Year: 1889

page_text: I, WILLIAM GORDON BAGNALL of Castle Engine Works, Stafford, in the County of
Stafford, 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:-
This invention is particularly designed for flat bottomed or vignoles or bridge rails
and in carrying it into effect I construct each sleeper preferably in the manner
described in my specification No. 3037 of 1889 and press up jaws or clips out of the
solid metal preferably with corrugations or pockets at their backs which jaws serve as
the chair or chairs to hold the rail. I thus obtain a rivetless sleeper strengthened by
one or more corrugations between the thrown up jaws or clips; these corrugations in
some cases may extend from end to end of the sleeper and deepen towards each end' so
as to drain off the water.
For wider sleepers the number of corrugations and jaws may be increased.
For light roads and colliery work the jaws may be made an easy fit so that the
sleepers may be threaded on the rails. For more permanent lines the rails could be
secured to the sleeper by keys in the usual manner.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Fig. 1 is a plan of a sleeper constructed according to my present invention.
Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same taken on the line ab Fig. 1 and looking
towards the rail, and
Fig 3 is an elevation of part of the sleeper with the rail therein shown in section
Figs. 2 and 3 being drawn to a larger scale than Fig. 1.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
A is the body of the sleeper, B are convex corrugations pressed up or concave
corrugations pressed down from the surface of the same. Care the jaws or clips
pressed up from the solid metal and preferably having corrugations or pockets Cat
their backs as shown more particularly in figure 2 and any pair of which constitutes
a rail clair. 1 is a longitudinal corrugation extending from end to end of the sleeper
as shown in figure 1; or the said corrugation D may only exist at the ends of the
sleeper as shown in the before mentioned specification No. 3037 of 1889 these

page_text: corrugations under either of these constructions passing between the rail chairs Cof
which there are virtually four or more in each sleeper. The corrugation or corrugations D
may be either concave or convex. E are the rails. I may construct the sleeper
with one chair or set of jaws at each end and at each side of the said chairs form one
or more concave or convex corrugations extending longitudinally along the sleeper
either partly or wholly from end to end.
When the corrugations are formed convex they are flattened at the parts beneath
the rail seats.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a rail or tramway sleeper the combination with one or more corrugations such
as B and one or more corrugations such as D of rail chairs such as C pressed up out
of the solid metal substantially as herein described.
2. In a rail or tramway sleeper the combination of one or more rail chairs such as C
pressed up out of the solid metal with one or more corrugations to strengthen the
sleeper at the part where it has been weakened by the punching out of the chairs
substantially as herein described.
3. The complete sleeper substantially as herein described and illustrated in the
ccompanying drawings.