IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC SLEEPERS, CHAIRS, RAIL JOINTS AND APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH to be as follows:
Year: 1885

page_text: Appliances Connected therewith.
.
I WALTER SCOTT DAVY of Whinsfield, Barrow in Furness, in the County of
Lancaster, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare, the nature of my said Inven-
tion for, "IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC SLEEPERS, CHAIRS, RAIL JOINTS AND
APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH to be as follows:-
"
This invention combines a rail or tramway sleeper which may be constructed in
three or more parts and also adjustable chairs or clips for holding the rails which
may likewise serve for securing the joints of the rails when required.
The sleeper comprises as already stated three parts, viz: a part hereinafter
called a "stretcher" and two other parts hereinafter called "base plates" the.
stretcher being approximately the length of an ordinary permanent way cross
sleeper, according to the gauge of railway for which it is to be used, and the
base plates being made wide enough to receive the ends of the stretcher piece
and being long enough to receive the rail, chair and attachments.
The stretcher piece may be perfectly flat in its tranverse section or it may be
ribbed, grooved, curved or channelled for the whole or a portion of its length, the
required section being either formed in a rolling mill, in like manner and by a
similar process, to that employed in the manufacture of certain classes of iron and
steel, such as channel, angle and girder sections, or it may be, or several such pieces
may be, cut or sheared from a flat plate and, if required, be afterwards stamped or
bent into the required form or configuration, and then cut to length according to
the gauge of railway for which it is to be used, which would also regulate the width
and thickness of this part of the sleeper, When cut to the required length the
ends of the stretcher would be bent round so as to form a hook-shaped recess or
clip for its whole width and which when in use would be on the under side of the
sleeper.
The two other portions of the sleeper called the base plates would be constructed
of a channel section in a similar manner and by a like process to that described for
the stretcher, and may be either plain, ribbed, grooved or otherwise formed in their
transverse section and several such base plates may be sawn or cut off a long bar or
plate of the required section, These base plates would be placed under the
stretcher so that the outer edge of each would slide into the hook shaped recess
or clip at the end of the stretcher previously referred to, The channel sides of

page_text: these base plates would project above the stretcher and would be cut or punched
to receive the rail and a cotter which will be hereinafter referred to.
The chairs which carry the rail may be constructed either of rolled, forged,
malleable or cast metal, and each would fit on the top side of the stretcher bar and
between the projecting sides of the base plates, The bottom of the chair would be
either plain, ribbed, grooved or otherwise formed to correspond to the transverse
section of the stretcher bar, and the base of the chair will have a bearing surface
approximating to that of the base plate, The chair on its top side would have a
recessed projection or hook shaped clip to receive the outer side, edge, flange or
bottom of the rail, and the sides of the base plate which project above the stretcher
and also above the chair base, would be formed with a corresponding recess
punched or cut out to receive the inner side, edge, flange or bottom of the rail.
Nearly parallel with the recessed projections or clip which receives the outer side
edge flange or bottom of the rail another projection is formed on the chair which
will act like a gib, in conjunction with a wedged shaped cotter which will be driven
through the two slots cut in the channel sides of the base plate and by means of
which cotter the chair with its clip will be forced on to the outer side, edge, flange
or bottom of the rail and the inner side edge flange or bottom of the rail will be
forced into the recesses in the sides of the base plate as already described. The
bottom of the chair may also be made slightly taper so that when the chair is
forced up with the inner side, edge, flange or bottom of the rail into the recesses of
the base plate, the act of cottering or wedging up the chair on to the rail would
also tighten the chair and the base plate to the stretcher bar.
When the rails are thus cottered or wedged up at each end of the sleeper, the
whole of the parts, namely, the stretcher bar, the two base plates, the chairs and
the rails will be firmly secured by the cotters to each other and the whole might be
lifted off the ballast.
The cotters referred to may be made curved in form and be notched on the outer
edge at the narrow end so as to spring and lock themselves against the edges of
the slots in the channel sides of the base plates and the small ends of the cotters
may be split so that they may be opened out as an additional security to prevent
them working loose or coming out of the slots.
The turned ends of the stretcher portion of the sleeper which receive the base
plate, when the chair is keyed in position prevent the possibility of the rails on
either side being worked or widened out of gauge and the means previously
described for securing the several parts together will in ordinary cases be sufficient
to prevent the rails being narrowed out of gauge but in some cases it may be
necessary to have additional fastenings which may be effected by nicking the edges
or sides of the stretcher in front of the base plates and turning the edges or sides
so nicked downwards or inwards, or a stop or stops may be formed by a tongue or
tongues out of the top of the stretcher and punched downwards in front of the
bottoms of the base plates, In some cases the ends of the stretcher in addition to
being bent downwards to forin the hook shaped recess previously mentioned for the
base plates, may have their sides turned upwards like a channel, either for the
whole of the length or near the ends only; so that when in place it would be of
channel section corresponding to the base plates, In this case the channel sides of
the stretcher would be punched cut or recessed in the same manner as the base plate
previously described and the same cotter would be driven through the recesses or
slots in both base plates and stretcher plate by which means the whole of the parts
would be firmly held and fastened together and so kept to gauge, If necessary,
rivets, pins, bolts, studs, cotters or their equivalent may be used for fastening the
base plates to the stretcher.
Where joints in the rails occur chairs may be used similar to those already
described but with the side of the clip extended so as to fit under the head and
cover the whole depth of the web of the rail, in like manner to that employed for
other rail joints.

page_text: The whole of the parts herein described may be made in duplicate and
interchangeable with each other.
The essential feature of my invention is in obtaining a sleeper which has its
greatest strength where it has the greatest duty to perform, namely under the rail,
at the same time having a strong stretcher or connecting piece by which the gauge
of the railway may be preserved, and also a sleeper and appliances which may be
taken away or put under the rails without disturbing the rails or other works,
The whole of the parts being exceedingly simple in their individual construction
may be easily and quickly made.
The fastening or securing of the several parts together being effected by one of
the most simple mechanical contrivances, namely, a wedge or cotter, and which
may be adjusted without the aid of any special implement or tool, and the whole
combining both strength with lightness, by which the cost of production may
be materially decreased as compared with some other modes of constructing
permanent way.
The appliances herein described may be adapted to double head, flat bottom,.
bulb and various other sections of rails and may themselves vary in form, size and
weight according to requirements.

page_text: Appliances Connected therewith.
I WALTER SCOTT DAVY, of Whinsfield, Barrow in Furness, in the County of.
Lancaster, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC SLEEPERS, CHAIRS, RAIL JOINTS, AND
APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH, and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This Invention combines a rail or tramway sleeper which may be constructed in
three or more parts and also adjustable chairs or clips for holding the rails which
may likewise serve for securing the joints of the rails when required.
The Sleeper comprises as already stated three parts, namely, a part hereinafter
called a "stretcher" and two other parts hereinafter called "base plates" the
stretcher being approximately the length of an ordinary permanent way cross
sleeper, according to the gauge of railway for which it is to be used, and the base
plates being made wide enough to receive the ends of the stretcher piece and being
long enough to receive the rail, chair, and attachments.
The stretcher piece may be perfectly flat in its transverse section or it may be
ribbed, grooved, curved, or channelled for the whole or a portion of its length, the
required section being either formed in a Rolling Mill in like manner and by a
similar process to that employed in the manufacture of certain classes of Iron and
steel, such as Channel, Angle and Girder Sections, or it may be, or several such
pieces may be, cut or sheared from a flat plate and if required, be afterwards
stamped or bent into the required form or configuration, and then cut to length
according to the gauge of railway for which it is to be used, which would also
regulate the width and thickness of this part of the Sleeper,-When cut to the
required length the ends of the Stretcher would be bent round, so as to form a hook
shaped recess or clip for its whole width and which when in use would be on the
under side of the Sleeper.
The two other portions of the Sleeper called the base plates would be constructel
of a Channel Section in a similar manner and by a like process to that described
for the Stretcher, and may be either plain, ribbed, grooved, or otherwise formed in
their transverse section, and several such base plates may be sawn or cut off a long
bar or plate of the required section, These base plates would be placed under the
Stretcher so that the outer edge of each would slide into the hook shaped recess or
clip at the end of the Stretcher previously referred to.
The channel sides of these base plates would project above the stretcher and
would be cut or punched to receive the rail and a cotter which will be hereafter
referred to.
The chairs which carry the rail may be constructed either of Rolled, Forged,
Malleable, or cast metal, and each would fit on the top side of the stretcher bar and
between the projecting sides of the base plate.
The bottom of the chair would be either plain, ribbed, grooved or otherwise
formed to correspond to the transverse section of the stretcher bar, and the base of
the chair will have a bearing surface approximating to that of the base plate. The

page_text: chair on its top side would have a recessed projection or hook shaped clip to receive
the outer side, edge, or flange or bottom of the rail, and the sides of the base plate
which project above the stretcher and also above the chair base would be formed
with a corresponding recess punched or cut out to receive the inner side, edge,
flange, or bottom of the rail.
Nearly parallel with the recessed projection or clip which receives the outer side
edge, flange or bottom of the rail, another projection is formed on the chair which
will act like a gib in conjunction with a wedge shaped cotter, which will be driven
through the two slots cut in the channel sides of the base plate and by means of
which cotter the chair with its clip will be forced on to the outer side, edge, flange,
or bottom of the Rail and the inner side, edge, flange, or bottom of the rail will be.
forced into the recesses in the sides of the base plate as already described. The
bottom of the chair may also be made slightly taper so that when the chair is
forced up with the inner side, edge, flange or bottom of the Rail into the recesses
of the base plate, the act of cottering or wedging up the chair on to the Rail would
also tighten the chair and the base plate to the stretcher bar.
When the Rails are thus cottered or wedged up at each end of the sleeper, the
whole of the parts, namely, the stretcher bar, the two base plates, the chairs and
the Rails will be firmly secured by the cotters to each other and the whole, might
be lifted off the ballast.
The cotters referred to may be made curved in form and be notched on the outer
edge at the narrow end so as to spring and lock themselves against the edges of
the slots in the channel sides of the base plates and the small ends of the Cotters.
may be split so that they may be opened out as an additional security to prevent:
them working loose or coming out of the slots.
The turned ends of the stretcher portion of the sleeper which receive the base
plate, when the chair is keyed in position, prevent the possibility of the rails on.
either side being worked or widened out of gauge, and the means previously
described for securing the several parts together will in ordinary cases be sufficient
to prevent the rails being narrowed out of gauge, but in some cases it may be
necessary to have additional fastenings which may be effected by nicking the edges
or sides of the stretcher in front of the base plates and turning the edges or sides so
nicked downwards or inwards, or a stop or stops may be formed by a tongue or
tongues cut of the top of the stretcher and punched downwards in front of the
bottoms of the base plates.
In some cases the ends of the stretcher in addition to being bent downwards to
form the hook shaped recess previously mentioned for the base plates, may have
the sides turned upwards like a channel either for the whole of the length or near
the ends only, so that when in place it would be of channel section, corresponding
to the base plates, In this case the channel sides of the stretcher would be punched,
cut, or recessed, in the same manner as the base plates previously described and tho
same cotter would be driven through the recesses or slots in both base plates, and
stretcher plate by which means the whole of the parts would be firmly held and
fastened together and so kept to gauge. If necessary Rivets, pins, bolts, studs,
cotters, or their equivalent may be used for fastening the base plates to the
stretcher.
Where joints in the rails occur, chairs may be used similar to those already
described but with the side of the clip extended so as to fit under the head and
cover the whole depth of the web of the Rail, in like manner to that employed
for other rail joints.
The whole of the parts herein described may be made in duplicate and inter-
changeable with each other.
The essential feature of my Invention is in obtaining a sleeper which has its
greatest strength where it has the greatest duty to perform, namely under the rails,
at the same time having a strong stretcher or connecting piece by which the gauge
of the Railway may be preserved; and also a sleeper and appliance which may be
taken away or put under the rails without disturbing the rails or other works.

page_text: The whole of the parts being exceedingly simple in their individual construction
may he easily and quickly made.
The fastening or securing of the several parts together being effected by one of
the most simple mechanical contrivances, namely, a wedge or cotter, and which
may be adjusted without the aid of any special implement or tool, and the whole
combining both strength with lightness, by which the cost of production may be
inaterially decreased as compared with some other modes of constructing permanent
way.
The appliances herein described may be adapted to double head, flat bottom,
bulb and various other sections of rails and may themselves vary in form, size and
weight according to requirements.
As a modification of the appliances herein described. When the portion of the
sleeper called the stretcher piece is provided with a deep rib or projection, the rib
portion at each end of the sleeper may be cut flyed or punched out for a sufficient
distance to enable the flat or plate portion to be turned under or bent round so
as to form the hook shaped recess or clip herein previously described, thus
overcoming the difficulty of bending such a section for its whole width.
Where stretchers as last described are used, portions of the rib may be cut flyed
or punched so as to form notches or recesses for the wedges or cotters to pass
through, thus providing an additional means of securing the several parts of the
sleeper, base plates, & chairs, with their respective rails to gauge.
.
The chairs or clips used with this class of stretcher may be made in two pieces,
one half being placed on either side of the deep rib or projection, or they may be
made as firstly herein described and the rib or projection may be cut, flyed, or
punched out so as to allow the rail to bear upon the chair without raising the
bearing surface of the chair up to the level of the deep rib or projection, the latter
course may nevertheless in some cases be adopted, but, in any of the foregoing
modifications the chairs may be constructed either in one piece so as to slide over
the projection, or they may be made in two separate pieces so as to lie on either
side of such projection, or they may be made semi-detached so that the parts
fitting on either side of the rib or projection may be united to each other by that
portion which forms the lip or clip for securing the flange of the rail.
The nature of my Invention may be more easily understood on reference to
the accompanying two sheets of Drawings in which Sheet 1, illustrates my Invention
as herein tirst described, and Sheet 2, illustrates the modifications of the same as
herein secondly and lastly described.
The same figures represent similar views of my improved appliances as illustrated
on each of the two sheets of drawings referred to, thus;
Fig. 1, represents a plan of a portion of the sleeper and appliances for securing
and carrying an ordinary flat bottom rail.
Fig. 2, is a side elevation of the same.
Fig. 3, is a plan of the chair or clip and
Fig. 4, is an end view of the same.
Fig. 5, being a section of the chair on the line A. B.
Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10 are corresponding views of a chair made with an extended
clip which may be used where joints occur in the rails.
Fig. 11, is a transverse section of the stretcher piece, shewing the rib or projection.
Fig. 12 is a plan of a base plate.
Fig. 13, being a side elevation of the same and
Fig. 14, being a section on the line C. D.
Fig. 15 and 16, are an elevation and plan of the curved cotter or wedge.
Fig. 17, Sheet 2, is a side view of the stretcher shewing the notches in the rib
or projection.
The same letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views on both
sheets of drawings.
a, is the stretcher, b is the rib groove or channel on the same, c is the hook
shaped recess or clip formed by bending the ends of the stretcher for the whole or

page_text: part of its width, d, d, are the base plates, (the manner in which they are cut
or punched to receive the rail and cotter may be more clearly seen in Fig. 13,)
e, e, are the Rail chairs or clips, f, is the cotter or wedge, and g is the projection
formed on the chair which acts like a gib in conjunction with the wedge shaped
cotter last referred to, h, is the Rail as seen in position when keyed and cottered
up to gauge.
On sheet 2 j and k, (Fig. 17) indicate the position of the notches or recesses cut
respectively for the wedges and the rails through the deep rib or projection of the
stretcher.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
(1.) The combination of a metallic sleeper constructed in three or more parts
with adjustable chairs or clips and their respective cotters or wedges for holding
and securing the rail, or rails, such chairs or clips being likewise adaptable for
securing the joints of the rail, or rails, when required.
(2.) The combination of the several parts of the sleeper comprising the part
called the stretcher, and the two parts called the base plates likewise the parts
forming the adjustable chairs, or clips, with their respective cotters, or wedges,
together with the means employed in the form and construction of the several
parts so combined by which the rail, or rails, may be held and secured, and the
several parts of the combined appliances interlocked and secured in their respective
places.
(3.) Turning or bending the ends of the stretcher part so as to form a hook
shaped recess or clip either for the whole or a part of its width, such turned ends
forming the recesses, or clips being on the underside of the sleeper when in use,
and serving to hold the channel formed base plates and the other parts combined
there with in such a manner that when the respective parts are firmly cottered into
position the rail, or rails, will be securely held to gauge.
(4.) Improvements in metallic sleepers, chairs, rail joints, and appliances, con-
nected there with by the combinations, as herein set forth, and illustrated on the
accompanying sheets of Drawings.