Improvements in and connected with Railway Sleepers and Chairs.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Jan., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 4th Oct., 1898-Accepted, 26th Nov., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Railway Sleepers and Chairs.
I, JAMES WALKER, of 17, Hopwood Avenue, Eccles, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be as follows:-
-
My invention relates to combined chairs and sleepers for railways made of metal,
and adapted to supersede the existing wooden sleepers and metal chairs, in that they
can be each be removed without breaking the rail joint or disturbing other sleepers,
and are more effectual in securing the rails. In accordance with my invention I
make the chairs and sleepers in one piece, and by preference, malleable iron. The
sleeper is of plate-like section with its upper face arched transversely to produce
B fish-back effect, and so prevent rain or moisture settling on it. Along its
centre is a web, and from each chair are one or more wrought iron rods for preserv-
ing the proper gauge in case of breakage of the sleeper.
Each chair is more or less of similar appearance to the ordinary metal chair, but
the jaws are made wider (further apart), and the lowermost curve of the jaw is,
by preference, slightly higher than the upper face of the sleeper, so that with the
rail in position a wooden wedge forced or driven between the sleeper and rail,
serves to raise or tighten the rail against a fish plate, and one or more wedges
which in turn are forced against the said jaws and by reason of their greater
width or bulk cannot pass the jaws and therefore become locked in the chair and
in conjunction with the aforesaid wedge securely hold the rail in the chair.
The widening of the jaws whilst serving to secure the wedge and fish plate afore-
said also, serves to enable the chair after the wedge and plates are removed to be
lowered or "angled" away from the rail, and thus allow of renewal or repair at
any time without disturbing the rail, its joint, or other sleepers.
For the better locking of the rail I prefer to hollow out the jaws of the chair in a
way which allows of the two ends or sides only being in abutment with the wedge
or plate, but I may make them solid and to touch along their whole length.
The fish plate is, by preference, formed with a groove or with raised parts which
enables it to lock more effectually with the chair jaw and the wedge is either in one
long piece or in two short pieces.
The wooden wedge aforesaid beneath the rail whilst seeming to lock the rail also
acts as a cushion to deaden the jolt and its use is particularly advantageous where
the rail joint is made in the chair in that it cushions the jolt of the train in passing
over such joint.
It also serves to keep the rails level, altho' where a joint occurs I may employ
two wedges in one chair, or one for each rail end.
Dated this 3rd day of January 1898.
JAMES WALKER,
By J. G. Wilson & Co.,
Agents.

page_text: Improvements in and connected with Railway Sleepers and Chairs.
I, JAMES WALKER, of 17, Hopwood Avenue, Eccles, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, 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:-
My invention relates to combined chairs and sleepers for railways made of metal
and adapted to supersede the existing wooden sleepers and metal chairs.
In accordance with my invention I make the chairs and sleepers in one piece,
and, by preference of malleable iron. The sleeper is of plate-like section with its
upper face arched transversely to produce a "fish-back" effect, and so prevent rain
or moisture settling on it. Along its centre is a web and from each chair are one
or more wrought iron rods for preserving the proper gauge in case of breakage of
the sleeper.
Each chair is more or less of similar appearance to the ordinary metal chair
and the lowermost curve of the jaw is, by preference slightly higher than the upper
face of the sleeper so that with the rail in position, a wooden wedge or cushion
forced or driven between the sleeper and rail, serves to tighten the rail against a
fish-plate, and one or more wedges when used at the joint, or wedge only, or wedge
and packing strip when used at other parts, which in turn are forced against the
said jaws, and by reason of their greater width or bulk cannot pass the jaws, and
therefore become looked in the chair, and in conjunction with the aforesaid wedge
or cushion securely hold the rail in the chair.
On the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 illustrates a combined sleeper and set
of chairs constructed in accordance with my invention, and adapted for use
between the rail joints. Fig. 2 illustrates a transverse section, Fig. 3 an end
exterior view, and Fig. 4 a plan of one of the chairs of the same sleeper fitted
with, or to, a rail. Fig. 5 illustrates the form of chair as used at the rail joints,
and Figs. 6 and 7 shew the same chair in use.
Fig. 8 shews another form of the chairs as used for enabling the sleeper to be
removed from beneath the rails without breaking the rail joints.
Referring to Fig. 1, (A) is the sleeper formed in one piece with a chair at each
end, and each chair comprising jaws (B) (B¹) separate from each other, or joined
over by bridge-piece (C), as shewn in Fig. 3. Fig. 2 shews one of the chairs fitted
with a rail (D) held by wooden wedge (E), and wooden cushion (F).
The lower curve of the jaws is slightly above the level of the sleeper, hence when
a rail is dropped in, it rests upon such lower curve, and leaves a space into which
the cushion (F) may be driven, which may then form the bed of the rail, as well
as help in tightening the grip of the chair on the rail. The wedge (E) which
extends across the two sets of jaws may be inserted before, or after, the cushion (F)
is inserted, and both are driven up until the rail is tight.
When the sleepers and chairs are to be used for holding the "jointed" ends
of the rails, I form the jaws of the chairs as shewn in Fig. 5, (by preference) with-
out the bridge-piece (C), as shewn in Fig. 6, and each jaw slightly cut away to
allow room for the bolts and nuts (G) of the rail joint. The wedge (E) in this
case is (or may be) made of metal, and acts as a "fish-plate" with, or without a
packing strip (H), to make the joint. The bolt holes in the metal wedge are
drilled in correspondence with those in the rail ends and are slightly. oblong to
allow of contraction and expansion.
In Fig. 8. I shew the form of jaws and means I employ with sleepers used

page_text: between the joints, which with the soil below removed are capable of being angled
from beneath the rails without breaking the rail joint. In such case I shape the
jaws as shewn, and employ the metal packing strip or plate (H) wooden wedge (E)
and cushion (F) and by the removal of strip or plate (H¹) sufficient room is left
for the jaws to clear the lower edge of the rail when lowered and angled out from
beneath the rail.
To retain the cushion in position the face of the sleeper between the chair jawa
is fluted, roughened or provided with teeth (A') as illustrated, and the setting of
the teeth is such as to bite into the wood when the cushion tends to work loose. In
each example it will be obvious that the presence of the cushion beneath the rail
will prevent, or help to reduce the jarring or jolting of the train when passing
over the rails.
As aforesaid the upper surface of the sleeper is arched and formed with web (A³)
and may or may not be provided with a rod extending from chair to chair.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
:-
1:—A metal railway sleeper formed in one piece with jaws constituting chairs
at each end, and of the shape and proportion illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 of the
accompanying drawings, in combination with a wedge and cushion for each chair,
as set forth.
2: A railway sleeper formed in one piece with a set of jaws constituting chairs
at each end, and of the shape and proportions illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 of the
accompanying drawings in combination with a wedge and cushion for each chair,
as set forth.
3: A railway sleeper in one piece with a set of chairs of the form shewn in
Fig. 8, in combination with a packing strip (H), wedge (E), and cushion (F) for
each chair, as set forth.