IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SIDINGS AND LOOP LINES FOR RAILWAYS OR TRAMWAYS, WHETHER PORTABLE OR OTHERWISE."
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Grant, of Albion Place, Maidstone, in the
County of Kent, Farmer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF SIDINGS AND LOOP LINES FOR RAILWAYS OR TRAMWAYS,
WHETHER PORTABLE OR OTHERWISE."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Grant at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd January 1863.
I, JOHN GRANT, of Albion Place, Maidstone, in the County of Kent,
Farmer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SIDINGS AND LOOP LINES FOR RAILWAYS OR TRAM-
WAYS, WHETHER PORTABLE OR OTHERWISE," to be as follows:-
My Invention of improvements in the construction of sidings and loop
lines for railways or tramways, whether portable or otherwise, consists in the
first place in two novel modes of constructing a siding, so that it may be
placed in position at any part of the main line, and on either side of it, so as
to be used for turning carriages out of the main line on to such siding or from
the siding on to the main line by raising or supporting such trucks or carriages
above the rails of the main line without the necessity for any cuts or gaps
through such rails.
The Invention relates, secondly, to the combination of a pair of such
sidings connected by intermediate rails so as to form a loop line.

page_text: In carrying out my Invention the ends of the rails of the siding at
the junction of the main line are made to rest on or above the rails of the
main line and are of greater depth or thickness at the point of junction
than the depth of the flanges of the wheel so as to admit of the free passage
of the wheels, including the flanges over or above the rails of the main
line. In order to raise the wheels from the level of the main line to that
of the siding at the point of junction, or to lower them to such level from
that of the siding at such point of junction, the rails of the siding are con-
tinued from such point of junction a short distance along the tops of the rails
of the main line, and in the same direction, but in a tapering form terminating
in a thin edge so as to form a gradual incline from the lower to the higher
level upon which the wheels may be made to ascend or descend. In order
to enable the tapering ends to withstand the lateral pressure of the flanges
of the wheels they are provided with stops or projections downwards on the
inside, which descend below the tops of the rails of the main line, and take
a bearing against them. When the ends of the rails of the siding are resting
on or above the rails of the main line as aforesaid they have the effect of
elosing such main line, and of directing the trucks or carriages on to the siding,
or from the siding on to the main line, but in order to admit of the passage
of trucks or carriages along the direct tract of the main line the ends of the
rails of the siding are attached to the remainder of such rails by hinged joints
by means of which they can when required be thrown back off the main line
so as to leave the main line clear, and close the siding, and, again, thrown
forward when required to open the communication between the main, line
and the siding. In addition to the two hinged joints before mentioned,
there is also a third, by means of which a short piece of one of the rails
of the siding which passes over one of the rails of the main line may be
thrown back or forward simultaneously with the two ends, and with the
same object of opening or closing either the main line or the siding. In
some cases in order to avoid the closing of the main. line whilst the siding
is open, instead of attaching to the ends of the rails of the siding resting on
the rails of the main line one tapering piece of rail only, I attach thereto two
such pieces both being in a line with the main line, and resting upon the
rails of the main line in the same manner, but having their thin ends pointing
in opposite directions, I also attach two other such pieces in the same way to
the opposite sides of the before-mentioned piece of one of the rails of the siding
at the point where it passes over one of the rails of the main line, and in
order to preserve the level of the trucks or carriages whilst passing over them
along the main line, I place a corresponding piece of rail, tapering at both

page_text: ends opposite to them upon or above the opposite rail of the main line.
Suitable cuts or spaces are provided in the rail of the siding, which passes above
and across the main line to allow of the passage of the flanges of the wheels
when passing along the main line, and also in such of the tapering ends and
pieces of rail as require them to allow of such passage of the flanges when
turning out of the main line on to the siding or from the siding on to the
main line.
When the mode lastly herein-before described of constructing the siding
at the junction with the main line is adopted the hinge joints herein-before
mentioned may be either used or dispensed with as considerations of con-
venience or economy may suggest. Two sets of sidings of either of the kinds
herein-before described, so constructed with regard to each other as to be
pairs, or rights and lefts, and connected together by intermediate rails may be
so applied at any part of the main line on either side of it as to form a loop
line diverging from the main line at any desired point, and again joining it
at any other desired point, the length of such loop line being regulated at
pleasure by the length of intermediate line of rails used to connect the pair of
short sidings together.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Grant in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th
July 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
GRANT, formerly of Albion Place, Maidstone, but now of Wester Hill, Linton,
in the County of Kent, Farmer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reigu, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Grant, Her special licence, that I, tho said John Grant, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Grant, 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 and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE.
CONSTRUCTION OF SIDINGS AND LOOP LINES POR RAILWAYS OR TRAMWAYS, WHETHER

page_text: "
PORTABLE OR OTHERWISE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said John Grant, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should parti-
cularly 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 John Grant, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My Invention of "Improvements in the Construction of Sidings and Loop
Lines for Railways or Tramways, whether Portable or otherwise" consists in
the first place in two novel modes of constructing a siding so that it may be
placed in position at any part of the main line, and on either side of it, so as
to be used for turning carriages out of the main line on to such siding, or from
the siding on to the main line by raising or supporting such trucks or carriages
above the rails of the main line without the necessity for any cuts or gaps
through such rails.
The Invention relates, secondly, to the combination of a pair of such
sidings connected intermediate rails so as to form a loop line.
In carrying out my Invention the ends of the rails of the siding at the
junction of the main line are made to rest on or above the rails of the main
line, and are of greater depth or thickness at the point of junction than the
depth of the flanges of the wheels so as to admit of the free passage of the wheels
including the flanges over or above the rails of the main line. In order to
raise the wheels from the level of the main line to that of the siding at the
point of junction, or to lower them to such level from that of the siding at such
point of junction, the rails of the siding are continued from such point of
junction a short distance along the tops of the rails of the main line, and in
the same direction, but in a tapering form, terminating in a thin edge so as to
form a gradual incline from the lower to the higher level upon which the
wheels may be made to ascend or descend. In order to enable the tapering
ends to withstand the lateral pressure of the flanges of the wheels they are
provided with stops or projections downwards on the insido which descend
below the tops of the rails of the main line and take a bearing against them.
When the ends of the rails of the siding are resting on or above the rails of
the main line, as aforesaid, they have the effect of closing such main lino and
of directing the trucks or carriages on to the siding, or from the siding on to

page_text: the main line, but in order to admit of the passage of trucks or carriages along
the direct tract of the main line, the ends of the rails of the siding are attached
to the remainder of such rails by hinge joints, by means of which they can
when required be thrown back off the main line so as to leave the main line
clear and close the siding, and again thrown forward when required to open
the communication between the main line and the siding. In addition to
the two hinge joints before mentioned there is also a third, by means of
which a short piece of one of the rails of the siding which passes over
one of the rails of the main line may be thrown back or forward simul-
taneously with the two ends, and with the same object of opening or
closing either the main line or the siding. In some cases in order to
avoid the closing of the main line whilst the siding is open, instead of
attaching to the ends of the rails of the siding resting on the rails of the
main line one tapering piece of rail only, I attach thereto two such pieces,
both being in a line with the main line and resting upon the rails of the main
line in the same manner, but having their thin ends pointing in opposite
directions. I also attach two other such pieces in the same way to the
opposite sides of the before-mentioned piece of one of the rails of the siding at
the point where it passes over one of the rails of the main line, and in order
to preserve the level of the trucks or carriages whilst passing over them along
the main line, I place a corresponding piece of rail, tapering at both ends,
opposite to them, upon or above the opposite rail of the main line. Suitable
cuts or spaces are provided in the rail of the siding which passes above and
across the main line to allow of the passage of the flanges of the wheels when
passing along the main line, and also in such of the tapering ends and pieces
of rail as require them to allow of such passage of the flanges when turning
out of the main line on to the siding, or from the siding on to the main line.
When the mode lastly herein-before described of constructing the siding at
the junction with the main line is adopted, the main line is never closed and
therefore the hinge joints herein-before mentioned are not required. Two
short sets of sidings of either of the kinds herein-before described so con-
structed with regard to each other as to be pairs, or rights and lefts, and connected
together by intermediate rails may be so applied at any part of the main line
on either side of it as to form a loop line diverging from the main line at any
desired point and again joining it at any other desired point, the length of
such loop line being regulated at pleasure by the length of intermediate line of
rails used to connect the pair of short sidings together.
Having now described my Invention of improvements in the construction

page_text: of sidings and loop lines for railways or tramways, whether portable.or
otherwise, and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect,
I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid.
1st, the two modes herein set forth of constructing sidings capable of being
applied to any part of the main line without the necessity for any cuts or gaps
through the rails, of the main line.
2ud, I claim the application of a pair of such sidings as herein set forth so
as to form a loop line.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Grant, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
-One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
JOHN GRANT. (L.S.)