IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of N° 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane
in the county of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY
OF RAILWAYS" and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
1
This invention relates to the construction of the permanent way of railways
with transverse metallic sleepers placed directly upon the ballast; it has for its
object to construct such sleepers of iron or steel which shall have the following
advantages; firstly, by their peculiar form, they admit of being effectually packed,
preventing the movement of the ends which takes place in all such sleepers of
present construction; secondly, they are secured to the rails by means of chair
plates, screw bolts, and screw plates below, into which the bolts screw, whereby
the rails are held in such a manner as to be incapable of becoming loosened; thirdly,
by the combination with an arrangement of fishplates they effectually prevent the
longitudinal motion of the permanent way, so that the connected rails, in com-
bination with the transverse sleepers in the manner described, constitute an
indestructible whole.
The construction will be readily understood on reference to the accompanying
drawings in which Fig. 1 shews a transverse section of the sleeper together with
the rail; Fig. 2 shews a part longitudinal section of the sleeper; Fig. 3 shews &
plan of the sleeper to a smaller scale; Figs. 4 and 5 shew respectively a cross section
and part side elevation of a modification of the arrangement of the screw bolt and
screw plate; Figs. 6 and 7 shew respectively a longitudinal section and a cross
section of a sleeper of different profile; Fig. 8 shews a plan of the same to a
smaller scale; Fig. 9 shews cross sections of the sleepers with the rails and fish
plates; Fig. 10 shews a part side elevation of the sleeper with cross section of the
rails and fish plates; Fig. 11 shews a plan of the fish plate L; Fig. 12 shews a
plan of part of the permanent way to a small scale. The sleeper consists of the
body A of hollow cross section with rounded sides 9 having at top a horizonta
table a' and at bottom two side flanges B, Fig. 1. The semicircular sectional form

page_text: of the sleeper permits of its being effectually packed. with ballast. The sides g
are made somewhat thinner at bottom near the flanges than above. In order to
facilitate the uniform packing of the sleepers and to prevent the vibrations of
their extremities, the flanges B are made of a peculiar form being contracted at the
middle, such contraction commencing at a certain distance from the ends, the
flanges being made to die away entirely at the middle as shewn at Fig. 3. It
results from this form that the breadth of base for the sleeper is diminished at the
middle, whereby, on the passing of a train, the sleeper is enabled to yield uniformly
towards the middle thus permitting regular packing and avoiding vibrations. An
indestructible connection between the sleepers and the rails is effected by their
combination by means of chair plates C, screw-bolts D, and screw-plates E which
are by preference all formed of steel. The screw plates E, which are formed with
the thickened rib M at the middle, are strongly rivetted to the flanges B of the
sleeper at a distance apart corresponding to the gauge.of the rails. Figs. 4 and 5
shew another mode of connecting the screw plates with the sleepers. In this case
the screw plate is provided with studs V which pass through corresponding
holes in the flanges of the sleeper and the screw plate is securely connected to
the sleeper by means of the screw bolt with nut S. Between the body of the
sleeper and the screw plate, is driven an oak wedge G Fig. 1. A threaded hole
is then formed through the rib M of the plate E and through the wooden wedge G
into which threaded hole, the screw-bolt D is then strongly screwed, being passed
through corresponding holes in the chair plate C and table of the sleeper. The
chair-plate C has at each end a projecting fillet c and is formed with an inclination
towards the centre of the line equal to about 1 in 20 in order to obtain the requisito
slightly canted position of the rail. At the sides of the fillets c, are formed the
holes for the screw bolts, and the distance between the two bolts is exactly equal
to the foot of the rail as shewn at Fig 2. The rounded parts of the heads d of the
bolts are thus made to rest both upon the fillets c and upon the foot of the rail,
thus confining this in such a manner that neither the bolts nor the rail can be
moved laterally when the bolts are strongly screwed into the screw plate, the bolts
being held securely in the table a of the sleeper and in the screw plates. The bold
of the bolt heads d upon the fillets of the chair plates and the foot of the rail is so
strong that even in the sharpest curves the bolts are not capable of being shifted
by the lateral strain put upon them by the engines, and the rails will remain firm
in position even in the case of a train running off the line. A lateral shifting of
the entire permanent way cannot take place because the core of ballast in the
sleepers is held by the two fixed points presented by the wedges G. The longi-
tudinal movement of the permanent way is effectually prevented by the connection
of the rails by means of fish plates as shewn at Figs. 9, 10, 11 and 12.
plate L, of angular form, being not only secured to the webs of the rails but being
also fixed to the transverse sleepers by means of the bolts D, the sleepers being
placed nearer together at such point and being thus connected together by means
of the fish plate at the junction of the rails so that any longitudinal shifting of the
permanent way or of parts thereof is impossible. The sleeper shewn at Figs. 6
and 7 differs from that first described in being made of rectangular cross section
and being open at top instead of at bottom. In this case the chair plates C for the
rails are rivetted to the flanges B which are at top, the screw plate witli central
rib M being formed by the bottom N of the sleeper. The mode of securing the
rails is the same as described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 and the flanges B are,
in this case also formed narrower towards the middle as shewn at Fig 8. For
railways of narrow gauge, the same system of sleepers reduced in proportion will
offer the same advantages This construction of permanent way has also the great
advantage that when once it has been fixed it does not require any further super-
vision, inasmuch as the screw-bolts, being screwed into the fixed screw plate, cannot
become unscrewed on the passage of trains as is the case with the modes of fixing
at present employed, Consequently the whole of the permanent way can be
embedded in the ballast to any desired depth so as to increase its firm hold,
The fish

page_text: 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, Constructing transverse metallic sleepers, whether of semicircular cross section
open at bottom, or of rectangular cross section and open at top, with side flanges
that are reduced in width towards the middle, substantially as herein described
with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8 of the drawings.
2, The use for connecting the rails to sleepers such as are referred to in the
preceding claim, of chair plates C having fillets c, in combination with the fixed
screw plate E and the screw bolts D substantially as herein described with reference
to Figs 1, 2, 6 and 7 of the drawings.
3, The construction of fish plate L of angular cross section, serving both to
secure the rails together and to tie these to the sleepers, substantially as herein
described with reference to figs 9, 10, 11 and 12 of the drawings.
Dated this 14th day of April 1885.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant,
28, Southampton Buildings,
London, W.C.