IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC PERMANENT WAY
Year: 1885

page_text: I, HAMILTON LEE SMITH of The Whitehall Club, Parliament Street, in the City
of Westminster, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of said invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC PERMANENT WAY" to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to a construction of metallic permanent way:
designed to give great hold on the ballast, and an ample bearing for the rail,
together with special facilities for packing the sleepers, and of which the con-
struction is such that there are a very small number of detachable parts, so that
the work can be mainly done at the place of manufacture and the actual laying of
the rails is rendered both simple and expeditious.
In a permanent way according to this invention the sleeper is cruciform or
stelliform in plan, having by preference four arms or branches, but it may have
three, six, or other convenient number. Each arm or branch is trough or bridge
shaped in cross-section, the flange or beading at either side extending to and
joining with the flange of the adjacent arm. These flanges obtain a firm hold of
the ballast, which can be packed under each bridge-like arm or branch at the end
and driven forward towards the central portion to provide a substantial foundation
under the part of the sleeper where the weight of a train is more directly applied.
The sleeper may be stamped or pressed from steel or wrought iron, or it may be.
cast, in which latter case it will be advantageous to provide ribs to increase its
stiffness. The sleepers at opposite sides of the track are connected together in
pairs by tie bars. It is advantageous to make these of angle section, each bar
being twisted and flattened at each end and the flattened portion being laid in a
groove or recess prepared for it in the sleeper. This groove or recess is bridged by
one of the clip pieces by which the rail is secured, and the bar is held by any
suitable means such as one or more gibs and cotters which pass through it and
through the clip piece and sleeper. Additional stiffness can be gained by making
the tie-bar long enough to pass under the rail, which is then pressed on to it by
the clips or tightening appliances. These are of any suitable construction.
A con-
venient arrangement is to rivet a long clip piece to the sleeper at the inner side of
the rail, and to provide two small clip pieces at the outer side, each secured by a
bolt and nut. All these clip pieces can be rolled in lengths and cut off in short
pieces. The details of construction may be varied. Thus in some cases to gain
additional strength I may provide a rib or corrugation below the table of the
sleeper. Likewise I may make the sleeper of a somewhat elongated form.
W. LLOYD WISE,
Applicant's Agent,

page_text: I, HAMILTON LEE SMITH, late of Whitehall Club, Parliament Street in the City
of Westminster, and now of Heathfield, Bowes Park, N, Civil Engineer, 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 :-
This invention has reference to a construction of metallic permanent way
designed to give great hold on the ballast, and an ample bearing for the rail,
together with special facilities for packing the sleepers, and of which the con-
struction is such that there are a very small number of detachable parts, so that
the work can be mainly done at the place of manufacture and the actual laying of
the rails is rendered both simple and expeditious.
In a permanent way according to this invention the sleeper is cruciform or
stelliform in plan, having by preference four arms or branches, but it may have
three, six, or other convenient number.
Each arm or branch is trough or bridge shaped in cross section, the flange or
beading at either side extending to and joining with the flange of the adjacent
arm. These flanges obtain a firm hold of the ballast, which can be packed under
each bridge-like arm or branch at the end and driven forward towards the central
portion to provide a substantial foundation under the part of the sleeper where the
weight of a train is more directly applied. The sleeper may be stamped or pressed
from steel or wrought iron, or it may be cast, in which latter case it will be.
advantageous to provide ribs to increase its stiffness. The sleepers at opposite
sides of the track are connected together in pairs by tie bars.
Referring to the accompanying 3 sheets of drawings, Figure 1 shows in plan a
metallic sleeper constructed with three arms or branches of trough or bridge
section. Fig. 2 is a vertical section in the line 1, 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows, in
plan, a sleeper with four arms or branches and a rail secured thereto. Fig. 4 is a
vertical section in the line 3, 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a section in the line 5, 6 of
Fig. 1 and Fig. 6 shows a metal strap bent around the angular part of the tie-bar
and turned at the upper ends to form a clip for holding the rail. Fig. 7 is a plan,
of a modified construction of sleeper with four arms or branches. Fig. 8 is a
* vertical section in the line 7. 8 of Figure 7 with the rail removed. Fig. 9 is a plan
of a sleeper with six arms or branches and Fig. 10 is a vertical section in the
line 9, 10 of Fig. 9.
A. A. A. are in each case the arms or branches made of trough or bridge shape
in cross section. B. B. B. are portions of metal plate between the arms or
branches A. A. A. which serve to afford additional bearing upon the ballast and
to strengthen the sleeper, but, in some cases, the portions B. B. B. may be wholly
or partially dispensed with. Various methods may be adopted to secure the rails.
to the sleepers and of fastening the tie bars to the same.
According to the arrangement illustrated in Figures 3 to 6 inclusive, the upper
portion of the sleeper is made of a corrugated form at that part to be traversed by
the tie, bar, there being two upper grooves C C and an intermediate ridge D with a
groove under it to receive the upper part of the angularly formed tie bar E which
is pressed or formed to the shape illustrated in side elevation in Fig. 4 so as to fit

page_text: the under part of the sleeper. At each side of that portion of the sleeper traversed
by the rail, there are formed two holes, the metal being turned up as represented
at F F in Fig. 4.
Around the tiebar four metal straps G (two for each sleeper) are placed as
represented in Figs. 4 & 6, the upper parts of which are pressed or welded together
and bent round to a right angle and are also curved in opposite directions as.
represented in Figure 4 so that when the sleeper is placed upon the part of the tie
bar intended to receive. it, the bent upper portions of the straps G will project
through the holes in the sleeper and form clips for securing the rail; these clips
being strengthened by the turned up parts F. F of the sleeper These parts may in
some cases be upset so as to assume the form shown in the dotted lines. H is a
key that locks the rail in place between the clips G G. Sleepers, according to my
invention may be stamped out of square or rectangular plates, or as already stated,
may be cast. The plates from which they are stamped may be of any suitable
thickness, that is to say, they may be of such thickness that the lugs designed to
clip, hold or retain the bottom flange of the rail shall have sufficient strength and
substance to do so without additional strengthening; or they may be of such
thickness only as shall suffice for the main area of the sleeper with additional
thickness rolled where necessary to form the clips for retaining the rails or such
additional thickness, where required, may be given by welding or pressing or
rivetting on an extra thickness. The sleeper represented in Figures 7 and 8 may
be made or stamped out of one plate, first making cuts in such plate at I. I.
The tie bars employed instead of being of angle form may be T or channel
shaped and may be connected to the sleeper at its upper surface instead of below.
In some cases it may be convenient to double back portions of the tie bar for a
considerable length at both ends to give additional strength either above or below
the sleeper, or to afford an extra thickness of metal to form clips to hold the rails.
In other cases it may be advantageous to arrange the tie bars below or above an
arm or branch or arms or branches of the sleeper. According to one arrangement
the angular tiebar E can be placed in a V shaped groove on the top of the sleeper
plate, as shewn in Figs. 7 and 8, the tiebar having formed across A by cutting or
stamping, a depression just deep enough to take the bottom flange of the rail, and
of just sufficient width to take the bottom flange of the rail and a fastening key,
which in conjunction with cut and bent parts of the sleeper forming clips F will
serve to lock the whole. I would remark that in some cases to make the sleepers
reversible when they are constructed with corrugations as described with reference
to Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive, these may extend entirely across the sleeper, instead of
only partly across it as represented in Figs. 3 and 4.
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 I do
not claim as my invention the method hereinabove described of forming clips by
cutting and bending up portions of the sleeper plate, nor do I claim arranging
portions of the tie bar to extend upward through holes in the sleeper for. the
purpose of holding the rail, but what I do claim is: -
Metallic sleepers constructed with three or more arms or branches of trough or
bridge section substantially as described with reference to the drawings.
DALL
1 ione
W. LLOYD WISE,
Agent for the Applicant.