Improvements in Railway Permanent Way.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 4th May, 1895-Accepted, 8th June, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Permanent Way.
We, FRIEDRICH PFEIFFER, District Builder, and CARL LIER, Wood
Merchant, both of 63 Harzstrasse, Walkenried, Germany, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
In the construction of railways it has hitherto been impossible to efficiently
secure the rails against shifting and displacement. Whether in the case of cross
or longitudinal sleepers, the external influences exercise the same shifting effect
upon the superstructure. The present invention overcomes this drawback, shifting
of the superstructure being prevented, not by use, as in previous railway
constructions, a relatively thin layer of gravel or sand, but by laying under the
rails a double track of concrete imbedded in sand, in which track the cross sleepers
In this way the sleepers are by fastenings, which take up the pulling and
pressing effect, united to a rigid inflexible whole.
rest.
In the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1 shows a cross-section through a part of the super- and sub-structures,
Fig. 2 shows a plan view of the railway track ;
Fig. 3 shows a cross-section of the same;
Fig. 4 shows the manner of setting the fish-plates in the concrete blocks.
e
As is shown in Fig. 3, underneath each rail is a substructure a of trapezoidal
cross section. This is formed in suitable manner of concrete blocks, and has
formed in it at certain distances, drain-channels f, running slantingly towards the
outside. These carry away the rain-water, which falling between the concrete
tracks aa, runs through the gravel filling k, lying on the roof-shaped concrete
layer e. The concrete layer keeps the tracks a in place. The tops of the
concrete tracks a a, which protrude somewhat less than the thickness of a sleeper
above the sand, are grooved out at suitable distances, for the reception of the
cross-sleepers e. These project only a small fraction of their thickness above the
surface of the concrete blocks a a, so that the rails nowhere lie directly upon
the concrete tracks, whereby firstly, the shock of a railway-train running over it,
bas no direct effect upon the foundation, and secondly, the necessary elasticity of
the rails is preserved. The separate concrete blocks are secured together by dove-
tail shaped wedges d. Some of the sleepers are constructed and set in special
manner. They are made in a dove-tail form, and as g g in Fig. 2 shows, are let
into the concrete tracks. It is obvious that sleepers of this description cannot
possibly undergo any lateral movement. The rails are moreover especially secured
from shifting by the suitably formed fish-plates l. As Figs. 1, 2 and 4 show, the
fish-plates are provided with two lugs hh, between which the cross sleeper g lies,
and which as Fig. 4 shows are let into the concrete foundation. By means of
hese fish-plates, which are fastened into the concrete and lie against the sleepers g,
hifting of the rails in any direction whatever is prevented.
Dated this Fourth day of August 1894.
FRIEDRICH PFEIFFER.
CARL LIER.

page_text: way
We, FRIEDRICH PFEIFFER, District Builder and CARL LIER, Wood
Merchant, both of 63 Harzstrasse, Walkenried, Germany, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what mauner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
In the construction of railways it has hitherto been impossible to efficiently
secure the rails against shifting and displacement. Whether in the case of cross
or longitudinal sleepers, the external influences exercise the same shifting effect
upon the superstructure. The present invention overcomes this drawback,
shifting of the superstructure being prevented not by using, as in previous railway
constructions, a relatively thin layer of gravel or sand, but by laying under the
rails a double track of concrete imbedded in sand, in which track the cross
sleepers rest. In this way the sleepers are by fastenings, which take up the pulling
and pressing effect, united to a rigid inflexible whole.
In the drawings, which are left with the Provisional Specification and to which
reference is taken hereafter
Fig. 1 shows a cross-section through a part of the super and substructures.
Fig. 2 shows a plan view of the railway track.
Fig. 3 shows a cross-section of the same.
Fig. 4 shows the manner of setting the fish-plates in the concrete blocks.
As is shown in Fig. 3, underneath each rail is a substructure a of trapezoidal
cross-section. This is formed in suitable manner of concrete blocks, and has
formed in it at certain distances, drain-channels, running slantingly towards the
outside. These carry away the rain-water, which falling between the concrete
tracks a a, runs through the gravel filling k, lying on the roof-shaped concrete
layer e. The concrete layer e keeps the tracks a in place. The tops of the
concrete tracks a u, which protrude somewhat less than the thickness of a sleeper
above the sand, are grooved out at suitable distances, for the reception of the
cross-sleepers c. These project only a small fraction of their thickness above the
surface of the concrete blocks a u, so that the rails nowhere lie directly upon
the concrete tracks, whereby firstly, the shock of a railway-train running over it,
has no direct effect upon the concrete foundation, and secondly, the necessary
elasticity of the rails is preserved. The separate concrete blocks are secured
together by dove-tail shaped wedges d. Some of the sleepers are constructed and
set in special manner. They are made in a dove-tail form, and as g g in Fig. 2
shows, are let into the concrete tracks. It is obvious that sleepers of this
description cannot possibly undergo any lateral movement. The rails are more-
over especially secured from shifting by the suitable formed fish-plates . As
Figs. 1, 2 and 4 show, the fish-plates are provided with two lugs hh, between
which the cross sleeper g lies, and which, as Fig. 4 shows, are let into the concrete
foundation. By means of these fish-plates, which are fastened into the concrete
and lie against the sleepers g, shifting of the rails in any direction whatever is
prevented.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :
Railway superstructure for preventing displacement of the rails, formed by two
continuously running concrete tracks a a, which are made of cast concrete blocks.

page_text: secured by dove-tail wedges d, and the sleepers 9 which serve for stiffening, as
also the concrete layer e and the two lugs h of the fish-plates let into the blocks,
as set forth.
Dated this 26th day of April 1895.
FRIEDRICH PFEIFFER.
CARL LIER.