of Fixing the Rails thereto.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Aug., 1887
Complete Left, 16th May, 1888
Complete Accepted, 22nd June, 1888
in the Mode of Fixing the Rails thereto.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the General Patent Office, No. 4, South Street,
Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention (a communication from abroad by René Louis Auguste de la Gressière,
of Bois de Colombes, in the Republic of France,) to be as follows:-
This invention relates to an improved sleeper of steel or other suitable metal and
which is constructed in two parts, namely, (1) A bar of
section forming the
body of the sleeper and (2) two saddle pieces fixed thereto by means of rivets.
For the purpose of facilitating the packing of the ballast the sides of the body
of the sleeper are formed with feet or flanges the section of which prevents
the sleeper becoming buried in the ballast by the trollies employed, at the same
time allowing of the ballast being easily driven in by the picks the action of which
is tangential to the lower face of the feet or flanges.
The central channel of the sleeper is provided with small holes to allow of any
water collecting in the channel passing to the ballast. This channel (which allows
of employing a rail fastening which is independent of the packed ballast) only
extends about halfway down the sleeper.
The interior form of the sleeper allows of it being packed very easily and it will not
become unpacked once the packing operation has been properly performed.
The improved sleeper allows of utilizing the whole height of the ballast and tends
to render the permanent way as elastic as possible.
The rail is fastened by means of slotted plugs in which engage cotters thus affording
security against vibration at the same time offering facilities for inspection and for
maintaining the permanent way. The rails can be removed and replaced without
difficulty and without it being necessary to interfere with the sleepers by simply
removing the cotters.
1007

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Metal Sleepers for Railways and Tramways and
in the Mode of Fixing the Rails thereto.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the firm of G. F. Redfern & Co., the General
Patent Office, No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication from abroad
by René Louis Auguste de la Gressiere of Bois de Colombes, in the Republic of France,)
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 an improved sleeper of steel or other suitable metal.
In order to enable the invention to be fully understood, I will describe how it can
be carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a vertical section on line A B of figure 3.
Figure 2 is an elevation of figure 1, the rail being shown in cross section.
Figure 3 is a plan of figure 2.
Figure 4 is an elevation and plan of a twin arrangement of rails forming a rail
and guide rail suitable for level roads and tramways.
The sleeper is constructed in two parts, namely, (1) A bar of
section 1
forming the body of the sleeper and (2) two saddle or cross pieces fixed thereon by
means of rivets f, f.
The sides of the body of the sleeper are formed as shown in the drawing with
feet or flanges a which give strength and rigidity to the sleeper and, without requiring
packing, prevent it becoming buried under the weight of the trollies and ballast wagons
employed.
The said feet or flanges are rolled on the sleepers from one end to the other.
The central channel of the sleeper receives bosses formed on the saddle or cross
pieces and thus affords the necessary strength and elasticity.
The bar to form the sleepers is rolled in the usual way in the longest lengths .2
possible consistent with weight and facilities of working.
At the end of the rolls the bar is cut into pieces of equal length each of which forms
a sleeper.
Each piece passes in a hot or cold state under a cutter provided with a special
tool serving to turn down the ends 6 and 6¹ so as to allow them to be hammered square 3
over the ends of the sides c, c' figure 5. In this manner the sleeper is closed at both
ends (figure 6).
The saddle or cross pieces are stamped or cast from steel or other suitable metal
of the shape required by the angle of the rail. The part receiving the foot of the
rail is provided with two shoulders d and d serving to fix the position of the foot in 3
a transverse direction and having for object to prevent the said foot from cutting or
injuring the bolts which secure it.
On the underside of the saddle or cross pieces are cast bosses e and e¹ to receive
the bolts and allow them to be adjusted to the proper height for their heads to hold

page_text: the foot of the rail. By means of these bosses great resistance is opposed to the
forcing away of the bolts. They are located in the central channel cast in the body
of the sleeper.
The bolts are formed with square heads and with a wide circular shoulder which
bears on the foot of the rail. Or they can also be made with hexagonal heads and
circular shoulders or with ordinary hexagonal heads only.
In all cases they can be operated by means of a single spanner or a double spanner
one end of which would serve to operate the fish bolts.
For level roads and tramways the sleeper is of the same construction but the saddle
or cross piece is made of sufficient width and is formed to receive the foot of a guide
rail.
For points and crossings the sleeper is also of the same construction, it only being
necessary to alter the dimensions and arrangement of the saddle or cross pieces to suit
requirements.
For the joints of rails the sleeper is made wider but of the same height. It is
illustrated in vertical section at figure 7, the section being taken on the line CD of
figure 9. Figure 8 is an elevation of the sleeper the rail being shown in cross section.
Figure 9 is a plan of figure 8, and figure 10 is a complete view showing the joint-sleeper
in elevation and in plan in its ballast.
The sleeper is formed with two channels, instead of one, for receiving the bosses of
four bolts serving to fix the feet of two lengths of rail.
Figures 11, 12, 13 and 14 are similar views to figures 7 to 10, and show a sleeper
of similar form but instead of being rolled, it is made of sheet iron or steel bent into
shape in a press while hot.
The bosses of the saddle or cross piece are dispensed with and the latter can therefore
be easily made of rolled iron or steel. It can however be stamped from iron or be
cast from steel or other metal.
In order to provide against oxydation the entire sleeper is immersed in a bath of
boiling tar.
To keep the channel of the sleeper dry and prevent water from remaining in it, it
is provided with a number of holes throughout its length. These holes also serve
to show the condition of the ballast.
As shown in the drawings the pressure of the foot of the rail on the saddle or
cross piece is caused by means of two cramps h, -The stem of each cramp below
the saddle or cross piece is formed with a slot through which is passed two differently
tapered cotters moving independently of each other. One of the cotters serves to
tighten up one cramp and the other cotter serves to tighten up the other cramp,
that is to say the cotter locks the cramp h and the cotter k locks the cramp h'.
The advantage of this arrangement is that inspection is localised because the two
heads of the cotters are placed side by side within the way or track and the ballast
reaching just to the level of the sleepers always leaves the heads of the cotters
exposed to view:
To insure a proper locking of each cramp it is only necessary to give its head a
blow with a hammer.
The cotters can be prevented from working loose through vibration by turning
the ends outwards by means of a chisel and a hammer, as is usual with lynch
pins. The ballast on the outer side of the track will also tend to prevent this
loosening.
The cramps can be preserved from oxydation by galvanising them or immersing
them in a bath of boiling tar.
Figures 15, 16, 17 and 18 illustrate a sleeper which is formed by rolling as herein-
before described but in order to allow the sleeper to be easily packed the feet or
flanges m and m³ are made of a section which while preventing the sleeper from
becoming embedded in the ballast under the weight of the rolling stock will allow it
to be easily driven in by the packing picks or tools the action of which is tangential
to the lower face of the feet or flanges:
L.

page_text: To allow the ballast to properly enter the recesses n and n' of the sleeper the
lower angles of the central channel are, so to speak, cut off, as shown at o and o¹
which does not interfere with the arrangement of the cramps which are made of
conformable shape.
The central channel, which allows of employing a rail fastening which is
independent of the packed ballast only extends about halfway down the sleeper in
order to admit of the free passage of the ballast as it is driven in by the action of
the pick.
Instead of closing the ends of the sleeper by hammering them as hereinbefore
described, the sleepers can be closed by means of cheeks, as indicated by the dotted
lines in figures 15 and 16. These cheeks may be placed either at the ends or under the
saddle or cross pieces in which the shoulder herein before described for receiving the
foot of the rail are dispensed with so as to present a plain surface easily to be obtained
by rolling.
By attaching the rail to the saddle or cross piece with cotters passed through a slot
in the lower ends of the cramps as hereinbefore described the use of special sleepers
for curves necessitating a widening of the track is dispensed with."
The sleeper
can therefore be used for all cases.
Figure 16 shows an arrangement of cramps giving the normal width. As will be
seen the parts p and p¹ of the heads of the cramps are turned towards the centre of
the track. In order to produce a widening of one centimeter for example the four
cramps of two attachments must each be turned half round when the parts p and pl
will be turned away from the centre of the track.
To produce a mean widening of five millimeters in the joints of curves of small
radius it is only necessary to turn in the manner above explained two cramps of the
same attachment.
The bodies of the cramps are fitted in notches made for this purpose in the foot of
the rail.
By reason of the wide bearing of the heads of the cramps on the foot of the rail the
improved sleeper can also be used as a joint sleeper as the ends of the two rails can be
held under the head of one cramp.
Two attachments can besides be obtained with a wider channel.
An advantage in employing the two parallel cotters is that they can be turned when
after a certain number of years' service they have become worn by contact with the
cramps.
It will be seen that fresh surfaces of the cotters and cramps that have not been
worked upon will be thus brought into use.
Figure 19 is a transverse section on the line E F of figure 20 which is a longitudinal
section on line G H of figure 19.
Figure 21 is an elevation and a plan of a complete apparatus which is different
from those herein before described, in the mode of fixing to the rails whether they have
fect or are double-headed rails.
The two cotters q and rare placed flatwise in the slots of the jaws s and t.
The cotter effects the locking of the jaws and the cotter that of the jaw t.
The friction surfaces of the two cotters in contact are striated in order to prevent
the cotter from becoming untightened, the cotter q being fixed by opening its slit
end so that it cannot come out or become unlocked.
By thus striating the surfaces, when the cotter q is driven in, it will draw the other
cotter along and thereby tighten it up, but for this purpose care must be taken to
give an uniform tightening to each jaw.
The two cotters can also be caused to act separately by first forcing in the cotter q
and then locking the cotter which through the elasticity of the jaw will pass over the
stræ until the locking is completed, that is to say, until the cotter will go no further.
When there is no longer any elasticity a blow with a hammer upon the cotter q
will complete the locking of both jaws.
The elasticity of the jaw is provided by the flexion of the same from the bearing

page_text: points u, u to the resistance point the force being applied at w, w by the locking of
the cotters. To permit this flexion a small amount of play is allowed at X, x between
the jaws and the lower head of the rail.
This arrangement of cotters is also applicable to footed rails, the two cramps
hereinbefore described being employed in this case.
The steel or other metal saddle or cross piece can be produced by rolling, stamping,
or casting as also can the jaws. The cotters may be stamped or cast from steel or
other metal.
The body of the sleeper can be rolled in various shapes in cross section as indicated
at figures 22, 23, and 24.
The improved sleepers can with great facility be applied and removed in the same
manner as wooden sleepers, the work of placing them being the same. They are
lighter and stronger than wooden sleepers and their transport is more easy and
cheaper. By reason of their interior form, they possess the advantage of allowing the
packing to be very easily effected and of not becoming unpacked when once this has
been done and they offer great resistance to lateral displacement and will not become
loosened.
A thin sheet of malleable or other metal or material such as leather, india
rubber, &c., can advantageously be interposed between the foot of the rail and the
saddle or cross piece.
By the hollow form of the sleepers the bearing is confined to the top and very
slightly or not at all on the edges of the sides.
This arrangement allows of the whole height of the ballast being utilized and the
way is consequently as elastic as possible, as the pressure takes place on the upper
layer or surface of the ballast.
The rails can be changed without disturbing the sleepers and for this purpose it is
only necessary to loosen the screw bolts (without withdrawing them) sufficiently to
allow of the passage of the foot of the rail in an inclined position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The improved forms of sleepers.
2. The mode of fixing the rails to the sleepers substantially as herein before described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicant.