IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY-SLEEPERS
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Mar., 1889
Specification Accepted, 27th Apr. 1889
22
I, AMOS KINZER Hoffmeier, of Lancaster, in the county of Lancaster, and State of
Pennsylvania, United States of America, Furniture Dealer, do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY-SLEEPERS
and in what manner the same is to he performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following stateinent :-
My invention relates to improvements in that class of Rail-Road sleepers which can
be constructed of metal, glass, paper, or any similar substance, having the required
strength, and which can be cast, moulded, rolled, pressed or otherwise given the
required shape; and the objects of iny improvements are to produce a sleeper which
will afford a continuous bearing to the rail, all sleepers being of such uniform size and
strength as may he desirable; a sleeper in the use of which fish plates or chairs can be
dispensed with, and each of which is composed of one single piece.
I accomplish these objects by the construction illustrated in the accompanying
drawing, in which--
Figure 1 is a top or plan view showing a number of my improved sleepers joined
together, with a portion of a rail, having its head removed, in place.
Figure 2 is a top view of one of my sleepers of somewhat different shape from those
shown in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is an end view of one of the sleepers, showing the front of the fastening
device.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical section through the line xx, the rail being
removed.
Figure 5 is a bottom view of an end of one of the sleepers, showing the slots for
receiving the bolts and the recesses for engaging the heads thereof.
Figure 6 is a vertical section through the line y-y and Figure 7 is an end view of
the bolt, with the nut removed, and a side view of the same, showing the nut place in
section.
Figure 8 is a plan view of a sleeper showing one manner of supporting a rail having
an elliptical base, and
Figure 9 is a side elevation of the same partly in section, as shown by the line z―z,
Figure 8.

page_text: Figure 10 is a top or plan view of a modified form of sleeper and
Figure 11 a side view of the same, shown in section on the line v-v, Figure 10.
Figures 12 and 13-are enlarged-perspective views of the holt and angle-plate. I
prefer to use in fastening a flat bottomed rail to the sleeper, and
Figures 14 and 15 are similar views of the parts used in securing the rail having an
clliptical base.
Similar letters indicate like parts throughout the several views.
In the drawing A represents a cross-sleeper having arms B, projecting from both
sides thereof near the ends. These arins are made integral with the sleeper and form
additional bearings for the rails. When the sleepers are laid, the contiguous arms
connect with each other by means of tongues. C, and grooves D; one of each pair of
arms having a horizontal groove in one end and the other a corresponding tongue, but
the tongue and grooves are located at the ends of opposite arms of the pairs of each
sleeper, so that any two sleepers will interlock when laid down, no matter which side
of the two may be contiguous.
The sleeper and its arms are made hollow on the under side, or with downwardly
projecting flanges, a, along the sides and ends of the body of the sleeper and flanges, b,
along the sides and outer ends of the arms B3; the flanges connecting at the angles
where they meet. On the outside of the berls E, upon which the rails rest, are other
flanges F, which form a channel that receives the base of the rail. These flanges
are cut only at the points where the nuts for holding the rail down pass through
the sleeper.
To hold the rail down upon its bearing I make use of angle plates composed each of
an upper portion, g, which bears against the web of the rail, and a lower portion, h,
that rests upon the base of the rail and upper face of the sleeper. the plate iwing
secured in place by a holt and nut. These plates are provided on the bottom of the
portion, h, with lips, Z, shaped to embrace the base of the rail and a lip or flange, 2,
for engaging the end of the perforation G, through which the bolt passes, as seen in
Figures 6, and 12.
The sleeper has an angular perforation G and a slot H, cut through it, as shown, on
each side of the rail bed. The perforations & are located a short distance outside of
the edge of the rail bed, and the slots extend from the said perforations to the edge of
the hed Beneath the inner end of each slot as shown in Figure 5 there is an angular
recess, 1, in the under face J, of the sleeper, of such shape is to receive the head of
the bolt, and of somewhat greater depth than the thickness of the bolt head.
The bolts, K, are made with an angular head and have each two longitudinal
grooves, k, extending from the screw end of the same toward the head, which are
connected at their lower ends by an eye, i, through the bolt, as shown in Figures 7
and 13.
When the rails are in place and to be secured, the bolt head is passed down
through the perforations G until it gets below the under surface of the sleeper and
the bolt is moved along through the slot, El, until it reaches the inner end thereof.
The bolt is prevented from dropping into the cavity beneath the sleeper by means of
acord or wire passed through: the eye i and having the ends joined above the end of
the bolt, which ends are passed through the bolt hole in the angle plate and nut and
serve to hold the bolt up whilst it is being secured in place with the nut. The cord
rests in the grooves until the nut has obtained sufficient hold upon it. When forced
home the head of the bolt rests in the recess I which is of the same shape as the head
to prevent the bolt from turning as the nut is screwed home.
It is not intended that the ballast should be filled up between or around the ends
of the sleepers, but that it should be tainped under or otherwise made to fill the
cavity beneath the sleepers to prevent transverse movement of the same. This way of
using the ballast leaves the entire outer surface of the sleepers exposed and avoids the
retaining of moisture about the same and the consequent liability to rust.
It will be seen that sleepers constructed as herein described give a continuous
hearing to the rails, and themselves preserve the gauge; that they afford the greatest
bearing upon the road hed at the ends where the weight of the load is received; and

page_text: that by reason of their being connected the one with the other, the use of spikes,
chairs and fish plates is avoided, and steadiness is given to the movement of trains.
In laying the rails I prefer to have the joints on the sleeper where the ends of both
rails can be engaged by the angle plates; but this is not at all necessary, as there will
be a bearing beneath them wherever they may meet.
"
On curves, where the sleepers lie at somewhat of an angle with each other, the
tongues may be slightly altered in length or the corners of the same rounded to
compensate for the angle. And, when desirable, the flanges F may be dispensed with,
and the rails held on their bearings simply by the sleeper fastenings.
In Figures 8 and 9 is shown a modification in the construction of my sleeper,
intended to be used with rails having elliptical bases. In this case bearing plates, 3,
are secured to the sleepers and have grooves, 4, made in them to receive the base, 5,
of the rail, and steady the same. These plates 3 are provided with slots, 6, which
when the plates are in place, coincide with corresponding slots in the top of the sleeper
through which the parts are fastened together, as will be explained.
Figures 10 and 11 present another modification of my sleeper. In this construction
the side and end flanges are dispensed with and instead thereof there is a single
flange, 7, extending centrally under the sleeper from end to end and one, 8, similarly
located and extending from the end of one arm B to the end of the other on the
opposite side of the sleeper. In this sleeper is also shown a groove, 9, formed in the
bearing surface and constructed to receive a rail base elliptical in shape.
Figures 14 and 15 show the angle plate and wedge I use to secure in place rails
having an elliptical base. These plates also have an upright part, 10, and a horizontal
one, 11, but the horizontal part has slots, 12, cut through it and extending from the
upright part 10 outward at right angles therewith to the edge of the part 11. From
the lower face of the horizontal part 11 and opposite the slot 12 there project hooks, 13,
which when the plates are in place pass downward through slots, 14, in the top of the
sleeper and embrace the central portion 15, thereof on which the rail rests, as shown
in Figures 9 and 11. These plates are held in place in engagement with the rail and
sleeper by wedges, 16, driven down behind the hooks, 13, through the slots 12 in the
angle-plates and those, 14, in the top of the sleeper. When these angle-plates are
used with the bearing-plates 3, shown in Figures 8 and 9, the horizontal part 11
rests on those plates and the hooks pass down through the corresponding slots in the
plate and sleeper, as does also the wedgo used to socure the angle-plates in place.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declaro that what
I claim is :
The heroin described rail-road sleeper having arms formed integral therewith and
projecting from the sides to form additional bearings for the rails, the ends of the
sleeper extending beyond the arms.
1 1980
HUGHES, ELI & HUGHES,
76, Chancery Lane, London; W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.