mprovements in and relating to Ties or Sleepers for Railway Rails.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application. 9th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 28th Oct., 1885
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
mprovements in and relating to Ties or Sleepers for Railway Rails.
We, WILLIAM CHARLES GREEN, THOMAS BRIGHAM BISHOP, and FRANK
SOWLES KETCHUM, Contractors, all of 1307 Masonic Temple, City of Chicago,
County of Cook, State of Illinois, United States of America, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention has relation to metallic ties or sleepers for railroads and means
for securing the rails to said ties, and the object of the invention is to provide a
cheap and durable tie combined with a device for fastening the track or rail to the
said tie in a simple, effective and expeditious manner, and to these ends the novelty
consists in an improved form of metallic tie; it also consists in an improved
fastening device for securing the rail to said tie, and it further consists in the
construction, combination and arrangement of the several parts of the same, as
will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings the same letters of reference marked thereon
indicate the same parts of the invention in the several figures.
Figure 1 is a view in perspective of our improved tie and track fastener with a
portion of the tracks or rails as they appear secured in position.
Figure 2 is an enlarged central longitudinal section of the left hand end of the
tie and rail with the right hand portion broken away as indicated by the broken
lines.
Figure 3 is a transverse central section of the tie with the rail and fastening
device removed therefrom.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the locking lever removed from the tie, and
Figure 5 shows the double wedge-shaped split key, both before and after it is
inserted in the tie and its tongue bent to retain it in position.
A is the tie, and it consists of a single piece of metal, preferably of iron or steel,
and manufactured in any approved mauner.
This tie, A, is constructed with a longitudinal central rib, B, the crown, b, of
which is circular or elliptical in form while the sides or walls, b' b¹, are approxi-
Omately vertical, to form a square bearing for the rail flange and retaining key.
The immediate central portion of the tie is cut away to form a recess or
opening, C, a portion of the metal forming said space is left attached at one end
to the body of the tie on each side of the central rib, B, and is turned downwardly
at each end of the opening, C, to form anchor flanges, cc, which, it will be observed,
5 extend a short distance below the base line of the tie and tend to prevent the
lateral displacement thereof.
The side flanges, DD, are bent downwardly and slightly flare outwardly to
facilitate compacting and retaining the ballast.
E E' are the recesses which form the seats for the rails, and are formed by cutting
away a portion of the central raised rib, B, down to the upper face, a, of the body
of the tie. This leaves a broad lever seat for the rail, F, the whole width of the
tie, and as the recesses, E E', between the rib, B, are about the width of the
flanged base, e, of the rail, F, it follows that the spreading of the rails is impossible.
G is the locking lever, the forward end of the under side, g, of which is beveled
15 to correspond to the bevel of the face of the flange, e, of the rail, F, while the
head, H, thereof is knee-shaped and the under side is formed with a rabbeted
recess, h, as shown, and the contour of the top of the head, H, of said lever is
similar to the top of the rib, B, while the top i, of the forward portion of said lever
corresponds to the under side, b³, of said rib.

page_text: The head, H, of the lever, G, is slightly longer than the recess, I, one of which
is formed by cutting away the rib, B, on each side of the rail recesses, E E¹, on
each side of the rails, and this elongation of said head prevents the lever from
dropping through its recess during its insertion in laying the track.
K is a double wedge-shaped split key, the main portion or body, k, of which is
comparatively rigid, while the tongue, k, tapers from the heel, k, to the point k*,
that is to say laterally, and the whole key tapers vertically from the heel, k², to
the point, it being formed with a bevel on top of the body and tongue and a bevel
on the outer side of the tongue, while the body, k, is comparatively square.
The ties being laid at suitable distances on the road bed, and the rails placed in
the seat recesses, E E', the locking levers, G, are inserted in their retaining
recesses, I, one on each side of the rail, so that the beveled end of each lever covers
the flange of the rail, the key, K, is then inserted and driven home, and in the act
of doing this the side bevel of the key forces the lever in towards the rail and at
the same time the top beveled portion of said key raises the head, G, of the lever, H,
causing its forward end, g, to impinge more firmly (if possible) upon the rail flange;
it will thus be seen that this double action of the key produces a double motion
of the lever, both forcing it forward and clamping it against the flange, thus locking
the parts almost as firmly and rigidly as if the rail and tie were formed of one piece.
of metal.
The key being driven home, as above described, the tongue, k', is bent outwardly
as shown, so as to form a shoulder against the rib which securely retains it in
place.
It will thus be seen from the above that a track can be laid rapidly and accurately
without the use of skilled labor, and without any other tools than a hammer to drive
the key home and a cold chisel to spread the tongue.
While it is evident that our improved tie is self-ballasting by reason of the flaring
flanges, DD, and additionally anchored by the aid of the flanges, c c, still it will
be observed the extreme ends of the tie are left open, as is also the space between
the anchor flanges, c c, so that should tamping be necessary it can be accomplished
from both ends of the tie and the middle, through this means to impact the ballasting
directly under the rails.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. As a new article of manufacture, a railroad tie, having a longitudinally central
and raised semicircular rib.
2. As a new article of manufacture, a railroad tie formed of a single piece of
metal, having longitudinally depending flanges, open ends, and a central opening
for tamping, said central opening being provided with anchoring flanges, and a
central longitudinal raised curved rib mutilated at suitable intervals, for the
reception of the rails and their fastening devices, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
3. A metallic tie having a centrally raised longitudinal curved rib, provided with
recesses for the reception of the rails, and similar recesses on either side of said
rail recesses for the insertion of the fastening devices, in combination with a
railroad rail, a locking lever, and a key adapted to retain said locking lever in
place, as set forth.
4. The combination with the tie, A, constructed substantially as described, of the
rail, F, the locking lever, G, and the beveled key, K, as and for the purpose set
forth.
5. The tie, A, having rib, B, provided with rail seat recesses, E and E', and
recesses, I I, in combination with the rail, F, the lever, G, adapted to be inserted
in the recess, 1, and lock the rail to the tie, and the split key, K, which, when
inserted in the space formed by the rabbet, h, in the lever, G, and the recess, I,

page_text: will rigidly retain said lever in place, substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
Dated this 9th day of September 1893.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.