Improvements in Rails for Railroads, Tramways, and Permanent Ways, and for Obviating the Use of Fish Plates.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Jan., 1887
Complete Left, 26th Oct., 1887
Complete Accepted, 29th Nov., 1887
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in Rails for Railroads, Tramways, and Permanent
Ways, and for Obviating the Use of Fish Plates.
WILLIAM EDWIN HEATH of 46 Fairmead Road Islington in the County of
Middlesex Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be as
follows:-
I form the rail in two or more vertical sections or parts and bolt them together in
such a manner that the joints in each length are as far removed from the other joints
as the length of the bar or rail will permit-thus forming a perfect break of joint-
this is done by rolling the bar or rail in two or more parts, and bolting the parts
together so as to make a break of joint.
I either do this in two sections or in three by rolling grooves on the inner side of
the bars which fit into each other or by forming a central bar of square or other
shaped iron to be the grooves in the outer sections thus forming a continuous bond
throughout.
To allow for expansion I form every other bolt hole elongated, this also forms a
more ready means of bolting together and avoids the necessity of drilling the holes to
correspond exactly.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rails for Railroads, Tramways, and Permanent
Ways, and for Obviating the Use of Fish Plates.
1, WILLIAM EDWIN HEATH, of 46 Fairmead Road Islington in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this 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 relates to the permanent way of Railways and Tramways and has for
its object to dispense with the use of fish plates and to so form the rails that when
the wearing parts are worn out they may be readily removed and replaced by new
wearing parts without renewing the whole of the rail.
According to my Invention the lengths of rail are built up of two or more bars or
sections rolled to the required form and bolted or otherwise connected together so as
to break joint and thereby dispense with the use of fish plates.
The holes in the sections to receive the connecting bolts are elongated alternately
so as to allow for expansion and contraction of the rails and to admit of the sections
being more readily connected together as the necessity for drilling the holes in the
sections exactly to correspond is thereby obviated.
In some cases recesses are rolled in the contiguous faces of the sections for the
reception of longitudinal projections rods bars or plates whereby a continuous bond is
provided throughout the line of rails.
And in order that our said Invention may be fully understood we 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 the same letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 illustrates in transverse section a flat bottom rail constructed according to
my Invention of two rolled bars or sections a a¹ connected by bolts & the line of
division between the sections being in a vertical direction extending from bottom to
top of the rail. In constructing a line of rails with these sections the junctions of the
ends of the sections a on one side of the rail break joint with the junctions of the ends
of the sections a' on the other side of the rail as shewn for example in Figure 2
(which represents in plan on a smaller scale a double headed rail divided vertically
into two parts) whereby the necessity for the use of fish plate is dispensed with.
Figure 3 is a transverse section of a double headed rail composed of two rolled
hars a a¹ connected together by bolt and nuts b as in Figure 1 but instead of the line
of division between the two parts or sections, extending from the top to bottom of the
rail in a vertical direction, the line of division is in a vertical direction at the centre
part c only and deviates at an angle therefrom towards the same side of the top and
bottom of the rail.
Figure 4 shews another double headed rail composed of two rolled bars or
sections a a¹ having formed on their inner faces a projection d and a recess e so

page_text: arranged that when the bars are connected together by the bolts b the projection on
the one section will engage with the recess in the opposing face of the other section
as shewn.
Figure 5 represents an arrangement similar to Figure 3 but in which the line of
division deviates from the vertical line c at angles towards the opposite sides of the
top and bottom of the rail instead of deviating towards the same side as in figure 3.
Figure 6 illustrates another modification in which each of the two bars a a¹ com-
posing the rail is provided with recesses e for the reception of metal bars d which when
several bars are connected together by the bolts to form a line of rails serve as
bonds to connect the length of rails without the use of fish plates.
Figure 7 illustrates another modification in which an intermediate bar or plate fis
interposed between the two bars a a' the said intermediate bar f extending from top
to bottom of the rail and provided on both sides with projections & which enter
corresponding recesses e in the inner faces of the bars a a¹ the three parts or sections a a¹
and being securely connected together by bolts and nuts b as in the previously
described modifications.
Figures 8 and 9 illustrate another modification of double headed rail composed of
three parts similar to the modification Figure 7 but in which the intermediate part f
is entirely enclosed within the two parts a a¹.
Figure 10 illustrates a further modification of a double headed rail in which each
head is undivided and is provided with a web a al arranged out of centre so that when
the two webs are placed together and secured by the bolts & they together form a
central web to the two heads. In the underside of each of the heads a recess e is
formed and a corresponding recess e¹ is also formed in the edge of each of the
connecting webs a al so that when the two webs are placed in position and bolted
together the said recesses form longitudinal openings in the rail in which openings
bars d of metal may be placed which serve to key the sections or parts of the rail
together and also act as a bond to the several length of rail when connected together
to form a line or a yielding packing may be placed in these openings to deaden
sound.
Figure 11 illustrates a flat bottom rail formed of two parts or sections the one part
being rolled with an undivided head and a depending web a whilst the other part
forms the flat bottom and is provided with a web a' extending upwards to engage
with the under side of the head on the part a when the two parts are placed in position
and connected together by the bolts b.
A packing of yielding material may be interposed between the contiguous surfaces
of the sections to prevent jarring and deaden sound.
Figure 12 illustrates a tramway rail formed of two parts a a similar to Figure 11
the head on the part a being provided however with a groove for the flange on the
car wheels to run in and with recesses e on the underside of the head on the part a
and on the upper edge of the web on the part a¹ for the reception of a bar similar to
that described with reference to Figure 10 or with a yielding packing to prevent
jarring.
Figure 13 illustrates another form of tramway rail in which the web of the part a
upon which the head of the rail is formed extends only partly down the web of the
part a forming the flat bottom of the rail the two parts being connected together
with an intervening layer of yielding packing material g to deaden sound.
It is obvious that by constructing the rails in sections and connecting them
together in the manner hereinbefore described fish plates may be entirely dispensed
with and when any of the wearing parts of the sections are worn out or destroyed
they may be readily renewed by reversing the positions of the sections or by
substituting new sections for those worn out without renewing the other sections
composing the rail,
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :
First. Rails for Railways and Tramways composed of sections connected together

page_text: so as to form a line without the use of fish plates and so that when the wearing parts
are worn out or destroyed they may be readily renewed without renewing the other
parts or sections substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accom-
panying drawings.
Second. Rails for Railways and Tramways composed of sections the inner faces of
which are provided with projections and recesses fitting into each other when the
sections are connected together to form a line of rails substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.
Third. Rails for Railways and Tramways composed of sections connected together
by bolts or otherwise, the inner or contiguous faces of the sections having recesses
therein for the reception of a bar or of bars substantially as and for the purpose
herein before described with reference to figures 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the accompanying
drawings.
Fourth. The general constructions combinations and arrangements of parts
constituting improvements in the rails of Railways and Tramways as hereinbefore
described with reference to the several modifications illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
1000