Improvements in the Permanent Way of Railways.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 13th June, 1889-Accepted, 20th July, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Permanent Way of Railways.
I, WELBURY JAMES MITTON, of 6, Gray's Inn Square, in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication to me
from abroad by George Edward Moore, of 49, Barrackpore Cantonment, Bengal,
Engineer) to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the permanent way of railways; and has for its object
to secure the following advantages:-less cost of construction and maintenance, fewer
parts, greater simplicity, efficiency, and durability, and greater accuracy of gauge
than can be obtained with existing systems.
The Invention comprises metal plate, bowl, or pot sleepers formed in one with chairs
or jaws for holding the rail without the intervention of keys and the means of
connecting the sleepers either directly or through the intervention of the bars as
hereafter described.
According to one arrangement, the plate, bowl, or pot sleepers are connected by
cross-tie rods, and each sleeper has formed in one with it, the outer one of the two
jaws for holding and giving the proper cant to the rail, the form of the jaw and of
the rail seat upon the sleeper corresponding to that of the rail, whilst the rails are
held at the inner side by the ends of the tie rods abutting against them. The tie
bar may be a flat or angle iron bar, and its ends are received in sockets cast on the
sleepers and are secured therein by taper cross-pins or cotters, or the tie bar is notched
to engage with lugs on the sleeper, the gauge being by this means capable of adjust-
ment as required. With the last described mode of connection, loose fastenings are
dispensed with and tho fixing of the rails is effected by placing the sleepers with the
tie-rod inserted in their sockets skew-wise beneath the rails and then bringing them
to their proper transverse position until the rails are. gripped between the ends of the
tie rods and the outer jaws on the sleepers, the tie-bars by the same motion being made
to engage with the lugs on the sleepers.
The advantages of this arrangement are that from the position of the tie-bar and
mode of fastening it, it cannot rust in its sockets and the centre of gravity of the rail is so
low that the sleeper is not so disturbed by the traffic over it and requires less
maintenance. Moreover, all fastenings are in view, and there are no perishable parts
to renew. Accuracy of gauge is ensured and is not so liable to be disturbed by
accidental bending of the tie bar which is less likely to occur owing to their position
above the ballast and which if it does occur will not affect the gauge to such an extent
as it would do were the tie bar below the rail. Owing to the low position of the rail
with regard to the sleeper and the long bearing on the latter it will be much steadier
than where the rail is raised above the sleeper. The track can be laid with ease and
rapidity, and any part can he renewed without disturbing the remainder.
According to another form of the invention, each plate, bowl, or pot, has formed
in one with it both the jaws which are adapted by their form to grasp the web or foot
of the rail at opposite sides and to hold it firmly without the use of keys, these jaws
being placed not directly opposite one another, as in an ordinary chair, but at such
a distance out of line with each other as to leave a sufficient gap diagonally between
them to admit of the rail dropping between the jaws when the sleeper is placed askew
beneath the rail. By then turning the sleeper into its proper position relatively to
the line of the road, the jaws are then caused to firmly grasp the rail. In this arrange-
ment, the sleeper extends half-way across the track and is directly connected to the
corresponding sleeper beneath the other rail, the connection being made by a bolt
through the inner flanged end of the sleeper after the jaws have been gripped on the
rail. as above described, a distance piece being inserted between the abutting ends, if

page_text: necessary to regulate the gauge. The two sleepers thus mutually retain one another
in position to grip the rails, the jaws being so arranged that the inner adjacent ends
when locked together tend to move in opposite directions along the track. The two
sleepers when thus connected form one rigid structure corresponding in position to
an ordinary transverse sleeper.
Dated ha-1
1
1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Permanent Way of Railways.
We, EDGAR WILLIAM MITTON, of 8, Eldon Road Hampstead, N.W., and HERBERT
JOHN BUTLER HOLLINGS, of The Watchetts, Frimley, Surrey, Executors of Welbury
James Mitton deceased, late of 6, Grays Inn Square, in the County of Middlesex, Gentle-
man, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication to the late Welbury
James Mitton from abroad by George Edward Moore, of 49, Barrackpore Canton-
ment, Bengal, Engineer) and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This Invention relates to the permanent way of railways; and has for its object
to combine the following advantages:-less cost of construction and maintenance,
fewer parts, greater simplicity efficiency and durability, and greater accuracy of gauge
than can be obtained with existing systems.
The Invention comprises metal plate, bowl, or pot, sleepers formed in one with one
or both chairs or jaws for holding the rail without the intervention of keys, and the
means of connecting the sleepers either through the intervention of tie bars or
directly as hereafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings forming
part of this Specification.
According to one arrangement, of which examples are illustrated in figures 1 to 9,
the sleepers A A, which are castings preferably of the ribbed plate form shewn but
may be of bowl or pot form, are connected by cross-tie rods B and each sleeper bas
formed in one with it, the outer jaw C for holding the foot or web of the rail, as the
case may be, on the outside, the form of the jaw Cand of the rail seat D upon the
sleeper corresponding to that of the rail and giving the latter its proper cant. The
rails are held at the inner side by the ends of the tie rods B abutting against them,
the tie-rods extending from the inside of one rail to the inside of the other rail and
acting as gauge-rods to determine the gauge of the rails. The gauge therefore depends
upon the accuracy of length of the tie-bars, which is more readily ensured than
accuracy of the castings. The tie-bars may be of flat form, as in iigures 4 to 6, or
of angle iron, as in figures 1 to 3, and they are received near their ends in sockets E
cast on the top of the sleepers A and are secured therein by tapered cross-pins or
cotters by which the tie-bars may be securely fastened in the sockets E which are
open at top and the tie-bars merely dropped in and retained by the cotters. When
the latter are driven tightly home, the tie-bars are drawn tight against the inner sides
of the rails which are thus firmly held between the jaws C on the one side and the
tie-bars on the other. The tie-bars also drop between pairs of snugs e at the inner
ends of the sleepers so as to keep the opposite sleepers in line with each other. In
figures 7 to 9, cotters are dispensed with, the sockets E bridging over the tie-bars
which are notched to engage with lugs 6 on the sleepers. The fixing of the rails
is effected by placing the sleepers with the tie-rod inserted in their sockets skew-
wise beneath the rails, as shewn in dotted lines in figure 9, and then bringing them
to their proper transverse position until the rails are gripped between the ends of
the tie-rods and the jaws on the sleepers, the tie bars by the same motion being
made to engage with the lugs b on the sleepers.
The advantages of the above described arrangements are that from the position of
the tie-bars and mode of fastening them they cannot rust in their sockets and the

page_text: centre of gravity of the rail is so low that the sleeper is not so disturbed by the
traffic over it and requires less maintenance than is the case with other systems.
Moreover, all fastenings are in view and there are no perishable parts to renew.
Accuracy of gauge is ensured and is not so liable to be disturbed by accidental
bending of the tie-bar which is the less likely to occur owing to its position above the
ballast, and bending of the tie-bar, if it does occur, will not affect the gauge to such
an extent as it would do were the tie-bar below the rail. Owing to the low position
of the rail with regard to the sleeper and the long bearing on the latter, it will be
much steadier than where the rail is raised above the sleeper. The track can be laid
with ease and rapidity, and any part can be renewed without disturbing the
remainder.
According to another form of the invention, which is illustrated in figures 10 to 14,
each plate, bowl, or pot, has formed in one with, or permanently bolted or rivetted
to it, both the jaws which are adapted by their form to grasp the wab or foot of the
rail at opposite sides and to hold it firmly without the use of keys, as shewn in
figure 12, the jaws being placed not directly opposite one another, as in an ordinary
chair, but at such a distance out of line with each other as to leave a sufficient gap
diagonally between thein to admit of the rail dropping between the jaws when the
sleeper is placed askew beneath the rail. In figure 10 the cross-sleeper A extends
under both rails and is made of metal rolled stamped or pressed of any suitable form
or section. It has pairs of clips c adapted to clip the foot of the rail when placed
between them and at right angles to the length of the sleeper, the clips of both pairs
being out of direct line and in line diagonally as above described, the diagonal direc-
tion of both pairs being the same, so that when the sleeper is at an angle of about 20°
to the rails, the latter can be dropped between their respective pairs of clips. By
then turning the sleeper into its proper position relatively to the line of the road,
the jaws are caused to firmly grasp the rail. In figure 11 the sleeper is made in two
parts A, A, each half extending half-way across the track and being directly con-
nected to the corresponding half sleeper by a bolt G through the inner flanged ends
of the sleepers. This connection is made after the jaws c have been gripped on the
rail by placing each half-sleeper askew and then turning it at right angles to the rail
as above described, a distance piece being inserted between the abutting ends of the
half sleepers if necessary, to regulate the gauge. The two half sleepers thus
mutually retain one another in position to grip the rails, the jaws c being so arranged
that the inner adjacent ends when locked together tend to move in opposite directions
along the track. The two half-sleepers when thus connected form one rigid structure
corresponding in position to an ordinary transverse sleeper, shewn in the previous
figure. In figure 13, a similar disposition of the jaws is shewn as applied to an
ordinary pot sleeper, the two pots being connected by a cross-tie. Figure 14 illus
trates the pointed clips or jaws c of figures 10, 11, 12, as made separate but
permanently bolted or rivetted to the sleeper so as to pivot thereon. In this case the
sleepers may be at once laid in their proper position and the jaws be knocked askew,
as indicated in dotted lines, to admit the rail between them, after which the jaws are
turned back to the full line position so as to clip over the foot of the rail which is
at same time slightly sprung with a bar, to assist the lugs into place.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is;
1. The combination with a pair of cast-iron sleepers of plate, pot, or bowl, form
having the outer jaws of the chairs and sockets for the tie-bar cast upon them as
described, of cross-tie bars abutting by their ends against the rails and engaging with
the sleepers either by cotters or by lugs and notches, substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
2. The herein-described mode of securing a rail directly to a sleeper by a pair of
jaws formed in one therewith but at such distance out of direct line with each other

page_text: as to admit the rail when, the sleeper is placed skew-wise and grip the rail when the
sleeper is brought to its true position, substantially as described.
3. A cross-sleeper made in halves, each provided with a pair of jaws placed out of
line with each other, as and for the purpose described, the two halves of the sleeper
being connected by a screw-bolt, as and for the purpose specified.
E. W. MITTON.
H. J. B. HOLLINGS.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents..