IMPROVEMENTS IN SLEEPERS AND BLOCKS FOR SUPPORTING RAILS OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
ORSI, of Pimlico, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Twenty-third day of October, in the ninth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Joseph Orsi, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said Joseph Orsi, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, and such others as I, the said Joseph Orsi, my executors,
administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein men-
tioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SLEEPERS AND BLOCKS FOR SUPPORTING RAILS OF RAILWAYS;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said
Joseph Orsi, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly
to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled in Her
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Joseph Orsi, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the

page_text: manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say) :-
My Improvements in Sleepers and Blocks for Supporting the Rails of Rail-
ways consist in forming the sleepers of metal imbedded in cement or other
plastic material, which cement, on becoming hard, will protect the metallic
parts of the sleepers from the corrosive effects of damp in the atmosphere, and
form blocks presenting broad bases capable of affording solid and rigid sup-
ports for the chairs of the rails intended to be mounted thereon. The manner
in which I construct these sleepers or blocks will be seen by reference to the
accompanying Drawings, in which Fig. 1 represents a transverse section of a
pair of rails a, a, fixed in their chairs 6, 6, by the ordinary means of wedges c, c,
the chairs being firmly held in their positions at the desired distance apart,
by a tension rod or bar d, d, d, passed through lugs or ears e, e, at the under
parts of the chairs, and made fast by wedge pins f, f. Fig. 2 represents a
longitudinal or side view of one of the rails so mounted.
My Invention does not embrace any novelty in the forms of the rails, or in
the modes of fastening the rails into the chairs, but it does apply to the
chairs themselves, in which I introduce the novel feature of ears or lugs e, e, at
their under part for the reception of the transverse rods or tension bars d, d,
by which the chairs are to be firmly held in their proper position, according to
the width of gauge of the railway. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of
the chairs detached, shewing the lugs or ears e, e, below, with the mortise holes
formed in them for the reception of the tension bar rod d. The bar d, repre-
sented in Figs. 1 and 2, I propose to be of cast or wrought iron, about three
inches broad on the perpendicular face, and about half an inch thick, extend-
ing about a foot and a half beyond the chairs on each side; but I do not
intend to confine myself to the precise form or dimensions of tension rod or
bar, as other forms and dimensions might be made to effect the same purpose,
the slot in each ear of the chair being made to correspond with the sectional
figure of the tension bar; nor do I intend to limit myself to the use of cast
or wrought iron, as rods or bars of metal produced by rolling might be found
to answer in many situations. In order to prepare my improved sleepers or
blocks for the reception of the rails of railways, I first place upon a bar d two
of the chairs b, b, by passing the bar through the slots in ears or lugs e, e,
of the chairs, as represented in Fig. 1, and confine the chairs upon the bar at
the desired distance apart by the wedge pins f,f, as there shewn. I then pro-
ceed to cover or enclose the bar and the ears or lugs of the chairs so fastened

page_text: together with a bituminous or other cement, as asphalte, forming thereby a
solid block, nearly of a wedge shape, broad at the base, the chairs standing out
at top, which may be done by any convenient means; but the mode I have
found most eligible to form these blocks is as follows:-I provide a long metal
trough, of nearly a wedge shape in its transverse section, the open broad part
being upwards. In this trough two openings are made through its bottom to
allow the upper portions of the chairs to protrude, yet fitting the apertures
closely. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of such a trough 9, 9, 9, in which the
bar d, with its chairs b, b, fixed upon it (as before described), is placed in an
inverted position, the upper parts of the chairs protruding through the aper-
tures at h, h, h, h, below. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the trough, shewing
the bar d lying in it, and one of the chairs b, the top part of which hangs
down below through the bottom of the trough. When the bar, with the chairs
thus attached, is laid along the bottom of the trough; as represented, a
quantity of melted asphalte, or other plastic cement, is put into the trough so
as to completely surround the bar d and the ears or lugs e, e, and the trough
being filled up to its brim with the cement, the bar and lugs are thereby
enclosed and embedded in the cement, which, on cooling or becoming hard,
forms a solid and rigid block capable of effectually protecting the metal within
from the action of the atmosphere or wet, which otherwise might corrode the
metal, and also constituting a broad bearing surface as a sleeper for support-
ing the rails. A portion of one of the sleepers or blocks so formed of cement,
with the bar and lower part of the chair within it, is shewn in the longitudinal
elevation Fig. 6, and in the transverse section Fig. 7. I prefer that these
blocks or sleepers should be of a wedge form, about five inches high, of such
length as circumstances may require, and of about ten inches wide at bottom,
which will afford a solid base for them to be laid firmly on the ground to sup-
port the rails of a railway; but I do not intend to confine myself to any
precise form or dimensions; nor do I limit myself to the use of any particular
kind of cement of which the blocks shall be made, always, however, preferring
such as contains tar mixed with a large portion of earthy matters, and this I.
introduce into the mould, or otherwise use it in a hot state. Such sleepers or.
blocks formed of cement carrying the chairs so braced together, I propose to
place, at suitable distances apart, transversely along the line of the intended
railway, and, when they are firmly secured to the ground, I mount and fix the
rails in their chairs in the ordinary way, as before described. I would here
observe, that I have found, under some circumstances, that a slip of wood
might be advantageously placed in contact with each side of the bar d, between
the chairs, and that such slips of wood being cemented with the bar into the

page_text: sleepers or blocks, would tend to strengthen and give rigidity of the sleeper or
block, and prevent, in some degree, the vibration which otherwise might take
place on the passing of carriages, and be apt to crack the cement away from
the metal. I would also remark, that in order to prevent the edges of the
cement of the sleepers or blocks being broken off by the workmen when fixing
them upon the ground, I have found it desirable to guard their edges by the
insertion of bent strips of sheet iron at those parts of the sleepers or blocks
most exposed to injury, and this I do by introducing the bent strips of iron
into the cement whilst it is in a soft plastic state, which may be done in the
trough whilst the block is casting, so as to imbed it into the edges of the
cement, as shewn at i, i, in Figs. 6 and 7. In constructing my improved
sleepers and blocks for supporting the rails of railways, I do not in all cases
employ chairs with ears or lugs, as represented at Fig. 3; but I form the
sleepers by means of wooden blocks connected together by transverse tension
bars or rods of iron, and enclose these rods and blocks in cement, leaving the
wood exposed at top for the purpose of fastening down ordinary chairs thereon,
by means of screws or nails inserted perpendicularly into the wooden blocks, a
perspective view of which construction of sleeper is shewn at Fig. 8.
I some-
times affix the chairs for supporting the rails of railways into detached blocks of
cement, and connect every two of such blocks together by means of transverse
rods. Fig. 9 represents one of these detached blocks in perspective. The
iron chair in this case is cast with a flange or wings at its base, shewn by
dots, which flange or wings are cemented into the block of asphalte or other
material, and the end of the transverse tension rod is to be attached to the
chair by a joint pin, as shewn; when two of these blocks are thus connected
by a transverse rod the chairs will be prevented from moving laterally. In the
event of longitudinal sleepers being employed for supporting the rails of rail-
ways, as is the case on the Great Western line, where the rails are fastened
down upon the sleepers without chairs, I then form my improved sleepers in
the manner represented in the transverse section of a sleeper block and rail at
Fig. 10. I take a bar or rod of iron a, say three inches deep, and half an inch
thick, and place it between two thick planks or blocks of wood b, b, which I
confine together by screws or bolts c passed through the wood, and secured by
nuts at the outsides. I then cover and enclose the wood and iron so com-
bined in a mass of cement d, d, in the way shewn. These sleeper blocks may
be made of any length that convenience or circumstances shall dictate, and
they may be connected together longitudinally by mortices and tenons cut in
the ends of the blocks so as to lock into each other.
Having now described my Invention, and the modes which I have found

page_text: most convenient for carrying the same into effect, I desire it to be understood
that the Improvements in Sleepers and Blocks for Supporting the Rails of Rail-
ways intended to be claimed by me under the above in part recited Letters
Patent consist,-
Firstly, in constructing the sleepers of bars or rods of metal, which are
passed through the under part of the railway chairs, and are imbedded in
cement, so as to form blocks having broad surfaces at bottom, and also the
peculiar construction of chair for embracing or holding the bars or rods, as
above described, and shewn in the Drawing.
Secondly, in imbedding in cement blocks of woods braced by transverse.
tension rods, so as to form sleepers upon which ordinary chairs for railways
may be fixed by bolts, screws, or nails.
Thirdly, in fixing chairs for railways in blocks of cement to form sleepers,
by imbedding projections or wings at the lower parts of such chairs in the
plastic material, and connecting two such blocks or sleepers together by trans
verse rods attached to the metal chairs.
And lastly, in constructing longitudinal sleepers for railways by means of
stout planks of wood combined with iron bars or rods placed side by side, and
imbedded in cement, so as to form a continuous block, upon which the rails
of railways may be fastened down without employing chairs.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Orsi, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-third day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand
hundred and forte-siv
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twenty-third day of
April, in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Joseph Orsi came before
our Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the same Twenty-third day of April, in the year above written.

page_text: En the Matter of a Patent granted to Joseph Orsi, of Pimlico, in
the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for his Invention of "IM-
"PROVEMENTS IN SLEEPERS OR BLOCKS FOR SUPPORTING RAILWAYS,"
bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-third day of October, One
thousand eight hundred and forty-five.
MEMORANDUM OF ALTERATION entered by the said Joseph Orsi
with the Clerk of the Patents of England, pursuant to an Act passed in
the fifth and sixth years of His late Majesty's reign, intituled "An
Act to amend the Law touching Letters Patent for Inventions."
I, the said Joseph Orsi, do hereby declare, that, since the grant of the
said Letters Patent, I have been advised that the said title is ambiguous,
and does not clearly express the objects of my said Invention, and I have
accordingly been advised to amend the title of my said Patent, in order to
render the same valid in law. And for the reason aforesaid, I, the said Joseph
Orsi, do hereby make the following Memorandum of Alteration in the title
of my said Patent, and for this reason (viz'), in order to make the same
(when such Memorandum of Alteration as aforesaid shall have been entered
as aforesaid) more clearly express the object of my Invention (that is to say),
I substitute the word "and" between the words "Sleepers" and "Blocks"
instead of the word "or," and insert the words "Rails of" between the
words "Supporting" and "Railways," in order that the title, when so
altered, may read as follows, "Improvements in Sleepers and Blocks for
Supporting Rails of Railways."
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Orsi, have hereunto set my
hand and scal, this Twenty-fourth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.

page_text: This is to certify that the above-named Joseph Orsi has applied to me
for leave to enter the above-written Memorandum of Alteration of the title
of a certain Invention, for which Letters Patent were duly granted to him
under the Great Seal of Great Britain, dated at Westminster, the 23rd day of
October, 1845, and having considered of the said application, and no objection
having been made to the same, I hereby grant leave to the said Joseph Orsi to
file his said Memorandum of Alteration pursuant to the Statute passed in the
5th and 6th years of the reign of His late Majesty King William the Fourth,
intituled "An Act to amend the Law touching Letters Patent for Inventions,"
and let the same be entered accordingly.
Temple,
FRED. THESIGER.
Dec 29th, 1845.
Inrolled the Twenty-third day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-six.