IMPROVEMENTS IN CAST-IRON SLEEPERS FOR RAILWAYS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Barlow, of Derby, and James
Samuel, of Great George Street, Westminster, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CAST-IRON SLEEPERS FOR RAILWAYS."
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CAST-IRON SLEEPERS FOR RAILWAYS.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Barlow
and James Samuel at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 9th March 1857.
We, WILLIAM HENRY BARLOW, of Derby, and JAMES SAMUEL, of Great
George Street, Westminster, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CAST-IRON SLEEPERS FOR RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in cast-iron sleepers for
railways. The sleepers made according to this Invention are intended to bo
used longitudinally of the permanent way of a railway. Each sleeper is cast
by preference of a rectangular form. The upper surface has thereon a central
longitudinal trough or recess divided at intervals transversely by partitions.
The several recesses thus produced are suitable for receiving wood or other
soft material. On either side of the walls, constituting the longitudinal trough,
there are at intervals inclinod buttresses, which are cast hollow on their under

page_text: sides. By thus casting sleepers very great strength may be obtained with
comparativo lightness, and by reason of the longitudinal trough-like form of
the upper surface provision may be made for receiving and fixing various
forms of rails securely.
In some cases each sleeper is cast by preference of a quadrangular form, with
a longitudinal hollow trough, which descends below the general level of the
sleeper. At intervals, when desired, these sleepers have transverse projecting
ribs both on the under as well as on the upper surface. The rails are fixed to
the sleepers at intervals in their length by means of peculiar chairs, which are
cast or formed at the under sides to correspond with the upper surface of the
sleepers. Each chair is formed to receive two moveable jaws, consisting of
hollow frames of iron arranged suitably for receiving a filling of wood shaped
to fit the side of the rail where the wood comes in contact with the rail.
These two moveable frames or jaws are fixed to the chairs, and the chairs to
the sleepers by screw bolts and nuts, the screw bolts passing through tho
frames, also through the wood therein, and also through the sleepers Or the
chairs or parts to which the moveable jaws or frames are fixed may be cast
with the sleeper, and the jaws or frames alone moveable. In place of the
trough descending below the general level of the sleeper, it may be wholly
above the upper surface of the sleeper, in which case the fastening of the
chairs may be by bolts passed through the chairs, and through the sides of
the trough, by which the fastenings will be accessible above the surface of the
sleepers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Henry Barlow and James Samuel in the Great Seals
Patent Office on the 9th September 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
HENRY BARLOW, of Derby, and JAMES SAMUEL, of Great George Street,
Westminster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
William Henry Barlow and James Samuel, Her special licence that we, the
said William Henry Barlow and James Samuel, our executors, administrators,

page_text: and assigns, or such others as we, the said William Henry Barlow and
James Samuel, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE
MENTS IN CAST-IRON SLEEPERS FOR RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said William Henry Barlow and James Samuel, 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 Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Samuel, on behalf of myself and
the said William Henry Barlow, 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, that is
to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in cast-iron sleepers for
railways. The sleepers made according to this Invention are intended to be
used longitudinally of the permanent way of a railway. Each sleeper is cast
by preference of a rectangular form. The upper surface has thereon a central
longitudinal trough or recess divided at intervals transversely by partitions.
The several recesses thus produced are suitable for receiving wood or other soft
material. On either side of the walls constituting the longitudinal trough
there are at intervals inclined buttresses, which are cast hollow on their under
sides. By thus casting sleepers, very great strength may be obtained with
comparative lightness, and by reason of the longitudinal trough-like form of the
upper surface provision may be made for receiving and fixing various forms of
rails securely. In some cases each sleeper is cast by preference of a quad-
rangular form, with a longitudinal hollow trough which descends below the
general level of the sleeper. At intervals, when desired, these sleepers have
transverse projecting ribs both on the under as well as on the upper surface.
The rails are fixed to these sleepers at intervals in their length by means of
peculiar chairs which are cast.or formed at the under sides to correspond with
the upper surface of the sleepers. Each chair is formed to receive two moveable
jaws, consisting of hollow frames of iron arranged suitably for receiving a filling

page_text: TO BE THE BIG OFF where the wood comes in contact with
the rail. These two moveable frames or jaws are fixed to the chairs, and the
chairs to the sleepers by screw bolts and nuts, the screw bolts passing through
the frames, also through the wood therein, and also through the sleepers. Or
the chairs or parts to which the moveable jaws or frames are fixed may be
cast with the sleeper, and the jaws or frames alone moveable. In place of the
trough descending below the general level of the sleeper it may be wholly
above the upper surface of the sleeper, in which case the fastening of the
chairs may be by bolts passed through the chairs and through the sides of
the trough, by which the fastenings will be accessible above the surface of the
sleepers.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, we will proceed more fully
to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shows a side elevation partly in section of a sleeper constructed
according to our Invention; Figure 2 is a plan of the sleeper; and Figure 3
is a transverse section taken at the dotted lines a, a, in Figure 2. These
Figures also show the form of rail it is preferred should be used, but the mode
shown of fixing the rail to the sleeper may be modified in order to fix other
sections of rails to such sleepers. a, a, is a longitudinal trough divided at
intervals by partitions a¹, a'. In these recesses are fillings of wood or other
soft material c, c, on which the under surface of the rail rests; b, b, aro
inclined buttresses, which are cast hollow on the underside, by which great
strength and stiffness, and at the same time a comparatively light structure is
produced; d, d, are clamps through which a screw bolt e passes, one of the
clamps being tapped with a screw to receive the end of the screw bolt, as
shown; Figure 4 shows a side elevation of another sleeper; Figure 5 shows a
plan and Figure 6 a transverse section thereof. In these Figures the section
of rail shown is the one preferred to be used, but the mode of fixing the rail
to tho sleeper may be modified to suit other forms of rails. The sleeper is
made with a longitudinal trough, which it is preferred should descend below
the upper or general level of the sleeper. The rail is fixed to the sleeper by
means of chairs of the form shewn, which with the fillings of wood are fixed
by means of the screw bolts and nuts e, e. These sleepers have transverse
bars ff, fixed at intervals in the length of the railway to maintain the guage.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we would have it understood that what we claim, is,

page_text: First, the construction of sleepers described with reference to Figures
1, 2, and 3.
And, secondly, we claim the construction of sleepers described with
reference to Figures 4, 5, and 6.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Samuel, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord'
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
HENRY WOODHOUSE,
Parliament Street, Westminster.
JAMES SAMUEL. (L.S.)