IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING BILD DERMANENT WAY OF RAILROADS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Peter Dimpfel, of the City and County of
Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, one of the United States of
America, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING
BILD DERMANENT WAY OF RAILROADS
Sealed the 1st November 1856, and. dated the 27th May 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Peter Dimpfel
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th May 1856.
I, FREDERICK PETER DIMPFEL, of the City and County of Philadelphia and
State of Pennsylvania, one of the United States of America, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CON-
STRUCTING THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILROADS," to be as follows:-
My Invention of improvements in constructing the permanent way of
railroads, relates to a novel and improved mode of securing the rails to the
wooden sleepers, whereby the rail is held more firmly than by the ordinary
plans of securing the rails, and a rail of much lighter weight than usual may
be employed. In place of securing the rail by means of pins or spikes on the
upper surface of a longitudinal sleeper, as is now practised on some of the
principal lines of railway in England, I embed the foot of the rail in the sleeper,
by cutting out suitable grooves therein, so as to receive the rail. I prefer to
use a double Trail, but I do not intend to confine myself thereto; and in order

page_text: to embed the foot of the rail in the sleeper, I cut the latter longitudinally down
the middle, and by means of a suitably shaped cutting tool, I cut out grooves
or recesses in the inner side of the two halves of the longitudinal sleeper, of
such a size and shape as 'exactly to receive the foot of the rail when the two
halves of the sleeper are brought together again. By this means the greater
portion of the rail is enclosed between the sleepers, and the foot thereof rests
half on one half of the sleeper and half on the other half of the sleeper. When
the rail and the two halves of the sleepers are put together in this manner,
they are firmly united by passing screw bolts horizontally through the three
pieces and screwing them up tightly. If required, the inner ends of the bolts
or some of them may be provided with eyes to receive the rods, which will
connect the two rails of the track together, and thus preserve the gauge of the
line.
I would observe, that in order to increase the stability and firmness of the
structure, prefer to make the several pieces of the permanent way "break
joint." For instance, where the joint of the rails occurs it will be supported
on both sides by the longitudinal sleepers; and where the joint of one piece of
the sleeper occurs, I propose to have an unbroken length of rail, and also of the
corresponding piece of the sleeper, on the other side, and so on along the whole,
no two joints occurring near to each other.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederick Peter Dimpfel in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 27th November 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
PETER DIMPFEL, of the City and County of Philadelphia and State of Penn-
sylvania, one of the United States of America, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Frederick Peter Dimpfel, Her special license that I, the said Frederick
Peter Dimpfel, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Frederick Peter Dimpfel, my executors, administrators, and
assigus, 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 s

page_text: upon the
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 CONSTRUCTING THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILROADS,"
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Frederick l'eter Dimpfel, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Frederick Peter Dimpfel, 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, reference being had to tho Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to a novel mole of connecting the rails of railways to
the wooden sleepers, whereby the rails are not only more firmly held than by
the ordinary plans of securing rails, and a rail of much lighter weight than is
usually employed may with advantage be adopted. In place of securing the
rail by means of pins or spikes to the upper surface of a longitudinal sleeper,
as is now practised on some of the principal lines of railway, I imbed the foot of
the rail in the sleeper, by cutting out suitable grooves therein to receive the rail.
I prefer to use a double T rail, but I do not intend to confine myself thereto;
and in order to imbed the foot of the rail in the sleeper, I cut the latter longi-
tudinally down the middle, and by means of a suitably shaped cutting tool I
cut out grooves or recesses in the inner side of the two halves of the longi-
tudinal sleeper of such a size and shape to receive the foot of the rail when
the two halves of the sleeper are brought together again. By this means
the greater portion of the rail is enclosed between the sleepers, and the foot
thereof rests half on one half of the sleeper and half on the other half of the
sleeper.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 shews, in cross section, a double-
headed rail a thus held in place by a longitudinal sleeper b, b, formed in two
parts, which are held together by bolts and nuts c, the bolts passing through
the rail and the two halves of the sleeper; Fig. 2 shews, in longitudinal
elevation, a rail thus supported; and Fig. 3 is a plan view of a railway thus
arranged. The inner end of the bolts or some of them may if required be
provided, as shewn in the Drawing, with eyes to receive the rods d, for
connecting the two rails of the track together, and thus preserving the gauge of
the line.

page_text: I would observe, that in order to prevent as much as possible the lateral de-
flection of the rails, it may be desirable to give one-half of the sleeper a greater
elevation than the other half, as shewn at Fig. 1, the lower half being at the
highest elevation, compatible with the flange of the traversing railway wheels,
clearing it, but the other abutting against the head of the rail. A resisting.
medium is thus provided against the lateral pressure of the passing train. This
is an advantage incidental to the adoption of my improved construction of
sleeper. The several timbers forming the sleepers I arrange so that they shall
break joint, not only with each other, but with the lengths of bar iron forming
the rails; thus, where a joint in the rails occurs they will be supported on both
sides by the longitudinal sleepers, and opposite a joint in the sleepers an
unbroken length of rail will be presented.
Having now set forth the nature and object of my Invention of Improve-
ments in Constructing the Permanent Way of Railroads," and explained the
manner of carrying the same into eflect, I wish it to be understood, that, under
the above in part recited Letters Patent, I claim the mode above described of
obtaining a continuous bearing for the rails of railways, and of holding them
in position without the aid of chairs or other analogous supports.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Peter Dimpfel, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-ninth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
F. P. DIMPTEL. (L.S.)