IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY FASTENINGS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Rowland Mason Ordish, Civil Engineer, of 18, Great
George Street, Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY FASTENINGS."
Sealed the 24th April 1860, and dated the 27th October 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Rowland Mason Ordish
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 27th October 1859.
I, ROWLAND MASON ORDISH, Civil Engineer, of 18, Great George Street,
Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for"" IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY FASTENINGS," to be as follows:-
My improvements consists in constructing elastic metallic keys with one or
more surfaces roughened, serrated, or formed with projections or indentations
thereon, such roughenings, serrations, projections, or indentations fitting into
or upon corresponding roughenings, serrations, projections, or indentations
formed upon the jaws or other parts of metallic chairs, clips, or sleepers, or
formed upon suitable pads, blocks, or keys. The elastic keys being used
either alone or in combination with such pads, blocks, or keys, for securing
the rails to chairs or sleepers, or for securing chairs or clips to sleepers. The
action of the elastic metallic keys is such that by forcing the elastic keys, or

page_text: the pads, blocks, or keys into their required positions, the elasticity of the
material as formed enables the roughenings, serrations, projections, or inden-
tations to pass or ride over the corresponding roughenings, serrations, projec-
tions, or indentations formed upon the jaws or other parts of chairs, sleepers,
clips, pads, blocks, or keys, and by the reaction of the elastic keys, the various
parts are retained and secured in the required positions.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Rowland Mason Ordish in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 27th April 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROWLAND
MASON ORDISH, Civil Engineer, of 18, Great George Street, Westminster, in
the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Rowland Mason Ordish, Her special licence that I, the said
Rowland Mason Ordish, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Rowland Mason Ordish, my executors, administrators,
and 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 RAILWAY FASTENINGS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Rowland Mason Ordish, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under
or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain 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 immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Rowland Mason Ordish, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-

page_text: My improvements consist in constructing elastic metallic keys with one or
more surfaces roughened, serrated, or formed with projections or indentations
thereon, such roughenings, serrations, projections, or indentations fitting into
or upon corresponding roughenings, serrations, projections, or indentations
formed upon the jaws or other parts of metallic chairs, clips, or sleepers, or
formed upon suitable pads, blocks, or keys. The elastic keys being used
either alone or in combination with such pads, blocks, or keys for securing
the rail to chairs or sleepers, or for securing chairs or clips to sleepers. The
action of the elastic metallic keys is such that by forcing the elastic keys, or
the pads, blocks, or keys into their required positions, the elasticity of the
material, as formed, enables the roughenings, serrations, projections, or inden-
tations to pass or ride over the corresponding roughenings, serrations, projec-
tions, or indentations formed upon the jaws or other parts of chairs, sleepers,
clips, pads, blocks, or keys, and by the reaction of the elastic keys, the various
parts are retained and secured in the required positions..
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
The accompanying Drawings represent different forms in which the several'
parts of my said Invention may be carried into effect, the same letters of
reference being made use of to indicate similar parts throughout.
.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of a railway chair a, with a piece of rail 6 secured
therein by means of an elastic metallic key c. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same;
with corresponding letters of reference. Fig. 3 is a side view of the key c.
The rail is secured in the chair by driving or forcing the key c between the
rail and a jaw of the chair; the inside of this jaw of the chair being cast or
provided with projections and indentations thereon as shewn. The key c is
also cast or provided with corresponding projections and indentations as shewn.
When the keys is being forced into the desired position, the elasticity of the
material, as formed, enables the projections on the key to pass or ride over
the projections on the inside of the jaw of the chair. When the key is forced
into the desired position, the projections on the key fit into the indentations on
the inside of the jaw, and the key having been sprung or forced out of its
normal shape or condition, there is an amount of elasticity exerted to secure
the rail in the chair. The key is prevented from slipping out or becoming
loose by the requirement that the key would have to be further sprung or
forced out of its normal shape or condition, and at the same time to move
longitudinally, which simultanious motions in the key cannot be caused by
passing trains, but the key can be taken out when desired by striking the end

page_text: of the key with a hammer. Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; shew respectively elevations,
plans, and side views of chairs, rails, and elastic-keys, with projections and
indentations cast or formed thereon; the forms of the keys being varied as
shewn, but the action and effect being the same as last described. Fig. 10 is
an elevation of an ordinary railway chair with a piece of rail secured therein
by means of an elastic key in combination with a pad or block d; Fig. 11-is
a plan of the same; Fig. 12 is a side view of the elastic key; and Fig. 13 is
a side view of the pad or block d, this pad or block being cast or made so.as
to fit a jaw of an ordinary railway chair, and also provided with projections
and indentations, as shewn. The pad or block d being fitted to an ordinary
railway chair, the combination becomes generally analogous to a chair with
projections and indentations cast or provided thereon. The elastic-key being
forced or driven into the required. position the action and effect of the parts are
generally the same as previously described.
Figs. 14, 15, 16, shew respectively elevation, side view, and plan of a chair,
rail, and elastic keys. In this modification two elastic keys are employed for
securing the rail in place, both the keys and the two jaws of the chair being
provided with projections and indentations, as shewn, the action and effect of
the parts being the same as previously described.
Figs. 17, 18, 19, shew an arrangement of chair, rail, and two elastic keys
for securing the rail in place, and also supporting or suspending the rail on
the keys instead of on the base of the chairs, as shewn in all the previous
modifications; in other respects the action and effect of the parts are the same
as previously described.
It will be understood that although in this description and the accompanying
Drawings, I have confined myself principally to the application of my Inven-
tion to the ordinary double-headed rail and chairs intended for attachment to
wood or other sleepers, and also to one form of projection, indentation,
serration, or roughening, its applicability is by no means limited to the forms
shewn and described, but, that the same distinctive features may be advan-
tageously employed in combination with other forms of rails and chairs, and
also in combination with existing forms of iron sleepers, or specially formed
iron sleepers, as it may be found desirable to make use of.
It will farther be obvious that various other combinations may be formed
from the different modifications shewn, as also that the leading features of my
Invention may be otherwise embodied to meet the requirements of particular
cases without in any way departing from its peculiar and distinguishing
characteristics; without, therefore, limiting myself to the precise forms or

page_text: details represented, I would have it understood that I claim the use or
employment of elastic metallic keys with projections, indentations, serrations,
roughenings, or other analogous preparations cast or otherwise formed thereon
for securing rails to chairs or sleepers, and for retaining the keys in their
required positions in combination with chairs, pads, blocks, and sleepers
properly formed to receive them.
In witness whereof, I, the said Rowland Mason Ordish, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
C. W. RAMIÉ.
R. M. ORDISH. (L.B.)