IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAYS OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, PETER
WILLIAM BARLOW, of Blackheath, in the County of Yor, Civil Engineer, and
WILLIAM HENRY BARLOW, of Derby, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
5 Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Third day of January,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty, in the thirteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Peter William Barlow and William Henry Barlow, our exors,
admors, and assigns, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that we, the said Peter William Barlow and William Henry
Barlow, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Peter
William Barlow and William Henry Barlow, our exors, adiñiors, 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, our Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT
WAYS OF RAILWAYS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
that we, the said Peter William Barlow and William Henry Barlow, or one
of us, shall cause a particular description of the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, to be inrolled
to 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
Peter William Barlow and William Henry Barlow, do hereby declare that
the nature of our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to
be performed, are fully described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:-
Our Invention consists, -
First, of improvements in the longitudinal bearers of those parts of the
permanent ways called switches and crossings.
Secondly, our Invention consists of improvements in the supports and con-
nections used with that description of trough rails which receive their support
longitudinally on the earth or ballasting.
Thirdly, our Invention consists of improvements in fixing the rails of
railways by employing longitudinal and transverse cast-iron bearers, when each
of such bearer has two or more chairs cast therewith; and,
Fourthly, our Invention consists of improvements in the construction of turn-
tables of railways.
And in order that our Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the means pursued by us.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a plan, Figure 2 a side view, and Figures 3, 4, and 5 shew
transverse section and end views of a cast-iron bearer, with chairs and supports
cast therewith, for the switches of railways.
Figure 6 shows a plan and Figure 7 shows a side elevation of a bearer and
chairs for the rails at a crossing.
Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11 show cross sections taken at the parts marked in
Figure 6. Heretofore the chairs necessary for a railway switch, and also the
bearers or sleepers, have been made in many parts, and such is the case in
respect to crossings. Such parts not only require more time in laying and
fixing them, but they are also more liable to get out of order when in use;
and it will be found that in making them in combination (in the act of casting)
the permanent ways of railways will be greatly improved, and they will be
more readily and cheaply constructed and kept in repair. The forms of the
bearers, as well as of the chairs, may be varied, but those shown, when the
section of rails employed are such as are indicated by the Drawing, will, we
believe, be found convenient and strong constructions for the purposes
mentioned.
Figure 12 shows a plan, Figure 13 a side elevation, and Figure 14 a

page_text: transverse section of trough rails such as are supported on the earth or ballast,
and they are connected to bearers by rivets according to part of our Invention.
a, a are the trough rails, which are made with a considerable width of bearing
to render them suitable for resting on and being supported by the ballasting.
b, b, are connecting bearers of wrought or cast iron. c, c, are transverse bars.
for keeping the guage of the rails. The rails a, a, are connected to the bearers
b, b, by means of rivets as shown.
Figure 15 shows a plan and Figure 16 a side elevation of the third part of
our Invention, whereby the rails of a railway are supported by the combined
use of longitudinal and transverse bearers, each bearer being cast with two
or more chairs. The transverse bearers or sleepers d, d, have each two chairs
cast therewith of a form depending on the section of the rails employed
therewith. e, f, are two longitudinal bearers,. the one with two and the other
with three chairs cast therewith, similar to those for which amongst other
things a Patent was formerly granted to one of us. The forms of the
transverse and longitudinal bearers which we prefer are shown in the Drawing.
We do not, however, confine ourselves to those forms.
Figure 17 shows a plan of part of a railway turn-table.
a side elevation thereof partly in section.
Figure 18 shows
Figure 19 shows a section of parts by which the means we prefer of sup-
porting the centre of the table by a screw will be readily seen; but such mode
of supporting is not claimed by us, and a centre support may be dispensed
with. The arrangement of centre herein shown admits of the pressure of
the outer circumference of the table being adjusted by the central screw.
9, 9, is the frame, which is made suitable for resting on and being supported
by the ballasting, no masonry being required. The upper or moveable part
of the turn-table h is formed of plates of iron rivetted to lengths of T iron,
with a circular ring of angle iron under the outer edge or circumference,
and with the exception of this ring and the lengths of T iron there is no
framing used, the whole strength being obtained by the iron plates of which
the table is composed, and the trough rails are rivetted across the plates of
which the upper part of the table is formed. By this arrangement the
moveable part of the table is, with the rails thereon, made into a circular girder
or beam by rivetting or bolting the plates together by the aid of T iron, or
the plates may be bolted to one another, and the rails are bolted to the plates,
by which it will be found that all parts contribute to the general strength.
The turn-table is supported at its outer edge by rollers as shown, similarly
to what has before been done. We would remark, that we are aware that
sheets of iron have before been employed for the covering turn-tables of

page_text: railways, we do not therefore claim generally the use of sheets of iron
(whether wrought or cast) for that purpose, this part of our Invention con-
sisting of making the moveable surface of a turn-table of sheets of iron rivetted
together, having the rails fixed thereon as explained, by which arrangement
no bearers or beams are required under the rails, the simple platform formed
by plates of iron constituting the moveable table.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we would state that we do not confine ourselves to the
details as herein shown and described, so long as the peculiar character of any
part of our Invention be retained. But what we claim is,
First, the improvements herein described in constructing longitudinal
bearers of those parts of the permanent ways of railways called switches and
crossings, whereby bearers for such purposes are cast with suitable chairs.
Secondly, we claim connecting that description of trough rails which take
their bearing on the ballasting by rivetting such rails to their bearers.
Thirdly, we claim the improvements herein described of constructing parts
of the permanent ways of railways by the use of transverse and longitudinal
bearers, each having cast thereon two or more chairs; and,
Fourthly, we claim the improvements in the construction of the turn-tables
of railways herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter William Barlow, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Third day of July, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty.