IMPROVEMENTS IN SLEEPERS AND RAIL CONNECTIONS OR ATTACHMENTS CHIEF LI ArruCADLE TOD PORTABLE RAILWAYS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Julius Boult of the firm of W. P. Thompson &
Boult, Agents for Foreign Patent Solicitors, of 323 High Holborn in the
county of Middlesex Engineer for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN
"
LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Julius Boult of the firm of W. P. Thompson &
Boult, Agents for Foreign Patent Solicitors, of 323 High Holborn in the
county of Middlesex Engineer for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN
SLEEPERS AND RAIL CONNECTIONS OR ATTACHMENTS CHIEF LI ArruCADLE TOD
PORTABLE RAILWAYS
"
a communication from Paul Dietrich of Berlin in the
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Julius Boult at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th March 1883.
Alfred Julius BOULT, of the firm of W. P. Thompson & Boult Agents for
Foreign Patent Solicitors of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, "IMPROVEMENTS IN SLEEPERS AND RAIL CONNECTIONS OR ATTACH-
MENTS CHIEFLY APPLICABLE FOR PORTABLE RAILWAYS" [a communication from
Paul Dietrich of Berlin in the German Empire]
This invention relates to improvements in transverse sleepers of steel or iron for
the lines of permanent or of portable railways and in connection therewith the
use of plates which are fixed on these sleepers and serve to retain the rails at the
joints
The figure of the sleeper is composed of straight lines with the corners rounded
if required and in transverse section appears like two V's depending from a plate
or web at the top. It consequently presents two V grooves at the upper surface
and two triangular ribs at the under surface. A sleeper of this kind may be rolled
and it will have great strength whilst being lighter than those commonly used. It
can readily be used at sidings and shunts by cutting suitable lengths thereof. It
moreover presents a large even bearing surface to the rail and its ribs which enter
into the soil prevent the shifting in a longitudinal direction of the "frames" formed
therewith and thus the connection of these "frames" by rivets, bolts or screws may
be dispensed with.
These "frames," principally designed for portable railways may consist each of
two sleepers such as described and two lengths of rail fixed thereon; they are so

page_text: arranged that, when the line is to be laid down, the ends of the rails meet on the
sleepers and "break joint" with one another, the sleepers being at the end of the
frames so that at each joint two sleepers are close to one another. It is preferred to
have plates, on the one line of rails all on the inside those on the other line being
all on the outside of the line. These plates are placed at the joints of the rails and
serve to steady the same; they have a flat part which bears on the sleeper and a
curved part brought up over the foot and against the web of the rail; they, and
also the rails are secured to the sleepers. The plates may however be placed either
outside or inside the track as required.
This manner of arranging the sleepers and of fixing the rails prevents side motion
or rising of the frames whilst affording sufficient play to the rails.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alfred Julius Boult in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th September 1883.
ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of the firm of W. P. Thompson and Boult, Agents for
Foreign Patent Solicitors of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, "IMPROVEMENTS IN SLEEPERS AND RAIL-CONNECTIONS OR ATTACH-
MENTS CHIEFLY APPLICABLE FOR PORTABLE RAILWAYS," a communication from
Paul Dietrich of Berlin in the German Empire,
The invention hereinafter described relates to certain improvements in the
outline or figure of iron or steel transverse sleepers for the permanent way of
portable or other railways and in connection therewith the providing of fish-plates
fixed on these sleepers and serving to hold the sections of rail at their meeting
point as the strain upon the metals produced by the rolling stock is greatest at
these parts.
In the accompanying drawings there is shown in
Fig 1. a partial longitudinal section of two frames pushed together
Fig. 2 the transverse section of the frame inside of a sleeper where two rail
sections meet.
Fig. 3 the top view of several frames shown broken.
Fig. 4 transverse section and part of the plow of a sleeper full size,
Figs. 5 and 6 show the method of fishing in transverse section and plan;
Fig 7 top view and transverse section of the fishplates when both are fixed on
one sleeper.
The transverse section of this iron sleeper is as may be seen in fig 4 composed
of straight lines. The angles or corners thereby produced on the inside are
rounded. The sleeper rolled to this form has greater stability than those heretofore
known whilst its weight is less; it can be used without difficulty or disadvantage
at sidings or crossings and it will only be necessary to cut the lengths into proper
sizes. These sleepers present a broad flat bearing surface to the rail and prevent
by their ribs which enter the ground the longitudinal shifting of the frames, so as
to enable two frames to be united rivets bolts or screws being dispensed with.
The method of fishing the points of junction is shown in various forms in Figs 2,
3, 6 and 7.
I (Fig 3) is a frame represented detached from the rest.
II and III are two frames pushed together, the rails meet in S.
IV is one end of a frame placed in readiness to be pushed home.
The two meeting points S S of the rails, shown to "break joint," are, in the
arrangement here represented supported on two sleepers closely adjoining one
another.
On one line of rails the fish plates L are all placed on the outside, on the other
line of rails the fish plates L' are fixed on the inner side of the line.
If the frame II receives lateral pressure in the direction of the arrow, then its
lateral displacement is prevented by the fish plate L and by pressure of the rail T
in a direction opposite to that of the arrow.
As it is necessary where the ground is somewhat uneven and in curves of long
radius (for curves of short radius special curved-rails are provided) that the rails
should have a certain freedom of movement at the meeting points, so that the line
with its meeting points forms a broken line, some "play" is left at r fig 5, which
moreover serves to facilitate the insertion of the rail between fish plate and sleeper.
The manner of putting one frame to the other, which one man can effect alone, is
shown in dotted lines in Fig 3 by the frames III and IV, V and VI.

page_text: In fig 7 a modification of this arrangement is shown; it indicates the placing of
the two fish plates on the end-sleeper passing round the rail bottom or fooot either
from the outside or the inside and this construction may in some cases be used
instead of the fishing above described, particularly for straight or but slightly
curved lines.
Having now fully described the nature of the said invention and the manner of
performing the same as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, I wish
it to be understood, that what I claim and desire to protect under the herein before
in part recited Letters Patent is:
First: The construction of railway sleepes of steel or iron having the sectional
form shown in Fig 4.
Second: The construction of the' connection at the points where the rails meet,
by means of two fish plates placed out of line with one another so as to "break
joints" and parallel with the rails so as to prevent any single frame shifting side-
ways or upwards and to produce a safe and yet loose longitudinal connection of the
rails substantially as shown and described.
Third: The construction of the frame in which the rails are placed so as to
"break joint" in a longitudinal direction.
Fourth. The employment of the fish plates L on the end-sleeper of the frame
both fish-plates embracing the rail foot either from outside or from the inside,
substantially as shown in Fig 7,
In witness whereof I the said Alfred Julius Boult have hereunto set my hand
and seal this eighth day of September in the year of Our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty three
DAZ3