IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS
Year: 1863

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Henry Johnson at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th October
1863. A communication from abroad by Miguel de Bergue, of
Barcelona, in the Kingdom of Spain.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," a communication
from abroad by Miguel de Bergue, of Barcelona, in the Kingdom of Spain,
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in the sleepers and modes of
securing the rails of the permanent way of railways, and consists in the
employment of wrought or cast iron transverse sleepers which are rolled or
cast of a hollow or trough shape on the under side. This trough shape may
either be produced by curving downwards in a convex manner the sides of
the sleeper, or curving them inwardly or in a concave manner. Although
these forms are preferred other shapes may be employed presenting a hollow
or trough in transverse section. Or an undulated section might be used so as
to present three supporting points, the main bearing being in the centre line
of the sleeper. Some of these sleepers are made to extend across the way
so as to carry both the rails, and between them other intermediate sleepers of
the same form, but shorter, are employed. The desired cant or inclination
of the rail is obtained in a certain and exact manner by beuding downwards
the longer sleepers more or less in the centre according to the degree of cant

page_text: required. In securing the flat-bottomed rail to these several sleepers, the
tops or rail-bearing surfaces of which are made flat, it is proposed to employ
wrought or cast iron clips placed on each side of the lower flange of the rail,
the clips being curved in such a manner as to rest at one end upon the top
of the sleeper and at the other upon the flange or foot of the rail. The clips
are tightened down upon the rail flange by means of screw bolts. passing up
through the sleeper and through the clips, and secured by a nut or key, or by
rivetting them over the clips. Or the clips may be dispensed with and the
rail rivetted or bolted down direct to the sleeper. The curved form of the
clips afford sufficient elasticity to cause the nuts to remain tight when once
tightened up, and in order to hold the bolts more firmly it is preferred to
make their lower portions of a square section, the bolt holes in the sleeper
and clip being of a corresponding shape. These bolt holes are made just
sufficient apart to admit the rail foot, so that the two sides or edges of the foot
will be in contact with both the bolts. In securing the ordinary double-
beaded rails to the sleepers above referred to it is proposed according to one
arrangement to make an indent across the top of the sleeper of the exact
width and form of the rail foot or lower head, and to hold the rail down
therein by means of wrought or cast iron angular clips placed on the outside
of the rails only, and provided with three separate bearing points. The one
bearing point rests in a notch in the surface of the sleeper, the second bears
against the outer side of the web of the rail, and the third presses down upon
the foot or lower flange or head. The clip is held firmly down in its place by
a bolt passing through the sleeper, and is tightened by a nut or key. This
system of fastening may also be applied to flat-bottomed rails if desired.
cases. where it is preferred to dispense with the indent across the top of the
sleeper a separate wrought-iron plate or chair may be employed provided
with the indents for the rail and clip, and this chair is held down upon the
sleeper by the same bolt which holds the clip and secures the rail in its place.
It will be found convenient in practice to roll the sleepers, the clips, and
the separate plate or chair in long lengths, and to cut them transversely to the
required size.
In