Search for railway chairs to secure sleepers
From: "Andrew Johnson" andrewtasmanjohnson@msn.com
I want to obtain several metal railway chairs used to secure metal railways on their wood sleepers. Of special interest would be those invented by James Walker (of Slaithwaite, Yorks and Warrington, Lancashire) and probably made by his Chandos Iron Foundry in Warrington, Lancashire around 1860-1890. The reason is that this James Walker is my ancestral relative. He worked on the Huddersfield and Manchester Railway and Canal Company and on the London and Northwestern Railway Company.
Would you please point the way for me to obtain some of these railway chairs?
—Andrew T. Johnson
posted from CPRR Discussion Group at 6:27 PM
2 Comments:
From: "Chris Graves" caliron@cwnet.com
Subject: Railchairs
Rail chairs were used on the Central Pacific from Sacramento to Cisco, then fish plate was used to join the rails. It is possible, even today, to find rail chairs on the old CPRR grade. I saw one last year just West of Tunnel "0", whether it is still there or not, I don't know.
Two years ago a rail chair was found East of the old Wadsworth trestle in Nevada, it too may still be there.
G J Chris Graves
NewCastle, AltaCal'a
Winter's Summer Garden
From: "Kevin Bunker" mikadobear45@yahoo.com
Metal chairs have not been in favor on American railroads since about the 1830's. The Central and Union Pacific railroads used, like most US eastern and southern rail lines before 1865, used impact-driven spikes in (predominantly) bare wooden ties.
Chairs have, however – in a variety of adpations – remained popular in England and the European continent all along, although spring clips attached to pre-stressed concrete ties have more recently come into favor.
You should probably get in touch with Britain's National Railway Museum in York to learn more.
—Kevin
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