IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO (METALLIC) PERMANENT WAY FOR RAILWAYS OR TRAMWAYS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Phillips Thompson of the Liverpool and London
Agency for Foreign Patent Solicitors 6 Lord Street Liverpool in the county
of Lancaster, Civil Engineer for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND
RELATING TO (METALLIC) PERMANENT WAY FOR RAILWAYS OR TRAMWAYS"
a communication to him from abroad by L Harty the elder of Paris in the
republic of Franco, and L Harty the younger of Brussels in the kingdom of
Belgium
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Phillips Thompson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th June 1883.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON of the Liverpool and London Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool in the County of Lancaster, Civil
Engineer, "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO (METALLIC) PERMANENT WAY
FOR RAILWAYS OR TRAMWAYS a communication to me from abroad by L. Harty
the elder, of Paris in the republic of France, and L Harty the younger, of Brussels
in the kingdom of Belgium.
23
(The following is an abstract translated from the specification forwarded to me
in French by my foreign correspondent.)
The present invention has for its object the construction of a permanent way for
railways and tramways, which is entirely metallic, and the essential and distinctive
peculiarity of which is the intimate union, of the rail with its support, and also
relates to the construction of a special form of rail.
The rail is of the single headed or flat bottomed form, and its flange is firmly
gripped on each side in notches or grooves formed in the top of the sleepers.
These latter are longitudinal and continuous, and consist of a pair of curved metal
plates united together by bolts and tie-bars hereafter described. The upper portion
of the sleeper is vertical or nearly so, with a notch at top of any desirable depth
formed by projecting lips; the flange of the rail does not go quite to the bottom
of the notch, but so as to leave a little space for adjustment. The sleepers are
curved outwards at the bottom and supported on cross bars of H section, the
bottom flanges of which rest on the ballast. Bolts pass through the vertical

page_text: portions or cheeks of the sleepers and under the rail flange, having screw nuts on
their outer ends. Stays, the section of which is roughly that of a trough with
sides curved inward, encircle the bolts, the screws on the latter being tightened up
till the cheeks of the sleepers are fast against the bottom edges of the stay-ends.
The rail flange is thus firmly held on each side in the longitudinal groove in the
face of the sleepers, and the two plates of which the latter are composed are securely
fastened together and kept at an equal distance apart by the stays and screw bolts
immediately below the rail, and by the flanges of the lower cross bars. The bolts
and cross bars are placed every few feet or at such distances as may be considered
necessary. Gauge-rods can also be fixed at suitable intervals, and secured to the
pair of sleepers on each side in the same way as the bolts, which at that point
they replace The-special-form-of-rail_before_referred to as constituting a portion
of the present invention, is a modification of the ordinary single headed or flat
bottomed shape, but the bottom of the flange instead of being Hat is shaped like
an ass's back that is with a ridge along the bottom sloping off to the sides, so as to
fit tighter into the groove of the sleepers. The lengths of rail and of sleepers on
each side are so arranged that every junction comes nearly opposite the middle of
each of the two others, so that there may exist no break of continuity and conse-
quently no cause of dislocations.
The rails of tramways can be supported in a precisely similar way, the only
difference being in the shape of the rail, which will have a groove in the top, or
the main ungrooved body of the rail may be fixed a little on one side of the
centre, and the top edge of the sleeper carried up level with it to form the counter
rail.
Double headed rails may also used in this system of permanent way, but thon
the tops of the sleepers instead of having a deep notch, are formed of a contour
to fit and tightly grip half of the rail, both halves being in this case alike
Without confining the invention to the exact details herein described, the
advantages of the system are stated to be as follows.
The parts are less numerous than in former systems, and the sleepers, cross or
tie-bars of H section, and bolts, are convenient in shape and use, and easily handled.
The rail flange is held fast throughout its entire length, so that the disastrous
effects occasioned in former systems by the fracture of rails, are no more to be
feared. There is no splintering of the rails, in consequence of the imprisonment of
their flanges. There is great simplicity in fixing, the bolt holes being formed in
each sleeper in a uniform and regular manner. The spacing of these bolts will
vary according to circumstances. The rails may be of different length, and the
bearing surface of the rails is so considerable that no play is ever to be feared to
result from the constant passage of vehicles. The use of the special form of rail
having the bottom of the flange ridged in the middle instead of flat, is another
valuable feature of the invention.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Phillips Thompson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th December 1883.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON of the Liverpool and London Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street Liverpool in the County of Lancaster Civil
Engineer, "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO (METALLIC) PERMANENT WAY
FOR RAILWAYS OR TRAMWAYS"-A communication to me from abroad by L. Harty
the elder of Paris in the republic of France, and L. Harty, the younger, of Brussels,
in the kingdom of Belgium.
"
(The following is a translation of the specification forwarded to me in French by
my foreign correspondent, tho pronoun we" referring of course to Mess" Harty.)
The system of permanent way entirely metallic forming the object of this
invention, possesses, as is about to be demonstrated, qualities and advantages
which have hitherto been wanting in the various other systems in use. It may
be affirmed that in every system of metallic permanent way, the delicate point,
that for which hitherto all the new ideas have been devised (only to obtain an
incomplete mechanism) is the attachment of the rail to its support. This attach-
ment has always been wanting in solidity for the function which it is called upon
to perform. All the practical modes for uniting in an indissoluble manner the two
principal elements of a permanent way, are, one may say, far from fulfilling the
conditions of resistanco required to withstand the strains exerted on the passago of
vehicles over the combined parts or "ensemble" constituting the permanent way.
The special arrangement designed by us, possesses in a complete manner under
this head, the qualities which has hitherto in vain been attempted to obtain.
The present invention has for its object the construction of a permanent way for
railways and tramways which is entirely metallic, and the essential and distinctive
poculiarity of which is the intimate union of the rail with its support, and also
relates to the construction of a special form of rail.
As shown in the accompanying drawings, our system of permanent way is of the
kind employing longitudinal sleepers or girders. Fig. 1 is a transverse section of
our permanent way. Fig. 1a is a cross section of the stay. Fig. 2 is a side
elevation, showing the rail, the cheek of the sleeper, the attachment bolt, and the
cross-bar. Fig. 3 represents a transverse section of permanent way with a rail
flange of "asses back" (dos d'ane) section at bottom. Fig. 4 is a transverso
section of permanent way with a deeper flange for holding the rail. Figs. 5 and 6
represent arrangements designed for tramways. Fig. 7 shows a section of way
applicable for mines, quarries, works under construction, etcetera. Figs. 8 and 9 are
plan and elevation respectively of a portion of railway track constructed on our
system.
The sleepers are as shown in the various figures, formed of two side plates or
cheeks A Â¹ easily produced by rolling, the upper part of each cheok carrying a
notch or groove of the shape of the rail-flange to grip the rail throughout its
whole length. These cheeks are fastened together and to the rail C by means of
bolts B placed at intervals. The parts A Aº (Fig. 1 and following figures) show
that a progressive tightening can be effected according to requirements. A stay E
encircles the bolt B and is constructed so that only the lower part b c can be
pressed against the points 6' and c¹ of the cheeks when tightening up, in order to
allow of the firm gripping of the rail-flange.. This stay (Fig 1a) is cut out of iron
of trough ☐ section with the sides bent inwards at top. In virtue of this
arrangement the bolt can hold or retain the stay, as if this latter were cylindrical.

page_text: .
Our sleepers A and A¹ will have a length which will be determined by
experienco. They will be arranged when fixed with the rails in position so that
their ends fall at the middle of the two other sleepers opposed to them.
At the points of junction of each of the side cheeks, whether on one side or the
other, an iron cross-bar of or I section as shown (Fig. 1 and others) will be
placed under the sleeper both for completing the laying of the permanent way and
for maintaining the two cheeks at the normal distance apart and sharing with the
bolts the strain which the combined whole must support in consequence of the
work exerted upon the rails. The spacing of the fastoning bolts B will also be
guided by experience except at the points of junction of the sleepers, where it is
necessary to place two or more of these organs in order that the bringing together
-of-the-clutches-or-notches-upon-the-rail-flange-may_be_complete...
The two side cheeks of one. rail having been intercrossed in the manner shown
in Fig. 8, and the holt-holes having been formed in each cheek in a uniform and
regular manner; the fixing of the permanent way will take place with a facility
and rapidity quite exceptional. There are no breaks of continuity in the sleeper,
and consequently the causes of dislocation which in all other systems manifest
themselves at the points of junction, will not exist in this.
The normal distance of the rails from each other will be regulated by the gauge-
rods or cross-ties R R (Fig. 8) which will replace at determined distances the
fastening bolts B, and will in this case fulfil the tightening functions of the bolts B.
One of the rods R'is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.
While keeping to the principal object of the invention, wo give special forms to
the cheeks of the sleepers according to the requirements of particular cases.
Figs 5 and 6 represent applications of our system designed for tramways, the
latter in particular uniting all the conditions required for this particular service.
The rail C is of special form but easy of rolling, and of a simple kind; it is
completed by the lengthened side-cheek A' which forms the counter-rail.
Fig. 7 shows a section of permanent way applicable in mines, quarries, works
under construction, etcetera.
In various cases wo use the rail of the shape shown in Fig. 3. The bottom mno
of the flange of the rail is of "asses' back" (dos d'ane) section, as shown, which has
not hitherto we believe been employed in industry.
It is evident that the sections shown in the drawings and the advantages which
have been enumerated can be employed for railways and tramways indifferently.
Without confining our invention to the exact details herein described, the
advantages of our system are as follows:-
The parts entering into its composition are not numerous and are of ordinary
form and in common use; we have not that multiplicity of pieces of various
shapes and sometimes complex at present employed. Cheeks casily handled, iron
of I section, and ordinary bolts-such are the parts required to form an indissoluble
wholc.
The sleepers taken as a whole are without break of continuity, gripping the rail
throughout its whole length, and so are not liable to burst out. The disastrous
effects occasioned in all systems at present employed by the breaking of rails are
no longer to be feared.
There is no splintering of the rails, in consequence of the imprisonment of their
flanges.
There is great simplicity in fixing, the bolt-holes being formed in each cheek of
the sleepers in a uniform and regular manner (their spacing will vary according to
circumstances.)
Rails of different lengths may be employed consecutively.
The bearing surface of the rails is so considerable that no play is ever to be
feared to result from the constant passage of vehicles.
The use of the rail with flange of "asses' back" section (as shown in Fig. 3) is
also a valuable feature of the invention.
Having now described the invention as communicated to me by my foreign

page_text: correspondent I wish it to be understood that what I claim under the Letters
Patent is
1st. The combination of a flanged rail of any section with two side cheeks which
forin a sleeper and are furnished with notches or grooves at top, in which the
rail flange is gripped throughout its whole length, the bolt stay of iron of trough
☐ section, and the cross-bar of iron of I section applied against the sleeper,
(these two last mentioned being optional).
2nd. The rail of "asses" back" (dos d'ane) section at bottom, as represented in
Fig. 3.
3rd. The arrangement shown in Fig. 6. specially designed for tramways, consisting
of a simple rail in combination with the sleeper-cheeks, one of which forms the
counter-rail.
4th. The system of permanent way entirely metallic, both as a whole and in its
details, with its component piecos arranged and applied substantially as described
above and shown in the accompanying drawings.
In witness whereof I the said William Phillips Thompson have hereunto set my
hand and seal this eighteenth day of December in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.