IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAM RAILS to be as follows:
Year: 1884

page_text: I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the firm of Edwards and,Co, Patent Agents and
Engineers, of 35 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of the invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TRAM RAILS to be as follows:-
"
This invention relates to metal mails laid down for the passage of tramcars in
streets and roads otherwise used for ordinary wheeled carriages. In such tram-
rails as ordinarily heretofore used, it is found that the pavement or road at the
sides of the rails sinks more or less by the ordinary traffic, and that the rails then
remain projecting above the surface of the road so that carriages attempting to
cross them except at or nearly at right angles can only do so with great difficulty,
the wheels gliding against the smooth lead of the rail, so that the carriages are
liable to be damaged and especially their wheels to be broken.
The present invention has for its object a novel form of tramrail by which these
inconveniences are avoided. For this purpose an upper horizontal flange is arranged
upon each side of the rail head or heads, the outer edges of these flanges being
made waving or undulating (in side view), so that as the pavement or road, which
is originally laid level with the top of the rails, sinks, the undulations of the
flanges afford points against and upon which the wheels of carriages when crossing
can catch and rest, without gliding off the edge of the rail and so being liable to
injury as in the ordinary method of construction.
It is obvious that instead of undulations other variations of shape may be used
in the flanges described. For instance, the elevations and depressions in their
outer edges may be made angular instead of undulating; or they may be inclined
slightly downward, projecting ribs being formed upon their upper surface.
The outer edges of the flanges may also be toothed, serrated, or provided with
undulations laterally as well as vertically.

page_text: 1, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the firm of Edwards and Co, Patent Agents and
Engineers, of 35, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of the invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TRAMRAILS" (a communication to me from abroad by E. Willmann, of Dortmund,
in the Empire of Germany,) and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
he particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement and
accompanying drawing (that is to say):-
Systems of tramway rails as heretofore used are subject to the great incon-
venience, that the pavement or the paving at the sides of the rails is pressed down
and lowered in a short time more or less by the carriages of all kinds passing on
the road and for this reason such carriages can only with great difficulty traverse
the prominent rails, except when crossing the latter at or nearly at right angles.
But if the carriages cross over the prominent rails at an acute angle, the wheels
very easily glide down from the smooth head of the rail, and in this way the
carriages are damaged and the wheels especially are frequently broken.
To avoid this inconvenience and to allow the carriages to cross or to traverse the
tramway rails at any angle the novel method of construction is used as illustrated
in the accompanying drawing, in which at both sides of the rail-head or rail-heads
respectively flat enlargements or flanges are arranged which may either be
undulated as shewn in figure 1, or curved in the shape of troughs as in figure 2,
or simply inclined and provided with ribs as in figure 3.
These flanges may also be toothed or indented laterally, as shewn in figure 4 of
the drawing. The pavement or paving is originally (figure 4) laid to the level of
the top of the rail.
_ In-proportion, as the paving settles, the prominent flanges of the rail head afford
points on which the wheels of the carriages can catch and rest without gliding-|
down and suffering injury, when crossing the permanent way of the tramway.
Having now particularly described and ascertained, the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
The arrangement at the sides of the head or heads respectively of tramway-rails
of enlargements or flanges, which may either be undulated or curved in the shape
of troughs, or simply inclined and provided with ribs, or toothed or indented, all
substantially as and for the purpose described and shewn in the drawing.
Dated this MAI
1005