An Improved Metallic Railway Sleeper and Rail Fastening.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Mar., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 27th May, 1890-Accepted, 28th June, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Metallic Railway Sleeper and Rail Fastening.
I, WILLIAM WILSON HORN, of the Firm of Horn & Son, of 151 Strand, London
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention (a communication to me from abroad by S. Lloyd Wiegand, of Philadelphia
Pennsylvania, United States of America, Inventor) to be as follows:-
This my invention relates to a new and improved metallic railway cross-tio and
rail-fastening, and it consists essentially of an inverted metal trough which has
thickened flanges and angular rail-bearings presenting vertical surfaces to the edges
of the rail-flange, and which rail seats are adapted to receive and hold the rails at
gage. Suitable slots are formed in the upper part of the inverted trough and which
slots at each end of the trough, are a distance apart equal to the width of the lower
rail flange. When the rails are adjusted in position between the slots, a hooked bolt
is passed through the slots, beneath the rail in such a manner as to clip the rail flange
on one side and the rail flange on the other side by a washer and nut which is
screwed on the said bolt.
The inverted trough is formed upon its sides with raised and depressed surfaces
with, intervening diagonal straight surfaces, and is provided with transverse braces
which unité the sides of the trough and thus strengthen it.
1000°
HORN & SON,
Applicant's Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Metallic Railway Sleeper and Rail Fastening.
1, WILLIAM WILSON HORN, of the Firm of Horn & Son, of 151 Strand, London,
Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, (a communica-
tion to me from abroad, by S. Lloyd Wiegand, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
Inventor), and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
:
This invention relates to metallic railway-ties and the fastenings for securing the
rails thereto and has for its object economy of material and facility of manufacture,
more secure durable fastenings of the rails, greater facility in fastening and adjusting
and less risk of personal injuries to persons engaged therein, and a more secure hold
upon the ballast of the road-bed. These several desiderata are attained by the con-
struction of tie and fastening device therewith combined, hereinafter fully-described,
and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 shows a top view of a tie, parts of the rails, and the rail-fastenings ;
Fig. 2, a bottom view thereof Fig. 3, a side view; Fig. 4, a central perpendicular
lengthwise section; Fig. 5, an end view; Fig. 6, a transverse section in the plane
indicated by the dotted lines Z Z in Figs. 1 and 3; Fig. 7, a view of the plate of
metal from which the tie is formed, with cross and central sections marked a and b ;
Figs. 8 and 9, respectively, enlarged end and side views of the clamps for holding
the rail; and Fig. 10, an enlarged side view of the clamping bolt and nut.
The same reference-marks indicate the same parts in the several figures.
1, 1 represent the rails; 2 the sleepers, consisting of an inverted U-shaped trough
or channel-bar thickened at the angle-bearings 3 and at the lower edges or flanges 4
and also at the parts 5 under and contiguous to the rails 1, and presenting vertical
surfaces to the edges of the flanges. The surfaces between the angles 3 and the
flanges 4, and the upper surface 11 between the angles 3 are made with elevations and
depressions 8, with intervening flat or approximately flat surfaces 9. Depressions or

page_text: rail-seats 10 adapted to receive and fit the base of the rails 1, are made in the upper
surface 11, having shoulders 12, between which the rails 1 fit and are held to the proper
gauge.
Through the top 11 of the tie 2 on each side of the rail-seats are slots 13, through
which bolts 14 pass, provided with nuts 15 and washers 16, which serve to hold the
rails 1 down to the seats 11.
The bolt 14, nut 15, and washer 16 are shown on enlarged scale in Figure 10 with
the contiguous portions of the rail 1 and tie 2. The washer 16 rests at one end in the
depression 17 in the tie 2 and at the other upon the outer rail-flange, and the head of
the bolt 14 hooks over the inner rail-flange. The central part of the bolt 14 is bowed
and bears upwardly on the under side of the tie beneath the rail-seat. The contiguous
surfaces of the washers 16 and nut 15 should be spherical. The lower flanges 4 of the
tie 2 may be braced together by hooked rods 18, engaging the flanges 4 at points near
the rail-seats, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, so as to prevent spreading.
Ties of this construction afford a sufficiently elastic and firm support for rails. The
depressions on the faces between the angles and edges serve to engage the road-ballast
and prevent slipping on the road-bed. The straight or approximately flat parts 9
between the depressions 8 brace the thicker parts at the angles 3 and edges or
flanges 4, and the thickened part under and around the rail-seats 10 afford firm
support to the rail and the fastening-bolt 14 and nut 15 and washer 16.
Between the flat parts 9 and the depressions 8 are formed diagonal straight
surfaces 9
The cavities 17 afford a bearing for the washer 16, so that the head of the bolt 14
draws the inner flange of the rail downward, and the inner end of the washer 16
simultaneously presses the outer flange of the rail downward.
The bolt 14 is sufficiently elastic to recover the clamp after any motion between the
rail and tie from passing trains without loosening the nut.
The nut 15 is accessible and easily turned by a socket-wrench by persons at the
side of the track without exposure to injury by passing trains.
The roughening of the ties by the elevations to hold the road-ballast is adapted to
discourage walking upon the ties.
To produce these ties the plate of metal to form them is rolled with the thick and
thin parts in it, as shown in Fig. 7 a and b, and with the depressions 8 and other
depressions for the rail-seats 10, the depressions 17 for the washer 16, and with the
slots 13 through or nearly through. They are then, while hot, placed in a bending
machine and with suitable dies bent to the inverted V form, and the bracing-rods 18
applied. The slots 13 are cut through, and the tie is ready to have the bolts 14,
nuts 15 and the washers 16 applied, ready to receive the rails.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A railway-tie formed in the shape of an inverted trough with thickened and
shouldered rail-seats adapted to receive and hold rails at gauge, and having slots 13
adapted to receive a hooked bolt 14, provided with a nut 15 and washer 16 and there-
with to hold rails, substantially as set forth.
2. A railway-tie having the form of an inverted trough with thickened angles and
thickened angular rail-seats and raised and depressed surfaces, with intervening
diagonal straight surfaces and slots for introducing rail-fastenings, substantially as set
forth.
3. A metallic railway-tie consisting of an inverted trough or channel bar having
angular rail-bearings presenting vertical surfaces to the edges of the rail-flange and
slots contiguous thereto, combined with a hooked bolt fitting through said slots and
provided with a nut and washer arranged to clamp the rail-flange with the bolt-head
and the other rail-flange with the washer against the rail-seats substantially as set
forth.
4. A rail-fastening consisting of the combination of a hooked bolt 14, a washer 16,

page_text: and nut 15, adapted to pass under a rail-seat and hold the opposite rail-flanges under
the bolt-head and the washer, substantially as set forth.
5. A combined railway-tie and fastenings consisting of a metallic plate having
angular rail-seats, depressions 17, adapted to receive the washer 16, a hooked bolt 14,
and nut 15, substantially as sot forth.
6. A railway-tie consisting of an inverted metallic trough provided with rail-seats
and having thickened flanges and rail-bearing portions and intervening thinner
portions with bracing straight surfaces and elevations and depressions between them,
and transverse braces 18, uniting the sides of the trough, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 27th day of May 1890.
HORN & SON,
Applicant's Agents.