IMPROVEMENTS IN CHAIRS, SLEEPERS, OR SUPPORTS FOR . PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Allan, of No. 159, Finboro' Road,
West Brompton, in the County of Middlesex, and John Gregory,
of No. 3, Palace Road, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CHAIRS, SLEEPERS, OR SUPPORTS FOR
.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Allan and
John Gregory at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 11th October 1871.
We, GEORGE ALLAN, of No. 159, Finboro' Road, West Brompton,
in the County of Middlesex, and JOHN GREGORY, of No. 3, Palace Road,
Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CHAIRS, SLEEPERS, OR SUPPORTS FOR
THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS AND TRAMWAYS," to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to an improved construction of railway chairs,
sleepers, or supports for flanged and double-headed rails or other

page_text: forms of railway bars wherein wedges or cushions of wood are
interposed between the bearing surface of the rail and the metal chair
or sleeper.
We construct such chairs or sleepers of lengths of bar iron, plate iron,
steel, cast iron, or other metals bent or cast into a trough shape in a 5
direction transversely to the rails, with a flat or curved portion extending
beyond the trough, the ends of the flat or curved portion being bent
downwards. Into the trough of the chair or sleeper are placed one or
more wood cushions, upon which the rail rests solely, the cushions being
of such a height and wedge form as to give the required tilt to the rail, 1
whilst the flange of the rail is kept clear of the before-mentioned flat or
curved elevated portions of the chair or sleeper. The rail is held in
position upon the chair or sleeper by steel or cast or wrought iron clips
or fastenings fitting over the flange and secured to the said flat or curved
elevated parts of the chair or sleeper by screw bolts or rivets. The two 1
opposite chairs or sleepers are tied together by one or more tie bars of T,
angle, flat, curved, or other suitable section of iron passing through the
trough of the chair between the wood cushions and secured by screw
bolts, gibs, and cotters, or other suitable fastenings.
According to another modification we form the chair or sleeper with 2
two such aforesaid troughs, one on each side of a central flat or curved
elevated portion, in each of which troughs a wood cushion is introduced,
and the before-mentioned clips or fastenings, as also the transverse tie
bar, are secured to the central flat or curved portion of the chair. The
rail may be secured firmly on the chair either by forming the wood 2
cushions as wedges, which are driven in tight after the clips or fastenings
have been bolted on, or the rail may be nipped down tight upon the wood
cushions by screwing down the clips or fastenings, which in that case
would not take a bearing upon the chair, but would be formed with.
studs or projections on their under side, passing through holes formed in 3
the chair beyond the holes for the bolts by which they are held.
According to another modification we form upon the base plate of the
chair or sleeper two central jaws of such a height and distance apart
that the rail may be inserted between them from the top when in a
canted position. When the rail is thus inserted and turned into the 3
upright position the jaws will overhang the bottom flange thereof, and
the rail is then forced up against the jaws so as to be firmly held thereby
by means of the before-mentioned wooden wedges driven in beneath the

page_text: rail on each side of the jaws. Or instead of one pair of central jaws two
pairs of such jaws may be employed, one at each end of the bed plate, and
the wooden wedges are in that case driven in between the two pairs of
jaws. The base plate may in this modification be formed either flat with
a strengthening rib below or it may be formed dished on the under side.
In employing this form of sleeper for securing the ordinary flat rail for
tramways the sides of the rail are formed of a dovetail shape so as to bo
hield between corresponding dovetail surfaces on the jaws, which in this
case are flat at the top and do not rise above the surface of the rail.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Allan and John Gregory in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 3rd April 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, GEORGE
ALLAN, of No. 159, Finboro' Road, West Brompton, in the County of
Middlesex; and JOHN GREGORY, of No. 3, Palace Road, Lambeth, in the
County of Surrey, send greeting.
"WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said George Allan and John Gregory,
Her special licence that we, the said George Allan and John Gregory,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
George Allan and John Gregory, our exccutors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time 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, aud
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CHAIRS, SLEEPERS, OR
SUPFORTS FOR THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS AND TRAMWAYS,” upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said George Allan and John
Gregory, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of
one of us or them, 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

page_text: Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said George Allan and John Gregory
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say :-
Our Invention relates to an improved construction of railway chairs,
sleepers, or supports for flanged and double-headed rails or other forms
of railway bars wherein wedges or cushions of wood are interposed
between the bearing surface of the rail and the metal chair or sleeper.
We construct such chairs or sleepers of lengths of bar iron, plate iron,
steel, cast iron, or other metals bent or cast into a trough shape in a
direction transversely to the rails with a flat or curved portion extending
beyond the trough, the ends of the flat or curved portion being bent
downwards. Into the trough of the chair or sleeper are placed one or
more wood cushions, upon which the rail rests solely, the cushions
being of such a height and wedge form as to give the required tilt to
the rail, whilst the flange of the rail is kept clear of the before-mentioned
flat or curved elevated portions of the chair or sleeper. The rail is held
in position upon the chair or sleeper by steel or cast or wrought-iron
clips or fastenings fitting over the flange and secured to the said flat or
curved elevated parts of the chair or sleeper by screw bolts or rivets.
The two opposite chairs or sleepers are tied together by one or more
tie bars of T, angle, flat, curved, or other suitable section of iron passing
through the trough of the chair between the wood cushions, and secured
by screw bolts, gibs and cotters, or other suitable fastenings.
According to another modification we form the chair or sleeper with
two such aforesaid troughs, one on each side of a central flat or curved
elevation portion, in each of which troughs a wood cushion is introduced,
and the before-mentioned clips or fastenings, as also the transverse tie
bar, are secured to the central flat or curved portion of the chair. The
rail may be secured firmly on the chair either by forming the wood
cushions as wedges, which are driven in tight after the clips or fastenings
have been bolted on, or the rail may be nipped down tight upon the
wood cushions by screwing down the clips or fastenings, which in that

page_text: case would not take a bearing upon the chair but would be formed
with studs or projections on their under side, passing through holes formed
in the chair beyond the holes for the bolts by which they are held.
According to another modification we form upon the base plate of the
chair or sleeper two central jaws of such a height and distance apart
that the rail may be inserted between them from the top when in a
canted position. When the rail is thus inserted and turned into the
upright position the jaws will overhang the bottom flange thereof, and
the rail is then forced up against the jaws so as to be firmly held thereby
by means of the before-mentioned wooden wedges driven in beneath the
rail on each side of the jaws. Or instead of one pair of central jaws two
pairs of such jaws may be employed, one at each end of the bed plate,
and the wooden wedges are in that case driven in between the two pairs
of jaws. The base plate may in this modification be formed either flat
with a strengthening rib below, or it may be formed dished on the
under side.
In employing this form of sleeper for securing the ordinary flat rail
for tramways, the sides of the rail are formed of a dovetail shape so as to
be held between corresponding dovetail surfaces on the jaws, which in
O this case are flat at the top and do not rise above the surface of the rail.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
.
Figs. 1, 2, and 3 represent respectively a transverse section, a side
view, and a plan of one form of metallic sleeper constructed according
to our Invention. It consists of a plate A rolled with strengthening ribs
5 a, a, and bent into a trough shape transversely to the rail. Two wedge
shaped wooden cushions B, B, are placed and driven under the rail in
the hollow parts of the sleeper. The rail is held down on the one side
by two clips C, C, rivetted or bolted to the sleeper, and on the other side
by a clip D, which is secured by a T headed bolt. The T head of this
bolt can be passed through a hole slotted longitudinally in the sleeper,
and the bolt can then be turned partly round so that its head bears on
the sides of the hole; also the clip D can be made with pieces projecting
downwards into the slotted hole, one on each side of the bolt, to prevent
it from turning. The tie bar E is a piece of angle iron secured to the
5 sleeper by bolts and nuts, one of which is the bolt which holds the
lin D

page_text: The clips for holding down the rail are cast or forged in one pièce A³,
and secured to the sleeper A by rivets or bolts' & nuts.
Fig. 16 represents a transverse section, and Fig. 17 a plan of a cast-
iron sleeper A, on which are cast the two clips C, C, for the one side of
5 the rail.
The clip K for the other side, shewn in side view in Fig. 18, is made
with a slot, and after the rail is put in its place it is slid under it so as
to embrace a piece G which projects from the sleeper, and into which.
the tie bar E is inserted. A cotter H secures the clip K and the
> tie bar E.
Figs. 19 and 20 represent respectively a transverse and a longitudinal
section; and Fig. 21 represents a plan of a sleeper with wood cushions
for a tram rail. The bottom part of the sleeper A is extended some
distance at A', A², beyond the sides and upper part to receive the wood
5 cushions B, B. The middle part of the sleeper is made with sides
sloping a little inwards at the top so as to form jaws E, E. The tram
rail C is entered obliquely between those jaws and then turned level,
after which the wood cushions B are driven under it. D is the tie bar
secured to the sleeper by a cotter.
We do not confine ourselves to the precise details or proportions
represented on the Figures, as those may be varied without departing
from the essential features of the various constructions which we have
there represented, and we do not make a general claim for metallic
sleepers with wood cushions interposed between them and, the rails, but
we claim,―
First. The use of trough-shaped metallic sleepers with wedge-shaped
wooden cushions for rails.

page_text: Fourth. The use of metallic sleepers with wooden cushions for tram
rails, substantially as described in reference to Figs. 19, 20, and 21.
In 'witness whereof, we, the said George Allan and John Gregory,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Third day of April,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy- 5