IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS AND TRAMWAYS
Year: 1885

page_text: I THOMAS CORNISH of Jewry Street in the City of London, Mining Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS AND TRAMWAYS" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a simple and economical construction of permanent
way more particularly suitable for Military, Contractors and other light, railways
and Tramways it being composed of few parts is light and composed of being
easily and rapidly laid and transported and requires no separate sleepers for
supporting the rails except in special cases such as when carried on girders or
bridges over watercourses and the like.
According to my said invention I form in one piece with the rail which may be
of the bridge or other section grooved or plain on the surface longitudinal flanges or
cheeks one on each side of the lower part of the rail inclining outwards and down-
wards at an angle of about 45 % so as to form a combined hollow A shaped
longitudinal sleeper and rail which is simply embedded in the soil so as to become
thoroughly packed therewith inside. Cross ties are secured at suitable intervals to
the said combined longitudinal sleeper and rail to maintain the guage and sockets
or hooks are formed on or attached to the cross ties or to the inclined flanges
forming the base of the combined sleeper and rail for the reception of underground
telegraph wires so that in the event of any of the rails being destroyed or removed
the consequent breaking of the conductors will at once make known the fact at
headquarters. The combined sleepers and rails may be supported and strengthened
at the joints by inserting A or saddle shaped fish plates therein bolted or otherwise
secured to the inclined flanges of the base or in lieu of metal fish plates fishes of
wood of a solid A section corresponding to the transverse section of the bottom of
the rail base may be employed.

page_text: Tramways.
I THOMAS CORNISH of 6 Jewry Street in the City of London Mining Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of the said invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:―
This Invention relates to a simple and economical construction of permanent
way more particularly suitable for Military, Contractors and other light Railways
and Tramways and consists in the use of a peculiar and special form or section of
sleeper and rail in one constituting a combined longitudinal trough shaped metal
sleeper and bridge or solid rail without central web, in combination with a
peculiar arrangement of and mode of fixing the cross ties thereto. In the peculiar
section above referred to the head of the rail has a deep inclined bearing flange
rolled longitudinally on each side thereof at just sufficient distance below its
upper surface to afford clearance for the flange of the wheel the said inclined
bearing flanges extending outwards and downwards from the rail head at an angle
of about 45° so as to form a hollow longitudinal A shaped base suitable for being
embedded direct in, and packed internally by the soil or ballast. The special
advantages presented by the peculiar form or section of combined rail and sleeper
referred to above and hereinafter more particularly described in reference to the
drawings annexed, are greater facility of rolling and economy in the cost of
manufacture, also increased stability of the permanent way by the lowering of the
centre of gravity of the direct load bearing parts thereof. The cross ties by which
the guage of my said improved permanent way is maintained are connected
directly with the said inclined bearing flanges by passing through openings made
therein, boss washers inclined at one end to suit the inclination of the said inclined
bearing flanges being fitted onto the cross ties which are tightened up by nuts or
keys. In those cases where underground telegraph wires are to be laid alongside
the improved permanent way I form some of the said boss washers with hooks or
hangers constituting sockets for the reception of the shoes or insulators of the
conductors so that in the event of the way becoming displaced or destroyed the
consequent breaking of the conductors will at once make known the fact at head-
quarters. The said combined bridge rails and hollow A shaped longitudinal
sleepers may be supported and strengthened at the joints by inserting into the
hollow of the rail base saddle or A shaped metal fish plates fitting the interior
thereof and bolted or otherwise secured to the inclined flanges, or in lieu of metal
fish plates solid fishes of wood corresponding in transverse section to the interior of
the rail base may be employed.
Fig. 1 of the drawings annexed is a transverse vertical section of my improved
permanent way complete, and fig. 2 is a similar view on a larger scale of one of
the combined bridge rail sleepers showing the connection therewith of the cross tie
and its boss washers with hanger or bracket for carrying the insulators of an
underground telegraph wire.

page_text: A is the rail which may consist of a hollow bridge rail or of a solid rail without
central web, as indicated by the dotted lines in fig. 1. This rail may be either
plain on the surface as shewn or grooved according as it is required for a Railway
or a Tramway. A¹ A¹ are the two outwardly and downwardly inclined bearing
flanges rolled in one with the rail head and starting from near the tread or upper
surface of the rail and having openings a a therein for the passage of the ends of
the cross tie here shewn as screwed and tightened up by means of the nuts F.
G G¹ are the boss washers by preference of malleable iron inclined on their inner
faces to accord with the inclination of the flanges A' A¹. One of these washers G¹
is represented as formed with a hook or hanger C for carrying the pottery shoe or
insulator D for an underground telegraph wire or conductor E as shewn also in
face elevation by the dotted lines at Fig. 3.
The hereinbefore describd permanent way is composed of few parts is light and
capable of being easily and rapidly laid and transported, will pack into a small
space for shipment the combined rails and sleepers fitting one inside the other, and
requires no separate sleepers for supporting the rails except in special cases such
as when carried on girders or bridges over watercourses and the like.
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:-
A permanent way composed of combined longitudinal trough shaped metal
sleepers and bridge rails of the peculiar section specified connected by cross ties
attached directly to the inclined bearing flanges which constitute the hollow
sleeper base of each rail in the manner herein before described and illustrated by
the drawings annexed.