IMPROVE MENTS IN METALLIC RAILWAY SLEEPERS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Denton Abel, of No. 28, Southampton Buildings
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVE
MENTS IN METALLIC RAILWAY SLEEPERS." A communication from abroad
by Jules Antoine Joseph Vautherin, of Chateau de Rans, near Dôle Jura, in
the French Republic.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Denton Abel at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th April 1880.
CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of No. 28, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC RAILWAY SLEEPERS."
[A communication from abroad by Jules Antoine Joseph Vautherin, of Chateau
de Rans, near Dôle Jura, in the French Republic.]
This Invention relates to a construction of metallic sleepers for railways, and of
the cross ties and the clips for securing the rails, in such a manner as to obtain
elasticity and security of permanent way, along with economy of cost, and simplicity
of manufacture and fixing. The sleeper, which is placed longitudinally, consists of
iron or steel plate rolled to trapezoidal form; its upper face is flat for flanged rails,
and somewhat hollowed to suit double headed rails, and has a breadth a little moro
than the width of the rail base; it may also have a lip projecting upwards at one
edge for the rail base to butt against. The sides of the sleeper slope outwards from
the upper face, and terminate in flanges projecting outwards, which flanges rest on
and are secured to transverse sleepers of similar form placed at intervals along
the line and bedded in the ballast, in which also the longitudinal sleepers are
bedded in the intervals between the transverse sleepers. A pair of the longitudinal
sleepers, along with a pair of the transverse sleepers, to which they are fixed, thus
constitute together a sleeper frame taking a firm hold in the ballast, and supporting
the rails throughout considerable portions of their length. For short distances
between these successive frames the rails are unsupported, and in such unsupported
intervals are arranged the fish joints of the rails. The longitudinal sleeper is fixed
on the transverse sleeper by means of bent steel clips held down by bolts and
nuts. The bolt in each case has a T head, which is passed through a slot in the
upper face of the transverse sleeper, and on the bolt is placed the clip, which

page_text: consists of a piece of steel bar bent to the form of an almost oval loop, one end of
the loop being turned vertically downwards into the slot of the transverse sleeper,
and the other end being turned inwards, so as to bear on the flango of the
longitudinal sleeper. The bolt passes through a hole in the upper flat part of the
loop, and when the nut is screwed on the bolt so as to tighten down the clip
the looped forin of the clip gives an elasticity which prevents the nut from being
loosened by vibration. The bolt is made with a stud projecting on one side of
its T head, this stud nearly filling the interval between the bolt and the vertical
end of the loop, and serving to limit the collapse of the loop when the nut is
serowed tightly down. The rail is secured to tho longitudinal sleeper in the
following manner: A bar bent to the form of a hook is passed through holes in
the sloping sides of the sleeper. The hooked portion of the bar lies over the flange
or the curvo of the lower head at one side of the rail, and the portion of the bar
which projects through the bolo on the other side of the sleeper is slotted to receive
a cotter, or is screwed to receive a nut. When the cotter is driven or the the nut
tightened the hook is pressed as a clip firmly over the flange or lower head of the
rail, holding the rail down on the sleeper. These clip bars are introduced alternately
at opposite sides of the rail, so that their hooked onds also keep the rail in position
laterally, and by straining some of them more or less by tightening their cotters or
nuts a certain amount of curvature can when desired be given to the rail. A clip
may be introduced between the nut or cotter and the sleeper, this clip extending
upwards so as to bear against the rail on the side opposito to that on which the
hook bears, thus securing the rail on both sides. As the trapezoidal form of the
sleeper would permit of its spreading at the base when subjected to a load, the clip
bars with their cotters or nuts prevent this, acting as ties to hold together the
sloping limbs of the sleeper. There is thus imposed on the nuts or cotters of the
clip bars an elastic strain, which prevents them from being slackened by vibration,
this strain being greatest during the passage of a train, when it is most required to
prevent slackoning.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Denton Abel in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th
October 1880.
CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of No. 28, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC RAILWAY SLEEPERS."
A communication from abroad by Jules Antoine Joseph Vautherin, of Chateau
de Rans, near Dôle Jura, in the French Republic.
This Invention relates to a construction of metallic sleepers for railways, and of
the cross ties and the clips for securing the rails, in such a manner as to obtain
elasticity and security of permanent way, along with economy of cost, and simplicity
of manufacture and fixing. The sleeper, which is placed longitudinally, consists of
iron or steel plate rolled to trapezoidal form; its upper face is flat for flanged rails,
and somewhat hollowed to suit double headed rails, and has a breadth a little more
than the width of the rail base; it may also have a lip projecting upwards at one
edge for the rail base to butt against. The sides of the sleeper slope outwards from
the upper face and terminate in flanges projecting outwards, which flanges rest on
and are secured to transverse sleepers of similar form placed at intervals along the
line and bedded in the ballast, in which also the longitudinal sleepers are bedded in
the intervals between the transverse sleepers. A pair of the longitudinal sleepers,
along with a pair of the transverse sleepers, to which they are fixed, thus constitute
together a sleeper frame taking a firm hold in the ballast and supporting the rails
throughout considerable portions of their length. For short distances between
these successive frames the rails are unsupported, and in such unsupported intervals
are arranged the fish joints of the rails. The longitudinal sleeper is fixed on the
transverse eleeper by means of bent steel clips held down by bolts and nuts. The
bolt in each case has a T head, which is passed through a slot in the upper face of
the transverse sleeper, and on the bolt is placed the clip, which consists of a piece of
steel bar bent to the form of an almost oval loop, one end of the loop being turned
vertically downwards into the slot of the transverse sleeper, and the other end
being turned inwards so as to bear on the flange of the longitudinal sleeper. The
bolt passes through a hole in the upper flat part of the loop, and when the nut is
screwed on the bolt so as to tighten down the clip, the looped form of the clip
gives an elasticity which prevents the nut from being loosened by vibration. The
bolt is made with a stud projecting on one side of its T head, this stud nearly filling
the interval between the bolt and the vertical end of the loop, and serving to limit
the collapse of the loop' when the nut is screwed tightly down. The rail is secured
to the longitudinal sleeper in the following manner:-A bar bent to the form of a
The hooked
hook is passed through holes in the sloping sides of the sleeper.
portion of the bar lies over the flange or the curve of the lower head at one side of
the rail, and the portion of the bar which projects through the holo on the other
side of the sleeper is slotted to receive a cotter, or is screwed to receive a nut.
When the cotter is driven or the nut tightened the hook is pressed as a clip firmly
over the flange or lower head of the rail, holding the rail down on the sleeper.
These clip bars are introduced alternately at opposite sides of the rail, so that
their hooked ends also keep the rail in position laterally, and by straining some
of them more or less by tightening their cotters or nuts a certain amount of
curvature can, when desired, be given to the rail. A clip may be introduced
between the nut or cotter and the sleeper, this clip extending upwards so as to
bear against the rail on the side opposite to that on which the hok bears, thus
securing the rail on both sides. As the trapezoidal form of the sleeper would
permit of its spreading at the baso when subjected to a load, the clip bars with

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
A
Fig. 1 is a plan showing rails supported on sleeper frames according to this
Invention; Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively a vertical section and sectional plan on
A, B, of the elastic clip employed for securing the longitudinal to the transverse
sleepers; Fig. 4 is a transverse section, and Fig. 5 is a plan shewing the mode of
fixing flanged rails to the longitudinal sleepers, Figs. 6 and 7 being corresponding
views shewing the mode of fixing double headed rails; Fig. 8 is an elevation
shewing one form of the bent clip bar employed for securing the rail; and Figs. 9,
10, 11, 12, and 13 are transverse sections showing modifications in the construction
of the clips and method of securing them. The rails bare supported over portions of
their length on longitudinal plate sleepers a rolled to trapezoidal form with flanges
projecting at the bottom. For flanged rails tho upper face of the sleeper is mado
flat, as shown in Figs. 4, 10, and 13, in some cases with a projecting fillet m¹ to form
an abutment for one edge of the rail flange. For double-head rails the upper face
of the sleeper is somewhat hollowed, as shown in Figs. 6, 9, 11, and 12, being
thickened underneath in the middle, as in Figs. 6, 9, and 11, or at the sides, as
shewn at r, in Fig. 12, a similar thickening being also applicable to sleepers for
flanged rails, as shewn at rin Fig. 13. The longitudinal sleepers a made in short
lengths d, e, are each secured to two transverse sleepers c of similar form by means
of the clips shewn to an enlarged scale at Figs. 2 and 3. The clip fis of steel bent
as shewn, the one end curved to bear on the flange of the longitudinal sleeper a,
and the other end projecting down into a slot cut in the transverse sleeper c.
Theaded bolt g is inserted into this slot, and being turned one quartor round the
clipfis placed upon it and strained down by a nut. The bolt g has on one side of
it a stud h, which limits the inward spring of the vertical limb of the clip f when it
is strained by tightening up the nut, which is prevented by the clasticity of the clip
from being slackened by vibration, particularly during the passage of a train,
at which time the load on the sleepers a tends to strain their flanges outwards
against the clips. The rails bare secured on the longitudinal sleepers a by means
of clip bars with bent limbs , which bars are inserted through holes in the
sleeper alternately from opposite sides and secured by cotters . The limbs / may
bear only on the edges of the rail flanges, as shewn in Fig. 4, or they may be
extended over tho flanges, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 4. In liko
manner for double headed rails they may be made to bear on the side of the lower
head, and also against the side of the rail below the upper head, as shewn in 4
Fig. 6; or, as shown in Fig. 9, the clip head / may bear only on the lower head of
the rail on the one side, a clip plate being introduced under the cotter to bear
against the other side of the rail, the bar j of the clip being bent; or otherwise the
bar j may be straight, as shewn in Fig. 8, with its limb & bent to fit the rail.
Instead of employing cotters to secure the clips they may be secured by nuts, as 4
shewn in Figs. 10 and 11, and the clips may be made separate from the bolts j, as
shewn at m, n, in Figs. 12 and 13. When this arrangement is adopted it is of
advantage to interpose washers 8 between the clip plates m, n, and the sleeper,
these washers being varied in thickness or in number on either side, so that the
gauge of the rails can be somewhat varied where required. When the construction 5
shewn in Figs. 12 and 13 is adopted it is preferred to rivet the bolt j hot to the
clip plate m, so that they form practically one piece.
Having thus described the nature of this Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, I

page_text: claim in respect of metallic railway sleepers and means of securing the rails
thereon,-
First. The combination of short lengths of longitudinal sleepera rolled in
trapezoidal form with similar transverse sleepers, on which they are secured so as
to form sleeper frames to carry rails, substantially as herein described with reference
to Fig. 1 of the accompanying Drawings.
Second. Securing the longitudinal to the transverse sleepers by means of elastic
clips and bolts, substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3.
Third. Securing the rails to the longitudinal sleepers by means of clip bars
having limbs bent so as to clip the rails, these bars being passed through holes in
the sleeper and secured by cotters or nuts, substantially as herein described with
reference to Figs. 4 to 13 inclusive.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Denton Abel, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Twenty eighth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
CHAP. D. ABEL. (L.S
(L.S.)