IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Miguel De Bergue, of Barcelona, in the Kingdom of
Spain, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT
WAY OF RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 18th July 1856, and dated the 18th January 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Miguel De Bergue at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th January 1856.
I, MIGUEL DE BERGUE, of Barcelona, in the Kingdom of Spain, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in so forming the rails with a rib or feather disposed
vertically or nearly so, and the support, foundation, or bearing for the rail, with
a rib or feather also disposed vertically or nearly so, that the rib or feather of
the rail may be placed by the side of and against the rib or feather of the sup-
port, foundation, or bearing, and the two may be bolted or otherwise connected
together. The manner in which I intend to carry out my Invention is shewn
in the accompanying Drawing, the Figure 1 of which is a transverse section,
in which a is the rail, and 6 the bearing or support, which latter may be either
continuous or otherwise, and may be formed either of wrought or cast iron;

page_text: a' and ' are the ribs or feathers of the rail and. support respectively. It is
preferred that the bottom edge of the rail- should rest upon the bearing; but
the rail may be formed with a shoulder, so as to. rest upon the top of the rib
of the bearing. The two ribs may be bolted, rivetted, or otherwise secured
together, as preferred.
Instead of the bearing or support being formed, as shewn in Figure 1, the
section may be. varied, as.shewn in. Figure 2.;. or instead of a horizontal base
for the bearing or support, as shewn in both Figures, such base may be inclined
either on one or both sides of the rib or feather. Suitable tie bars may be
employed for preserving the gauge and inclination of the rails.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Miguel De Bergue in the Great Seal. Patent. Office, on the
18th July 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MIGUEL
DE BERGUE, of Barcelona, in the Kingdom of Spain; Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Miguel De Bergue, Her special licence that I, the said Miguel De Bergue,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Miguel De Bergue, my executors, administrators, and assigns; should at any
time agree with, and no others; from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed; should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend; within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and. Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS;" upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said' Miguel De Bergue; my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their; or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and; in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and. im-
mediately after the date of the said. Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Miguel De Bergue, do hereby declare.the-
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the:same is to be performed.
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state--
ment thereof, that is to say :-
My Invention consists in so forming the rails with a rib or feather disposed'
vertically or nearly so, and the support, foundation, or bearing for the rail, with
a rib or feather also disposed vertically or nearly so, that the rib or 'feather of
the rail may be placed by the side of and against the rib or, feather of the
support, foundation, or bearing, and the two may be bolted or otherwise
connected together.
Having thus set forth the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed to
describe the accompanying Drawing, which I have prepared in illustration of
the manner in which the same is to be and may be performed.
Figure 1 is a transverse section across one rail of my improved permanent
way, and of its support, foundation, or bearing, shewing. them with their
respective ribs or feathers placed side by side, and bolted together.
a, ax,
is the rail, and b, bx, 62, the support or bearing constituting both sleeper and
chair in one, a* and 6* being the ribs or.fenthers before referred to of the rail
and sleeper respectively; cand d are a bolt and nut for securing them together,
and b is a small rib or keel on the under side of the sleeper for preventing its
shifting its position in or upon the ballast, and for fitting into a corresponding
notch or opening in a tie bar m, when such bar is employed for preserving .the
guage; n is a link bolt through which the bar passes (a hooked bolt may be
substituted if preferred); andro,o*, are a nut and washer upon the same for
securing the tie bar and sleeper together. Figure 1*shews a side view of the
link bolt with the tie bar in section.
Figure 2 is a view corresponding with Figure 1, representing.a.modification
of the form of the sleeper; the rib 6*,.and one side or limb b, remaining as
before; but the other side or limbb joining on the top instead of the bottom
of the said rib, and being curved downwards, as shewn, to take a better
bearing on the ballasting, and for fixing a tie bar thereto by hook bolts, as
shewn in Figure 2**.
Figure 3 is a view corresponding with Figures 1 and 2, representing
another modification in the form of the sleeper, and also a modification in the
form of the rail, so as to adapt it to be used therewith. In this Figure, the
rib * of the sleeper is altered, as well as those parts mentioned in Figure 2,
and the rib a of the rail is also altered to correspond accordingly. In the
cases represented at the Figures 2 and 3, I fix the tie bar to the sleeper.by two

page_text: hooked bolts which take into holes s, s, in the said bar, but are placed in
opposite directions, so as to keep the bar upright and steady, and I dispense
with the rib or keel 62 on the under side of the sleeper. In all the cases,
I prefer to manufacture the sleepers by rolling them to the forms respec-
tively represented, and I employ them either in continuous lengths butting
closely up against each other, or, which I prefer, I cut them into pieces
of about four feet six inches in length, and leave about six inches interval
or space between each length, using a tie bar to preserve the guage at
about every five feet along the permanent way, and when the sleepers are
continuous, also at every five feet, or at any other convenient distance apart.
And I prefer to employ three bolts for securing the rail to each short length
of sleeper, one in the middle, the others near the ends; or when the sleeper is
continuous, I employ such bolts at about two feet apart from each other, or at
any other convenient distance. Two fishing plates for joining the rails together
(or a V or clipping plate) may be employed, that is, when the junction occurs
over or in the interval or space between two sleepers; but 1 prefer that such
junction should be arranged to come in the middle of a sleeper, in which case
fishing plates may be entirely dispensed with, or one plate only will be required
through which the bolts pass, as well as through the rib of the rail, the rib of
the sleeper dispensing with the necessity for and serving in place of an opposite
plate. It is to be noted that one or both of the limbs b of the sleeper may be
inclined either upwards or downwards, instead of being horizontal, as shewn in
Figure 1, and that they may be curved instead of being straight, or partly
curved and partly straight, and also that the altered limb 6 in Figure 2 may
be straight or curved, instead of being partly one and partly the other; or it
may be disposed horizontally instead of as shewn. And I would remark
that in all cases I prefer that the bottom edge of the rail should rest upon
the sleeper; but the rail may be formed with a shoulder so as to rest upon
the top of the rib 6* of the sleeper. And I would further remark that
instead of using nuts and bolts for securing the rail and sleeper together,
bolts may be screwed into holes in one or the other of them tapped for the
purpose; or bolts may be dispensed with, and rivetting may be substituted.
Finally, I would remark that, instead of the sleepers being manufactured
of wrought iron, they may be cast into the desired form; but in such cases
they will be required to be made somewhat heavier than shewn in the
Drawing, so as to obtain the necessary strength. Suitable additional ribs or
feathers may also be cast upon them for obtaining this object without
unnecessary increase in the weight.

page_text: When the sleepers are continuous, without any space or interval between
them, I join them together by an iron plate, either rivetted or bolted, as may
he preferred. The sleepers may be also strengthened by means of angle iron
bars rivetted across, and to the under side, at intervals of two feet apart, or
any other convenient distance.
In witness whereof, I, the said Miguel de Bergue, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of July, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-six.
MIGUEL DE BERGUE. (L.S.)