IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY AND TRAMWAY SLEEPERS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Alexander Lyttle, of the Grove, Hammer-
smith, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY AND TRAMWAY SLEEPERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Alexander
Lyttle at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 19th August 1872.
:
I, WILLIAM ALEXANDER LYTTLE, of the Grove, Hammersmith, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY AND TRAMWAY SLEEPERS," to be as
follows:-
Between the rails or chair and the body of the sleeper I introduce a
block of natural or artificial asphalte, which serves as a cushion to
deaden vibration, particularly when stone, metal, or other hard sleepers
are employed.
In applying such a cushion to metallic sleepers of the form known as

page_text: the hollow of the sleeper is wholly or partially filled with compressed or
fused asphalte on which the rail or chair is placed.
In order to prevent the rails from getting out of gauge by the
softening or yielding of the asphalte, they or the chairs are cross tied
instead of the sleepers themselves. When transverse sleepers extending t
across the line are employed the chair or rail may be steadied laterally
by butting it against projections, or letting it into notches formed on
the sleeper.
When chairs are used they may be made with horns projecting into
holes in the sleeper, and such horns may be conveniently made to 1
project downwards and to pass through the asphalte cushion into holes
in the lower part of the sleeper. When, however, the chair bolts or
spikes have little lateral play in their holes, such provisions for keeping
the rails in gauge are unnecessary.
Any existing form of metallic sleeper may be employed with a 1
cushion of asphalte, as above described, and such cushion may be
applied either to a concave or to a convex form of sleeper. In the latter
case the asphalte requires to be made of sufficient tenacity to prevent its
separating at the crown of the sleeper. Sleepers provided with such
asphalte cushions may be made of malleable or annealed cast iron, or a
partly of such material.
When a dished sleeper with a flat cover or drum head is used the
dished part may be of malleable cast iron and the flat cover of wrought
iron or steel, and in this case the cushion is a slab of asphalte interposed
between the cover and the rail or chair which rests upon it.
When sleepers of natural or artificial stone are employed the bolts for
securing the chair or rail to the sleeper may either be made to pass
through holes in the stone and bolted home with iron washers inter-
vening between the bolt head or nut and the stone on the under side, or
there may be provided an iron strap corresponding in length to the
chair, between which strap and the chair the block of stone would be
clamped by the tightening of the nuts of the bolts, the bolts being
passed through holes in the ends of the strap. In this case the bolts
might either pass through the stone or close to and outside two of its
sides or ends.
When a flanged rail without chairs, is used the blocks of stone may
cither be bolted as above described by bolts with nuts and washers

page_text: secured through holes in the stone, or a cross piece of iron may underlie
cach block in the same way as described above, and between it and the
rail the stone may be securely clamped. If the stones are arranged
longitudinally so that their ends come close together, the bolts from the
flanges of the rail may be secured in grooves between the adjoining ends
of each pair of stones, and if a stout washer of sufficient size is provided
underneath the bolts on being screwed home will clamp securely all the
blocks to the rail, because cach washer will embrace the ends of each
adjacent pair of stones. A slab of asphalte should intervene between
the chair or rail and each block of stone; but stone sleepers thus
arranged and secured would also answer, if used in temperate climates,
with slabs of any hard wood as a substitute for the asphalte.
In order to give such asphalte cushions greater tenacity and clasticity
I prefer to mingle fibrous matter with the mineral constituents. Spent
tan, peat, or wood sawdust form convenient materials for this purpose.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,.
filed by the said William Alexander Lyttle in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 15th February 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ALEXANDER LYTTLE, of the Grove, Hammersmith, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of August, in the year
of our Lord. One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Alexander Lyttle, Her special
licence that I, the said William Alexander Lyttle, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Alexander
Lyttle, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any timo
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
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY AND TRAMWAY SLEEPERS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Alexander Lyttle, my exc.
•

page_text: cutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,. or
their, or one of their hands and scals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately 6
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Alexander Lyttle, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
Between the rails or chair and the body of the sleeper I introduce
a block of natural or artificial asphalte, which serves as a cushion to
deaden vibration, particularly when stone, metal, or other hard sleepers;.
such as blocks of furnace slag, are employed.
1
C
In applying such a cushion to metallic sleepers of the form known as 1
buckled or dished, the dish being set with its convex side downwards,
the hollow of the sleeper is wholly or partially filled with compressed
or fused asphalte, on which the rail or chair is placed.
In order to prevent the rails from getting out of gauge by the
softening or yielding of the asphalte, they or the chairs are cross tied, 2
instead of the sleepers themselves. When transverse sleepers extending
across the line are employed the chair or rail may be steadied laterally
by butting it against projections, or letting it into notches formed on.
the sleeper.
When chairs are used they may be made with horns projecting into 2
holes in the sleeper, and such horns may be conveniently made to
project downwards and to pass through the asphalte cushion into holes
in the lower part of the sleeper. When, however, the chair bolts or
spikes have little lateral play in their holes, such provisions for keeping
the rails in gauge are unnecessary.
3
Any existing form of metallic sleeper may be employed with a cushion
of asphalte as above described, and such cushion may be applied either
to a concave or to a convex form of sleeper. In the latter case the
asphalte requires to be made of sufficient tenacity to prevent its sepa-
rating at the crown of the sleeper. Sleepers provided with such asphalte 3
cushions may be made of malleable or annealed cast iron, or partly of
such material and partly of ordinary cast iron.

page_text: When a dished sleeper with a flat cover or drum head is used-the
dished part may be of malleable cast iron and the flat cover of wrought
iron or steel, and in this case the cushion is a slab of asphalte inter-
posed between the cover and the rail or chair which rests upon it.
:
When sleepers of natural or artificial stone are employed the bolts for
securing the chair or rail to the sleeper may either be made to pass
through holes in the stone and bolted home with iron washers inter-
vening between the bolt head or nut and the stone on the under side, or
a hole may be bored about half way through the stone, then slightly"
enlarged at the bottom, and a bolt dropped into it, head downwards,
sec A, Figure 4, can be secured by filling the hole with asphalte tightly
rammed home. Again, this hole may first be nearly filled with asphalte,.
and into this a screw bolt or a spike with fanged or "gaffed" edges:
may be driven whilst the asphalte is hot and soft, sce B, Figure 4.
This Figure shows how the chair or rail is secured to the stone by either
of those arrangements of bolt or spike fastening.
Another plan of securing the rail or chair to the stone consists of an
iron strap D, B, Figures 2, 3, and 6, corresponding in length to tlie
chair, between which strap and the chair the block of stone C, Figures 2,*
5, 6, 7, 8, would be clamped by the tightening of the nuts of the bolts,
the bolts being passed through the holes in the ends of the strap. In
this case the bolts might either pass through the stone or close to and
outside two of its sides or.ends..
When a flanged rail without chairs is used, see Figure 8, the blocks.
of stone may either be bolted as above described by bolts with nuts and
washers secured through holes in the stone or by spikes or bolts bedded
in asphalte, or a cross piece of iron may underlie each block in the same
way.as described above, and between it and the rail the stone may be
securely clamped. If the stones are arranged longitudinally so that
their ends come close together the bolts from the flanges of the rail may
be secured in grooves between the adjoining ends of each pair of stones,
and if a stout washer of sufficient size is provided underneath the bolts,
on being screwed home, will clamp securely all the blocks to the rail,.
because each washer will embrace the ends of each adjacent pair of
stones. A slab of asphalte should intervene between the chair or rail
and each block of stone; but stone sleepers thus arranged and secured
would also answer, if used in temperate climates, with slabs of any hard
wood as a substitute for the asphalte.

page_text: In order to give such asphalte cushions greater tenacity and elasticity
I prefer to mingle fibrous matter with the mineral constituents, Spent
tan, peat, or wood sawdust form convenient materials for this purpose,
and when these are employed they should be incorporated and the
resulting asphalte shaped by compression, as specified in my Letters
Patent numbered 1204, of the last year, entitled "Improvements in the
Preparation and Utilization of Bituminous Asphalte.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the best
means known to me for carrying the same into effect, what I claim
is,-
-
Firstly. The employment of a cushion of asphalte between the rail
o̟r chair, and a stone or furnace slag sleeper, the several parts being
secured together, substantially as described.
. Secondly. The securing of rail or chair bolts in stone or other hard
sleeper by means of a bedding of asphalte as a substitute for lead.
Thirdly. The employment for the construction of the aforesaid
cushions of the asphalte specified in my aforesaid Letters Patent of last
year for improvements, in the manufacture of a peculiar description
of waxy asphalte.
:
'
In witness whereof, I, the said William Alexander Lyttle, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of February,
in the year of our Lord 1873.
In presence of,
M. A. LYTTLE,
The Grove,
Hammersmith, W.
W. A. LYTTLE. (L.S.)