IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT. WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles de Bergue, of Strangeways Works, Man-
chester, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT.
WAY OF RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 6th April 1863, and dated the 15th October 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles de Bergue at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th October 1862.
I, CHARLES DE BERGUE, of Strangeways Works, Manchester, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
My Invention has more especial reference to further improvements upon a
certain description or descriptions of permanent way, and of certain parts thereof,
in respect of which Letters Patent have already been granted me, (A.D. 1853,
No. 1245, and A.D. 1861, No. 2616,) namely, the permanent way or ways in
which the rails rest upon and are held in cast-iron chairs or cast-iron sleepers
without upright lugs or jaws, but are secured to each such chair or sleeper by
a clip piece and by one bolt or fastening only. Now whereas in such per-
manent way or ways the arrangements have been such as to accommodate flat-
bottomed rails, I now propose to accommodate double-headed rails, my present
improvements consisting in forming the chair or the sleeper with seating for
the-rail of-a-form..corresponding with-the -section-of the-(double-headed-) rail--
or nearly so, but, as above stated, without the common upright lugs or jaws,
such seating providing a lateral abutment for the inner side of the lower head
or member of the rail.

page_text: the lower head or member of the rail, to prevent the rail rising or jumping,
and shall also present an abutment or resistance against which the web of the
rail shall bear to maintain the rail in the intended upright or nearly upright
position, and so prevent its tilting or tumbling over the tail of the clip piece
itself, also taking a lateral abutment against the chair or the sleeper.
Also, the use of the foregoing in combination with a double-headed rail and
a single bolt with each clip piece to form permanent way.
Also, further and otherwise in forming the clip picce with a portion to pass
under the rail, and to bear against the inner sido or edge of its lower member
or head, in this case the tail of the clip piece resting upon but not laterally
abutting against the chair or the sleeper.
Also, in the combination of this description of clip piece with the other parts
to form permanent way.
And, further, in supporting and securing flat-bottomed L-shaped rails to
cast-iron chairs resting on wooden sleepers, or to cast-iron sleepers, by means
of a single bolt or fastening passing through the bottom flange of the rail and
through the chair, or otherwise through the bottom flange of the rail and cast-
iron sleeper, or otherwise through the bottom flange of the rail and the chair
and sleeper. By the term L-shaped rail, as here employed, is intended a rail
with head at the top of the L, and with flat bottom or flange extending entirely
or principally upon one side of the web.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles de Bergue in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th April 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
DE BERGUE, of Strangeways Works, Manchester, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Charles de Bergue, Her special licence that I, the said Charles
de Bergue, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Charles 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

page_text: 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 Charles de Bergue, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument 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 per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles 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
statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
My Invention has more especial reference to further improvements upon a
certain description or descriptions of permanent way, and of certain parts
thereof, in respect of which Letters Patent have already been granted me,
(A.D. 1858, No. 1245, and A.D. 1861, No. 2616,) namely, the permanent
way or ways in which the rails rest upon, and are held in cast-iron chairs or
cast-iron sleepers without upright lugs or jaws, but are secured to each such
chair or sleeper by a clip piece, and by one bolt or fastening only. Now
whereas in such permanent way or ways the arrangements have been such as
to accommodate flat-bottomed rails; I now propose to accommodate double-
headed rails, my present improvements consisting,-
Firstly, in forming the chair or the sleeper with seating for the rail of a
form corresponding with the section of the double-headed rail, or nearly so,
but, as above stated, without the common upright lugs or jaws, such seating
providing a lateral abutment for the inner side of the lower head or member
of the rail.
Secondly, in forming the clip piece so that it shall not only press upon the
upper side of the lower head or member of the rail, to prevent the rail rising
or jumping, but shall also present an abutment or resistance against which the
web of the rail shall bear to maintain the rail in the intended upright or
nearly upright position, and so prevent its tilting or tumbling over the tail of
the-clip-piece-itself, also taking a.. lateral abutment against the chair or
sleeper.
And, thirdly, the use of the foregoing in combination with a double-headed
rail and a single bolt with cach clip-piece to form permanent-way.
The Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings illustrate the manner of performing

page_text: the improvements above enumerated, Figure 1 being a sectional elevation, and
Figure 2 a corresponding plan view of ordinary double-headed rail and of
improved sleeper chair or clair or sleeper, and other parts, as described.
A, B, is the rail; A its upper and B its lower head or member; and B* the
inner side of the lower member; C, D, is one of my improved sleepers or
sleeper chairs (without upright lugs or jaws), generally corresponding with
one of my former improvements above mentioned, but differing in this respect,
that the seating (for the rail) at D is of a form exactly or nearly corresponding
with the particular class or description of rail referred to; D* is the part of
the seating which furnishes the lateral abutment against the thrust, which the
part B of the rail exerts in the direction denoted by the arrow: in Figure 1;
E, F, G, is my improved clip piece, the part E' proventing the rail rising, the
part F forming an abutment for the web of the rail, and the tail G bearing on
and taking a lateral abutment against the upright adjacent part of the sleeper
chair; H is the one bolt- or fastening. Where there is no tie bar the bolt
should have an ordinary head bearing against the bottom of the sleeper chair,
but where a tie bar is used as at-I in the Figure, a link bolt should be used,
the bar passing through the link, as shewn; K is a projection fitting into
recess in the bar, but which of itself forms no part of this Invention; and L, L,
are keels or webs to prevent the sleeper chair canting laterally. The parts
H, I, K, L, correspond with a former Invention, and are new only in respect
of the combination with other improvements herein described, to form. an
improved permanent way; P, P, are fish-plates, similar or nearly similar to
those herein-after described, but not constituting any part of the present
Invention.
.
My improvements consist, fourthly, in forming the clip piece with a portion
to pass under the rail and to bear against the inner side or edge of its lower
member or head, in this case the tail of the clip piece resting upon but not
laterally abutting against the chair or the sleeper.
And, fifthly, in the combination of this description of clip piece with the
other parts to form permanent way.
The manner of performing these improvements is illustrated by Figures 3
and 4. The parts A, B, B, C, D, E, F, H, I, K, L, correspond severally with
the similar references to Figures 1 and 2. The improved clip piece is here
marked E, F, G, G; the part G is that. which passes under the rail, its
extremity holding or bearing against the part B* of the rail, and the tail G
rests upon but does not laterally abut against the adjacent part of the sleeper
chair. The combination to form permanent way is sufficiently evident without
further description.

page_text: My improvements consist, sixthly, in supporting and securing flat-bottomed
L-shaped rails to cast-iron chairs resting on wooden sleepers, or to cast-iron
sleepers, by means of a single bolt or fastening passing through the bottom
flange of the rail and through the chair, or otherwise through the bottom
flange of the rail and cast-iron sleeper, or otherwise through the bottom flange
of the rail and the chair and sleeper. By the term L-shaped rail, as hero
employed, is intended a rail with head at the top of the L, and with flat
bottom or flange extending entirely or principally upon one side of the web.
The manner of performing these improvements is as follows:-Of the alter-
natives set forth I prefer that which is illustrated by the Figures 5 and 5*,
which represent a sectional view of cast-iron sleeper chair C, D, with
L-shaped rail secured by the one bolt or fastening E, passing through the
bottom flange B. The parts I, H, L, are as described in respect of Figures 1
and 2. P, P, are fish-plates, and Q bolt securing them, passing through hole
in web of rail. Except at the joint sleeper chairs, these will be omitted; they
form no feature of the present improvements; but it may be noted that the
rail is rolled with surfaces or facets X, X, and the fish-plates have surfaces or
facets to correspond, and that the bolt hole in the lower flange of the rail
should be arranged so as not to interfere with their application. By this
arrangement the clip-pieces described in the former part of this Specification
are entirely dispensed with.
Figures 6 and 7 illustrate the alternative of substituting a cast-iron chair
and wooden sleeper in place of the sleeper chair. A, B, and H, are parts
similar or corresponding to those already described in other Figures; ✗ is the
chair; Y, the wooden sleeper; and Z, a rib or projection on the bottom of
the chair, fitting countersunken into a recess or groove in the wooden sleeper.
If in any case it may be preferred, the bolt HI need not pass through the
wooden sleeper, but may secure together the rail and chair only, and the chair
may be secured to the sleeper by separate fastening or fastenings to the
sleeper, such as trenails, or by any other approved mode.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles de Bergue, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.