Improvements in Sleepers for Portable and other Railways and Tramways.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 11th May, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 12th Feb., 1900-Accepted, 24th Mar., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sleepers for Portable and other Railways and
Tramways.
REUBEN MANTLE, Wren's Nest, Dudley, Worcestershire, Works Manager, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The body of the sleeper is formed of a flat piece of rolled iron or steel, one
side of which is plain and the other side has two, or more, shallow longitudinal
ribs, preferably three, viz.:-one on each edge and one in the middle.
The object of the ribs is to give the sleeper stiffness and at the same time
lightness.
The rolled bar is cut off to a suitable length, and each end is turned over in
the form of a hook, so as to embrace part of the outer flange of the rail.
The ribs on the bar being on the outside of the hook.
At suitable distances between the two hooked ends, short pieces of curved
iron or steel, are fastened to the sleeper so as to embrace part of the inner
flange of the rail. Sufficient clearance is allowed between these pieces and the
hooked ends of the sleeper to permit the end of the rail being slid in easily.
When the sleeper is in position the ribbed side in underneath and in contact
with the ground, the ribs preventing any transverse movement of the sleeper
by being embedded in the ground.
Dated this 10th day of May 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sleepers for Portable and other Railways and
Tramways.
I, REUBEN MANTLE, of Wren's Nest, Dudley, in the County of Worcester,
Works Manager, 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:-
This invention consists of the herein described improvements_in_sleepers for
portable and other railways and tramways. By my invention I obtain in the
sleeper strength and lightness combined and when the sleeper is in position its
particular shape prevents any transverse movement in the ground.
I will describe my invention by referring to the accompanying drawings on
which Fig. 1 is a cross section on a reduced scale of a sleeper constructed accord-
ing to this invention: Fig. 2 is a general view on a smaller scale of the complete
sleeper shewing also the two rails in position; Fig. 3 is an inverted view of the
[Price 8dl

page_text: sleeper; Fig. 4 is a general view of a slightly modified form of the said sleeper;
and Fig. 5 is an inverted view of the sleeper represented by Fig. 4.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all
the figures.
In carrying out this invention the body of the sleeper A is formed of a flat
piece of rolled iron or steel bar the upper side a of which is plain and the under-
side has three or more ribs, preferably. three, rolled on it one of these ribs
being situated at each edge of the bar and the other rib in the middle of the
same. The two edge ribs are respectively marked as a³ and the central rib is
marked at. The object of the ribs is to give the sleeper stiffness and lightness
combined. The section represented by Fig. 1 is what I find to answer well in
practice but it is to be understood that the said bar may be rolled with two or
more intermediate ribs instead of the central rib at.
In making the rolled bar into the sleeper the said bar is cut off to the required
length and each end of the bar is turned over as in Figs. 2 and 3 in the form of
a hook so as to embrace parts of the outer flanges of the rails B1 B2. The
ribs aaa of the bar will be on the outside of the hooks. At suitable distances
between the hooked ends of the bar the pieces of curved metal C¹ Care rivetted
or otherwise fixed to the sleeper A so as to embrace parts of the inside flanges of
the rails B¹ B² sufficient clearance being left between these pieces C1 C2 and the
hooked ends of the sleeper A to allow of the ends of the rails 13 132 to slide in
freely.
In the modification illustrated by Figs. 4 and 5 the sleeper is made with straight
ends instead of the ends being hooked over, as in Figs. 2 and 3, and in addition
to the two pieces being rivetted to the sleeper to grip the inside flanges of
the rails B B two other similar pieces C³ C+ are rivetted on to the sleeper to grip
the outside flanges of the rails.
When the sleepers above described are in position with the ribbed sides of the
sleeper underneath and in contact with the ground the ribs on the underside
of the sleeper by being embedded in the ground prevent any transverse move-
ment of the sleeper.
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:-
A metallic sleeper for portable and other railways and tramways formed of
a flat rolled bar of iron or steel with three or more ribs rolled on the underside
of the same to come in contact with the ground and prevent any transverse
movement of the sleeper said sleeper being formed with means for securing
the rails thereto all substantially as herein before set forth.
Dated this 9th day of February 1900.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicant.