IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS AND TRAMWAYS
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Livesey at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 25th November 1880.
JAMES LIVESEY, of No. 9, Victoria Chambers, Westminster, in the County of
Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS AND
TRAMWAYS."
My Invention relates to the permanent way of railways and tramways, and is
directed principally to the construction of sleepers, chairs, or supports for the rails,
and means of securing the rails thereto. For flanged rails I construct a cast sleeper
in the following manner:-I cast on the face of the sleeper on one side of its
centre a rib projecting upwards to form an abutment of considerable length for one
edge of the rail flange; this rib or parts of it may be made to project a little over the
cast into the
flange as a clip or clips. On the other side of the rail flange
sleeper an iron or steel jaw projecting up from the face of the sleeper, preferably at
an inclination inwards towards the rail. The inner face of this jaw is serrated or
corrugated, and a correspondingly serrated or corrugated metal key is driven
between it and the side of the rail. The jaw springs sufficiently to permit of the
key being driven, and the serrations or corrugations prevent the key from
afterwards being loosened out by vibration. According to another construction I
cast the sleeper with a curved hole passing through the body of the metal from
side to side under the bearing of the rail, and into and through this hole I drive a
clip headed bolt or bar, so that the clip head takes on to and secures one edge of
the rail flange, the other edge of the rail flange being butted against or clipped over
by a rib projecting from the sleeper. The bolt or bar being driven through the
curved hole is bent in its passage so that its elasticity causes it to hold tightly, but
for better security its point projecting through the hole may be bent over, or it
may have corrugations or serrations on its upper or lower sides engaging with
corresponding serrations or corrugations in the curved hole. Corrugated or serrated
metal keys may be employed for securing bridge rails by driving them between
the rail and a rigid jaw, the side of the rail itself having sufficient spring to permit
of the driving of the key, the serrations or corrugations preventing it from being
loosened out afterwards by vibration. Or I employ a key of iron or other metal
which is serrated or corrugated on the face fitting against the serrated jaw of the

page_text: chair, while the face bearing against the rail, whether of the bridge, double headed,
or Vignoles description, is hollowed out so that only the ends of the key take
a bearing. By this means the middle part of the key has sufficient elasticity to
spring into the serrations of the jaw when driven between this and the rail. For
securing tram rails to their supports or standards I make the rail with a flange
projecting downwards at each side, somewhat dovetailed internally, to embrace
the head of the standard, between which and the rail flange on one side I drive a
serrated or corrugated key, the flange springing to admit of its being driven over
corresponding serrations or corrugations on the side of the support or standard.