Improvements in Railway Sleepers.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 16th May, 1889-Accepted, 22nd June, 1889
Improvements in Railway Sleepers.
A communication from abroad by JAMES RICHARD BELL, of the North Western
Railway, Lahore, in the Punjab Province of India, Civil Engineer.
1. WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of No. 11 Wellington Street, Strand, London, in'the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
-
:
This Invention refers to a Railway Sleeper of a class intermediate between the
well known "Pot Sleeper" and "Plate Sleeper" types.
A Plate Sleeper has a flat under surface so strengthened by ribs on its upper face,
as to constitute in effect a cast metal girder; while a "Plot Sleeper" consists of a
hollow dome, which is prevented from bursting under the weight of a train, when the
pot is supported upon its rim, by the hoop like action of the rim, in which a tensional
strain is then induced. This Invention is the converse of the "Pot" design, and
consists of a circular dish concave from above which tends to put a compressive stress
on the Rim when it alone supports the load. The dishing is of no great depth and
leaves the under surface of the sleeper, so far as packing it with ballast is concerned,
very similar for practical purposes to a circular flat plate, surrounded by a de-
pending rim.
In the axis of the dished plate, two raised projections form a bearing for the
rail, and in a direction transverse to the rail, these projections are extended in the
form of ribs for distributing the load over the width of the dish. These upper ribs
are furnished with jaws at either side, which in connection with the bearings form in
effect a chair for grasping and sustaining the foot of the rail. The two ribs at each
side of the rail are preferably connected by a bridge. Lengthwise of the rail, one or
more ribs are formed on the underside of the fish, where they serve at once to
stiffen the sleeper in that direction, and as keels to hinder the complete railway from
slewing laterally.
As in the Pot and Plate" types, two opposite sleepers are in this invention
connected by a tie bar. The special novelty in this part of my invention, consists in
using preferably a tie bar of I section.
The fastenings which in this invention connect the tie bar, the sleeper, and the flat-
footed rail, consist of a Stirrup-Hook, a Dog-Stirrup, and a Key.
:
The stirrup-hook straddles the tie bar from above, and engages its hooks under the
edge of the sleeper. The length of this stirrup is so designed that when the tie bar
is pressed down into place a slight strain is put on the stirrup by dint of the leverage
between where the tie bar lands on the sleeper, and the hooks engage its rim. Under
this strain, vertical movement as between the tie bar and the dish rim, at their inter-
section, cannot take place, and lateral movement at that point is prevented both hy
friction and by suitable projections formed on the rim of the dish.
At each of its ends, the tie bar is furnished with a stirrup dog straddling the bar
from below and prevented from moving lengthwise of the tie bar, by being seated in
two chases formed by slotting away the top and bottom flanges of the tie bar..
Accidental disconnection of the dog stirrups and also of the book stirrups from the
tie bars, is prevented by projections so formed on the inner cheeks of both stirrups
that they lock in the case of the Dog over and in that of the hook under the tie bar.
The slots in which the dog engages with the tie bar are cut at an angle, somewhat
other than a right angle, in order to give two different gauges by reversing the tie
bar in altitude, and refixing the stirrups which can be detached by wedging their
cheeks apart. The lesser gauge is normal and the larger for use on curves.
The wedge or key is made taper on two sides so that it both drives the dog forward

page_text: and the tie bar downward, when bearing against the back and against the lip of the
chair jaw. When so driven it causes the rail to be held both down and sideways
between the further chair jaw and the dog jaw, and the rail is simultaneously held up
by the chair seat. Similarly the tie bar end is held down by the key acting from the
lip of the chair jaw and is held up by the stirrup and dog acting from the rail which
bears in the chair seat.
The key may be split at its small end in order to opening it and preventing its
backing out. In a modification a key of triangular section bears by its base on the
tie bar, by its vertical side on the dog, and by its hypothenuse on the under side of a
sloping jaw.
It is to be understood that the sleeper itself is perfectly symmetrical so that either
jaw and key-way may be used for the key by reversing the sleeper in azimuth. By
this arrangement the rail when fixed, lies necessarily nearer the centre of the gauge
than the middle line of the sleeper, or in other words the sleeper has more area outside
of the rail than inside it; an arrangement that I hold to be distinctly an advantageous
one. By so poising the rail, the preferable tendency of the dish is to turn over
inwards, and to depress the belly of the tie har till it bears on the ballast. The
sleeper's section is so designed that a straight tie bar shall give the required inward
cant to the rail and sleeper.
Dated this Sixteenth day of Angna 1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Sleepers.
A communication from abroad by JAMES RICHARD BELL, of the North Western
Railway, Lahore, in the Punjab Province of India, Civil Engineer.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of No. 11 Wellington Street, Strand, London, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, 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 relates to a Railway Sleeper of a class intermediate between the
well known "Pot Sleeper" and " Plate Sleeper" types.
A Plate Sleeper has a flat under surface so strengthened by ribs on its upper face,
as to constitute in effect a cast metal girder-while a Pot Sleeper consists of a hollow
dome, which is prevented from bursting under the weight of a train, when the pot is
supported upon its rim, by the hooplike action of the rim in which a tensional strain
is then induced. My. Positive Gauge Dished Sleeper is the converse of the "Pot"
design and consists of a circular dish concave from above which tends to put a
compressive stress on the Rim when it alone supports the load; of an arrangement of
symmetrical jaws bringing the rail inside of the central line of the sleeper and thereby
permitting the reversal of the sleeper; of a tie bar of I section, and of stirrup-hooks,
stirrup-dogs, and wedges in conjunction with either a slot or any other mode of
connecting the dog to any tie bar so as to measure the gauge solely by the tie bar and
the dogs.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing is a plan of my improved sleeper as seen
from above; Figure 2 is a transverse section through the sleeper and rail; Figure 3
cross section through the tie bar with stirrup hook B in position; Figure 4 is a
section through the tie bar shewing position of stirrup dog C; Figure 5 represents
the key or wedge D for securing the rail, and Figure 6 is a section through the
sleeper in the direction of the rail.
The dishing of my sleeper is (as shewn in the drawing figures 2 and 6) of no great
depth and leaves the under surface of the sleeper, so far as packing it with ballast is
concerned, very similar for practical purposes to a circular flat plate, surrounded by a
depending rim.
In the axis of the dished plate two raised projections form a bearing for the rail,

page_text: and in a direction transverse to the rail, these projections are extended in the form of
ribs for distributing the load over the width of the dish. These upper ribs are
furnished with Jaws at either side, which in connection with the bearings form in
effect a chair for grasping and sustaining the foot of the rail. The two ribs at each
side of the rail are preferably connected by a bridge as shown. Lengthwise of the
rail, one or more ribs are formed on the underside of the dish, where they serve at
once to stiffen the sleeper in that direction and as Keels to hinder the complete
railway from slewing laterally.
As in the "Pot and Plate" types, two opposite sleepers are in this invention
connected by a tie bar. The special novelty in this part of my invention, consists
in using preferably a tie bar of I section as shown in Figure 3, marked A.
The fastenings, which in this invention connect the tie bar the sleeper and the flat-
footed rail, consist of the Stirrup-Hook B, the Dog-Stirrup C, and the Key D.
The Stirrup-hook B straddles the tie bar from above, and engages its hooks under
the edge of the sleeper. The length of the stirrup is so designed that when the tie
bar is pressed down into place (as shown in Figure 2) a slight strain is put on the
stirrup by dint of the leverage between (a) when the tie bar lands on the sleeper and
(b) when the hooks engage its Rim.
Under this strain, vertical movement as between the tie bar and the dish rim, at
their intersection cannot take place and lateral movement at that point is prevented
both by friction and by suitable projections formed as shown on the Rim of the dish.
At each of its ends, the tie bar is furnished with a stirrup-dog C, straddling the
bar from below and prevented from moving lengthwise of the tie bar, by being
seated in two chases formed by slotting away the tie Bar's top and bottom flanges, as
indicated in Figs. 2 and 4. Accidental disconnection of the dog stirrups and also of
the hook stirrups from the tie bars, is prevented by projections so forined on the
inner cheeks of both stirrups that they lock, in the case of the Dog over and in that
of the hook under the tie bar.
The slots in which the dog engages with the tie bar are cut at an angle, somewhat
other than a Right angle, in order to give two different gauges by reversing the tie
bar in altitude, and refixing the stirrups which can be detached by wedging their
cheeks apart. The lesser gauge is normal and the larger for use on curves.
The wedge or key D is made taper on two sides so that it both drives the dog
forward and the tie bar downward when bearing against the back and against the lip
of the Chair Jaw. When so driven it causes the Rail to be held both down and
sideways between the further Chair Jaw and the Dog jaw and the Rail is simul-
taneously held up by the Chair seat. Similarly the tie bar end is held down by the
Key acting from the lip of the Chair Jaw and is held up by the stirrup and dog
acting from the Rail which bears on the Chair seat.
The key may be split at its small end in order to opening it and preventing its
backing out. In modification a Key of triangular section bears by its base on the
tie bar, by its vertical side on the dog, and by its hypothenuse on the under side of a
sloping Jaw.
It is to he understood that my positive gauge dished sleeper itself is perfectly
symmetrical so that either Jaw and Key-way may be used for the Key by reversing
the Sleeper in Azimuth. By this arrangement the Rail when fixed, lies necessarily
nearer the centre of the gauge than the middle line of the sleeper, or in other words
the sleeper has more area outside of the Rail than inside it; an arrangement that I
hold to be distinctly an advantageous one. By so poising the Rail, the preferable
tendency of the dish is to turn over inwards, and to depress the belly of the tie bar
till it bears on the ballast. The sleeper's section is so designed that a straight tie
bar shall give the required inward cant to the rail and sleeper.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is:
1. A reversible dished railway sleeper having an arrangement of symmetrical jaws

page_text: bringing the rail inside of the central line of the sleeper and thereby permitting the
reversal of the sleeper, a tie bar of I section, and stirrap-hooks, stirrup-dogs, and
wedges in conjunction with either a slot or any other mode of connecting the dog to
any tie bar so as to measure the gauge solely by the tie bar and the dogs, the whole
combined and arranged substantially as herein before described and illustrated upon the
accompanying sheet of Drawing.
2. A Railway sleeper consisting of a circular dish concave from above and having
a depending rim substantially as described.
3. The combination in a Railway sleeper consisting of a circular dish concave
from above and having a depending rim, of ribs having symmetrical jaws arranged
so as to bring the rail inside of the centre line of the sleeper and admit of the
sleeper being reversed, substantially as described.
4. A Railway sleeper, having the tie bar A of the section herein before specified
and shown on the Drawing.
5. In a Railway sleeper, the stirrup-hook B, the stirrup-dog C, and the key D, in
combination with the slots hereinbefore specified, or with any other mode of
connecting the dog to any tie bar, so as to measure the gauge solely by the tie bar
and the dogs, substantially as described.
Dated this Sixteenth day of M... 1000
W. E. GEDGE.