IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILROADS, AND THE MACHINERY FOR CONSTRUCTING THE SAME
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henri Adrien Bonneville, of the British and
Foreign Patent Offices, 18, Rue de la Chaussée d'Antin, Paris,
France, and 6, Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY
OF RAILROADS, AND THE MACHINERY FOR CONSTRUCTING THE SAME."-A
communication from Achille Legrand, residing at Hyon, in the
Kingdom of Belgium.
PROVISIONAL
SPECIFICATION left by the said Henri Adrien
Bonneville at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 5th August 1875.
I, HENRI ADRIEN BONNEVILLE, of the British and Foreign Patent
Offices, 18, Rue de la Chaussée d'Antin, Paris, France, and 6, Piccadilly,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY
OF RAILROADS, AND THE MACHINERY FOR CONSTRUCTING THE SAME," com-

page_text: municated to me by Achille Legrand, a person resident at Hyon, in the
Kingdom of Belgium, to be as follows:-
The Invention relates to fixing rails on iron, steel, or wooden sleepers,
whatever may be the shape of both.
The Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, to which
reference will herein-after be made.
Figs. I. and IV. represent two pieces of sleepers, in the ends of which
a transversal mortise has been cut. In said mortise is inserted an iron
piece ribbed or not, which has been bent when heated into the shape of
a hook or catch (Fig. I.) and a chair, Fig. IV., so that the said iron
piece having been bent over the upper flange of the sleeper when
heated, when cold requires no support to keep it in position.
Figs. II. and III. represent the same contrivances, only they have
two mortises instead of one.
Fig. V. represents a piece of a sleeper with a catch kept in place by
a square pin on the one side, and on the other by a bolt sliding into the
mortise sufficiently to free the foot of the rail when the same is to be
laid or taken up. As soon as the bolt is in position its thread is
hammered down, so as to prevent the screw from coming out; thus the
different parts form a compact whole. The mortise can be made in the
tail of the catch or not, as is thought best; the other end is similar,
and the bolt may be placed inside or outside the way indifferently.
Fig. VI. represents two sleepers laid one against another, one
provided with an inside catch piece, the other with an outside one.
These catches, which keep the foot of the rail in position, are cut from
the flange of the sleeper by a punch cutting with three sides, and
bending the iron with the other, an instrument to which special claim
is laid. The two other ends are the same as the former. In order to
lay the permanent way two sleepers provided with outside catch picces
are placed about 1 yard and ½ (1, 50°,) from each other; the feet of the
rails are placed between the catch pieces, and between the latter the
sleeper provided with inside catch pieces is introduced obliquely, and
the catch pieces are introduced in the inside feet of the rail, and by
striking on the freest side the three sleepers are brought parallel; the
rail which gave way becomes straight again, and the two rails are
perfectly keyed, then by hammering in the middle of either sleeper

page_text: indifferently, between the inside and outside catch picces, the sleepers
are brought together.
Fig. XV. shows the laying of the permanent way and the same
finished when it is not thought desirable to bring together the sleepers,
the stiffness of the rail allowing the way to be laid with a catch placed
alternately inside and outside the way. It should be specially remarked
that the rail is keyed by the sleepers themselves without the help of any
additional piece. This keying sleeper replaces the wedge everywhere,
it raises the bottom foot of the rail over the top of the sleeper, and
presses the rail towards and under the catches. The sleeper provided
with outside catch pieces can also be used for wedging. In this case
two sleepers provided with inside catches are placed in position, two
rails are introduced between their catches, and afterwards the sleeper
provided with outside catch is introduced below the rails; on one side
the rail is bent to free the other catch, then the rail is let go, its foot
then lodging itself in the second catch, thus the way is formed. The
rails could also be laid by passing them through the catches, care being
taken to lay alternately a sleeper with inside catches, and one with
outside catches.
Fig. XIV. represents a double permanent way constructed according
to the same principle.
The catches shown in the preceding Figures are made from the
flange of the sleeper itself; they can be made both inside and outside,
as shown in Figs. IX. and XI. The bolt shown in the latter Figure is
firmly fixed to the sleeper, its thread being hammered down on the
screw nut after it is screwed up. The screw can also be placed on the
top, being modified so as to form catch pieces all around. The catch
shown in this Figure can also be rivetted above the sleeper.
Fig. XII. represents a sleeper which can only be used for outside
catch pieces.
Fig. XIII. is a catch fastened with a pin firmly driven in on each side
and bent so as to form a hook. When this sleeper provided with
outside catches is used, a similar catch is required on the opposite side,
unless the foot of the rail is raised up.
Fig. VII. represents a rail passed between two catch pieces which
are fixed to the sleeper by a square pin and shows one end of the

page_text: Fig. VIII. represents a fish plate enveloping the two ends of a rail ;
the catches cut in the flange of the fish plate prevent said fish plate
from being removed. The dotted lines on the catches represent holes
through them which extend to a notch in each end of the rail to receive
an iron cramp of any shape whatever. Instead of an iron piece as
stated a sleeper catching on both sides of the way can be used. To lay
the way
it suffices to introduce the ends of the rail at each side of
the sleeper, and from one side to the other of the width of the sleeper,
the two other rails being placed end to end the sleeper is pushed back so
as to have the two ends in the middle; it can be kept in position by the
same means as the fish plate.
Fig. XVI. represents a sleeper provided with outside catch pieces, and
keyed to the rail by two other sleeper pieces provided with inside
catches. These two pieces are fixed to the sleeper by a clamp on cach
side and by four round pins. When the rails are placed in the outside
catches, and the inside catches are bent over the side of the sleeper by
striking the pieces provided with the inside catches the wedging is
carried out; the unlocking is obtained by introducing a hand pike
between the two pieces to obtain a hinge motion. These catch pieces
can be placed either inside or outside or on the top of the sleeper; in
this case a pin will suffice to form a hinge, and a blow with a hammer
on the side suffices either to key or disengage it.
Fig. XVII. is the same as Fig. VI., except that the catch pieces are
made when red hot, and are each provided at the top with ribs to
strengthen them.
Although the sleepers of all the above described systems are applicable
to the wide as well as to the narrow guages, the sleeper shown,
Fig. XVIII., however is only applicable to the wide guages. The
hook B is moveable and is introduced before the laying of the rails, and
the free play of the same being provided for in the casting of the
sleeper, it is here used for the inside wedging. When the way is laid
as before said and for greater security a mortise is cut inside and outside
of the way; in said mortise the other hook is inserted, the rail is thus
kept in position on each side, thus the enlargement of the way is
avoided. By introducing a hand pike this last hook is drawn out and
the way can only be taken to pieces by operating in the above mentioned
manner, on the opposite side to that which was hammered to key it
and even on the same side if desired.

page_text: Figs. XX. and XXI. represent sleepers made with U shaped bent iron
pieces provided one with inside catches the other with outside ones,
the rib is bent inside. The flat iron can be used as well as the U shaped
iron.
Fig. XXII. represents a sleeper, at the two extremities of which the
outside catch is cut in and raised above the flange of said sleeper. On
the other side the catch is moveable, and through it plays a bolt fixed to
the sleeper with no chance of coming out. The two catches are eyelet
lengthwise and breadthwise to allow the rail to pass between, said rail is
afterwards wedged by the cross eye which can be made in the flange of
the sleeper. This moveable catch can be suppressed by leaving the eye
in the sleeper like the one in the catch. The screw nut is formed in
such a way that it compresses the foot of the rail; in this case the cross
eye will be made in the opposite direction to that in which it is made in
the side nearest the rail.
Fig. XXIV. represents a sleeper provided with an immoveable catch
on one side, and also a moveable catch on each side placed according to
the breadth of the flange of the sleeper. In the moveable catch slides.a
bolt to free the rail. Thus it is kept up on the right and left; the bolt
forms an integral part of the sleeper and space is left during the casting
for the play of the bolt.
Fig. XXV. represents a wooden sleeper on which the catches are kept
in position by ordinary screw rods and by catch-headed rods; the screw
rod can also be replaced by a bolt, the screw nut of which is screwed
below the sleeper. The advantage of this system is that a carpenter
can construct the way in his workshop and lower the inside and outside
sleepers into the mine, when the railroads are meant for a mine. The
way is constructed and taken to pieces (in the same way as with iron
sleepers.
Fig. XIX. represents the apparatus for manufacturing sleeper catches
cut in and raised over the flange of the sleeper; the piece B is a punch;
the piece A a mortise; the complete pieces are used for the manu-
facturing of sleepers provided with catches at each side of the rail, that
is to say, for the sleepers which are introduced between the catch; the
sleeper C is placed in the apparatus and is finished so that it may not be
forced. The piece R can be left in the middle of the catches, and by
modifying the apparatus it can be taken out, especially when the foot of

page_text: the rail is narrow.
form the rib of the catches, the punch B is made with this rib.
The piece A is formed with a cavity at cach side to
When a single catch is required to key the rails by means of the
sleepers themselves the punch is modified so as only to form this catch,
the sleeper will then be of the shape shown in the hatchings of the
Figure, the piece R forming the prolongation of the flange of the
sleeper. The ribs may be made or not, they can also be formed along
the flange or below, or in any other necessary part by rolling.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henri Adrien Bonneville in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 2nd February 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRI
ADRIEN BONNEVILLE, of the British and Foreign Patent Offices, 18,
Rue de la Chaussée d'Antin, Paris, France, and 6, Piccadilly, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville,
Her special license, that I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville,
my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Henri Adrien Bonneville, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, 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 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 THE PERMANENT
WAY OF RAILROADS, AND THE MACHINERY FOR CONSTRUCTING THE SAME,"
communicated to me by Achille Legrand, a person resident at
Hyon, in the Kingdom of Belgium, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, my executors
or. administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and

page_text: 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville,
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 :-
The Invention relates to fixing rails on iron, steel, or wooden sleepers,
whatever may be the shape of both.
The Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, to which
reference will herein-after be made.
Figs. I. and IV. represent two pieces of sleepers, in the ends of which
a transversal mortise has been cut. In said mortise is inserted an iron
picce ribbed or not, which has been bent when heated into the shape of
a hook or catch (Fig. I.), and a chair (Fig. IV.), so that the said iron
piece having been bent when heated over the upper flange of the sleeper
requires when cold no support to keep it in position.
Figs. II. and III. represent the same contrivances, only they have two
mortises instead of one.
Fig. V. represents a piece of a sleeper with the catch kept in place by
a square pin on the one side, and on the other by a bolt sliding into the
mortise sufficiently to free the foot of the rail when the same is to be
laid or taken up. As soon as the bolt is in position its thread is
hammered down, so as to prevent the screw from coming out; thus the
The mortise can be made in
different parts form a compact whole.
the tail of the catch or not, as is thought best; the other end is
similar, and the bolt may be placed inside or outside the way in-
differently.
Fig. VI. represents two sleepers laid one against another, one provided
with an inside catch piece, the other with an outside one. These catches,
which keep the foot of the rail in position, are cut from the flange of the
sleeper by a punch cutting with three sides, and bending the iron with
the other, an instrument to which special claim is laid. The other two
ends are the same as the former. In order to lay the permanent way
two sleepers provided with outside catch pieces are placed about 1% yd..

page_text: from each other; the feet of the rails are placed between the catch
pieces, and between the latter the sleeper provided with inside catch
pieces is introduced obliquely, and the catch pieces are introduced in
the inside feet of the rail, and by striking on the freeest side the three
sleepers are brought parcllel, the rail which gave way becomes straight
again, and the two rails are perfectly keyed; then by hammering in the
middle of either sleeper indifferently between the inside and outside
catch pieces the sleepers are brought together.
Fig. XV. shows the laying of the permanent way, and the same when
finished, when it is not thought desirable to bring together the sleepers,
the stiffness of the rail allowing the way to be laid with a catch placed
alternately inside and outside the way. It should be specially remarked
that the rail is keyed by the sleepers themselves, without the help of any
additional piccc. This keying sleeper replaces the wedge everywhere;
it raises the bottom of the foot of the rail over the top of the sleeper,
and presses the rail towards and under the catches.
The sleeper
provided with outside catch pieces can also be used for wedging.
this case two sleepers provided with inside catches are placed in position;
two rails are introduced between their catches, and afterwards the
sleeper provided with outside catches is introduced below the rail on
one side; the rail is bent to free the other catch; then the rail is let go,
its foot then lodging itself in the second catch; thus the way is formed.
The rails could also be laid by passing them through the catches, care
being taken to lay alternately a slecper with inside catches and one with
outside catches.
In
Fig. XIV. represents a double permanent way constructed according
to the same principle.
The catches shown in the preceding Figures are made from the flange
of the sleeper itself; they can be made both inside and outside, as shown
in Figs. IX. and XI. The bolt shown in the latter Figure is firmly fixed
to the sleeper, its thread being hammered down on the screw nut after
it is screwed up. The screw can also be placed on the top, being
modified so as to form catch pieces all round. The catch shown in this
Figure can also be rivetted above the sleeper.
Fig. XII. represents a sleeper which can only be used for outside

page_text: Fig. XIII. is a catch fastened with a pin firmly driven in on each side
and bent, so as to form a hook. When this sleeper provided with
outside catches is used a similar catch is required on the opposite side
unless the foot of the rail is raised up.
Fig. VII. represents a rail passed between two catch pieces, which
are fixed to the sleeper by a square pin, and shows one end of the
sleeper.
Fig. VIII. represents a fish plate envelopping the two ends of a rail;
the catches cut in the flange of the fish plate prevent said fish plate
from being removed. The dotted lines on the catches represent holes
through them, which extend to a notch in each end of the rail to receive
an iron cramp of any shape whatever. Instead of an iron piece, as
stated, a sleeper catching on both sides of the way can be used. To lay
the way it is sufficient to introduce the two ends of the rail at each side
of the sleeper, and from one side to the other of the width of the sleeper,
the two other rails being placed end to end; the sleeper is pushed back
so as to have the two ends in the middle; it can be kept in position by
the same means as the two fish plates.
Fig. XVI. represents a sleeper provided with outside catch pieces, and
keyed to the rail by two other sleeper pieces provided with inside catches.
These two pieces are fixed to the sleeper by a clamp on each side and by
four round pins. When the rails are placed in the outside catches and
the inside catches are bent over the side of the sleeper by striking the
pieces provided with the inside catches the wedging is carried out; the
unlocking is obtained by introducing a hand pike between the two pieces
to obtain a hinge motion. These catch pieces can be placed either
inside or outside, or on the top of the sleeper; in this case a pin will
suffice to form a hinge, and a blow with a hammer on the side suffices
either to key or disengage it.
Fig. XVII. is the same as Fig. VI., except that the catch pieces are
made when red hot, and are each provided at the top with ribs to
strengthen them.
Although the sleepers of all the above described systems are applicable
to the wide as well as to the narrow gauges, the sleeper shown
Fig. XVIII. however is only applicable to the wide gauges. The
hook B is moveable, and is introduced before the laying of the rails, and
the free play of the same being provided for in the casting of the sleeper;

page_text: it is here used for the inside wedging. When the way is laid as before
said, and for greater security a mortise is cut inside and outside of the
way; in said mortise the other hook is inserted; the rail is thus kept in
position on each side, and thus the enlargement of the way is avoided.
By introducing a hand pike this last hook is drawn out, and the way
can only be taken to pieces by operating in the above mentioned
manner on the opposite side to that which was hammered to key it, and
even on the same side if desired.
Figs. XX. and XXI. represent sleepers made with u shaped bent iron
pieces provided one with inside catches, the other with outside ones;
the rib is bent inside. The flat iron can be used as well as the U shaped
iron.
Fig. XXII. represents a sleeper at the two extremities of which the
outside catch is cut in and raised above the flange of said sleeper. On
the other side the catch is moveable and through it plays a bolt fixed to
the sleeper with no chance of coming out. The two catches are eyelet
lengthwise and breadthwise to allow the rail to pass between, said rail is
afterwards wedged by the cross eye, which can be made in the flange of
the sleeper. This moveable catch can be suppressed by leaving the eye
in the sleeper like the one in the catch. The screw nut is formed in
such a way that it compresses the foot of the rail; in this case the cross
eye will be made in the opposite direction to that in which it is made in
the side nearest the rail.
Fig. XXIV. represents a sleeper provided with an immoveable catch
on one side, and also a moveable catch on each side, placed according to
the breadth of the flange of the sleeper. In the moveable catch slides
a bolt to free the rail; thus it is kept up on the right and left, the bolt
forms an integral part of the sleeper, and space is left for the play of the
bolt during the casting.
Fig. XXV. represents a wooden sleeper on which the catches are kept
in position by ordinary screw rods and by catch-headed rods. The screw
rod can also be replaced by a bolt, the screw nut of which is placed
below the sleeper. The advantage of this system is that a carpenter
can construct the way in his workshop, and lower the inside and outside
sleepers into the mine, when the railroads are meant for a mine. The
way is constructed and taken to pieces in the same way as with iron
sleepers.

page_text: Fig. XIX. represents the apparatus for manufacturing sleeper catches,.
cut in and raised over the flange of the sleeper; the piece B is a puncli,
the piece A a mortise. The complete pieces are used for the manu-
facture of sleepers provided with catches at each side of the rail, that is
to say, for the sleepers which are introduced between the catches; the
sleeper C is placed in the apparatus and is finished, so that it may not
be forced. The piece R can be left in the middle of the catches, and
by modifying the apparatus it can be taken out especially when the foot
of the rail is narrow. The piece A is formed with a cavity at each side
to form the rib of the catches, the punch B is made with this rib.
When a single catch is required to key the rails by means of the
sleepers themselves the punch is modified so as only to form this catch;
the sleeper will then be of the shape shown in the hatchings of the
Figure, the piece R forming the prolongation of the flange of the sleeper.
The ribs may be made or not, they can also be formed along the flange
or below or in any other necessary part by rolling.
The main principles above mentioned being to secure the rail on the
sleeper by the sleeper itself, it is possible to succeed in securing this rail
by another method, namely that of bolts; the catches which maintain
the inside or outside enlargement are either fixed by pins on the top
plate of the sleeper or raised up in the top plate itself, or again kept in
position by bolts the threaded end of which has been hammered down
to prevent said bolt from coming out and in order that said bolt and the
sleeper may be kept firmly together. This last method is applied by
the wedging of the rail by means of the sleeper itself, and said bolts in
constructing the way are wedged by the sleeper, the catch of which
must be made to turn on the side to leave place for the Vignole rail
which is placed on all the sleepers at the same time; supposing two
sleepers provided with outside catches under which the foot of the rail
is introduced, and the third sleeper in the middle carrying the inside
catch which has been carefully made to turn in the bolt to free the foot
of the rail, the screw nut of the inside catch is screwed by making the
tail turn over again on the foot of the rail itself, and the bolt of the
outside catches is also completely screwed on each side.. Consequently
a complete wedging of the rail on the sleeper is obtained by means of
the bolts placed. alternately on the sleepers with the catches, the onc
inside, the other outside, so that one single bolt is placed each side of

page_text: the sleeper to wedge the rail, thus making two for the entire sleeper;
the bolt can also be provided with a screw nut made so as to replace the
catch; in this case it is more large or long than wide to leave passage
for the foot of the rail. Four bolts can be used instead of two with
moveable catches or with a catching screw nut; the rail can be wedged
either inside or outside with a bolt, wedging a moveable catch on the
foot of the rail and provided on the other side with an immoveable
catch, either raised up in the top plate of the sleeper or rivetted to the
latter, or the sleeper may be bent at its end; the bolt wedging this
catch will be introduced in the workshops themselves, both in the
sleeper and in the immoveable or moveable catch, then the necessary
play being calculated to let the catch turn the threaded catch will be
hammered down to prevent the screw nut coming out or else a hole will
be contrived in the rod of the bolt to introduce a fish plate which would
answer the same purpose. In a word, the main principles and the last-
mentioned means consist―
1st. In wedging the rail on the iron sleepers by means of two bolts
placed alternately inside and outside the sleeper with moveable catches.
2nd. In wedging the rail with four bolts and catches on each
sleeper.
3rd. In fixing first of all the bolts to the sleepers in such a manner
that they cannot come out and may thus be kept firmly together with
the sleeper, the bolt being provided with a square collar to prevent its
turning, and the hole in the sleeper being also square and able to be
made also square in the catch. In the latter case care must be taken
before hammering down the threaded part to leave room enough, so
that the round part of the bolt may be sufficiently lowered to admit of
turning the catch which must leave passage for the rail. The hole in
the sleeper can also be more long than wide, the longer hole being
contrived indifferently breadthwise or lengthwise of the sleeper; in this
case the head of the bolt can be hammered down and provided with a
square collar by introducing the bolt by the head in the eye contrived,
and by making it describe the quarter of a turn by lowering the bolt
down to the round part. The bolt is then raised by making it describe
this quarter of a turn shown, and it will not be able again to come out
of the square hole if the screw nut has been screwed, so that the bolt
cannot come down to its round part..

page_text: The placing of the bolts in constructing the way, and the sleepers
consisting of several parts capable of being taken to pieces, increasing
considerably the cost of the laying down of a permanent way, the means
above pointed out, the principal object of which is to form a sleeper of a
single pieco by the connecting together of many parts remedy these
grave disadvantages and constitute an important improvement.

page_text: when the rail is keyed by the sleepers themselves as described for
sleepers made with the U shaped irons.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Second day of February, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
six.