IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1884

page_text: 16
I JOHN HENRY. JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS which Invention has been communicated
to me from abroad by Charles Séguin Contractor for Public Works Auguste Odé,
Gentleman, Jules Eugène Filassier, Architect, and Gabriel Paul Etienne Bruneau,
Chemist, all of Paris in the Republic of France, to be as follows:-
For some years past there has been a prejudice against replacing by metallic
sleepers the wooden sleepers generally employed by all the great Railway
Companies The advantages of metallic sleepers are very great for they are if
properly made so durable that the track when once established does not require
the frequent repair snecessary when wooden sleepers are used-The scarceness and
dearness of oak and the low cost and superabundance of iron is another thing in
favour of the use of metallic sleepers.
Numbers of attempts have been made to use metallic sleepers but hitherto there
has not been a satisfactory result owing principally to want of elasticity of the
ways as hitherto proposed to be constructed with metallic sleepers and the looseness
which occurs in the joints owing to the vibrations caused by traffic The object
of this Invention is to remedy these defects by providing a system of per:uanent
way with metallic sleepers which will give the track the requisite elasticity and
tightness of the attachments to render the said track equal in these respects to
a track with wooden sleepers-The sleeper constructed according to the said
Invention preferably has the form of the letter I in transverse' section the upper
member having a breadth of say about 14 to 16 centimetres and the lower
member or foot a breadth of about 18 to 20 centimetres-For sleepers situated at
the joints of the rails these dimensions may be augmented by say 3 or 4 centimetre:-
These dimensions however may be varied-The said sleepers may be rolled by any
convenient rolling apparatus or mill-This will present no practical difficulty and
can be done with facility and but at little cost and in various ways-The sleeper
may be rolled in one piece complete with a lower member broader than the upper
Price C71

page_text: member or it may be made with top and bottom members of equal breadth and
the bottom member or foot be rivetted to a plate which gives the requisite extent
of bearing or the said sleeper may be made of two U pieces rivetted together and
also if necessary also fastened to a foot bearing piece or the sleeper may be made
of four L pieces rivetted to a central vertical plate the lower members if necessary
being rivetted to a foot bearing piece-The system may be applied to the forms of
sleepers at present known or in use for example the section may be that of an
inverted the rail supports being carried upon the connecting member of the said
inverted and the end pieces being rivetted to an extended foot plate.
With a metallic sleeper constructed as hereinbefore described a chair or rail
support of a sufficiently yielding or elastic material is combined it being preferably
of oak its upper face presenting an inclination say of about 1 in 20 and a
corresponding inclination is given to the foot of the rail where flat footed rails are
used. This inclination is downwards towards the centre of the track-The said
elastic support is supported upon the sleeper by two plates each having webs
standing up, those on one plate embracing. the sides and those on the other plates
the ends of the said support and thus preventing its longitudinal or transverse
displacement or one only of these plates may be used-The upper part of the
elastic support is covered by another plate with webs embracing the ends of the
said elastic support The said elastic support and plates are firmly fixed to the
sleeper by rivets or equivalent fastenings and the rail is secured by clips or bolts
or their equivalents passed through to the underside of the upper part of the
sleeper which may be brought to a level surface and strengthened at these parts
by plates under the upper web of the sleeper-The clasticity of the elastic seating
ensures the tightness of the fastenings and at the same time deadens or absorbs
the shocks and vibrations due to traffic on the line.
In applying the Invention to double headed rails the elastic seating has parallel
top and bottom surfaces the inclination of the rail being obtained in the ordinary
way the said rail being fixed by wedges in chairs which are held upon the clastic
seating by bolts passing therethrough and through the sleeper-In this case there
will be a plate beneath the elastic seating with webs embracing its ends.

page_text: I JOHN HENRY JOHNSON of 47 Lincoln's Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS" which Invention has been communicated
to me from abroad by Charles Séguin Contractor for public works Auguste Odé
Gentleman, Jules Eugène Filassier, Architect and Gabriel Paul Etienne Bruneau
Chemist all of Paris 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:—
For some years past the attention of railway engineers has been turned to the
question of replacing by metallic sleepers the wooden sleepers heretofore generally
employed by all the great railway companies. With metallic sleepers if properly
constructed and arranged the track when once established will not require the
frequent repairs necessary when wooden sleepers are used. The scarceness and
dearness of suitable timber and the low cost and superabundance of iron is another
thing in favour of the use of metallic sleepers. Numbers of attempts have been
made to use metallic sleepers but hitherto there has not been a satisfactory result
owing principally to want of elasticity of the ways as hitherto proposed to be
constructed with metallic sleepers and the looseness which occurs in the joints
owing to the vibrations caused by traffic. The object of this Invention is to
remedy these defects. by providing a system of permanent way with metallic
sleepers which will give the track the requisite elasticity and tightness of the
attachments, to render the said track equal in theso respects to a track with
wooden sleepers. The sleepers constructed according to the said Invention
preferably have the form of the letter I in transverse section the upper member
having a breadth of say about six inches and the lower member or foot a breadth
of about seven and a half inches. For sleepers situated at the joints of the rails
these dimensions may be augmented by say one inch. These dimensions "however
inay be varied.
The said sleeper may be rolled by any convenient rolling
apparatus or mill. This will present no practical difficulty and can be done with
facility and at little cost. If preferred the sleepers may be constructed in various
ways by utilising and combining forms of iron which require no special appliances
for their manufacture.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the annexed sheet of Drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figures 1, 2 and 3 represent respectively a transverse section a side elevation
and a horizontal section of an ordinary double headed railway rail supported upon
supports arranged according to this invention and Figures 4 to 8 represent various
modifications of the improved supports in combination with single headed rails:
In all the figures Y is the rail and Z the sleeper which may be rolled in one
piece complete with a lower member broader than the upper member as indicated
in Figure 2 or it may be made with top and bottom members of equal breadth as
shown in Figure 5 and the bottom member or foot be rivetted to a plate Z¹ which
gives the requisite extent of bearing; or the said sleeper may be made as illus-
trated in Figure 6 of two U pieces rivetted together and also if necessary fastened

page_text: to a foot bearing piece Z¹; or the sleeper may be made of four L pieces rivetted to
a central vertical plate. Z as shewn. in figure 7 the lower members if necessary
being likewise rivetted to a foot bearing piece. The system may be applied to the
forms of sleepers at present known or in use for example the section may be that
of an inverted U figure 8 the rail supports being carried upon the connecting
member of the said inverted U and the end pieces being rivetted to an extended
foot plate z¹.
0
The
An important feature of the invention consists in the employment in com-
bination with a sleeper constructed as hereinbefore described of a rail support A of
a. sufficiently yielding or elastic material it being preferably a block of oak its upper
face presenting an inclination say of about 1 in 20 is in order to give the requisite
inclination or cant to the rail where flat footed rails are used. This inclination is
downwards towards the centre of the track as indicated in figure 4. The said
elastic support or block A is retained in position upon the sleeper by two
plates b, c and d e figures 4 to 8 having webs standing up at the ends the webs
on the plate b c embracing the ends and those on the plate de the sides of the said
support and thus preventing its longitudinal or transverse displacement.
upper part of the elastic support A is covered by a plate f g with webs embracing
the sides of the said elastic support. The said elastic support and plates are firmly
fixed to the sleeper by four rivets r or equivalent fastenings and the rail is secured
by clips or bolts P or their equivalents passed through to the underside of the
upper part of the sleeper which may be strengthened at these parts by plates under
the upper web of the sleeper.. The elasticity of the support or seating A prevents
the fastenings from working loose and at, the same time deadens or absorbs the
shocks and vibrations due to traffic on the line. If preferred the plate b c in the
arrangement-illustrated in Figures 4 to 8 may be dispensed with.
In applying the invention to double headed rails as indicated in Figures 1, 2
and 3 the elastic seating or block A has parallel top and bottom surfaces the
inclination or cant of the rail being obtained in the ordinary way the said rail
being fixed by keys or wedges in chairs C which are held upon the elastic seating A
by bolts p¹ passing therethrough and through the sleeper. In this case a plate b¹ c'
is provided beneath the elastic seating with webs embracing its ends.
By the employment of these improved rail supports spikes and wood screws can
be dispensed with which is a great advantage. The work of laying and fixing the
rails is facilitated and simplified and by the interposition of an elastic or yielding
cushion or chair in the body of the support as described the liability of the
fastenings to work loose is obviated. The improved sleepers or supports may be
protected by a coating of tar or other suitable covering.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
is claimed is
First In the permanent way of railways a support for the rails formed by the
combination of a metal sleeper and a chair or cushion of elastic or yielding material
fastened in position all substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Second The several constructions for the permanent way of railways con-
stituted by the arrangements and combinations of parts forming supports for the
- rails substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the several figures
of the accompanying drawings.
Dated thin 10th
Mah 7005