construction of rails for railroads the surfaces of
each rail on which the wheels travel consists of one continuous line, and the
flanched wheels which run thercon are more or less conical, hence, such wheels,
in consequence of the play allowed and the oscillation arising therefrom, are
sometimes moving by their larger or smaller diameter bearing on the one con-
tinued line or working surface of each rail, and they have no controlling means
for retaining the train carriages or the locomotive carriage in a central position
in respect to the two rails which compose the railway, and it follows that wl:en
the larger diameter of one wheel has a tendency to cause the carriage which
it aids to carry to turn in a curve, the wheel on the other end of tho samo
axle is running on its smallest diameter, which gives the wheel acting with its
larger diameter still greater facility to produce a motion to the carriage which
has a tendency to perform in a curve, but such tendency is stopped by the
flanches on the wheels coming in contact with the sides of the rails, thus
giving the carriage a tendency to cross the road in an opposite direction, but
such changing of the course being more or less consequent on the binding or
rubbing of the flanches of the wheels against the sides of the rails, produces
much friction, and also considerable strain on the cranked and other axles of
the locomotive and railway carriages, for it will be evident that the carriages
will only have a tendency to keep and pursue a straight line when the dia-
meters of the wheels which are pressing on the working surfaces of the rails
are precisely the same, which can seldom happen for any length of time with
coned wheels, and cylindrical wheels cannot be used without other prejudicial
effects, which more than counterbalance the beneficial effects that might other-
wise arise by the wheels on o posite sides of a carriage at all times performing
precisely the same distance at each revolution. And it may be stated, that in
using conical wheels the carriages are at all times performing what may be
called a sideway lounge, which is stopped and diverted by the flanches of the
wheels, and their sideway lungo will be of greater or less extent, according as
the road continues for a greater or less length in one truly straight line, and
ou the extent of cone of the wheels, and also on the play which the wheels nro
allowed, or, more properly speaking, the distance which the flanches are from
the rails on either side of the road, and although it is desirable to construct
the carriages in respect to the width the rails are apart, in order to avoid the
rubbing or binding of the flanches on the sides of the rails, and thereby to
prevent the friction and strain consequent thereon, yet the play allowed can

page_text: only be very limited, otherwise when the carriage was making a sideway
lounge, if the distance or length of that lounge were considerable, owing to the
quantity of play allowed being much more than at present permitted, the
wheels would have a greater power to pass over the rail, in place of the flanch
in coming against the rail having a tendency to divert the course.
Now, the object of my Invention is to produce a more quick repetition of
the sidings or sideway lounges of the carriages, thereby shortening them, and
reducing their force or momentum by so constructing of the surfaces of the
rails as to enable me to reverse the diameters at any desired rate, causing the
acting and reaction upon the weight to tako place so quickly that it has not
time to move in opposite directions, and thus give the carriage greater
tendency to move in a more central position in respect to the rails than here-
tofore, without bringing the flanches of the wheels so nearly in contact with
the sides of the rails, and thus to avoid the friction and strain consequent
thereon to the engine. And my Invention consists in giving to the rails such
a shape or figure on the upper surfaces, that in place of the bearing surfaces
for the wheels on each rail being one continued and straight line, constantly
parallel to the sides of the rail itself, as heretofore, I make the surface to pass
and return in an angular direction across the face or upper surface of the rail,
by which means the diameter of the point of bearing of the wheel will be con-
stantly varying by the figure of the rail, hence, those long sidings or sideway
loungings of the carriages (consequent on the bearing surface of each rail being
one continued straight line parallel with the sides thereof,) will be interrupted
by the figure of the rails working or bearing surface, and the carriage will
have a greater tendency to retain and pursue a more central direction or
course in respect to the two rails which constitute the railroad, in consequence
of the carriage being caused to change its sidings or side lounges more often
by the constant change of the bearing and working parts of the diameter of
the wheels.
Having thus explained the nature of the Invention, I will describe the
Figures of the Drawings hereunto annexed, which represent the plan of two
rails of a railroad, by which it will be seen that the bearing surfaces a, a,
Figure 1, in place of being in a straight line and parallel to the sides of the
rails, as heretofore, and as is shown at Figure 2 at 6, 6, such bearing surfaces,
when according to my Invention, cross and recross the surface of each rail
from side to side, and are consequently at an angle to the side rail itself, as
will readily be seen by the Drawing.
And I would remark, that although I have shown a particular construction
of rail, I do not confine myself thereto, as the figure of the section of the rail

page_text: itself forms no part of my Invention when the working surface is not con-
sidered; and although I have shown the learing surface to cross and recross
at each four feet of the surfaces of the rails, I do not confine myself thereto, as
variations may be made without departing from my Invention. But what I
claim is, the forming of the rails for railroads with the working or bearing
surfaces for the wheels crossing and recrossing from side to side of the rail, in
place of being parallel thereto, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Purser Vaile, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fifth day of May, in
the year of our Lord 1888, the aforesaid Henry Purser Vaile came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Speci-
fication aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in
form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped accord-
ing to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-fifth day of May. in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight.