IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Bergeron, of No. 2, Edinburgh Mansions, Victoria
Street, in the City of Westminster, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Bergeron at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th March 1881.
CHARLES BERGERON, of No. 2, Edinburgh Mansions, Victoria Street, in the
City of Westminster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."
This Invention has for its object improvements in the permanent way of
railways.
For this purpose the ballast instead of being spread over the surface of the road
is buried in two parallel trenches, each about 1% feet in width formed below. the
two rails of an ordinary line of railway. These trenches are to be filled with sand
in two or three successive layers, which are to be well rammed by passing over
them a heavy roller similar to those used for compressing macadamized roads in
order to forin them as it were into monoliths of soft sandstone.
The sleepers I form of inverted troughs, preferably of cast iron, each about 2 feet
long, 10 inches wide, and with the descending sides of the trough 6 inches deep.
The troughs are to be placed longitudinally under each of the rails. They are tied
together in pairs by a transverse tie bar which serves to hold the trough, which is
under the one rail at the correct distance apart from the trough which is under the
other rail. The tie bars are flat bars of iron; their ends are passed through holes
formed through the descending sides of the troughs at their centre. Holes are
formed through the bars near their ends and keys are placed through these holes
to come on the outside, or both outside and inside of each of the descending sides
of the troughs, and keep the troughs at the required distance apart. The bottom
edges of the tie-bars and of the descending sides of the trough sleepers are bevilled
off to an edge to facilitate their penetration of the beds of compressed sand above
mentioned.

page_text: The two trough sleepers tied together by the tie bar are placed in position on
to the beds of sand. Bits of wood are placed on to the sleepers, and by means of
rammers acting at the same time on both sleepers the sides of the troughs are
driven into the sand. The blows are continued until even the heaviest blows
produce no effect. In this state they are used for supporting the rails.
Each sleeper is formed with three jaws standing up from it along its outer side
with a hole through each for a screw bolt to pass through. Holes are formed
through the rails at distances apart corresponding to the holes in the jaws of the
sleepers. The rail joints are each arranged to come over the centre of a sleeper,
and the bolt of the central jaw of this sleeper passes through a somewhat oval bole
formed half in the end of one rail and half in the end of the other.
Along both sides of the rails are placed bars of compressed oak or other hard
wood shaped to fit to the sides of and below the rails. These bars are pierced with
holes corresponding to the holes in the rails. The bolts by which the rails are to
be held to the chair jaws are passed through the holes in the jaws through the
rails and through both wooden bars, and all are clamped tightly together by nuts
screwed onto the ends of the bolts.
In the surface of the road shallow cross channels or furrows are formed between
the successive pairs of sleepers to allow water to run off, and the road is thus kept
dry in all states of weather, the sand being so compressed that rain cannot
penetrate it.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles Bergeron in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th September 1881.
CHARLES BERGERON, of No. 2, Edinburgh Mansions, Victoria Street, in the
City of Westminster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS."
This Invention has for its object improvements in the permanent way of
railways.
For this purpose the ballast instead of being spread over the surface of the road
is buried in two parallel trenches, each about 11%, feet in width formed below the
two rails of an ordinary line of railway. These trenches are to be filled with sand
in two or three successive layers, which are to be well rammed by passing over
them a heavy roller similar to those used for compressing macadamized roads in
order to form them as it were into monoliths of soft sand stone.
The sleepers I form of an inverted trough form, each about 2 feet long, 10 inches
wide, and with the descending sides of the trough 6 inches deep. The troughs are
to be placed longitudinally under each of the rails. They are tied together in pairs
by transverse tie bars which serve to hold the trough, which is under the one rail
at the correct distance apart from the trough which is under the other rail. The
tie bars are flat bars of iron; their ends are passed through holes formed through

page_text: the descending sides of the troughs. Holes are formed through the bars near their
ends, and keys are placed through these holes to come on the outside, or both
outside and inside of each of the descending sides of the troughs, and keep the
troughs at the required distance apart. The bottom edges of the tie bars and of
the descending sides of the trough sleepers are bevilled off to an edge to facilitate
their penetration of the beds of compressed sand above mentioned. The two
trough sleepers tied together by the tie bars are placed in position on to the beds
of sand. Bits of wood are placed on to the sleepers, and by means of rammers
acting at the same time on both sleepers the sides of the troughs are driven into
the sand. The blows are continued until even the heaviest blows produce no
effect. In this state they are used for supporting the rails.
Each sleeper is formed with three jaws standing up from it along its side with a
hole through each for a screw bolt to pass through. Holes are formed through the
rails at distances apart corresponding to the holes in the jaws of the sleepers. The
rail joints are each arranged to come over the centre of a sleeper, and the bolt of
the central jaw of this sleeper passes through a somewhat oval hole formed half in
the end of one rail, and half in the end of the other. Along both sides of the rails
are placed bars of compressed oak or other hard wood shaped to fit to the sides of
and below the rails. These bars are pierced with holes corresponding to the holes
in the rails. The bolts by which the rails are to be held to the chair jaws are
passed through the holes in the jaws through the rails and through both wooden
bars, and all are clamped tightly together by nuts screwed on to the ends of the
bolts.
In the surface of the road shallow cross channels or furrows are formed between.
the successive pairs of sleepers to allow water to run off, and the road is thus kept
dry in all states of the weather, the sand being so compressed that rain cannot
penetrate it.
In the Drawings hereunto annexed I have shewn various views of the permanent
way of a railway formed in the manner above described.
Figure 1 is a cross section; Figure 2, a plan, and Figure 3, a longitudinal section
of a portion of the permanent way; Figure 4 shews a cross section, and Figure 5,
a side view on a larger scale of one of the inverted trough sleepers. In these
Figures the rail is shewn to be held between bars of wood; Figure 6 shews a cross
section of a similar sleeper with the rail simply bolted up to jaws secured to the
sleeper.
A, A, are two parallel trenches formed along the top of the road-way. Each
trench is preferably made about 1½ feet in width and in depth; into these
trenches sand more or less earthy, or pulverized burnt clay, or pulverized slag, or
such like pulverized substance is filled in and consolidated with rammers, and by
passing a heavy compressing roller along it until it is so compressed that it will
not be penetrated by rain that may fall upon it; B, B, are inverted trough
sleepers tied together by tie bars C, preferably by two bars, one near each end, as
shown. The sleepers shewn in the Drawings are of wrought iron or steel, they
might however if desired be of cast metal; D, D, are jaws rivetted on to the top
plate of the sleepers. This top plate is inclined somewhat to the descending
vertical sides of the trough according to the "cant" desired to be given to the
rails. The bottom edge of the sides of the trough are bevilled off to an edgo
as above stated to allow them the more readily to be driven into the compressed
sand; the tie bars are similarly brought to a knife edge along their under side.
The sleepers are as shewn at Figures 1, 2, and 3, placed in pairs opposite the one
to the other, one over the centre of each trench; the two sleepers of each pair
are tied together at the required distance apart by their tie bars, and they are
then driven downwards into the compressed ballast by blows with a rammer
until the top plate of each sleeper comes down on to the ballast, and until the
heaviest blows cannot make it descend further; strips of wood should be placed
on to the top of the sleepers whilst they are being rammed down in order that
the sleepers may not be damaged by the blows.

page_text: Lines of rail carried on continuous rows of such sleepers will practically be
immoveable, and the heaviest trains running at the highest speeds will pass along
them as easily as a sledge over smooth ice.
At Figures 4 and 5 I have shewn my plan of holding railway rails by nipping
them between two strips of hard wood, which are held by bolts to jaws standing
up from the top of the sleepers; E, F, are two strips of wood shaped on one side to
conform to the shape of the rail, so that the rail may be nipped and held between
them. The strips of wood rest upon the top of the sleeper, and one strip also rests
against the jaws D. Along the outer side of the other strip is placed an iron bar G
for the heads of the bolts H to bear against.
At Figure 7 I have shewn a side view of a portion of one of the rails. Holes
are formed through the rail, as shewn, at distances apart corresponding to the holes
in the jaws of the sleepers. Corresponding holes are also formed through the
wooden strips E, F, and through the metal bar G. Through these are passed the
screw bolts H, and a nut I is screwed on to the bolt whereby the wooden blocks
and rail are all drawn towards the jaw D, and the rail is nipped and held between
the wooden bars. At the joints of the rails the rail ends are similarly held
between two wooden bars. Each joint is also made to come over the centre of a
sleeper. A foot in length of each end of the rail will therefore be resting on the
top of the sleeper, and consequently will be unable to bend or yield under the
weight even of the heaviest locomotives. The above described way of securing
rails on to the top of sleepers is not only applicable when double headed rails are
used, as shewn in the Drawings, but can also be used when Vignole's rails or rails
of other form are employed.
Although I prefer to employ the above described way of fixing the rails on to
the top of the sleepers used in forming the system of permanent way herein before
described, yet I do not confine myself to such way of holding the rails, as other
suitable arrangements may be adapted for the purpose, as, for example, the
arrangement shown at Figure G.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I claim,-
First. The construction of the permanent way of railways, substantially in the
manner herein before described.
Second. Securing rails to sleepers, substantially in the manner herein before
described with reference to Figure 4.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Bergeron, have hereunto set my hand
and scal, this Twenty third day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty-one.
C.
BERGERON. (L.S.)