Improvements in Chair Sleepers for Railways.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd July, 1889-Accepted, 3rd Aug., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Chair Sleepers for Railways.
I, WYBRANTS GEORGE OLPHERTS of No. 38 Ebury Street Pimlico in the County of
London, Civil Engineer, 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:—
My Invention relates to the construction of chair sleepers for railways such that
with comparatively little weight of metal I obtain great strength and firmness of fixing
in the ballast, convenient and ready means of securing the cross ties with accuracy of
gauge, and a fixing of the rail without the use of wooden keys which are liable to
loosening and decay.
I shall describe a chair sleeper according to my Invention referring to the accom-
panying drawings Figure 1 is a side view, Figure 2 is a plan, Figure 3 is an end view,
Figure 4 is a section on Z Z of Figure 2, and Figure 5 is a plan looking from below.
The base A of the sleeper is of rectangular form with rounded ends, having a down-
wardly projecting lip B all round its edge and a central rib C projecting down into
the ballast supported on each side by two cross ribs D. One of the jaws E which
hold the rail is cast in one piece with the sleeper, the other jaw F is fitted to slide
between two side ribs G which project up from the sleeper, and is secured in position
by a wedge key H, preferably of steel, which is driven through slots of the ribs G and
the jaw F.
At the one side of the central rib C slots are formed through the cross ribs D, and
the tie bar K is made with notches k in its under edge in such positions that when
the tie bar is slid through the slots of D it can be lowered the depth of its notches k
and thus held securely in position. In order to prevent it from rising so as to
disengage its notches k, a rib f projecting down from the jaw F is passed through a
slot in the upper face of the sleeper and extends down to bear on the upper edge of the
tie bar K. Thus when the jaw is keyed in position it at the same time secures the
tie bar K. Both edges of the tie bar K may have notches as shewn in Figure 6,
the one set of notches suiting the guage for straight parts of the line, the other suiting
the guage for curves, so that by inverting the tie bar it can be used under either
condition. The jaws E and F are made with faces somewhat inclined to give the rail
its desired tilt, they also support it under the head so that the lower face of the rail is
not deformed by hammering on the sleeper below, and consequently the rail can be
inverted when required.
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 1
claim is :-
1. A chair sleeper for railways having one fixed jaw and one moveable jaw secured
by a wedge Key on a lipped bearing plate having longitudinal and transverse ribs
substantially as described.
2. In combination with a chair sleeper such as is above referred to, a tie bar engaged
by notches in slots of the transverse ribs and held in position by the sliding jaw,
substantially as described.
" T
1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.