Improvements in Railways or Tramways.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Mar., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 10th Dec., 1894-Accepted, 12th Jan., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railways or Tramways.
I GERALD BARKER of 6 Sydenham Avenue, Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The invention relates mainly to the flooring and the objects mainly are to
simplify the construction, to render the same more durable and watertight, to
minimise material, to increase the utility, and to facilitate erection.
A railway or tramway under my invention in its simplest form, especially adapted
for light work consists of a triangular girder built up of base and side pieces, the
side pieces being inclined at an angle of 45° or thereabouts to the horizon. Angle
bars are secured to the side pieces and are turned up at the bottom for the purpose
of carrying sleepers and rails. A guard rail or rack rail may be secured to the
side pieces at the top. The said railway or tramway may be laid on the ground or
be carried overhead on piers or the like. When carried overhead there is but
little obstruction to light owing to the angle of inclination of the sides. The
interior of the girder may be used to carry air, gas, water, or other mains and
openings may be made in the base near the piers to allow of ready access.
In the construction of overhead railways, tramways, bridges, and floors for
heavy work, the base pieces are not required, and the side pieces rivetted together
and with their apices downwards, and their free upper edges close together are
carried by longitudinal girders. Each pair of side pieces instead of being rivetted
together may be made in one piece or they may be made of more than two pieces
united together, and may in cross-section be of hexagonal, curved, or other suitable
shape.
An essential feature of the invention being that when in position, the rivetting
is done along the upper free edges so that rivetting machines may be freely used
and all the finishing work done above the floor instead of beneath thus enabling
the work to be done more rapidly without liability to accident. Augle or other
bars are rivetted along the upper edges to stiffen the structure and carry
longitudinal sleepers or distributing girders or beams. The troughs formed by
the cross pieces are under the above construction watertight and the joints are
readily accessible.
Under a modification cross sleepers are suspended in the troughs from the longi-
tudinal distributing girders or beams which also act as guard balks or carried in
ballast filled into the troughs.
Water channels are lead from the interior of the transverse troughs to ways
along the interior side of the longitudinal carrying girders and thence to suitable
lownspouts.

page_text: 1 GERALD BARKER of 6 Sydenham Avenue Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described .nd
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The invention relates more particularly to the construction of bridges and
overhead railways and tramways, and the objects mainly are to simplify the
construction to render the same more durable and watertight, to minimise material,
to increase the utility, and to facilitate erection.
Fig. 1 Sheet 1 is a vertical transverse section of a railway, tramway or bridge
under my invention in its simplest form and especially adapted for light work.
The said railway or tramway consists essentially of a triangular girder built up of
a base a and side pieces a', the side pieces being inclined at an angle of 45° or
thereabouts to the horizon so as to offer the minimum obstruction to light. The
base and side pieces are composed of latticed bars or of plates. Angle bars ↳
rivetted to the side pieces a¹ are turned up at the bottom so as to terminate at 61
for the purpose of carrying sleepers and rails d. The sleepers consist of
Fongitudinally placed channel bars. A guard rail or rack rail is secured to the
side pieces at the top as at d', or if desired, two guard rails may advantageously
be secured near the top of the side-pieces as at d. The rack rail is used for very
heavy gradients such as occur in mountain railways and inclined lifts or hoists.
The said railway or tramway may be laid on the ground or be carried overhead
on piers or the like e. The piers would consist of columns or pillars. of suitable
construction either singly or in clusters. When not convenient to have columns
directly under the railway, the piers might consist of cross girders, arches,
cantilevers, suspension wires or like agents. A second line may be readily erected
above or alongside if necessary.
The construction of overhead railways, tramways, bridges, and floors for beavy
work is illustrated by Figs. 2, 3, and 4 Sheet 2, and Figs. 5 and 6 Sheet 3, where
Fig. 2, is a longitudinal section and Fig. 3 a transverse of a double line railway
having the troughs and sleepers placed transversely; Fig. 4 a transverse section of
à modified construction of flooring; and Fig. 5 a transverse section of a railway
aving the troughs placed longitudinally, and Fig. 6 is a transverse section of a
railway with transverse troughs and longitudinal sleepers.
The side pieces a' rivetted together or made in one piece and with their apices
downwards, the reverse of what is shown in Fig. I so as to form troughs. The
upper edges of the said troughs a¹ are close together and are carried by longi-
tudinal girders. The said side pieces a', are rivetted together as shown in Figs. 1
and 4, or are in one piece as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. For heavy work, the said
side pieces are by preference made with flattened apices as shown in Figs. 2, 4,
and 5, so as to form troughs in cross section of hexagonal, curved, or other
suitable outline. In Figs. 2 and 3 cross sleepers c, are suspended in the troughs u¹
from the longitudinal distributing girders or base pieces a rivetted across the upper
edges of the pieces a'. The said distributing girders or base pieces also serve as
guard baulks in Figs. 2, 3, and 4. In Fig. 5 the cross-sleepers c, and in Fig. 6 the
longitudinal sleepers care carried above the troughs a'. The troughs a¹ are under
the above construction, watertight without any specially accurate workmanship,
and the joints are readily accessible. As shown in Figures 2, 4, and 5, the upper
edges of the troughs a' come between angle bars a² so that there are at the upper
edges four pieces of metal all rivetted firmly together, and the plates cannot buckle
as they are firmly held between angle bars of stiff section. Fewer rivets are
1

page_text: therefore required to give the requisite stiffness to the structure. The angle bars a²
of the troughs carry the distributing girders or base pieces a. The trough plates.
should be of such depth that when in position, they do not project above the tops,
of the angle bars a².
As the rivetting is done along the upper free edges, rivetting machines may.
be freely used and the said upper edges will form rails along which such machines,
may be moved along the seams.
•
:
I do not wish to bind myself to any particular method of suspending the cross
sleepers from the distributing girders. The suspending agents may consist of
bearings under the sleepers in conjunction with bolts, straps, or bars, through or
around the sleepers. Figs. 2 and 3 show longitudinal distributing guides or base.
pieces a, on both sides of each rail, they may however be on one side only. The
stirrups g which suspend the sleepers from the distributing girders (see Figs. 2
and 3) consist of flat bars bent into suitable shape. When there are two distributing
girders or base pieces to each rail, there are also two stirrups. In such cases the,
stirrups might incline towards one another (as in Fig. 3) and be held together by a
plate rivetted in the stirrups which bearing-plate would also prevent oxidation of
the stirrup bars by keeping them from contact with the timber cushions & upon
which the sleepers. rest. In Figs. 2 and 3 the stirrups g are hung from the >
distributing girders or base pieces a at those points where the latter are supported
by the "angle" or other bars a² rivetted along the upper edges of the troughs a¹,
and are attached to the distributing girder or base piece by the same rivets that.
attach the said distributing girders a to the said angle or other bars a*. It will be
obvious that the said stirrups may be hung from other points in the distributing
girders or base pieces a. The sleepers are loosely kept to their approximate
distance apart by angle cleats or brackets; projecting below the underside of the
longitudinal distributing girders or base pieces a. The sleepers are held down on
their cushions by hardwood wedges or keys k driven in between inclined angle
iron chubs rivetted to the sides of the longitudinal distributing girders or base
pieces a and the tops of the sleepers (or bearing plates m of chairs n, when such
are used). The cross sleepers may also be carried in ballast filled into the troughs,
but not so advantageously. The said wedges or keys k, prevent lateral play in
the "road " as they also fit between the chairs n and the longitudinal distributing
girders a. When longitudinal sleepers c are used in the permanent way (see Fig. 6)
bearing plates o are rivetted on the tops of the "angle" or other bars a², to prevent
oxidation of the latter by keeping them from contact with the longitudinal timber
sleepers. The longitudinal angle bars or base pieces a alongside the sleepers c
are rivetted to the transverse angle bars a' aud prevent the latter from buckling.
"
Short span bridges, such as bridges over occupation roads," "cattle creeps,"
and the like are constructed of troughs" laid longitudinally (see Fig. 5) and
carried by abutments or piers. Flat or other base bars a are laid transversely
across the ridges and rivetted thereto, to give lateral, support, and transverse
sleepers care bolted down to bearing plates o rivetted to the angle or other
bars a², which form the tops of the ridges. When flat transverse bars or base
pieces a are used they might also act as bearing plates for the transverse
sleepers c.
In Fig. 3, p, are openings from the interior of the transverse troughs a¹ to
ways, along the interior side of the longitudinal carrying girders f, and they may
either be formed as shown, in the flange of the girder by the addition of a longi-
tudinal angle iron or they may consist of separate guttering attached to either
the flooring or the said carrying girders.
Railways, tramways, or bridges, constructed as above set forth have amongst
others the following advantages
Simplicity. The floor or span is built of sections easily rolled or pressed into
shape, less rivetting is required, and every rivet is readily accessible for machine
or for hand rivetting,-
-moreover under Fig. 1 each span can be made complete
before erection.

page_text: Durability. Every part is accessible for cleaning and painting. Ballast which
is injurious to steel and iron floors can be dispensed with, and perfect drainage and
absence of drip is secured.
Minimum of Material. No sectional area is lost as there are no rivet holes in
those portions of the pressed or rolled troughs where maximum tensile stresses
occur. There is also considerable saving of material in flooring, main girders,
and the like, resulting from reduced "dead load," by reason of ballast being
dispensed with, and under Figure 1 by reason of absence of cross girders and
flooring.
Utility. Ordinary rails, chairs and sleepers may be used. The transverse
sleepers, and cushions may be renewed without interference with traffic. Trains
may leave the rails and run on the sleepers and ridges of the flooring between
the guard balks without endangering the structures and under Fig. 1, the interior
of the girder may be used to carry air, gas, water, electric, or other mains, and
openings may be made in the base plate if any to allow of ready access.
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
First. Railways or tramways consisting of, a triangular girder with the apex
upwards, angle bars, and sleepers and rails constructed and combined substantially
as set forth under Figure 1.
Second. Railways consisting of troughs a¹ with their free edges upwards,
distributing girders or base pieces a carrying girders f, angle bars a² sleepers and
rails constructed and combined substantially as set forth.
Third. Railways with longitudinal trough girders having their free edges
upwards, distributing girders, angle bars, and suspended sleepers and rails
substantially as set forth.
Fourth. Railways or tramways constructed substantially as herein set forth.
Dated the 8th day of December 1894
J. JOHNSON,
Agent.