696 



REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1889. 



The wooden pin shown secured the chair to a short wooden pile driven 

 into the ground. The rails were 4 feet long. The joint fixtures in the 

 tracks laid with various types of T- rails* were chairs slightly longer 

 than those in the quarters and middle of the rail, and the ends of the 

 rail were held in place by wedges, as shown in Figs. 113 and 113a. The 



Figs. 113, 113a. 

 Joint Chair and Wedge, Old Portage Railroad, 1832. 



(From original in the U. S. National Museum. ) 



drawing is made from one of the original stone blocks from the old Port- 

 age Railroad in Pennsylvania, 1832, with rail and chair complete, which 

 is in the collection. The rails, chairs, and joint fixtures for that rail- 

 road were manufactured in England in 1830. 



THE BEGINNINGS OF THE SPLICE BAR. 



The splice-bar or fish-plate was of necessity an American iuvention, 

 since the Camden and Amboy Railroad, which was the first iron railway 

 laid without chairs, found it necessary to use it. In Robert L. Stevens's 

 original specifications, each rail was to have a projection on the stem at 

 one end, which was intended to be riveted to the stem of the adjoining 

 rail. Owing to impracticability of manufacture this plan was never 



Fig. 114. 

 Stone Block, Bail, and Joint Tongue laid on Camden and Amboy Railroad in 1831. 



(From original specimen in the U. S. National Museum. ) 



carried out, and joint tongues (an illustration of which is to be found 

 in the Report U. S. National Museum for 1S86, Figs. 1 and 2, Plate II, 

 opposite page 122) were used. These iron tongues were attached to the 

 stems of the rail with hot rivets. Fig. 114 is from a drawing made from 



*T-rails were first rolled in lengths of 8, 12, arid 16 feet. 



