of Railways.
Year: 1886

page_text: of Railways.
We, GEORGE COWDERY and EDWIN ROBINS THOMAS both of Burnwood near
Sydney in the Colony of New South Wales, Civil Engineers do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our improvements in the construction of permanent ways consist in constructing
double lugs or catches upon and out of a portion of a metal sleeper which sleeper
we prefer should be made of steel; in the combination with such lugs or catches
of the metal sleeper of a bed or inclination piece for receiving a flat footed rail and
in the combination and arrangement with a rail set within one of the lugs or
catches and with or without the bed and inclination piece, of a split key driven
under the other lug or catch and between it and the rail and which key at the
same time fastens a pin through the rail and bed piece.
On a metal sleeper preferably of steel, we cut or stamp out at the desired gauge
or distance apart, two tongue pieces, opposite and the requisite distance from one
another, which tongues we then bend upwards in somewhat of a curved inverted
L shape with the upper ends facing one another, thus forming lugs or catches.
#1
We prefer to first thicken or strengthen the sleeper where the lugs are formed
and to use a sleeper with a heavier centre than sides and with turned down ends.
Between the catches or lugs we place a bed and inclination piece" which is so
formed that the rail which we prefer should be of T section will have an inclination
of say one in twenty. This bed piece we recess or slot at either end to clip the
lugs and so hold itself in place and to prevent the rail from "creeping" we pass a
pin through the rail and bed piece at say one or two places in each length of rail.
One end of the foot of the rail catches under one of the lugs on the sleeper
preferably the "inside one and a split key is driven in under the other catch or
lug and between such lug or catch and the rail and its split opened out to keep it
in place. We prefer this split key should be bevelled on one side to press above
and against the bevelled head of the pin through the rail and bed to prevent
creeping.
But in order that this invention may be clearly understood reference may now
be made to the drawings herewith in which Figs. 1 and 2 are elevation and plan
respectively of a sleeper formed with catches or lugs for the rails according to our

page_text: improvements in the construction of permanent ways. Figs. 3 and 4 are similar
views respectively of a rail fixed to a sleeper according to this invention. Fig. 5
is a longitudinal elevation of a rail so fixed and Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation on the
line a a Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a section at b b Fig. 6, and Fig. 8 is a plan of underside
of split key. Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 being upon a larger scale.
A is the rail, B is the steel sleeper, C is the bed or inclination piece, C¹ the
inside catch or lug, C' the outside catch or lug, D the key having a split leaf D¹
and bevelled side D; E the anti-creeping pin with bevelled head E. To construct
a sleeper with our catches or lugs we stamp or cut out tongue pieces (preferably
we roll the sleeper thicker where the catches are to be made) and turn these
tongues up into catches C¹ and C at the proper gauge. The bed piece C, being
made so as to give the rail the inclination required recessed to fit over the catches
and extend beyond them at either side, is put in place, the rail A rested thereon
and pushed under lug C¹ key D is then driven between the foot A¹ of the rail
under lug C and between it and the said rail, and leaf D¹ is opened out. The
pin E having bevelled head E¹ is inserted at intervals and is kept in place by
bevel D on the side of the key D.
It will be seen that there is thus formed a sure and economical fastening of rails
to metal sleepers and that the parts are few and not likely to be at all misapplied
by unskilled laborers.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we would have it
understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details herein before
described so long as the nature thereof be retained but what we believe to be
novel and original and therefor claim as our Improvements in the construction of
permanent ways, is
Firat. The construction of metal sleepers with lugs or catches for the feet of rails
formed upon and out of a portion of the body in the manner herein described and
explained.
Second. The combination and arrangement with the sleeper B of the lugs C¹
and C and bed piece C substantially as herein described with reference to the
drawings.
Third. The combination of the sleeper B having lugs C and C, the flat footed
rail A, A¹, the bed piece C and the split key D substantially as herein described
with reference to the drawings.
Fourth. The combination with the parts marked B, C¹, C², A, C, D, and D' of
the anti-creeping pin E having bevelled side E' substantially as herein described
with reference to the drawings.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.