A NEW OR IMPROVED SUPPORT AND FASTENING FOR THE RAILS OF RAILWAYS."
Year: 1880

page_text: "
LETTERS PATENT to Henry Auguste Houllier, of Rouen, in the Republic of
France, for an Invention of A NEW OR IMPROVED SUPPORT AND FASTENING
FOR THE RAILS OF RAILWAYS."
$
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Auguste Houllier
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th December 1880.
A NEW
HENRY AUGUSTE HOULLIER, of Rouen, in the Republic of France.
OR IMPROVED SUPPORT AND FASTENING FOR THE RAILS OF RAILWAYS."
The Invention relates especially to those rails which are usually carried in chairs,
and consists in the employment, instead of the chair heretofore in use, of a support
divided into two fish-plate-like angle brackets, the upright cheeks of which are
adapted as accurately as possible to the foot and head of the rail, the horizontal
cheeks being secured by suitable means to the wooden sleepers.
It may be specially remarked that these angle brackets do not carry the rails,
but that the rails transmit the pressure direct to the wooden sleepers.
One of the aforesaid angle brackets is placed on the inner side of the line
of rail, and is secured to the wooden sleeper by the usual or other suitable means;
the other angle bracket is placed outside the line of rail, and is similarly secured
to the sleeper.
A screw bolt and nut connect the two angle brackets and the rail between them.
The part of the bolt which passes through the inner angle bracket is furnished with
two projections or fangs placed opposite each other, which prevent the said bolt
from turning when the nut is tightened up. The washer beneath the nut of the
bolt is not completely round, but is straight at its lower side, the straight part laying
against a small projection on the outer angle bracket, whereby the said washer is
prevented from turning.
The washer is slit on the side opposite the straight side, and when its nut is
tightened up one of the cheeks produced by the slit is bent outwards so as to
enter one of a series of notches formed on the under side of the nut.
The connecting bolt serves only to keep the rail upright, and receives no pressure
from the passage of the train.
When the aforesaid angle brackets are employed at the joints of the rails, the
angle-brackets on the two adjacent sleepers made in one piece, and so form a
solid connexion of the sleepers and of the c of both rails. With regard to the
cost of production, the connecting fish-plates of the rail may be manufactured
separately, and the fish-plate-brackets on the adjacent sleepers may be made
like the others. All the fish plates are of wrought iron, and the rail itself of
best steel.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Auguste Houllier in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd June 1881.
HENRY AUGUSTE HOULLIER, of Rouen, in the Republic of France..
OR IMPROVED SUPPORT AND FASTENING FOR THE RAILS OF RAILWAYS."
"
A NEW
The Invention relates especially to those rails which are usually carried in chairs,
and consists in the employment, instead of the chairs heretofore in use, of a support
divided into two fish plate like angle brackets A and B (see Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 of
the Drawings), the upright cheeks of which are adapted as accurately as possible
to the foot and head of the rail, the horizontal cheeks being secured by suitable
means, such as screws G, G, of the wooden sleepers H.
It may be specially remarked that these angle brackets do not carry the rails,
but that the rails transmit the pressure direct to the wooden sleepers H.
One of the aforesaid angle brackets A is placed on the inner side of the line of
rail, and is secured to the wooden sleeper by the screws G, G, or other suitable
means; the other angle bracket B is placed outside the line of rail, and is similarly
secured to the sleeper by one screw.
A screw bolt D connects the two angle brackets and the rail C between
them.
The part of the bolt D which passes through the inner angle bracket A is
furnished with two projections or fangs placed opposite each other, which prevent
the said bolt D from turning when the nut F is tightened up. The washer E
beneath the nut of the bolt is not completely round, but is straight at its lower
side, the straight part laying against a small projection on the outer angle bracket B,
whereby the said washer E is prevented from turning.
The washer is slit radially on the side opposite the straight side, and when
its nut F is tightened up one of the cheeks produced by the slit is bent
outwards so as to enter one of a series of notches formed on the under side
of the nut.
The connecting bolt D serves only to keep the rail upright, and receives no
pressure from the passage of the train.
When the aforesaid angle brackets are employed at the suspended joints of the
rails the angle brackets on the two adjacent sleepers are made in one piece, and so
form a solid connexion of the sleepers and of the ends of both rails, as shown in
Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, in which letters of reference, which are similar to those in
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and indicate similar parts.
For the sake of economical production the connecting fish plates of the rail may
be manufactured separately, and the fish plate brackets on the adjacent sleepers
may be made like those above described.
All the fish plates are of wrought iron, and the rail itself of best steel.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be carried into effect, I would have it understood that what
I claim is,---
The fastening for double headed or chain rails on wooden sleepers, the charac-
teristic of which fastening consists in the substitution for the cast iron chairs
heretofore employed of fish plate like angle pieces or brackets which more
effectually prevent longitudinal and lateral displacement of the rail, such rail

page_text: resting directly on the sleeper, as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Auguste Houllier, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty third day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
Witness,
LORENTZ ALBERT GROTH, K.G.V.,
1
Proprietor of the Scandinavian Patent Office,
97, Finsbury Pavement,
London, E.C.
A. HOULLIER. (L.S.)