AN IMPROVE- MENT IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS to be as follows:
Year: 1884

page_text: I, WILLIAM ROBERT ROWAN of N° 1 Brückenallec, Berlin, in the German Empire,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for "AN IMPROVE-
MENT IN THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS to be as follows:-
"
The
My invention relates to a construction of permanent way for railways, consisting
of a bridge rail secured to a longitudinal sleeper in the following manner.
sleeper is rolled with a depression or hollow along its middle or preferably a little
to one side of its middle line, this depression being of sufficient depth to give the
required amount of stiffness, the bridge rail that is fixed on the sleeper being not
necessarily of a strong section. At suitable distances along the rail, holes are
drilled or punched through its two sides, and a cross bar is passed through theso
holes and also through the eye of a vertical bolt which extends down through a
hole of the sleeper and is secured by corrugated cotters or by a screw nut under the
sleeper.
To prevent the rail from shifting laterally on the sleeper, the latter is rolled'
with a lip projecting upwards on each side of its depression, and these two lips
enter into the hollow of the bridge-rail and serve to steady it laterally. In many
parts of the length of the rail and sleeper, where there is no jointing of either, tho
rail may be secured to the sleeper by rivets or bolts passed through holes in the
flanges of the rail and through the wings of the sleeper, the fixing above described
being retained at or near the junctions of the lengths.
The bridge rail and the sleeper with its longitudinal hollow, secured together as
above described, form by their combination a rail having the character of a box
girder, the upper member of which need not be heavy and can therefore be cheaply
replaced when worn.
Dated this Oth dow of Contambon 1001
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant,
28, Southampton Buildings,
London, W.C.

page_text: I, WILLIAM ROBERT ROWAN of N° 1 Brückenallee, Berlin, in the German Empire,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN
THE PERMANENT WAY OF RAILWAYS," and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The
My invention relates to a construction of permanent way for railways, consisting
of a bridge rail secured to a longitudinal sleeper in the following manner.
sleeper is rolled with a depression or hollow along its middle or preferably a little
to one side of its middle line, this depression being of sufficient depth to give the
required amount of stiffness, the bridge rail that is fixed on the sleeper being not
necessarily of a strong section. At suitable distances along the rail, holes are
drilled or punched through its two sides, and a cross bar is passed through these.
boles and also through the eye of a vertical bolt which extends down through a
hole of the sleeper and is secured by corrugated cotters or by a screw-nut under
the sleeper.
To prevent the rail from shifting laterally on the sleeper, the latter is rolled with
a lip projecting upwards on each side of its depression, and these two lips enter
into the hollow of the bridge rail and serve to steady it laterally. In many parts
of the length of the rail and sleeper where there is no jointing of either, the rail
may be secured to the sleeper by rivets or bolts passed through-holes in the flanges
of the rail and through the wings of the sleeper, the fixing above described being
retained at or near the junctions of the lengthis.
The bridge rail and the sleeper with its longitudinal hollow, secured together as
above described, form by their combination a rail having the character of a box
girder, the upper member of which need not be heavy, and can therefore be cheaply
replaced when worn.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings shews a cross section and fig. 2 shews n
part longitudinal section of the above described improved permanent way.
A is
the bridge rail and B the longitudinal sleeper formed like an inverted bridge rail,
with projecting ribs e, e, that enter the hollow of the rail A, and are pressed firmly
against the sides thereof when the two parts are secured together by screws, bolts
and keys or rivets. In the drawing the connection of the two parts is shewn
effected by means of bolts D hung on pins r inserted through holes in the rail and
passing through holes in the sleeper B, below which they are secured by keys k
or by screw nuts, so as to tie the two parts firmly together.
By increasing the depth of the trough of the sleeper, the transverse strength of
the combined parts can be increased to any desired extent, while the rail itself need
not project above the sleeper to a greater height than is necessary for the flange of
the carriage wheel to clear the latter, even when the rail is worn to the maximum
extent. The sleeper may with advantage be made of greater width at n, on the
inner side of the rail, than on the outer side at n¹, as the pressure of the wheel is
generally greater on that side. These surfaces may also be made with a curvature.
Fig. 3 shews a modification in which the trough of the sleeper is made of a less
depth, the requisite strength being imparted by means of a rib p projecting down

page_text: from the underside thereof. The bolt d is in this case formed forked, as shewn, so
as to pass down on each side of the rib p, the keys k being passed through slots in
the latter, or the bolt might be extended so that the keys bear against the underside
of the rib.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1, Constructing the permanent way of railways of a bridge rail combined with
a longitudinal sleeper having a trough, on each side of which are ribs that enter
the hollow of the rail substantially as herein described, with reference to fig. 1 of
the drawings.
2, In the combined bridge rail and sleeper referred to in the preceding claim, the
provision of a rib extending downwards below the trough of the sleeper substantially
as herein described with reference to fig. 3 of the drawings.
3, In the combined bridge rail and sleeper referred to in the preceding claims,
securing the two parts together by means of a bolt D, suspended from a pin r
passing through the rail and secured to the sleeper by means of keys, screw-nuts
or other fastenings.