Improvements in the Permanent Way of Railways.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in the Permanent Way of Railways.
I, SAMUEL RIDEAL, of 15, Victoria Street, Westminster, Consulting Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in the construction of permanent way of
railways in which metallic sleepers and chairs combined are used.
Such metal sleepers as are in use at the present time are employed chiefly on
foreign railways where the weight, speed and number of trains are limited. These
sleepers are usually made of cast iron composed of many parts and coupled together
by tie bars and cotters.
In all countries the rail joints are to-day by far the weakest point even on the
best tracks and it is well known that the excellent steel rails now universally
adopted are seriously injured at the first stage of their existence by having two or
more large holes made at each end to receive bolts for holding fish plates in position
at each joint of the rails.
The several parts or pieces used for retaining the rails in position on wood
sleepers also are liable to become loose and ineffective by the passage of trains
over them, which involves great cost in maintaining the road in passable working
condition, and timber sleepers require renewing four times during the life of a
steel rail.
The object of this invention is to provide large bearing area for the sleepers on
the ballast, longer bearing for the rails on the sleepers, dispensing with holes in
ends of rails, supporting the rails at the joints upon long continuous bearings, and
providing sleepers and chairs that will wear equal to and as long as steel rails with
least attention for maintenance and at low first cost.
I make the sleepers, chairs and component parts entirely of cast soft steel of
such ductility as to permit being bent to a right angle when cold without sign of
fracture. The joint sleepers are formed with a single chair or two chairs placed
near together on the upper flat surface of the sleepers to receive the rail ends and
form a joint:
The rail ends are secured in these chairs by two taper wedges entered from
opposite sides, drawn together by a bolt passing through them, and held by a
square nut having the tapped hole formed out of the centre to prevent its turning
off the bolt by vibration. By these means the use of fish plates, bolts and holes
in the rails is avoided.
The intermediate sleepers are formed with two chairs on their upper surface to
which the rails are secured by keys or wedges, the outer jaw of the chairs being
slightly convex on the inner face, the keys being formed hollow with one side of
the metal that is placed next to the chair jaw with a convex face made very light
in thickness so that it will yield or give to the rounded surface when driven into
the chair. At each end of the thin side of the key is a slot or cut made by a saw
forming tongues, which, after the key is in position the tongues are bent over the
outer ends of the chair and prevents the key from leaving its place in the chair.

page_text: The underside of each sleeper is formed with webs lengthwise and cross ribs,
also with rims or shallow flanges at each edge to give anchorage or holding and to
retain the ballast underneath the sleeper and prevent its being pumped or forced
out by passing trains. The cross webs are splayed or cut away towards the outer
edges to facilitate packing or ramming the ballast into the cells formed by the ribs
underneath the sleepers.
The base of these sleepers is each in one piece having the chairs cast thereon,
uniform in size, and are held to gauge of road by a.tubular stretcher with flanges at
each end and placed to abut against the inner side of each sleeper, an opening being
made in the centre of each sleeper from edge to edge to receive a tie bar screwed
at each end. The tie bar is passed through both sleepers and stretcher which are
bound securely together by two square nuts formed as previously described being
screwed tightly home on the ends of the tie bar.
The improved joints and sleepers have each a bearing area on the ballast pulley
fifty per centum more than the timber sleepers now in use. They are placed longi-
tudinally or in line with the rails, the space between the ends of sleepers being only
sufficient to permit of their ready removal when necessary, the number of parts
comprising the metallic joints and sleepers being one third only of what is required
for fished joints and wood sleepers.
To enable the gauge of roadway to be widened at curves I use one or more
washers placed upon the tie bar at one or both outer ends of the tubular stretcher.
By this means the width or gauge of road can be extended more or less by removing
from and replacing one nut only off and on the tie bar.
By thus arranging and connecting the sleepers and rails the weight and number
of parts are reduced to a minimum, the improved joints and sleepers will wear
equal to and as long as steel rails with utmost economy in cost of maintenance of
road and rolling stock, the extended continuous bearings for the rails and entire
absence of depressions between sleepers as exists at present will enable the increas-
ing heavy and quick traffic to be carried with less fuel for motive power and effect
a saving in many other directions.
The improved metallic joints and sleepers can be made by means of simple
appliances at low cost as and when required, in any foundry in this country where
material for their production is in abundance, whereas timber sleepers have to be
imported and large stocks kept on hand, at the same time their price is steadily
increasing.
In countries where timber abounds on the spot it may be expedient to continue
its use for railway sleepers, and with the improved joint sleepers as herein before
described, and in conjunction with the "Boss" rail chairs, Patent No. 19,678
of 1896, which enables spikes, screws or other fastenings to be dispensed with the
duration of the timber is extended and great saving in labour, transport charges
and material is effected.
Dated this 14th dor of Tune 1007

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention relates to improvements in the construction of permanent way of
railways in which metallic sleepers and chairs combined are used.
Such metal sleepers as are in use at the present time are employed chiefly on
foreign railways where the weight, speed and number of trains are limited. These
sleepers are usually made of cast iron composed of many parts and coupled together
by tie bars and cotters.
In all countries the rail joints are to-day by far the weakest point even on the
best tracks and it is well known that the excellent steel rails now universally
adopted are seriously injured at the first stage of their existence by having two or
more large holes made at each end to receive bolts for holding fish plates in position
at each joint of the rails.
The several parts or pieces used for retaining the rails in position on wood
sleepers also are liable to become loose and ineffective by the passage of trains
over them, which involves great cost in maintaining the road in passable working
condition, and timber sleepers require renewing four times during the life of a
steel rail.
The object of this invention is to provide a large bearing area for the sleepers on
the ballast, a longer bearing for the rails on the sleepers, the dispensing with holes
in ends of rails, the supporting of the rails at the joints upon long continuous
bearings, and the providing of sleepers and chairs that will wear equal to and as long
as the steel rails with the least attention for maintenance and at a low first cost.
The invention will be fully described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
Fig. 1. Plan of rails and sleepers and chairs in position.
Fig. 2. Side elevation of same, in section along the linear.
Fig. 3. Plan of a single sleeper and chairs with rail partly in section.
Fig. 4. Plan of single sleeper from the underside.
Fig. 5. Side elevation of single sleeper and chairs with rail in position.
Fig. 6. Transverse section of sleeper and rail on line y-y, Figs. 3 and 5.
Fig. 7. Transverse section of sleeper and rail on line - Figs. 3-1-5.
Fig. 8. Plan of joint sleeper and chairs with jointing or fishing wedges in
position.
Fig. 9. Transverse section through both sleepers and rails showing stretcher.
I make the sleepers A, and chairs B in one piece entirely of cast soft steel of such
ductility as to permit being bent to a right angle when cold without sign of
fracture and also to avoid annealing smithing or other subsequent processes.
The joint sleepers A' are formed with a single chair B¹ or two chairs placed near
together on the upper flat surface of the sleepers to receive the rail ends d and form
a joint. (Figs. 1 and 8). The chairs B₁ are preferably somewhat inclined from
the centre to the outer edges to receive taper wedges.
nut e.
The rail ends d are secured in the chairs B by two taper wedges C'entered from
opposite sides, drawn together by a bolt E passing through them and held by a
The nut e is preferably square having the hole placed eccentrically or out
of the centre to prevent its turning off the bolt by vibration. By this construction
of joint sleeper and method of jointing or connecting together the ends d of the
rails D the use of fish plates and bolts and the necessity for holes in the rails are
avoided.
The intermediate sleepers A are formed with two chairs B on their upper surface
to which the rails D are secured by keys or wedges F. The outer jaw a of the chairs
is formed slightly convex on the inner face to retain the keys in position and the
keys F are formed hollow with the sidef that is placed next to the convex chair
jaw a thin or of very light section so that it will yield or give to the rounded surface
when driven into the chair (see Fig. 3). At each end of the thin side of the key

page_text: is a slot or cut g made by a saw forming tongues G which after the key is in
position are bent over the outer ends of the chair B and prevent the key from
leaving its place in the chair. The keys may be made and used without the slits
or the tongues formed thereby.
The underside of each sleeper A is formed with webs a¹ lengthwise and cross
ribs a² also with rims or shallow flanges a³ at each edge to give anchorage or holding
and to retain the ballast underneath the sleeper and prevent its being pumped or
forced out by passing trains. The cross webs are inclined or cut away towards the
outer edges to facilitate packing or ramming the ballast into the cells formed by the
ribs underneath the sleepers.
Through the base of each sleeper is formed an aperture at through which is
passed a tie bar K with nuts on the ends. One end of the tie bar K is provided
with a square k¹ to prevent it turning. The chairs B and rails D are held to gauge
of road by a tubular stretcher H with flanges h at each end and placed to abut
against the inner side of each sleeper. The tie bar K is passed through both
sleepers and the stretcher H and the whole are bound securely together by the two
square nuts formed as previously described which are screwed tightly home on
the ends of the tie bar. Washers may be inserted between the ends of the
tubular stretcher H and the side of the sleeper A to regulate or adjust the gauge.
This permits of the gauge of roadway being widened at curves by placing one or
more of such washers on the tie bar at either end of the stretcher H. By this
means the width or gauge of road can be extended more or less by removing from
and replacing one nut only off and on the tie bar and without removing either
sleeper or rails.
The improved joints and sleepers have cach a bearing area on the ballast fully
fifty per centum more than the timber sleepers now in use. They are placed longi-
tudinally or in line with the rails, the space between the ends of sleepers being
only sufficient to permit of their ready removal when necessary, the number of parts
comprising these metallic joints and sleepers being one third only of what is
required for fished joints and wood sleepers.
By thus arranging and connecting the sleepers and rails the weight and number
of parts are reduced to a minimum, the improved joints and sleepers will wear
equal to and as long as steel rails with utmost economy in cost of maintenance of
road and rolling stock the extended continuous bearings for the rails and entire
absence of depressions between sleepers will enable the increasing heavy and quick
traffic to be carried with less fuel for motive power and effect a saving in many
other directions.
The size and proportions of the several parts may be varied but those herein
given are considered ample for 4' 8" and wider gauges of road.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
―
1. In the permanent way of railways the combination of two sleepers with chairs
thereon placed longitudinally of the rails a transverse tubular stretcher between
the sleepers and a transverse tie rod passing through the stretcher and the sleepers
securely held in position by nuts thereon substantially as described.
2. In the permanent way of railways the combination of a chair formed with a
convex face on one jaw and a hollow steel key with one side sufficiently thin to
follow the curved contour of the face of the jaw with or without tongues to bend
over and engage the ends of the chairs substantially as described.
3. Permanent way for railways having the several parts constructed and arranged
in combination substantially as described and shown herein.
Dated this 6th day of April 1898.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Manchester, Liverpool & London, Patent Agents.