Year: 1888

page_text: I HENRY HIPKINS, of Belvue Hotel, Congreve Street, Birmingham in the County.
of Warwick, Boiler Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention
to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object improvements in sleepers which are specially
applicable for light railways or tramways such for instance as Colliery work where
the speed is slow and horse power is generally used but the principle would be the
same for heavier traffic.
I make my sleepers from a sheet or strip of metal say steel wrought iron or other
wrought metal and I press it in moulds so as to have its edges turned down and
when necessary its back curved over or corrugated longitudinally. At each end I
provide hook clips or jaws for the rail by pressing upwards two ears or projecting lips
out of the solid inetal in such a manner that the rail will slide in under the lips or the
sleepers are threaded upon the rails. These lips or jaws may be strengthened by
corrugations or brackets also pressed up out of the hollow at the back of each jaw
which greatly stiffens them. A centre strip is left upon which the rail rests as well as
upon the metal at each side of the sleeper. I thus dispense with all rivets or loose
parts and obtain a cheap sleeper at a minimum cost.
Dated this 22nd day of February 1888.
GEORGE BARKER,
77, Colmore Row, Birmingham,
Agent for Applicant.

page_text: I, HENRY HIPKINS of Belvue Hotel Congreve Street Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Boiler Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
My invention has for its object improvements in sleepers which are specially
applicable for light railways or tramway's such for instance as Colliery work where the
speed is slow and horse power is generally used but the principle would be the same
for heavier traffic.
I make my sleepers from sheet or strip of metal say steel wrought iron or other
wrought metal and I press it in moulds so as to have its edges turned down and when
necessary its back curved over or corrugated longitudinally. At each end I provide
hook clips or jaws for the rail by pressing upwards two ears or projecting lips out of
the solid metal in such a manner that the rail will slide in under the lips or the
sleepers are threaded upon the rails these lips or jaws may be strengthened by
corrugations or brackets also pressed up out of the hollow at the back of each jaw
which greatly stiffens them. A centre strip is left upon which the rail rests as well as
upon the metal at each side of the sleeper. I thus dispense with all rivets or loose
parts and obtain a cheap sleeper at a minimum cost.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood and more easily carried into
practical effect, I have appended hereunto a double sheet of drawings upon which I
have shown five figures which illustrate the same in several forms, which will enable.
others to adapt the principle to the varying conditions met with in practice such for
instance as sandy or stony ballast or for Railways Tramways or Colliery purposes.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a sleeper E showing the end of each rail C and C
in position.
Figure 2, is a plan of the sleeper E without the rails C and C in order that the
strip e may be more clearly seen.
Figure 3 is an actual section of the sleeper through A. B. shewing the bent
edges e and e³ and the single centre corrugation e*.
Figure 4 is a similar section to the previous figure but shows how two corruga-
tions and may be made instead of one and it will be well understood that more
than two corrugations may be easily made with suitable tools.
Figure 5 shows one end of a sleeper only i.e. with the contre part cut out as metal
may thus be sometimes saved that is by using only occasionally a long sleeper as
shown by Figures 1 and 2 and also sometimes the pieces Figure 5 may be fastened to
wood sleepers by the holes e or a tie bar or strip of metal may be used to connect the
two for the purpose of maintaining an accurate gauge.
These sleepers are made from one piece of metal the jaws es, es, elo and being
stamped out and raised from the plate in a suitable press hydraulic or otherwise.
When these jaws are so raised a cross slip e' is left to connect the two sides of the

page_text: sleeper for stability and bearing for the base of the rail and this strip may be hollowed
or corrugated lengthwise to stiffen it to prevent any buckling when a hammer is used
to knock it on or off the rail. The ribs e¹² are raised for the purpose of stiffening the
jaws e, es, elo, ell, and there may be one two or more of them according to design and
the number of corrugations in the sleeper. The ends e¹³, e¹, may also be turned down
to hold the ballast when required and in the case of Figure 5 all the edges may be
turned down. It will thus be seen that there are gaps K in the sleeper under the
rail which remain from pressing up the jaws but these are covered by the rail which
takes its bearing upon the two outer edges of the sleeper whether short or long. I
prefer making the sleepers from soft steel but of course other suitable metal capable
of being worked be used.
may
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
The improvements in sleepers made from one piece of metal and having the jaws
cut out and raised therefrom so as to leave a centro stiffening strip e' as and for the
purpose herein set forth and shown upon the drawings.
Dated this 10th day of February 1888.
GEORGE BARKER,
77, Colmore Row, Birmingham,
Agent for Applicant.