IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn
Fields, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."-A com-
munication from abroad by Jean Baptiste Antoine Maurize, of
Tours, in the Empire of France, Ex-Architect to the Imperial
Government for the Central Railways of France.
Sealed the 9th January 1869, and dated the 11th August 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 11th August 1868.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," a com-
munication from abroad by Jean Baptiste Antoine Maurize, of Tours, in
the Empire of France, Ex-Architect to the Imperial Government for the
Central Railways of France, to be as follows:-
This Invention has reference to certain peculiar forms and con-
structions of the rails of railway permanent way, and to the modes of

page_text: supporting and securing the same, whereby greater durability and safety
are obtained, combined with economy in the cost of maintenance.
According to one part of this Invention the rails are supported on
longitudinal metal beams of an arched form, resting or having their
bearings upon the chairs; these latter are secured to cruciform metal
sleepers made in two parts, jointed together and suitably tied to preserve
the guage. The rails are provided with a safety flange standing up
from the outer edge of the wheel-bearing surface, to prevent the rolling
stock from running off the line, and may or may not be provided with
a second flange projecting downwards from the inner edge of the rail,
by which it is bolted to the chair or support. In order to prevent the
main body of the rail being rendered useless by the mere fact of the
surface alone being worn or injured, it is proposed to adapt by the aid
of bolts or otherwise a sheathing to the top surface of the rail, such
sheathing being composed either of steel or other metal plate. When
worn it can be readily removed and replaced without discarding the
body of the rail itself. Between the sheathing and the surface of the
rail there is laid tarred cardboard or other good sound deadening and
partly elastic material, and under the rail and chair a sheet of rolled
lead and asphalt is deposited. If desired leather or sheets of zinc or
other suitable material for forming a species of cushion may be employed.
By adopting the form of sleeper above described and supporting the rails
upon arched beams greater stability is obtained, and facility is afforded
for the perfect drainage of the surface of the railway, which may be
effected by a longitudinal drain pipe laid along the centre between each
pair of rails, and communicating with transverse branch pipes which
pass through the sleepers and underneath the chairs or metal supports
of the rails and arched beams. It is preferred that no cant or inclination
be given to the rails, and that the wheel-bearing surface in lieu of being
rounded slightly be made flat. The rails, moreover, may be adapted to
narrower tyres than those usually adopted, such tyres being reduced from
about 43" in width to, say, 3" only, thus economising material and con-
siderably reducing the weight of the rolling stock. For branch lines
upon which the traffic is light, compound rails composed of a solid cone
of wood faced with metal plates may be employed, but they will be
provided with a metal safety flange, as herein-before described, and will
have a metal sheathing and sound deadening substance beneath it placed
upon the top or wheel-bearing surface of such compound rail.

page_text: . These improvements may be applied also to existing forms of rail by
bolting or otherwise securing thereto a safety flange, and applying a
metal sheathing and sound deadening material immediately under it to
the wheel-bearing surface of the rail.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 11th February 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middle-
sex, Gentleman; send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the 32nd
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special license.
that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors,
administrators, or 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 THE
PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," a communication from abroad by Jean
Baptiste Antoine Maurize, of Tours, in the Empire of France, Ex-
Architect to the Imperial Government for the Central Railways of
France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Henry Johnson, my exécutors or administrators, by an instrument în
writing under my hand and scal, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 immédiately after. the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to particularly described and ascertained in and by.

page_text: the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:
The said Invention consists of a new form of rail which is provided
with a safety flange to prevent the wheels from running off the line.
Upon this new rail is applied a sheathing composed of steel plate or
mild sheet iron, or any other suitable metal, over which the rolling
stock runs, and beneath the sheathing there is disposed a pad or cushion,
the object of which is to deaden and neutralize the shocks to which it is
subjected. The pad may be formed of cardboard, tarred felt, india-
rubber, leather, sheet iron, sheet zinc, or of any other deadening
substance which may be found suitable for the purpose.
thus composed of two principal parts, and forming the moveable part
of the permanent way are supported on wrought-iron arches, cast-iron
chairs, and sleepers connected together, which form the fixed part, that
is to say, the foundation of the new system of permanent way. The
cast-iron sleepers are hollow, and admit of the drainage of the way in
order to render it sounder and more solid.
The rails
This novel system of permanent way has for its object the remedying
of the defects and errors in the existing systems, and the more complete
utilization of the strength of the metal. In the first place wood is
entirely dispensed with, and the composition of the rail itself is modified
by the addition of the sheathing and the deadening pads or cushions,
and there is introduced a new element which admits of varying the
combination without departing from the principle. This new element
does not increase the tractive strain, excepting to a very insignificant
extent, which is more than compensated for by the advantage of
rendering the passage of the rolling stock over the lines extremely
easy and agreeable. The application of the sheathing and deadening
cushions admit of any possible speed being attained, and considerable
economy is effected by their use, as the weight of the material may be
reduced by reason of the wear and tear upon it being diminished.
Increased durability of the line is also obtained, as well as greater
facility for maintenance. The distance between the sleepers is at
present fixed at about four feet, but possibly they may be placed at greater
intervals by employing intermediate supports of stone or agglomerated
beton. The new system also admits of a smaller quantity of ballast
being employed, and since the ballast is not required to perform the

page_text: function of a deadening material its quality need only be such as is
suitable for the purpose of a packing for the sleepers. The use of the
iron arch, whilst it imparts great strength to the way, and throws the
load on to the principal points of support, admits of the reduction of
the bearing of the rail by means of intermediate supports resting on the
arch, as shewn in Figure 3, Sheet 1, a considerable reduction may thus
be made if required in the strength of the rails. The cast-iron chair
of this system forms in itself and by its connection with the sleeper a
firm supporting point, which admits of the inclination or cant of the
rail being reduced, or even entirely dispensed with, whereby the connical
form of the wheels may also be dispensed with. The inclination of the
rail is only justified in curves, but where it may even be avoided entirely
by elevating the outer rail in proportion to the radius of the curve and
the velosity of the trains. The inclination or cant at present in uso has
nevertheless been adopted in order to obviate the necessity for altering
the existing rolling stock.
The new system of sheathed rails with deadening cushions and safety
flanges is applicable to existing rails at present in use without altering
them, and by it they may be preserved until completely worn out, or
they may be used on branch lines, and thus a considerable saving in
expenditure may be effected.
All lines do not require to be of the same strength, since the traffic
varying on different lines they are not subjected to the same wear
and tear. A modification of the sheathed rails has therefore been
designed applicable to branch lines, which is of considerable importance,
from an economical point of view, in the construction of permanent way,
as by its use the cost may be reduced by one-half. This modification
consists of a fourth form of rail in which iron and wood are combined,
and which the Inventor consequently designates a mixed rail, composed
of a wooden core enclosed in iron. The wood not being imbedded in
the ground and being well protected by the sheathing is very durable,
and is not subject to the defects to which it is liable when employed in
the ordinary manner; this mixed rail requires also but little main-
tenance. The distance between the sleepers is about five or ten feet, as'
experience determines, with intermediate supports of agglomerated beton
resting on the ballast. The inclination or cant of the rail is dispensed-
with as defective, but the obliquity of its upper surface is provisionally
retained in order to correspond with the conical form of the wheels of

page_text: annexed.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheets of Drawings.
Figure 1 (Sheet 1) is a plan of a portion of a line of railway with its
chairs, sleepers, and drainage complete, the rails being shewn provided
with their safety flanges to prevent the wheels running off the lines;
Figure 2 is a transverse section of the same taken along the line A, B,
between two sleepers; Figure 3 is a longitudinal section taken along the
line C, D, through the centre of the railway; Figure 4 is a transverse
section taken along the line E, F, through the centre of the chairs;
Figure 5 is a plan of one of the connected cast-iron sleepers; Figure 6
is a section taken along the line G, H; Figure 7 is a side elevation ;
Figure 8 is a section taken along the line I,. J; Figure 9 is a section
taken along the line K, L; Figure 10 is a vertical section showing the
profile of the ballast; Figure 11 is a vertical section showing the profile
of the rail, sheath, and cushions, applicable to the dimensions of existing
wheels having a width of tyre of about four and three-quarter inches.
The dotted lines indicate how the safety flange may be dispensed with
in order to save expense. Figure 12 is a vertical section of a modification
of these forms applicable to wheels of a width of tyre of about three and
a half inches; Figure 13 is a plan of the chair corresponding to the first
form of rail; Figure 14 is an end elevation of the same; Figure 15 is a
side elevation; Figure 16 is a vertical section taken along the line M, N;
Figure 17 is a vertical section taken along the line O, P; Fig. 18 is a
vertical section shewing a second arrangement of rails applicable to
wheels of four inches and three-quarters width of tyre; Figure 19 is a
vertical section representing the same form of rails applicable to wheels
of three inches and a half width only; Figure 20 is a vertical section
of a third arrangement of rails applicable to wheels of four inches and
three quarters, and provided with a connecting knee picce; Figure 21.
represents in vertical section the same arrangement for wheels of
three and a half inches width of tyre; Figure 22 is a side elevation
of the connecting knee piece employed in the last two arrangements;
Figures 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28 (Sheet 2) are vertical sections
showing the different methods of attaching and supporting the rails
with arches corresponding to the three forms of rails above described;

page_text: Figures 23, 25, and 27 are adapted for wheels' of four and three-
quarter inches width of tyre; ang Figures 24, 20, and 28 for wheels
of only three and a half inches in width; Figure 29 représents: in
vertical section-a method of attaching the sheathing to ordinary rails;
Figure 30 is a side elevation of the connecting knee piece; Figure 31 is
a vertical section showing another method of attaching the sheathing to
the rail; and Figure 32 is a side elevation of the connecting knee piece
employed in this case; Figure 33 is a vertical section of a third' arrange-
ment for attaching the sheathing; and Figure 34 is an elevation of the
corresponding connecting piece; Figure 35 represents in vertical section
a fourth modification of the attachment of the sheathing to the rail;
and Figure 36 is an elevation shewing the connecting screw employed;
Figure 37 is a transverse vertical section of the whole of the attachment
applied to an ordinary flat-bottom rail, comprising the sheath, safety
flange, abutment, and the connecting knee picce adapted to ordinary
wheels with four and three-quarters inches tyres; Figure 38 is a
side elevation of the connection; Figure 39 is a transverse section
of the same method of attachment arranged for wheels of three
and a half inches tyres; Figure 40 is a plan of a portion of
line of railway laid with the system of mixed rails provided with
chairs, sleepers, intermediate supports, and drainage, in which the
sleepers are five feet apart; Figure 41 shews in plan the same arrange-
ment applicable where the sleepers are laid at intervals of ten feet;
Figure 42 is a detail plan, Figure 43 a side elevation, Figure 44 an
end elevation, Figure 45 a vertical section taken along the line Q, R,
and Figure 46 a vertical section taken along the line S, T, of a system
of chair adapted for the mixed rail, composed of wood enclosed in iron,
herein-before described; Figure 47 is a section taken through the chair
and cast-iron sleeper of the mixed rail; Figure 48 is a section taken
through the centre of the main support of the rail, and Figure 49 is a
side elevation of the iron support employed in this system.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into. effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider
to be novel and original and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. Supporting the rails of the permanent way of railways upon
arched metal beams placed longitudinally under the rails, and supported

page_text: at each end upon chairs and sleepers, substantially as herein-before
described.
Second. The construction and use of rails provided with a sheet metal
sheathing and a sound deadening material on the wheel-bearing surface;
substantially as herein-before described.
Third. The application of safety flanges to the rails of permanent way
of railways, substantially as herein-before described.
Fourth. The several peculiar constructions, arrangements, and com-
binations of rails, chairs, or supports and sleepers, as herein-before
described and illustrated by the annexed Sheets of Drawings.
Fifth. The peculiar construction of sleepers, as herein-before described
and illustrated by the Drawings.
Sixth. The peculiar mode of draining the permanent way of railways,
as herein-before described and illustrated by the Drawings.
Seventh. The application and use of combined wooden and metal rails,
constructed substantially as herein-before described.
Eighth. The mode of fixing and supporting combined wooden and
metal rails, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this
my Specification set my hand and seal, the Eleventh day of
February, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.