Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Jan., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 10th July, 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 10th Aug., 1888
We WILLIAM GORDON BAGNALL of Stafford, Engineer, and ARTHUR HENRY
HEATH of Coopers Hill Englefield Green Surrey, Civil Engineer do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
These. sleepers are especially suitable for light narrow-gauge or portable rail or
tram-ways though they are not necessarily confined to these particular applications.
These sleepers may be stamped and of steel plate strip or flats or any suitable metal
of thickness and dimensions according to the gauge of the road and the loads to be
carried.
At mid-length the transverse section of the sleeper is an inverted U shape with
splayed sides and is about half the breadth (more or less) of the ends; at or near the
mid-length a longitudinal corrugation begins and is continued gradually deepening
along the axis of the sleeper in each direction from mid-length and serves to strengthen
the sleeper and carry off water. If the corrugation be convex or raised it will be
flattened down to a level surface for the rail seat the concave corrugation preferably
used will be continued beneath the rail.
The sides of the sleeper at the rail seat and the ends are bent down at an angle of
about 30 degrees to the vertical and to a shallow depth.
The transverse section of the sleeper at the rail seat shows two flat bearing surfaces
separated by a central concave or convex corrugation; and turned down and splayed
sides.
The rail would be of the ordinary vignoles or flange type.
Amongst the advantages derived from the shape of this sleeper are the increased
resistance to bending at mid-length and diminished width of bearing surface per-
mitting the sleeper to bed itself easily.
Increased bearing surface under the rail seat and great resistance to buckling.

page_text: The prevention of lateral movement of the road on a curve by reason of the bent
down ends.
The improved form of the sleeper allows of its being stamped out of thinner metal
than is used for the ordinary rolled splayed channel iron-sleeper and there is a con-
sequent saving of weight in the sleeper and road increased portability and greater
stability when laid down.
The above is the form in which we prefer to make these sleepers but we do not
restrict ourselves to that form only, so long as the above leading features are
retained.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Sleepers.
We, WILLIAM GORDON BAGNALL of Stafford, Engineer, and ARTHUR HENRY
HEATH of Coopers Hill, Englefield Green, Surrey, 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:-
These sleepers are especially suitable for light narrow-guage or portable rail- or
tram-ways, though they are not necessarily confined to these particular applications.
The said sleepers may be stamped and of steel plate strip or flats or any suitable
metal, of thickness and dimensions according to the guage of the road and the loads
to be carried.
At mid-length the transverse section of the sleeper is an inverted U shape and is
about half the breadth (more or less) of the ends; at or near the mid-length one or
more longitudinal corrugations begin and are continued gradually deepening along
the axis of the sleeper in each direction from mid-length and serves to strengthen the
sleeper and carry off water. If the corrugation be convex or raised it will be flattened
down to a level surface for the rail seat the concave corrugation preferably used will
be continued beneath the rail.
The sides of the sleeper at the rail seat and the ends are bent down preferably at an
angle of about 30 degrees to the vertical and to a shallow depth.
The transverse section of the sleeper at the rail seat shows when the concave
corrugations are used two or more flat bearing surfaces separated by one or more
corrugations; and turned down and splayed sides.
The rail would preferably be of the ordinary vignoles or flange type.
Amongst the advantages derived from the shape of this sleeper are the increased
resistance to bending at mid-length and diminished width of bearing surface permitting
the sleeper to bed itself easily.
Increased bearing surface under the rail seat and great resistance to buckling.
The prevention of lateral movement of the road on a curve by reason of the bent
down ends.
The improved form of the sleeper allows of its being stamped out of thinner metal
than is used for the ordinary rolled splayed channel iron sleeper and there is a con-
sequent saving of weight in the sleeper and road increased portability and greater
stability when laid down.
The above is the form in which we prefer to make these sleepers but we do not
restrict ourselves to that form only.
In the accompanying drawings figure 1 is a side elevation and figure 2 a plan of a
sleeper constructed according to our invention. Figs. 3 and 4 are transverse sections
of the same taken respectively on the lines a-b and c-d figure 2. Fig. 5 is a
perspective view, drawn to a smaller scale, of a slightly modified form of the same
with rails attached.

page_text: Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
As indicated at figure 3, the transverse section of the sleeper at mid-length is of an
inverted U-shape with splayed sides A A, and the upper surface A¹ is about half the
breadth (more or less) of the upper surface at the ends B B; at or near the mid-
length and extending towards each end of the sleeper, a longitudinal corrugation C
begins and gradually deepens along the axis of the sleeper in cach direction and serves
to strengthen the sleeper and when it is formed in the shape of a channel as shown in
the drawings it also serves to carry off water.
The sides A of the sleeper at the rail seats (at one of which parts the section
figuro 4 is supposed to be taken) and the ends D D are bent down preferably at an
angle of about 30 degrees to the vertical and to a shallow depth as compared with the
sides A at mid-length.
The transverse section of the sleeper at the rail sent as indicated at figure 4, shows
two flat bearing surfaces B B separated by the central concave corrugation C, and
turned down and splayed sides A.
In the sleeper represented at figure 5 we have indicated at E a corrugation, one or
more similar to which may be formed in either or both sides A, these corrugations
serving to further strengthen the sleeper.
It is to be understood that the corrugations formed in our improved railway sleepers
may be either concave as indicated upon the annexed drawings and which form we
generally prefer, or they may be convex, in which case the corrugations C would be
interrupted or would terminate at the rail seats at which parts the upper surface of
the sleepers would be flat.
As indicated at figure 5 the rails to which our improved sleeper is adapted may
preferably be of the ordinary vignoles or flange type and the said rails are secured in
position thereon in any suitable manner.
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. A rail- or tram-way sleeper formed of steel or other metal plate strip or flat
and having one or more longitudinal concave or convex corrugations substantially as
herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. A rail or tram-way sleeper formed of steel or other metal plate strip or flat
constructed with one or more longitudinal corrugations and so turned down at its
edges as to present a broad upper or bearing surface and shallow sides at the rail scats
and a narrower upper surface and deeper sides at or near its mid-length substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. The improved rail- or tram-way sleeper substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 7th day of July 1888.
WILLIAM GORDON BAGNALL.
ARTHUR HENRY HEATH.