METALLIC SLEEPER FOR RAILS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, FREDERICK WILLIAM RAFAREL of Cwambran, near Newport in the county of
Monmouth, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for " METALLIC
SLEEPER FOR RAILS," to be as follows:-
My invention relates to a metallic transverse sleeper for rails, so formed that it
can be readily rolled in wrought iron or steel, the parts necessary to receive fixings
for the rail being afterwards cut. or punched out of the rolled metal. For this
purpose, I roll the sleeper in the form of an open ended trough which is placed in
an inverted position, that is, with its mouth downwards, the two sides of the trough
penetrating into the ballast.
On the bottom of the trough which is presented upwards, there are two deep ribs
extending the whole length of the sleeper. For fixing flange or bridge rails, I cut
or punch out notches in these ribs to admit the rail flanges and cotters to fix the
rails, which rest with the required tilt on cushions, that may be of wood, laid under
thein on the sleeper between the ribs thereof. The rails may be fixed by inserting
one of its flanges into undercut notches of the sleeper ribs and by a jaw, which
may be of cast or wrought iron or steel, placed between the ribs on the other side
of the rail and pressed hard up against it by a split cotter driven through slots of
the ribs. Or a rectangular hole may be cut through the bottom of the trough
sleeper on each side of the rail buse, and a clip having both its ends bent to hook-
form may be introduced through these holes and passed under the rail base, so that
the hooked ends of the clip project upwards, the one engaging the flange on one
side of the rail and the other receiving the other flange and a cotter which is driven
to tighten the whole.
For fixing double headed rails I employ jaws on each side of the rail, these jaws
being secured to the sleeper in the following manner.
The outer jaw, which may be of cast iron or cast steel, has a flange projecting
under the rail with a stud on its underside entering a hole cut through the upper
metal of the sleeper, and it is morcover secured firmly to the sleeper by a cotter
passed through it and slots cut through the ribs, and by a tail piece which, passing
round the end of the sleeper and extending under it is held by a bolt passed
through it and through holes in the sides of the sleeper. The inner jaw which may
Price R71

page_text: be cut from lengths of iron or steel bars rolled to shape, is placed between the ribs
of the sleeper with a nose piece or fillet projecting into a recess formed in the flange
of the outer jaw which extends under the rail; it is then driven up against the
inner side of the rail by a cotter passed through slots of the sleeper ribs.
When it is desired to form a junction of two rail lengths over the sleeper, I
provide on each side of the rail, a jaw which is pressed up against the rail by a
cotter driven through slots of the sleeper ribs, these two jaws clamping the two ends
of the rail lengths between them; and, for farther security, bolts can be passed
through the jaws and the rails, so that the jaws act at the same time as fish plates
for joining, and chairs for fixing the rails.

page_text: I, FREDERICK WILLIAM RAFAREL of Cwambran near Newport in the County of
Monmouth, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
My invention relates to a metallic transverse sleeper for rails so formed that it
can be readily rolled in wrought iron or steel, the parts necessary to receive fixings
for the rail being afterwards cut or punched out of the rolled metal. For this
purpose I construct the sleeper and fix the rail to it as I will describe referring to
the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a transverse section of the rail and part
longitudinal section of the sleeper, Fig. 2 a part plan, Fig. 3 a part side view and
Fig. 5 a transverse section of the sleeper. I roll the sleeper $ in the form of an
open ended trough which is placed in an inverted position, that is with its mouth
downwards, the two sides of the trough penetrating into the ballast. On the
bottom of the trough which is presented upwards, there are two deep ribs R
extending the whole length of the sleeper. For fixing flange or bridge rails I cut
or punch out notches N N¹ in the ribs R to admit the rail flanges and cotters C to
fix the rails which rest with the required tilt on cushions W that may be of wood,
laid under them on the sleeper between the ribs thereof. The rail may be fixed by
inserting one of its flanges into undercut notches N of the sleeper ribs and by &
jaw J, which may be of cast or wrought iron or steel, placed between the ribs on
the other side of the rail and pressed hard up against it by a split cotter C driven
through slots N' of the ribs. Or, as shewn by the section Fig. 4, a rectangular hole
may be cut through the bottom of the trough sleeper on each side of the rail base,
and a clip having both its ends bent to hook form as shewn at d d may be intro-
duced through these holes and passed under the rail base, so that the hooked ends &
of the clip project upwards, the one engaging the flange on one side of the rail, and
the other receiving the other flange and a cotter C which is driven to tighten the
whole. In all cases it is of advantage to employ clips P to prevent spread of the
sides of the sleepers when the load passes over them.
When it is desired to form a junction of two rail lengths over the sleeper, I fix
the rails as shewn in the section Fig. 7 and plan Fig. 8 I provide on each side of
the rail a jaw K which is pressed up against the rail by a cotter C driven through
slots of the sleeper ribs, these two jaws clamping the two ends of the rail lengths
between them; and for farther security bolts B can be passed through the jaws and
the rails, so that the jaws act at the same time as fish plates for joining and chairs
for fixing the rails.
For fixing double headed rails I adopt the arrangement shewn in section at
Fig. 6 I employ jaws J J' on each side of the rail, these jaws being secured to the
sleeper in the following manner. The outer jaw J' which may be of cast iron or
cast steel has a flange F projecting under the rail with a stud on its under side
entering a hole cut through the upper metal of the sleeper, and it is moreover

page_text: secured firmly to the sleeper by a cotter H passed through it and slots cut through
the ribs, and by a tail piece T which, passing round the end of the sleeper and
extending under it, is held by a bolt t passed through it and through holes in the
sides of the sleeper. The inner jaw J, which may be cut from lengths of iron or
steel bars rolled to shape, is placed between the ribs of the sleeper with a nose piece
or fillet N projecting into a recess formed in the flange F of the outer jaw; it is
then driven up against the inner side of the rail by a cotter C passed through slots
of the sleeper ribs.
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
For supporting and securing rails, the use of rolled metallic transverse sleepers
of inverted trough form with deep ribs on their upper faces notched and slotted to
receive the rails and their fixings, substantially as herein described and illustrated
by the accompanying drawings.