IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1885

page_text: I THOMAS HAMPTON of Arndean, Barrow-in-Furness in the County of Lancaster,
Steel Works Manager, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
'IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS" to be
as follows:-
"1
My Invention relates to the wedges or keys employed to secure the rails in the
chairs of the permanent way of railways and refers particularly to metallic keys.
According to my invention I make such keys from a bar of steel which is cut to
the proper length and has each end folded or bent into a zig-zag or other form so
as to compose a spring key which can be driven in between the web of the rail
and the jaw of the chair so as to secure the rail in position. When thus driven in,
the back of the bar bears upon the jaw of the chair and the flat terminations or
feet of the two spring tails press upon the web of the rail so as to grip the rail
with an elastic pressure. By my improved formation the grip or pressure of the
key upon the rail is equal at both ends and the key is prevented from being
shaken out by the vibration arising from the traffic. The formation of the key
might be varied, for example instead of having both of the hèreinbefore referred to
spring tails upon one side of the key I might have one on each side and instead
of applying the keys so as to have the said spring tails lying in the horizontal
plane the keys might be so applied as to lie in a vertical plane. I prefer that the
said keys may be formed so that the ends or toes of the said spring feet may lead,
when the key is being driven home, the said toes being slightly turned upward
and away from the rail web but if desired the said spring feet may be turned
inwards instead of outwards and instead of the zig-zag formation hereinbefore
referred to, the ends of the steel bar might be simply curved or bent so as to form
the spring tails. To increase its elasticity the back of the key might in some
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:

page_text: instances be bent or corrugated. In cases where it is thought desirable the jaw of
the chair might be made rounded or hogbacked so that when driven homo the back
of the key is bent or depressed between the two spring tails but I do not consider
this formation of the chair essential as the back of the key will naturally assume
this curved form.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fastenings for the Permanent Way of
Railways.
I THOMAS HAMPTON of Arndean Barrow-in-Furness in the County of Lancaster
Steel Works Manager do hereby declaro the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," and in
what manner the same is to bo performed to be particularly described and 1
ascertained in and by the following statement and accompanying drawings :—–—
My Invention relates to the wedges or keys employed to secure the rails in the
chairs of the permanent way of railways and refers particularly to metallic keys.
According to my invention I make each key from a bar of steel cut to the required
length by folding or bending into a zig-zag or other form so as to produce a spring 2
key which can be driven in between the web of the rail and the jaw of the chair
so as to secure the rail in position.
My Invention will be best understood when described with reference to the
accompanying drawing wherein Fig. 1 represents a side elevation and Fig. 1ª a
plan of a chair in which a rail represented in section is secured by means of one 2
of my improved keys. In the said Figs. a is my improved key which is formed
by bending a length of steel bar into the form nearly as indicated at Fig. 14 The
key is formed with the free ends further apart than is represented in the drawing
so that when the key is driven into position it is compressed so as to bring the free
ends closer together. When the key is in position the free ends tend to separate 3
by reason of the resiliency of the key so that the rail is forced with an elastic
pressure against the jaw of the chair. This elasticity of the key causes the rail to
be held with an equal degree of force for a considerable period of time and also
checks the tendency for the key to work out of its place. The form of the spring
key may be greatly varied. Modifications in the form are illustrated by Figs. 2, 3, 4 3
'and 5. In these examples the free ends of the spring are brought into a central

page_text: position in the key or thereabouts so that the pressure of the key upon the rail is
about equal at both ends of the key. Other modifications appear in Figs. 6 to 9.
In these examples the key may be said to be in a vertical position within the chair
as distinguished from the horizontal positions for which the keys illustrated in and
by Figs. 1 to 5 are adapted. The formation of the keys in these examples will be
clearly understood by an inspection of the drawings. In all the examples the
keys are so formed as that they become compressed when being driven into
position.
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 spring keys formed by bending lengths of steel bars into the forms substan-
tially as and for the purposes set forth and indicated herein before and in and by
the accompanying drawings.