CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Rogers at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 2nd March
1866.
I, WILLIAM ROGERS, Merchant, of Newport, Monmouthshire, do hereby,
declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," to be as follows:-
Firstly, this Invention relates to certain improvements in the form and
construction of transverse or cross timber sleepers; secondly, to certain
improvements in the form of railway chairs; and thirdly, to a combination
of the aforesaid improved sleeper and improved railway chair.
By this Invention, firstly, it is proposed to use transverse or cross timber
sleepers of rough balks of timber of any convenient section, which after
being hewn or sawn or when being bewn or sawn are shaped with cham-
fered or bevelled edges where required. The improved form of chair,
secondly referred to in this Invention, consists in its being so made that
when attached to the improved sleeper it will be retained thereon with
greater security by means of flanges at a certain angle with the bed of
the chair and by the form of the two ends of the transverse timber,
sleeper. Thirdly, this Invention relates to a combination of the improved
sleeper and the improved chair herein-before referred to.

page_text: The novelties comprised in this improved sleeper and chair consist of
the following points, to which reference is made in the Drawings accom-
panying this description, namely, first, the ordinary sleeper is so con-
structed that no protection is afforded against the lateral movement of the
chairs on the sleepers from the pressure of the flanges of the wheels of the
locomotive engine and carriages. In the improved sleeper and chair this
protection is secured. Fig. 1 shews a side elevation of the improved
sleeper and chair; Fig. 2 shews a plan of the same; Fig. 3 shews a cross
section of the sleeper taken at a point marked a, a, in plan and elevation.
The portion of the sleeper between the points marked B, B, Figs. 1 and
2 is chamfered. This chamfer forms a secure seating for the chair and
prevents any liability of the chair to move on account of the chair being
made in a form corresponding with the bevel of the chamfer. As this
chamfer is not continued beyond the points marked B, B, Figs. 1 & 2,
the portions of the sleeper beyond these points act as stops to prevent the
chair being forced outwards by the side thrust communicated to the rails
by the flanges of the wheels of the engine, &c. The chances will therefore
be greatly diminished of accidents arising of the engines or carriages
running off the metals, which accidents are attributable to the alteration of
the width of the guage produced by the causes named, that is, the action
of the flanges on the permanent way, there being no stop or effectual
seating to the chairs. Fig. 2 shews a plan of the various improvements
before described and in addition the method employed for fixing the
improved chair is shewn. The ordinary chair is simply bolted on to a
plain surface. As the ordinary chair and sleeper are only two plain sur-
faces in 'contact, there is nothing but friction to resist any tendency of
movement caused by the strain sometimes thrown on the seating by the
pressure of the flanges of the wheels. This strain at quick curves, or at a
sharp radius has often been so excessive that it has forced the rails so much
from their normal position as to render the passage of a train highly
dangerous. Fig. 3 shews a section taken at the point marked a, a,
in plan and side elevation of sleeper and chair. This cross section is
given to show the particular form of chair employed. Flanges at a slope
corresponding with the bevel of the chamfer commence at E, E, which will
shed any water which falls on the seating of the chair and prevent the decay
or rotting of the seat from moisture. A large proportion of the renewal
of sleepers is due to the sinking of the chair into the timber, causing very
often a serious deflection of the permanent way. As before mentioned

page_text: this improved form of chair is more rigidly fixed than the ordinary chairs
on account of the flanges increasing the extent of the bearing surfaces
and their being more accurately adjusted and fixed to the surface of the
sleeper.