IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING THE PERMANENT WAYS OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles William Ramié, of Pimlico, in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING THE
PERMANENT WAYS OF RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 27th March 1857, and dated the 29th September 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles William Ramié
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th September 1856.
I, CHARLES WILLIAM RAMIE, of Pimlico, in the County of Middlesex, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CONSTRUCTING THE PERMANENT WAYS OF RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, firstly, in an improvement upon my Patent, dated
April 4th, 1856, which improvement consists in using with the wings or plates
placed longitudinally and inclined upwards to form sleepers, as therein
described, chairs or brackets, for securing the rails.
Secondly, in the application of cross sleepers of malleable iron, the sides of
which incline upwards, and are connected to the rails either with or without
the intervention of chairs or brackets.
Thirdly, in the application of the aforesaid rings or plates placed at intervals
longitudinally, and alternated with cross sleepers' of malleable iron, the sides of
which incline upwards, as before described.

page_text: And, lastly, in a mode of jointing the ends of the rails, where they abut or
come together, by means of a key inserted in their respective ends, and held
in its position by side plates, thus insuring the accurate junction of the ends of
the rails.
And, lastly, in a mode of jointing the ends of the rails, where they abut or
come together, by means of a key inserted in their respective ends, and held
in its position by side plates, thus insuring the accurate junction of the ends of
the rails.
The side plates described are retained in position by and at the same time
form beds for the keys, by which the rails are secured to the sleepers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles William Ramié in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 28th March 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
WILLIAM RAMIE, of Pimlico, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Charles William Ramié, Her special licence that I, the said Charles
William Ramié, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Charles William Ramié, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CONSTRUCTING THE PERMANENT WAYS OF RAILWAYS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Charles William Ramié, 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 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 Charles William Ramié, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by: the
following statement:-
My Invention consists, firstly, in an improvement upon my Patent, dated
April 4th, 1856, which improvement consists in using with the wings or plates

page_text: headed rail a, which is secured to the wings c by means of brackets, the outer
ends of which abut on the interior inclined surfaces of the wings c, and when
drawn down by the bolts e jam and secure the rail. between them. Fig..13
shews a single-headed rail a, held in position by the inner portions of the
wings c, which are curved upwards, and pressed against the.web of the rail a
by wedges interposed between them and the brackets, by which they are
secured to the tie bars f. Fig. 14 shews a transverse section of a bridge rail a;
having grooves formed in the upper surface of its flanches, and being secured.
to the wings or plates ĉ by means of a keep m, which passes beneath the inner
edges of the wings c, and is drawn up within the rail a; so as to. press
the wings c firmly into contact therewith by means of the wedges n, which
are driven longitudinally in the grooves, and act on the cross bar or key o,
which passes through the keep m. Fig. 15 is a similar, section of a bridge
rail a, which is fitted in chairs 9 secured to the wings c, and is retained in
position by the keys h, the withdrawal of which permits the removal of the
rail.
:
It is to be observed that the various previously described modes of con-
structing the rails and sleepers and of connecting them together are not neces-
sarily associated in the manner shewn, as in most cases varied combinations of
the several pärts represented may be formed to produce desirable modifications.
Fig. 16 and 16 represent. respectively a transverse section and a side elevation
of a double-headed rail a supported in a transverse or cross sleeper of malle-
able iron, the sides of which curve or incline upwards. The rail a passes
through notches cut. in the sleepers, and is secured therein by wedges or:
keys h and plates i, as shown. Figs. 17 and 17' are respectively a transverse.
section and side elevation of a double-headed rail a, supported by a transverse
sleeper formed in two parts, the sides of which incline or curve upwards, and
are secured to the rail by means of keys or wedges h taking into brackets:
attached to the sleeper. Figs. 18 and 18' are likewise a transverse section.
and side elevation of a double-headed rail a, supported by means of chairs
attached to a transverse or cross sleeper of malleable iron, the sides of which.
incline or curve upwards. Fig. 182 is a horizontal section of the chair g..
through the line z, z, of Fig. 18. Fig. 19 is a transverse section, and Fig. 19!
a side elevation, of the junction of two separate lengths of double-headed rail a.
and a', which are respectively notched to receive the key p, which key is.
retained in position by means of the plates i, which plates or key beds, in con-
junction with their wedges or keys, also forin means whereby the rail is (with.
or without the intervention of chairs) secured to the sleepers..
Although only three nodes, of attaching the rails to transverse 'sleepers are

page_text: represented, it will be obvious, on reference to the Drawings, that many of the
arrangements employed for securing the rails to the longitudinal sleepers
are, with their modified combinations, available in the case of transverse
sleepers.
Sheet 2 Fig. 1 is a plan, and Fig. 2 a transverse section, of a line of
railway, in which the wings or plates c, forming longitudinal sleepers, are
carried continuously on each side of the rails a. Fig. 3 is also a plan, and
Fig. 4 a transverse section, of a line of railway supported by wings or plates c,
placed at intervals, in such manner as that the wing or plate on one side of
the rail shall be opposite to the space or interval on the other side thereof.
Figs. 5 and 6 are similar views, in which the wings or plates c are attached at
intervals on both sides of the rails and opposite to each other, the intervals
or spaces between the wings on the respective rails being also opposite to each
other. Figs. 7 and 8 only differ from the last named in having the spaces or
intervals between the wings c on one rail placed opposite to the wings or
sleepers on the other. Figs. 9 and 10 are similar views, representing a line
of railway laid entirely on transverse sleepers; and Fig. 13, a side elevation,
shewing three different forms of sleepers and modes of fastening. Figs. 11,
12, and 14 are corresponding views of a line of railway, supported by a com-
bination, consisting partly of wings or plates placed longitudinally at intervals,
and partly of sleepers placed transversely thereto. Though one form only of
rail and winged sleeper is here represented, it is to be observed that most of
the forms of rails, with their particular forms of wings and several modes
of attachment shewn in Sheet 1, may, with their various combinations and
modifications, be laid so as to form a line of railway, according to either of the
arrangements represented in plan on Sheet 2.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles William Ramié, have hereto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
CHARLES WILLIAM (L.s.) RAMIE.