IMPROVE- MENTS IN RAILWAYS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Francis Campbell, of Great Plumstead,
in the County of Norfolk, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 22nd April 1862, and dated the 24th October 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Francis
Campbell at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 24th October 1861.
I, ALEXANDER FRANCIS CAMPBELL, of Great Plumstead, in the County of
Norfolk, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
The improvements consist in applying a central rail along the line of way
adapted to receive or act on suitable wheels between the bearing wheels of
the carriages, for the purpose of preventing the carriages running off the
line of way, by which wheels with a plain or unflanged surface may be
used as the bearing wheels.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alexander Francis Campbell in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 23rd April 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
FRANCIS CAMPBELL, of Great Plumstead, in the County of Norfolk, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Alexander Francis Campbell, Her special licence that I, the said Alexander
Francis Campbell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Alexander Francis Campbell, 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 RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Alexander Francis Campbell, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 Alexander Francis Campbell, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention; and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The improvements consist in applying a central rail along the line of way
adapted to receive or act on suitable wheels between the bearing wheels of
the carriages, for the purpose of preventing the carriages running off the
line of way, by which wheels with a plain or unflanged surface may be
used as the bearing wheels.
I
But that the nature of my Invention may be more fully understood, I
will proceed, aided by the accompanying Drawing, to describe the means
adopt in carrying the same into effect.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING,
which represents a section of a railway with my improvements applied thereto,
by which it will be seen that an additional rail a, is applied in the centre
of the line of way. This rail a, I prefer to be somewhat of a 1-form of
section, and adapted to receive a suitable vertical wheel c, formed with a
groove c in its periphery to take on to the centre rail a. The bearing
wheels d it will be seen have a plain or unflanged surface suited to run upon
horizontal metal plates or rails b, b, which I prefer to be of rolled iron laid
upon suitable longitudinal wood sleepers, and secured thereto by spikes, bolts,
or screws. The centre wheel c may be applied, as shown, upon the axle e, or
it may be upon a separate axle, and so that it shall not bear upon the rail a
in a vertical direction, but so that the flanges thereof may bear against the
sides of the rib a¹ of the rail a to guide the carriage to which the axle e is
attached, in order that the wheels d may be controlled to bear upon the
rails b, b, and I prefer that the wheel c should be loose upon the axle e, and
with a slight play thereon between the collars c³, and between which and
the wheel c there may be elastic and hard washers. When more than two
pairs of bearing wheels are employed to one carriage, I prefer that a central
wheel c be applied to only the fore and aft axles, in order that the carriage
may be allowed to adapt itself to the railway.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which I carry the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details shown and described so long as the
peculiar character of my Invention for preventing carriages running off the line
of railway be retained, substantially as explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Francis Campbell, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of April in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
A. F. CAMPBELL. (L.S.)