IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Arthur Biddell, of Ipswich, in the
County of Suffolk, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 18th January 1876, and dated the 20th October 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Arthur
Biddell at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 20th October 1875.
I, GEORGE ARTHUR BIDDELL, of Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
:—
This Invention has reference to railway chairs and the method of
fastening the rails in the same.
The improvements consist in making cach chair with one jaw only,
and dispensing with all wedges and bolts by which the rails have
hitherto been fixed in the chairs. Every alternate sleeper has a pair of
chairs attached to it, with the jaw of each chair so placed as to fit

page_text: It
tightly inside between the two rails, whilst every other alternate sleeper
has a pair of chairs attached to it with the jaw of each chair fitting
against the outsides of the rails keeping the same at proper gauge.
will thus be seen that when the sleepers with their chairs attached are
placed square across the rails, that the thrust of one pair of chairs out-
wards (whilst two adjoining pairs hold the rails to gauge) will firmly
fasten the rails in accurate position without the use of wedges or bolts,
and at the same time will make a safer and cheaper connection between
the rails and chairs with less liability to derangement.
To make the chairs more capable of resisting end thrust and relieving
the trenails or spikes, I prefer to have one or more projections cast
across the bottoms of the chairs, these projections being received into
suitable grooves cut across the sleepers, thus giving great resistance to
end strain on the chairs. This part of the improvements is also
applicable to chairs used in the ordinary way with wedges or bolts.
The jaws of the inside chairs are made slightly curved horizontally,
so as to facilitate pinching them in between the rails in bringing them
into a square position across the line so as to spring the rails slightly
outwards, which will ensure a firm connection between rails and
chairs.
Or in some cases wedges may be interposed between the rails and the
jaws on the inside chairs, so that the rails may be sprung slightly out-

page_text: To make the chairs more capable of resisting end thrust and
relieving the trenails or spikes, I prefer to have one or more projections
cast across the bottoms of the chairs, these projections being received
into suitable grooves cut across the sleepers, thus giving great resistance
to end strain on the chairs.
The jaws of the inside chairs may be made slightly curved hori-
zontally, so as to facilitate pinching them in between the rails in
bringing them into a square position across the line so as to spring the
rails slightly outwards, which will insure a firm connection between
rails and chairs.
In some cases wedges may be interposed between the rails and the
jaws on the inside chairs, so that the rails may be sprung slightly out-
wards by the driving in of the wedges.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I will proceed
to describe more fully the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents a plan, and Figure 2 a side view of part of a
single line of railway constructed in the manner above described. The
line shewn is laid to a gauge of 4', 8", with sleepers 9 feet long
spaced to a pitch of 2', 9", from centre to centre.
The chairs which are shown on larger scale in Figures 5, 6, and 6ª,
may be fastened to the sleepers in any of the usual ways, and are here
shown fixed with wood trenails, two to cach chair.
The end thrust on each chair, which is the shearing strain on the
trenails, is greatly relieved by the single projection at the bottom of the
chairs, and there may be two or more of such projections if desirable.
These projections fit accurately and tightly into corresponding grooves
or mortices cut across the sleepers. The accurate position of the chairs
upon the sleepers being thus unalterably fixed, the exact gauge of the
rails is also fixed so that no after gauging or trial measurements are
necessary in laying down the rails, as the chairs can all be fixed and
trenails driven home before the rails are placed upon them. Thus
much less skill and care are required in laying down the line.
The sleepers marked A in Figures 1 and 2, have each two chairs
attached with jaws fitting the outsides of the rails and preventing the

page_text: gauge being too wide.
The sleepers marked B in Figures 1 and 2 have
each two chairs attached with jaws fitting the inside of the rails, and
not only preventing the gauge being fixed too narrow, but so distanced
as to spring the rails outwards to a small extent so as to force the rails
well into the outside jaws of the chairs on sleepers marked A, and thus
firmly grip and support the rails, keeping them in accurate position,
both as to tilt or vertically as well as to gauge.
It will be seen that by putting the sleepers marked B into a diagonal
position, even to a much less extent than one is shown in Figures 1
and 2, that the rails would be loosened and set free for removal from the
chairs without in the least degree disturbing the intermediate sleepers
marked A or the chairs attached to them; and by forcing the sleepers B
either by means of a handspike, crowbar, or heavy hammer into a
position square across the line, the rails must be firmly gripped and
held in position with great steadiness.
Figure 3 shows one of the sleepers, marked B, with its chairs as seen
by a vertical section across the line of rails.
Figure 4 shows one of the sleepers, marked A, with its chairs as seen
by a vertical section across the line of rails.
Figures 5 and 6 shew the chairs and rails on a larger scale, so as
more clearly to represent their construction and the projection C upon
their base.
If desired, the chairs might be formed with two or more such pro-
jections across their base instead of one projection only.
Where necessary or desirable, as for example, at sharp curves, and as
a matter of precaution to prevent the rail springing too much out-
wards by unusual or heavy strains, the rail may be tied to the inside
jaw chairs by a check cotter bolt, as shewn at Figure 6ª. This check
bolt is shown as passing through a hole made in the web of the rail and
through the jaw of the chair, and secured by a key or cotter.
In place of the bolt being secured by a key or cotter, the bolt may be
a screw bolt and be secured by a nut screwed on to it, or other means
may be adopted to prevent the rail springing too much outwards, as
for example, the inside jaw chairs may be cast with a second jaw in
the usual way, and after the rails have been secured in position, as

page_text: :
herein-before described, a metal or wood key may be driven in between
the rail and the outer jaw.
Also, as before stated, the chairs which have jaws to come on the
inside of the rails, may be suitably formed to allow of wedges being
interposed between the inner jaws and the rails. In this case the
advantage derived from the rails being kept accurately to gauge by the
outside jaw chairs, and of the rail being kept up to the jaws of these
chairs by the springing outwards of the rails in the intermediate spaces
between the outside jaw chairs is still retained.
Instead of projections upon the bottoms of the chairs and where the
timber of the sleeper is of ample depth, the chairs may be made square
at the ends, and the seat for the same on the sleepers be cut away, so
that the chairs may be embedded in the sleeper and the ends of
the chairs caused to abut against the ends of the recesses in the
sleepers.
! Another way of carrying out my Invention is shewn on Sheet 2.
Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10 show combined sleepers and chairs of cast
iron, or malleable cast iron, or steel. The sleepers shewn at Figures 7
and 8 are formed with jaws to come against the inside of the rails,
whilst the sleepers shewn at Figures 9 and 10 are formed with jaws to :
come against the outside of the rails. This construction of the per-
manent way of railways with the chairs and sleepers cast together in
one piece, affords the simplest way of carrying out my improve-
ments.
In place of casting the chairs together with the sleepers, the chairs;
may be formed separately and secured by bolts or rivets, or otherwise,
to cast metal, wrought iron or steel, or other metal sleepers.
Figures 11, 12, 13, and 14 shew compound chairs and sleepers
formed of wrougt iron or steel. The sleepers shewn at Figures 11
and 12 are formed with a central rib to bear at its ends against the
inside of the rails, whilst the sleepers shewn at Figures 13 and 14 carry
ribs or projections to bear against the outer side of the rails. The two
bearing plates a, a, of cach sleeper are shewn to be formed of flat
plates with their ends flanged downwards to give greater stiffness. The
bearing plates may, however, be corrugated if desired, and formed.
either of cast or wrought metal, and be rivetted or otherwise fixed to

page_text: the Tor angle irons of which the other parts of the combined sleeper
and chairs are composed.
Although in all the Drawings I have shewn my Invention as applied
to lines of rail of the ordinary double-headed section, yet I do not
confine myself to the use of this form of rail, and other forms of rail
may be used so long as the system herein set forth of securing the rails
is carried out.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood, that I claim the
> construction of the permanent way of railways, substantially as herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Arthur Biddell, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of April,
in the year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and
seventy-six.