Improvements in Railway Sleepers and Apparatus for Securing Rails on Railways.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 26th July, 1887.
Specification Accepted, 16th Sept., 1887.
Improvements in Railway Sleepers and Apparatus for Securing
Rails on Railways.
I, JOHN SPLANE of the City and County of Philadelphia, in the State of
Pennsylvania, United States of America, Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY SLEEPERS AND APPARATUS FOR SECURING
RAILS ON RAILWAYS," and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention consists of a metallic railroad sleeper made of a single piece of steel
or iron rolled, pressed or stamped into a rectangular shaped channelled plate having
horizontal supporting seats with downwardly projecting side flanges which fit into the
earth a sufficient distance to allow the seats to rest upon the surface of the ground,
and the rails supported snugly in a recess or notch formed in the upper surface and
side walls of the channelled plate and firmly held in position therein by means of two
longitudinal clamp-rods having a swivel or other suitable form of nut. The clamping
device being tightened by the application of an ordinary wrench, and the nut
prevented from turning whilst in position by a locking device suitably journalled in
the side walls of the channelled plate, whereby the tie as so constructed may be firmly
held in the ground, and the removal of a rail for whatever purpose it may become
necessary readily and quickly accomplished without having to remove a series of bolts
and nuts which has been one of the greatest objections to the use of the heretofore
more or less complicated constructions of metallic sleepers and apparatus for securing
rails for railroads.
The nature of my invention will be more fully understood upon referénce to the
accompanying drawings wherein I have shown my invention in a form which has been
found practically efficient, in which the essential features thereof are embodied; and
in which
Figure 1, is a longitudinal central section through my improved metallic sleeper,

page_text: showing the two rails supported in the recesses formed to receive them, and with the
clamping rods provided with a swivel nut for firmly holding them in position therein.
Figs. 2 and 3, are respectively transverse sections on the lines a, a, and y, y,
of fig. 1.
Fig. 4, is a top or plan view of the tie showing the rails in position; and
Fig. 5, is a side elevation thereof.
Referring to the drawings a, represents the channelled plate made of steel or iron
in a single picce rolled, stamped or pressed into preferably a rectangular shape and
integral therewith on each side is the horizontal supporting seat b, having the down-
wardly projecting flange c, which fits into the earth sufficiently to allow the supporting
seats b, to rest snugly upon the top surface of the ground, and thereby prevent any
movement of the sleeper when once in position. d and d¹, are two recesses or notches
suitably. formed in the top surfaces and side walls of the channelled plate for receiving
the rails e and e¹. These recesses or notches are of such shape as to permit of the
lower portion or base of the rails and the webs thereof to be fitted snugly up against
the top surface and side walls of the channelled plate, forming as it were, stationary
clamps for holding one side of the rails, whilst the opposite side of the respective
rails are held to place firmly in the recesses or notches by means of the longitudinal
clamp-rods fand", having right and left threaded extremities to which a swivel
nut h, is centrally attached, and these rods tightened by means of an ordinary wrench
applied to the swivel-nut through an aperture i, in the top surface of the channelled
plate a. To prevent the swivel-nut h, from turning whilst in position is provided a locking
device of suitable construction journalled in the side walls of the channelled plate a,
and having preferably two depending fingers k and k³, which firmly hold the hexagonal
or other form of swivel-nut h, in position. I do not wish to limit myself to the use
of the locking device as shown and explained as any other means that will prevent
the nut, whilst in position, from turning I desire to avail myself of the use of for
accomplishing the object in the more extended practice of the invention.
The manner of removing a rail from my improved metallic sleeper may be explained
as follows:-
Assuming the sleeper to be in the position shown for instance in sectional view in
fig. 1. By raising the fingers and ¹, of the locking device journalled in the side
walls of the channelled plate a, the swivel-nut h, may be loosened by an ordinary
wrench inserted through the aperture i, in the top surface of the plate a, until the
clamp-rods for f', are released sufficiently to drop downward from the tapering upper
surface of the foot of the rail when the rail by a slight inward movement by hand
may be readily and quickly removed from the recess dor d', of the metallic tie.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A metallic railroad sleeper and apparatus for securing rails consisting of a single
piece of metal rolled or bent into a rectangular-shaped channelled plate provided with
two horizontal supporting seats having projecting flanges, and with recesses formed in
the top surface and side walls of said plate for holding one portion of the rails in said
recesses, in combination with two rails, and means, substantially as described, for
holding the other portion of the rails in said recesses.
2. A metallic railroad sleeper and apparatus for securing rails consisting of a
channelled plate provided with horizontal supporting seats having projecting flanges,
recesses formed in the top and sides of said plate forming clamps for holding the
lower portion of the rails, in combination with two rails, two clamping rods and a
swivel-nut, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
3. A metallic railroad sleeper and apparatus for securing rails composed of a
rectangular-shaped channelled plate made of rolled steel or iron in a single piece with
seats having downward projecting flanges, two recesses with angular notches fitting
around the lower portion of the rails, in combination with the rails and two clamping-
rods carrying a swivel-nut for tightening said rods and thereby holding said rails firmly
in position in said recesses, substantially as described.

page_text: 4. A metallic railroad sleeper and apparatus for securing rails composed of a
channelled plate with supporting seats and downward projecting side flanges,
recesses formed in said plate for receiving and supporting the rails, in combination
with two rails, two longitudinal clamping-rods provided with a swivel-nut for
tightening said rods, and means, for preventing said nut from turning whilst in
position, substantially as described.
In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two
subscribing witnesses.