An Improved Railway Chair.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Railway Chair.
I, MARK HENRY PIERCE, of Wilmington, in the State of Delaware, U.S.A.,
Inventor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the saine
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in railway chairs
and ties.
The object of the invention is to provide a transverse metallic tie having a vertical
flange for securing a chair thereto, which chair is moveable upon the tie and is
adapted by means of a wedge to be locked in position so as to confine the rail upon
the chair, as will be hereinafter fully set forthi, and particularly pointed out in the
claims.
In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a metallic tie
and chair constructed in accordance with my invention. Figure 2 is a vertical
sectional view, and Figure 3 is a side view of the tie detached.
A refers to the tie, which is provided centrally with a vertical web A'. The side
edges of the base of the tie are cut or swaged while hot without being cut at an angle,
as shown at a, and said portion is bent upwardly and inwardly towards the vertical
flange A¹, so as to provide a groove on each side of the said vertical flange or web,
with which projecting portions at the base of the chair will engage to prevent the
vertical movement of said chair. This metallic tie A is adapted to be placed upon
and secured to wooden or other cross-ties or laid on a good earth road-bed without
the wooden cross-ties, and the height of the flange A¹ is sufficient to allow paving-
blocks to be placed adjacent to the web A', so that they can rest upon the horizontal
flanges.
The chair B is made up of a casting in a single piece, said casting having vertical
portions b and a connecting horizontal portion 6', the under side of which rests upon
the upper edges of the vertical flange A¹ of the tie. The lower ends of the side pieces
extend outwardly, as shown at 62, and are adapted to engage with the recesses formed
by the upwardly and inwardly turned edges of the side flanges.
One end of the top portion of the chair B is cut away or notched, as shown at c, so
that it will engage with a headed bifurcated retaining device C, which is bolted or
riveted to the flange A¹, the under face of the head thereof being slightly inclined at
the angle of the flange of an ordinary rail. The ends of the chair B below the upper
portion thereof are provided with recesses dd, and beyond said recesses with
inwardly-projecting portions d', the inner vertical edges of which are adapted to abut
against the vertical flange of the tie, and at the ends of these recesses are formed the
retaining devices E. E., one being on each side of the chair, the under faces of
the heads thereof being slightly inclined and extended toward the retaining device C.
At a proper point the vertical flange A' has a longitudinal slot F. through which
a wedge-shaped key is adapted to be passed, one of the faces of which abuts against
the outer vertical edges of the rail-retaining devices E and also against the outer
face of the inwardly-projecting portions d¹. This wedge-shaped key is adapted to
hold the chair securely in place against the longitudinal movement upon the tie:

page_text: and the locking, wedge F1 is provided with a vertical opening, through which a
wedge-shaped pin f may be driven for locking and retaining the wedge F¹ in place
and in order that the locking-pin may be driven in place the upper face of the
chair is cut away, as shown.
In laying a track the metallic tie A is spiked or bolted to the ordinary wooden
tie or laid on a good earthen road-bed, and after being secured in place the chairs B
are placed over the vertical flange A¹ and moved thereon so that the outwardly-
projecting portions thereof will engage with the recessed portions formed in the
outer edge of the tie, after which the rails may be placed upon the chair and said
chair moved so that the retaining devices CE will overlap the base of the rail,
when the chair can be locked in place by the wedge. By means of this device
the tracks can be readily laid and taken up, and a sufficient space is provided to
permit paving-blocks to be laid on a horizontal line with the surface of the chairs.
It will also be observed that the tracks can be removed without in any way
disturbing the pavement.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The combination of a sleeper or tie having a central flauge with longitudinal
slots, the horizontal, base-flange having upwardly and inwardly curved edges, a
bolt or retaining device secured to the vertical flange to one side of the slot therein,
and the laterally-moveable chair retained upon the sleeper agst vertical displace-
ment, said chair having inwardly-projecting portions which
gage with the base
of the rail, and a wedge or locking-key for holding the chair against the rail,
substantially as shown, and for the purpose set forth.
2. In combination with a tie or sleeper having a vertical flange and bifurcated
bolt or retaining device C secured to said flange to extend above the same, of a
moveable chair having a projecting portion E, which engages with the flange of
the rail, and means, substantially as shown, for holding the chair against lateral
movement upon the tie or sleeper, for the purpose set forth.
L
3. A chair for railways, cast in one piece, having a flat upper rtion upon which
the rail rests, projecting rail-retaining devices E, vertical side walls, the lower
edges of which extend outwardly, inwardly projecting walls located near one end
of the chair, and recesses d, said chair being adapted to be used in connection
with a sleeper or tie and a locking-key, constructed as shown.
4. In combination with a wrought or rolled iron tie or sleeper, having the edges
bent upwardly and inwardly adjacent to the portion where the chair is secured, a
bifurcated bolt or retaining device secured to the vertical flange, and a longitudinal
slot for the reception of a locking-key, when combined with a chair constructed
substantially as shown.
5. In combination with a metallic tie or sleeper having a central vertical flange
with longitudinal slots formed therein, and upwardly-projecting headed bolts secured
to the vertical flange, the heads thereof projecting toward the centre of the tie, a
chair adapted to rest upon the upper edge of the vertical flange and upon the side
flanges, the upper portion of said chair having a recess within which the retaining
device C will lie, projecting portions E, and horizontal recesses d, with which the
locking-key passed through the slots in the vertical flange of the tie will engage
to prevent lateral and vertical movement of the chair, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 17th day of May 1900
MARK HENRY PIERCE.
By his Agents,
Horn & Son.