IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR STRAIGHT- ENING RAILS AND BARS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Fox, of Stocksbridge Works, Deepcar, near
Sheffield, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR STRAIGHT-
ENING RAILS AND BARS."
Sealed the 30th August 1878, and dated the 18th May 1878.
Sealed the 30th August 1878, and dated the 18th May 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Fox at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th May 1878.
SAMUEL Fox, of Stocksbridge Works, Deepcar, near Sheffield.
IN MACHINERY FOR STRAIGHTENING RAILS AND BARS."
"IMPROVEMENTS
This Iuvention has for its object improvements in machinery for straightening
rails and bars.
The machine consists of a massive frame, upon which the railway rail or other
bar to be straightened is laid, between two pair of abutments, which prevent the
rail or bar (as a whole) moving laterally.
The main frame has upon it a ram or slide, having a short stroke to and fro in a
direction at right angles to the rail or bar to be straightened; it is actuated by an
eccentric driven by a steam engine, or in other convenient manner. This rain or
slide passes underneath the rail or bar and between the abutments by which it is
supported, and it carries upon it two wedges, one on either side of the rail or bar;
these wedges can, by the workman using the machine, be raised and lowered, and
when either of them is lowered the transverse movement of the ram or slide brings
it into contact with the rail or bar to be straightened, which thus receives the set
which it requires; or in place of permitting the wedges themselves to come against
the rail or bar it is preferable that they should operate through the intervention of
a block adapted to the size and form of the rail or bar, and formed with a groove,
in which the same may lie.

page_text: The wedges are connected by links with the opposite ends of a lever having its
fulcrum in the middle, so that one wedge rises out of the way as the other is brought
down to operate upon the rail or bar.
A hand rail is provided in order that the workman may have control of the
wedges in any position in which his work may render it necessary for him to stand
whilst the rail or bar is moved on progressively, so as to bring each part requiring
it into position to be straightened. The hand rail is carried along the machine
parallel to the rail or bar to be straightened; it is fixed upon arms on an axis, which
is coupled with the lever controlling the wedges, so that the raising or depressing
of the hand rail brings down into work one or other of the wedges as the workman
may require.
The machine may most conveniently be made double acting, so that the rails or
bars may be straightened on flat and on edge on opposite sides of the machine, two
straighteners working at the machine at the same time.
In place of moving the rails or bars longitudinally by manual labour, as the
process of straightening proceeds, I sometimes support the rail or bar upon carrying
rollers, which the workman can at pleasure set in motion in either direction, or stop
when necessary; also, to aid the eye of the workman, I provide a feeler which
comes into contact with the part of the rail or bar between the abutments, and in
connection with the feeler there is an indicator, which points out the direction and
the amount of any bend in the rail or bar at the part under treatment.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Samuel Fox in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th November
1878.
SAMUEL Fox, of Stocksbridge Works, Deepcar, near Sheffield.
IN MACHINERY FOR STRAIGHTENING RAILS AND BARS."
"IMPROVEMENTS
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for straightening
rails and bars.
The machine consists of a massive frame, upon which the railway rail or other
bar to be straightened is laid between two pairs of abutments which prevent the rail
or bar (as a whole) moving laterally.
The main frame has upon it a ram or slide having a short stroke to and fro in a
direction at right angles to the rail or bar to be straightened; it is actuated by an
eccentric driven by a steam engine, or in other convenient manner. This ram or
slide passes underneath the rail or bar and between the abutments by which it is
supported, and it carries upon it two wedges, one on either side of the rail or bar;
these wedges can by the workmen using the machine be raised and lowered, and
when either of them is lowered the transverse movement of the ram or slide
brings it into contact with the rail or bar to be straightened, which thus receives
the set which it requires; or in place of permitting the wedges themselves to come
against tho rail or bar, it is preferable that they should operate through the inter-
vention of a block adapted to the size and form of the rail or bar, and formed with
a groovo, in which the same may lie.
The wedges aro connected by links with the opposite ends of a lever having its
fulcrum in the middle, so that one wedge rises out of the way as the other is brought
down to operate upon the rail or bar.
A hand rail is provided in order that the workman may have control of the
wedges in any position in which his work may render it necessary for him to stand
whilst the rail or bar is moved on progressively, so as to bring each part requiring
it into position to be straightened. The hand rail is carried along the machine
parallel to the rail or bar to be straightened; it is fixed upon arms on an axis which
is coupled with the lever controlling the wedges, so that the raising or depressing
of the hand rail brings down into work one or other of the wedges as the workman
may require.
The machine may most conveniently be made double acting, so that the rails or
bars may be straightened on flat and on edge on opposite sides of the machine, two
straighteners working at the machine at the same time.
In place of moving the rails or bars longitudinally by manual labour, as the
process of straightening proceeds, I sometimes support the rail or bar upon carrying
rollers, which the workman can at pleasure set in motion in either direction, or
stop when necessary; also, to aid the eye of the workman, I provide a feeler, which
comes into contact with the part of the rail or bar between the abutments, and in
connection with the feeler there is an indicator, which points out the direction and
the amount of any bend in the rail or bar at a part under treatment.
In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.

page_text: a, a, is the frame of the machine, and b is a ram or slide supported upon the
frame, and having a short stroke imparted to it in a transverse direction by the
eccentric c¹ on the shaft c; this shaft receives rotary motion from the steam engine
at d, operating through the gear wheels e; f, f, represent two rails in position to
be straightened.
The machine shown in the Drawing being a double machine adapted on one side
to straighten the rails when erect, and on the other side to straighten the rails
when laid on flat; a', a¹, are abutments on the frame between which the rails are
passed; g, g, are grooved blocks laid upon the ram or slide b; they are adapted to
the size and form of the rail or bar to be straightened, and they can move freely
to and fro upon the ram, or slide in the direction in which this travels; h, h, are
wedges carried upon the ram or slide; the outer sides of these wedges are inclined],
and they bear upon corresponding inclines in the passage through the ram or slide,
into which the wedges are inserted, and in which they are able to move up and
down; h, h¹, are links by which the wedges are connected with levers I.
When the lever I is horizontal, as represented in Figure 2, the movement of the
Lam or slide brings the wedges just to touch the grooved block 9; but when the
lever i is inclined the wedge which is thereby lowered is when the ram or slido
next advances forced against the grooved block g, and the rail is thereby straight-
ened. The levers i are upon axes, which carry arms ill, and these arms are
coupled by links, as is seen in Figure 2, with lever handles j¹ on axes j; this axis j
in each case extends for some distance along the machine, and it has arms fixed
upon it, upon which the hand rail is carried. By means of this hand rail, together
with the handle ¹, the workman is enabled to operate upon the wedges h, h, in
whatever position in respect to his work he may find it convenient to stand.
For traversing the rails there are rollers k, k, on which the rails rest; these rollers
are connected, by shafts and gearing with bevilled wheels Z, Z.
The wheels derive motion from other bevilled wheels m, m, through the medium
of clutches n, n, which may be made to engage with either of the two drivers, and
so to impart motion in either direction to the rollers k, k; o, o, are gear wheels
connecting the axis c with the axes of the wheels m, m.
The clutches n are engaged and disengaged at pleasure by the action of the hand
rails p, p, operating through the axes q and q¹, and the bevilled gear q". The hand
rail thus enables the workman to move the rail or bar at pleasure, and in either
direction, and so he brings any part which may require it into position to be
straightened.
When the straightening on flat is complete the rail has to be conveyed across the
machine to the other side to be straightened when crect; this is effected by means
of carrier chains, on which the first workman lays the rail he has done with in
order that it may be conveyed to the workman on the other side, who takes it in
turn.
During the second straightening operation the rail is traversed back to the rack x,
seen in Figure 3; on one side of this rack, as is there represented, there are the rails
which have to be passed through the straightening machine, and on the other the
other the rails which have already been straightened.
This is the most convenient way of working the machine where other arrange-
ments admit:-The cross traverses are marked r, r; ono set of these, with the
standard upon which it is carried, is represented in elevation in Figure 5; it consists,
as will be seen, of a pair of endless chains passing around chain wheels. Two of
these chain wheels are fixed upon an axis 8, which is driven from the axis of thic
wheels m by means of the spur wheels t, t.
Figure 6 is a plan, Figure 7 an end elevation, and Figure 8 a side clevation of an
indicating apparatus which I apply to the machine to aid the eye of the workman
in discovering and correcting the irregularities of the rail or bar. u, u, u, are three
feelers, which by coiled springs are kept in light contact with the rail or bar at the
part under operation; the central feeler is jointed to two pointers or indicating

page_text: rods v, v, and the feolers on either side are each jointed to one of the rods, as the
Drawing indicates.
Each rod v carries at its end a finger v¹, and these are so arranged that when
the portion of the rail or bar between the abutments is straight they stand together,
but any curvature in the rail or bar causes a separation of the fingers, greatly
exceeding the deviation which gives rise to it.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would havo it understood that I claim,-
First. The construction of machinery for straightening rails and bars in such
manner that the workman may bring the straightening pressure of a transversely
moving ram or slide to act upon either side of the rail or bar by inserting wedges
or filling pieces, substantially as described.
Second. The construction of machinery for straightening rails or bars in such
manner that the straightening action of the ram or slide may be called into play,
varied and controlled from the different positions which it is necessary for the
workman to occupy in working the machine, substantially as described.
Third. The construction of machinery for straightening rails and bars double, so
that the rails or bars may be straightened in two directions on opposite sides of the
nachine, and so that they may be automatically carried from one side of the machine
to the other, substantially as described.
Fourth. The construction of machinery for straightening rails and bars, substan-
tially as described, and represented in the annexed Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Fox, have horeunto set my hand and
seal, this Fifteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord One thousand
oight hundred and seventy-eight.