An Improvement in the Method of Fastening or Attaching Colliery or other Rails to Steel or Iron Sleepers or Crossties.
Year: 1885

page_text: An Improvement in the Method of Fastening or Attaching
Colliery or other Rails to Steel or Iron Sleepers or Crossties.
I, HENRY WILLIAM MARTIN, of Dowlais, in the County of Glamorgan, Mining
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to railways used in Collieries or other places, in which
longitudinal rails are supported upon and attached to transverse sleepers or cross-
ties of steel or wrought iron, and it has for its object a novel method of making
and using the ears or lips upon the upper surface of the sleeper or crosstie, by
which the lower flange of the rail is held and secured.
I take an ordinary transverse sleeper or crosstie of steel or wrought iron, and in
the proper position near each end I cut or punch two ears or lips, the edges of
which are parallel with the sides of the sleeper and their inner ends pointing
toward each other are loose, whilst their outer or more remote ends remain
attached to and forming part of the sleeper. I do not make the two lips or ears
of equal length, but I make one of them of little length, so that when its free end
is raised up and bent over it forms a stop and fastening to the edge of the rail
flange when pressed against and under it, whilst the opposite lip or ear is of greater
length and at such a distance from the first that when its free end is raised up to
a sufficient height and bent over, sufficient space is left between it and the upper
surface of the opposite flange of the rail for the insertion of a block or key of wood,
which is then driven in and holds the rail perfectly firmly and tightly. The block
or key when so driven in is well covered by the longer lip or ear under which it is
fitted, so that sufficient strength and hold is provided and the wood is not liable
to split, and blocks of wood roughly made to the size and shape required may
be used.
'
The longer lip or ear may be arranged either against the inner or outer flange of
the rail as may be desired.
By my invention the fastening of rails to sleepers or crossties is very cheaply,
simply, and effectively accomplished.

page_text: An Improvement in the Method of Fastening or Attaching
Colliery or other Rails to Steel or Iron Sleepers or Crossties.
t
I, HENRY WILLIAM MARTIN, of Dowlais, Glamorganshire, Mining Engineer, 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, and accompanying drawing, (that is to say):—
My invention relates to railways used in Collieries or other places, in which
longitudinal rails are supported upon and attached to transverse sleepers or cross.
ties of steel or wrought iron, and it has for its object an improved method of
making and using the ears or lips upon the upper surface of the sleeper or crosstie,
by which the lower flange of the rail is held and secured, so that blocks. of wood
or other material roughly shaped to the size and shape required, may be used
as keys.
In the accompanying drawing which is in illustration of my invention figure 1
is a transverse section through the rails supported by a sleeper to which they are
attached by my improved method. Figure 2 is a plan and figure 3 an end view of
the sleeper. Figures 4, 5, and 6, are similar views with the position of the parts
which attach the rails to the sleeper somewhat varied. Similar letters of reference
indicate similar parts in the several figures.
I take an ordinary transverse sleeper or crosstie a of steel or wrought iron, and
in the proper position near each end I cut or punch two ears or lips b, b¹, the edges
of which are parallel or nearly so with the sides of the sleeper a whilst the inner
or raised ends point toward each other and their outer or more remote ends remain
attached to and forming part of the sleeper. I do not make the two lips or ears of
equal length, but I make one of them of but little length, so that when its free
end is raised up and bent over, it allows the ready introduction and withdrawal of
the rail, and forms a stop and fastening to the edge of the rail flange c when
pressed against and under it, whilst the opposite lip or ear b¹ is of greater length
and at such a distance from the first that when its free end is raised up to a
sufficient height and bent over as shewn, sufficient space is left between it and the
upper surface of the opposite flange of the rail c for the insertion of a block or
key d of wood, or other material which is then driven in and holds the rail down
firmly and tightly. The block or key d when so driven in is well covered by the
longer lip or ear under which it is fitted, so that sufficient strength and hold is
provided, and the wood or other material is not liable to split, and thus blocks of
wood roughly and cheaply made to the size and shape required may be used.
The longer lip or ear b¹ may be arranged either against the iron flange of the
rail (as shewn in figures 1 and 2), or against the outer flange (as shewn in figures 4
and 5) as may be desired.
By my invention the fastening of rails to sleepers or cross ties is very cheaply,
simply, and effectively accomplished, and it is very strong.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I do not claim

page_text: generally the use of lips or ears punched from the body of the sleeper and bent up
so as to form jaws, stops, or fastenings, to receive the flange of the rail, but what
I claim is:-
For the purpose of fastening or attaching colliery or other rails to steel or iron
sleepers or crossties, the combination of the short ear or lip b and the longer ear or
lip 6', and the block or key d of wood or other material driven between the top of
the rail flange c and the longer ear or lip b¹, substantially as described and shewn
in the drawing.