Improvements in Sleepers, Chairs, and Rails for Railways, Tram- ways, and other Roads where the Wheels of Vehicles are Flanged.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 4th July, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 4th Apr., 1894--Accepted, 4th July, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sleepers, Chairs, and Rails for Railways, Tram-
ways, and other Roads where the Wheels of Vehicles are
Flanged.
We ALFRED WILLIAM GREEN C.E. Assoc. M. Inst. C. E. Ireland Fellow
Surveyors Inst. 13 Park Place Conyngham Road, Dublin, HARNET JOHN
FULLER of Brunswick Chambers C.E. and JOHN LANIGAN of Brunswick
Chambers C.E., both of Dublin, aforesaid do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
Our invention consists in slotting the sleeper to admit chair which latter is also
slotted to admit rail. The rails whether of tramways or railways may after the
chairs and sleepers have been placed be readily laid taken up and relaid as required
without disturbing the roadway or the structure below the rails:- We adopt the
following construction. The rails are each made with a single bullhead with extra
deep web sufficiently wide enough to fit close into the slot made in body of
cruciform shaped chair which slot is of the same width as web of rail. The webs
of rails and slot in chairs are each grooved to receive a wedge or cotter for the
purpose of holding the rails firmly in the chairs. The groove or recess for the
reception of the wedges or cotters are located within the lower part of the chairs so
that they will clear the flanges of wheels.
According to this invention the chair is cruciform in shape the body of the cross
is slotted wide enough from top to within a certain distance off the bottom to
admit the web of rail, at the top of body it is bevelled to allow the head of rail
to rest firmly and secure; the arms will rest on the sleepers & will be secured
thereto with bolts or pins:-Where the ends of two rails meet they are secured by
an extra long chair the slot in chair acting in lieu of fish plates, the rails being
secured by a cotter or wedge as hereinbefore stated; with extra strong steel bolt
passing thro' web of rail and resting against the ends of each joint chair to prevent
creeping of rail:-By our invention difficulty arising from irregular spacing of the
hues in the rails is obviated an exact fit of the parts being obtained before laying.
Dated this 3rd day of July 1893.
ALFRED WILLIAM GREEN.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sleepers, Chairs, and Rails for Railways, Tram-
ways, and other Roads where the Wheels of Vehicles are
Flanged.
We, ALFRED WILLIAM GREEN of 13, Park Place, Conyngham Road, Dublin,
in the County of Dublin B.E. HARNET JOHN FULLER of Brunswick Chambers
C.E. and JOHN LANIGAN of Brunswick Chambers C.E. both of Dublin aforesaid,
do hereby declare the nature of this 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 has for its object certain improvements in permanent way for
railways, tramways and the like, whereby (inter alia) the necessity of holes in the
rails and the use of fish plates for the joints can be dispensed with. Our improved
system is also strong and durable and offers greater facilities for repairs, as the

page_text: trails may be readily taken up and re-laid without in any way disturbing the
roadway or the structure below the rails.
The invention will be understood from the following description, reference being
had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and numerals marked
thereon, in which,
Figure 1 is an isometric view of the improved permanent way;
Figure 2, a cross-section; and
Figure 3, a view of part of the joint chair for the retaining plate.
a,
fitted
A are the rails which are single headed and formed with a deep web
into the longitudinal slot in the chair B, this slot having approximately the same
width as the web of the rail. One or both of the adjacent sides of the rail web and
chair slots are grooved to take the keys or cotters 6 which serve to retain the rail
firmly in place. Each chair rests in a slot formed in the sleeper C, thus securing
greater expedition in laying the track, the sleepers forming by means of these slots
an absolutely accurate platelayer's gauge, and preventing any transverse movement
of the chairs independently of the sleepers. In the case of a wooden sleeper, the
sides and bottom of the slot are either pitched to prevent water from lodging, or
the vacant portion of the slot at either end of the chair is filled with wooden plugs.
The top of the chair B is bevelled to allow the head of the rail to rest firmly and
securely. Where two rails meet they are secured by an extra long chair, the slot
in this joint chair acting instead of fish plates and the rail secured at this point in
addition to the cotters 6, by a strong bolt D (Figure 3) passing transversely through
the web of the rail and resting against the ends of each joint chair to prevent the
rail creeping.
By this invention the difficulty arising from the irregular spacing of the holes in
the rails is obviated, an exact fitting of the parts being obtained before laying. It
is obvious however that fish plates may be used if desired instead of joint chairs, in
which case holes will have to be made in the rail.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
-claim is―
1. The improvement in permanent way for railways, tramways, or the like,
whereby it is more easily laid and the necessity for holes in the rails and the use of
fish plates for the joints obviated substantially as described.
2. In permanent way, forming the under surfaces of the chairs with webs or
projections, and the sleepers with grooves, in such manner that the webs or
projections on the chairs rest in or abut against these grooves substantially as and
for the purposes set forth.
3. The arrangement of the chair B and single headed rail A in combination with
means for securing the rail in place in the chair, substantially as described.
4. The general combined arrangement or construction of parts forming our
improved permanent way for railways, tramways or the like substantially as
lescribed.
Dated this 2nd day of Amil 1001
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, and London, Patent Agents.