Improvements in Permanent Way for Railways and Tramways.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Feb., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 18th Nov., 1890-Accepted, 20th Dec., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Permanent Way for Railways and Tramways.
We FERDINAND HUDLESTON and JOHN WILLIAM WILLANS both of Mersey
Railway Buildings James Street Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The invention relates to permanent way for railways and tramways to be laid
along decking or flooring to which according to common practice at present wooden
sleepers or way beams would be secured by means of bolts or screws passing through
the decking or flooring and through the sleepers or way beams; one object of the
invention being to avoid the use of such bolts or screws and enable the laying or
renewing of the sleepers or way beams, and the taking up of wear and shrinkage
therein to be effected entirely from the upper side of the decking or flooring. Clip
pieces are secured to the decking or flooring and wooden sleepers or way beams of
suitable form are laid between these and there held securely with the aid of wood
or metal keys driven in at one side of the sleepers or way beams, between them and
the clip pieces on the same side.
At the other side the sleepers or way beams may sometimes be further secured to
the clip pieces on that side by screws or spikes. In cross section the sleepers
or way beams may have a dovetail or other suitable form for enabling them to be
securely gripped between the clip pieces, which are themselves made so as to corre-
spond suitably to the shape of the timber. According to our method the clip
pieces may consist of short pieces of obtuse angled angle iron or steel; and
according to another method strips of iron or steel may be bent over at the ends so
as to form pairs of clip pieces. In other cases the clip pieces may consist of either
iron or steel castings.
The rail chairs or rails as the case may be, may be secured to the sleepers or way
beams by the ordinary methods. The decking known as Hobson's continuous arch
decking is an example of the kinds of decking to which this invention is applicable.
In permanent way constructed according to the present improvements, great facility
is afforded for laying and keeping lines of rails to gauge, and the cost of this work
is lessened as compared with that under existing methods.
Dated this 17th day of February 1890.
HY. C. CARVER,
Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Permanent Way for Railways and Tramways.
We FERDINAND HUDLESTON and JOHN WILLIAM WILLANS both of Mersey
Railway Buildings James Street, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster, 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
The invention relates to permanent way for railways and tramways to be laid
along decking or flooring, to which, according to a common practice at present,
wooden sleepers or way beams would be secured by means of bolts or screws,
passing through the decking or flooring or through the sleepers or way beams; one
object of the invention being to avoid the use of such bolts or screws, and enable the
laying or renewing of the sleepers or way beams, and the taking up of wear and
shrinkage therein, to be effected entirely from the upper side of the decking or
flooring. Clip pieces are secured to the decking or flooring and wooden sleepers or
way beams of suitable form are laid between these and there heldsecurely with the aid
ED 037

page_text: of wood or metal keys, driven in at one side of the sleepers or way beams, between
them and the clip pieces on the same side. At the other side the sleepers or way
beams may sometimes be further secured to the clip pieces on that side by screws or
spikes.
In cross section the sleepers or way beams may have a dovetail, or other suitable
form for enabling them to be securely gripped between the clip pieces, which are
themselves made so as to correspond suitably to the shape of the timber.
According to one method, the clip pieces, may consist of short pieces of obtuse
angled angle iron or steel; and according to another method strips of iron or steel
may be bent over at the ends, so as to form pairs of clip pieces. In other cases the
clip pieces may consist of either iron or steel castings.
The rail chairs or rails, as the case may be, may be secured to the sleepers or way
beams by the ordinary methods. The decking known as Hobson's continuous arch
decking is an example of the kinds of decking to which this invention is applicable.
In permanent way constructed according to the present improvements, great facility
is afforded for laying and keeping lines of rails to gauge, and the cost of this work
is lessened, as compared with that under existing methods.
In the accompanying drawings Figs. A. C. E. G. are elevational views of four
different methods of carrying out this invention, and Figs. B. D. F. are plan views.
corresponding respectively to Figs. A. C. E. In Figs. E. F. 1 is a sleeper, and in
all the other views the same figure (1) represents a way beam. In all the views 2
is the decking or flooring, 3. 3. are pairs of clip pieces, 4. 4. are screws for securing
the sleeper or way beam to one clip piece of each pair and 5. is a key driven in
tight between the other clip piece of each pair, and the sleeper or way beam. In
all the four methods shown the clip pieces are made of rolled iron or steel. In
Figs. A. B. they are pieces of angle iron or steel, secured directly to the decking
or flooring by rivets; in Figs. C. D. G they form parts of bent strips rivetted to
the decking or flooring; and in Figs. E. F. they are pieces of angle iron or steel,
secured to an iron or steel strip by rivets having countersunk heads on the underside
of the strip other rivets being provided as shown for securing the clip pieces and
strips to the decking or flooring. Sometimes bolts may be employed instead of
rivets for making any or all of the attachments. Sometimes the screws 4 may be
omitted. The sleepers or way beams are shewn of dovetail section, wider at the
bottom than at the top, and the clip pieces are formed to correspond, so that when
the keys are driven in tight the sleeper or way beam becomes firmly fixed between
the clip pieces. It will be seen that in laying or renewing the sleepers or way
beams, and in taking up any play thereof between the clip pieces, resulting from
wear, shrinkage, or other causes, the workmen will operate entirely from the upper
side of the decking or flooring, and that it will be unnecessary for any workman to
go below the decking for carrying out these operations. Other modifications in the
formation and construction of the clip pieces may be employed in carrying out this
invention without departing from its nature and scope.
In Figs. A. B. a flat bottomed rail is shown laid along the way beam; in
Figs. C. D. a double headed rail is shown carried in a chair, secured to the way
beam; and in Figs. E. F. a double headed rail is shown carried in a chair secured to
the sleeper.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. For fixing sleepers or way beams upon decking or flooring-the use of clip
pieces (between which the sleepers or way beams can be securely keyed) secured to
the decking or flooring so that the operations of laying, renewing and taking up the
wear of the sleepers or way beams can be performed entirely from the upper side
of the decking or flooring substantially as described and shown.
2. The combination with the decking or flooring 2, of the clip pieces 3, and of
the key 5 substantially as described and shown in Figs. A and B.
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page_text: 3. The combination with the decking or flooring 2, of the clip pieces 3 (forming
parts of a bent strip) and of the key 5. substantially as described and shown in
Figs. C and D.
4. The combination with the decking or flooring 2, of the clip pieces 3 (secured
to a metal strip) and of the key 5. substantially as described and shown in
Figs. E. F.
5. The combination with the decking or flooring 2, of the clip pieces 3 (forming
parts of bent strip) and of the key 5. substantially as described and shewn in
Fig. G.
Dated this Seventeenth day of November 1000
H. C. CARVER,
Agent for Applicants.