IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION RAILWAYS." OF Firstly.
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Barraclough Fell at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th March 1880.
JOHN BARRACLOUGH FELL, of Sparke Bridge, near Ulverston, in the County
of Lancaster, Civil Engineer.
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
RAILWAYS."
OF
Firstly. My Invention relates to improvements in the construction of railways,
and to the employment of an improved form of iron or timber structure or viaduct
as a substitute for earthworks and masonry; the parts of these structures being
so arranged as to give greater strength and stability than would be obtained from
the forms described in the Specification of a Patent granted to me Number 1638,
and dated the 26th April 1879.
My Invention consists in increasing the strength of the wood and iron lattice
girders by combining with them four or more longitudinal struts for each span of
structure, these struts being formed by lengthening the lattice bars so as to
reach from the under side of the girders to the supports, to which they are firmly
attached.
The strength and stability of the timber supports are increased by using, in
addition to the upright pillars or.posts, inclined lateral stays, which rest upon the
sleepers or on the cross ties of the supports, and extend to the upper or under sides.
of the girders or to any intermediate points on the supports.
The horizontal tie bars and the lattice bars are or may be lengthened and spiked
or bolted to these lateral stays.
Lateral stays may also be provided by extending downwards two or more of the

page_text: lattice bars of the supports, the lower ends being fastened to the sleepers or to short
piles driven into the ground at a proper distance from the sleepers.
The strength of the supports of the iron structures is increased by their being
made with inclined sides of angle or T irons, which are bent at the bottom of the
girders and carried vertically up to the top of them, The girders resting on the
upper cross frames are bolted to the lengthened portions of these angle or Tirons,
and the girders and supports are more firmly combined and connected together
thereby.
Flitch girders are or may also be used for these structures, made of two planks
placed on edge with a plate of iron or steel between them, the three pieces being
securely bolted or rivetted together.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Barraclough Fell in the Great Soal Patent Office on the 2nd
September 1880.
JOHN BARRACLOUGH FELL, of Sparke Bridge, near Ulverston, in the County
of Lancaster, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
RAILWAYS."
My Invention relates to improvements in the construction of railways, and to
the employment of an improved form of iron or timber structure or viaduct, as a
substitute for earthworks and masonry; the parts of these structures being so
arranged as to give greater strength and stability than would be obtained from
the forms described in the Specification of a Patent granted to me Number 1638,
and dated the 26th April 1879.
My Invention consists in increasing the strength of the wood and iron lattico
girders by combining with them four or more longitudinal struts for each span of
structure, these struts being formed by lengthening the lattice bars, so as to reach
from the under side of the girders to the supports to which they are firmly
attached. The strength and stability of the timber supports are increased by using,
in addition to the upright pillars or posts, inclined lateral stays, which rest upon
the sleepers of the supports or on the cross ties, and extend to the upper or under-
sides of the girders or to intermediate points on the supports.
The horizontal tie bars and the lattice bars are or may be lengthened and spiked
or bolted to these lateral stays.
Lateral stays may also be provided by extending downwards two or more of the
lattico bars of the supports, the lower ends being fastened to the sleepers or to short
piles driven into the ground at a proper distanco from the sleepers. Figs. 1 and 2
are a side elevation and plan showing the lattice girders with longitudinal struts,
the supports with side stays, and the permanent way. The parts marked a form
the side stays of the supports used for giving additional lateral strength; b are the
booms of the girders; c are the lattice bars, and d are the longitudinal struts,
which are so combined with the girders as to give to them additional strength and
stiffness. Four or more of these struts are or may be used to each pair of girders
as a substitute for an equal number of lattice bars, and additional strength will
thereby be obtained for girders for spans of increased width; e are the top sleepers
or cross ties, which are spiked down to the booms b of the girders, they are or may
be laid over the intersections of the lattice bars, as shown in Fig. 1; fare the corbels ;
g, the packing pieces, which are or may be laid between the sleepers to form a
cover for the girders, and a continuous bearing for the rail j, which is laid on them
and on the cross ties; are the bottom sleepers or soles of the supports.
Fig. 3 is an end elevation of a timber support with side stays.
The parts markod a are the inclined side stays; b, the two vertical pieces of the
support to which the girders are bolted, and which chiefly carry the weight of the
trains passing over the viaduct; there may also be a third or central vertical piece
placed between them, and reaching from the bottom to the top sleeper or to any
intermediate point between them; c are the cross ties on which the corbels and
lower booms of the girders rest; & are the cross ties on which the longitudinal
struts of the girders rest; e are the upper cross braces; f, the corbels; g, the
lower cross braces; h, the bottom sleeper; i, the top sleeper; j, the booms of the
girders; k, the rails.
Fig. 4 is an end elevation of another improved form of support; a are the side
stays; b, the vertical pieces of the support; c, the upper cross ties; d, the lower
cross ties; e, the diagonal braces; f, the bottom sleeper; g, the top cross sleeper;
h, the corbels; i, the booms of the girders; j, the rails.
Fig. 5 is an improved form of support adapted for greater heights than Figs. 3
and 4; a are the inclined sido stays; b, the vertical parts of the supports; c, the
upper cross ties; d, the lower cross ties; e, the diagonal braces; f, the bottom

page_text: cross sleeper; g, the top sleeper; h, the corbels; i, the booms of the girders;
j, the rails.
Lateral support may also be given by continuing the outside vertical pieces in
these supports up to the underside of the top cross sleepers, which are made of
sufficient length to rest upon them, as shown in peculiar dotted line in Fig. 5,
and the necessary strength and stiffness is given to them by a pair of diagonal
braces (also shown in peculiar dotted line) on either side between the upper cross
sleeper and the lower cross ties d, the cross ties c and the corbels being dispensed
with, and in their places blocks or vertical pieces a¹ (shown in peculiar dotted line)
are substituted between the upper and lower booms of the girders, and between
the lower booms and the cruss ties d. This is an alternative and equivalent
method for giving increased lateral strength to the timber supports, and will in
some cases be found more simple in construction and more easy for erection than
some of the other forms.
Where the height of the form of support shown in Fig. 5 is such as to
require it, side stays are also used extending from the bottom sleepers to any of the
cross ties or to any point between them, and where convenient to do so, the
diagonal braces in such cases are or may be continued downwards and spiked to
the bottom cross sleepers.
Flitch girders are or may be used for these structures; they are made of two
planks of wood placed on edge with a plate of iron or steel between them,
the three pieces being securely bolted or rivetted together, the bolts or rivets
being placed at such short distances apart as to prevent the iron plate from
buckling, these distances being generally not more than 18 inches or 2 feet.
The flitch girders may be used in combination with any of the different forms of
supports above described, or with those described in my Specification No. 1638, of
April 26, 1879. The strength of the supports of the iron structures described in
the last named Specification is increased by continuing the angle or T iron sides.
vertically upwards, and the upper and lower booms of the iron lattice girders or
the webs of the iron deck beam girders are bolted to these supports so continued
upwards, and by this arrangement the stability and strength of the structure is
considerably increased.
I have now particularly described the nature of my said Invention, and the
modes of carrying the same into effect, and claim as any Invention,—
Firstly. The several improved combinations and arrangements of structures to
carry or form railways, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by
the Drawings.
Secondly. The combination of girders and longitudinal struts, which struts also
form part of the lattice bars or ties of the girders, substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated by the Drawings.
Thirdly. The combination of the lateral supporting stays (a) with the vertical
supports (b) and with the cross and diagonal ties, as herein before described and
illustrated by Figs. 3, 4, and 5 of the Drawings.
Fourthly. The combination and arrangement of structures of iron or steel, or
partly of iron or steel and wood, where the T or other iron or steel supports are
bent and continued upwards, and where flitch girders are used, substantially as
hereinbefore described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Barraclough Fell, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty.