IMPROVEMENTS IN IRON SLEEPERS AND FASTENINGS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, WILLIAM EVERARD PEDLEY, Associate Member of the Institution of Civil
Engineers of Karachi, Sind, India, do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN IRON SLEEPERS AND FASTENINGS to be as follows:-
I form a rectangular steel plate into the shape shewn in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 in
attached sheet of drawings, by first pressing it between die and matrix by means
of which the final shape is arrived at except that the middle portion K to L
Figs. 1 and 2 is of the section shewn in dotted lines in Fig. 3 in order to enable it to
be lifted off the matrix; the ends of this U shaped section are then closed up and
riveted together, as shewn in Figs. 1 and 3. In this way are formed two bowl
sleepers with a strong connection all in one piece.
Figs. 6 and 7 exhibit a sleeper designed for a 2 feet gauge railway in which the
narrowness of the gauge causes the two bowl portions almost to meet, the con-
necting part being very short and consequently only requiring one rivet at the
centre; otherwise the two bowls are similar in shape to those for the 5'-6" sleeper.
The cant to the rails may be given in the same way as in Fig. 1 if desired. The
method of manufacture is the same as for the larger sleeper; the sleepers are pressed
from cold plates.
Fig. 1 exhibits also the fastening the peculiarity of which is that the portion of
the clip between the rail foot and the bolt is inch at N and 3 inch at M. Now
if the nuts be unscrewed and the positions of the clips be reversed the rail will be
moved outwards by the difference between inch and 18inch-viz inch-and
the gauge will consequently be widened by that amount; by this simple operation
the gauge on curves of large radius can be increased inch and if the clips are
reversed at both rails the gauge will be widened inch which is sufficient for the
sharpest curves on most lines; in special cases if a total increase of gauge of inch
be required on curves the difference of inch should be increased to
inch.
The bolts which hold the clips have square shanks fitting square holes in the
washer plate.

page_text: I, WILLIAM EVERARD PEDLEY, Associate Member of the Institution of Civil
Engineers, of Karachi, Sind, India do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN IRON SLEEPERS AND RAIL FASTENERS and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
(1) I press a rectangular steel plate or bar between die and matrix to the
'finished shape shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, except that the central or connecting
piece KL (Figs. 1 and 2) has the shape shewn by dotted lines in Fig. 3 when the
operation of pressing is finished so as to enable it to be lifted off the matrix; the
lower edges of this section are subsequently brought together and riveted.
(2) The sleeper shewn in Figs. 1 and 2 has a portion under each rail so pressed
as to tilt the rails inward 1 in 20, but it is not claimed that this is novel.
The ordinary cast iron chairs used with wooden sleepers may be bolted to these
sleepers to take the double headed rail in which case the top of the sleeper should
be pressed flat, the tilt being given by the ordinary chair. A piece of tarred felt
or canvass should be inserted between the chair and the sleeper.
(3) The rail fasteners shewn in Figs. 1 and 2 consist of simple clips and bolts;
the bolts have square shanks fitting square holes in the washer plate and sleeper,
so that they can be tightened up from above.
(4) The outside clip (M Fig. 1) measures half an inch from the edge of the rail
foot to the bolt hole, but the inside clip (N Fig. 1) only measures inch from the
edge of the rail foot to the bolt hole. Consequently if both clips be taken off and
their positions reversed, the inside clip being put outside, and the outside clip
inside, the rail will be moved outwards by the difference between the widths of the
clips-viz it will be moved outwards inch, and the gauge will be widened to this
extent. If the same be done to the clips holding the other rail the gauge will be
widened also inch at that side making a maximum extension of inch; if the
difference be made inch the maximum extension becomes inch.
the gauge can be widened for use on curves.
In this way
(5) Figs. 6 and 7 shew a sleeper for a narrow gauge of 2 feet; in this case the
connecting piece is necessarily very short, but in other respects the shape is the
same except that as many narrow gauge lines are laid without any tilt being given
to the rails the top of the sleeper is shewn flat.
(6) Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
I. The shape of the sleeper as described above and shewn in the attached sheet
of drawings consisting essentially of two wide bowl like portions under the rails
connected by a narrow piece which has no appreciable bearing on the ballast, the
whole being formed from a single piece of steel.
II. The method of widening the gauge for use on curves by means of two clips
of slightly different widths, as described above in para 4.
+
Dated this tenth day of December 1885.