Improvements relating to the Attachment of Rails to Sleepers.
Year: 1895

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Attachment of Rails to Sleepers.
I, ARTHUR KOPPEL, of No. 32, Dorotheen-Strasse, Berlin N.W., Prussia, in
the Empire of Germany, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows ==
My invention relates to the attachment of rails to sleepers in, the construction.
of railways, and its object is so to arrange the means of attachment employed as
to enable the line to be either shifted, or divided or carried from place to place in
a simple and easy manner, whenever required; the characteristic feature of the
novel method of attachment being, that it enables screws to be altogether
dispensed with.
In carrying out this invention it has been assumed that the sleepers made use
of are of an undulating shape and having therefore longitudinal grooves. Now
the essential feature of the invention consists in locating resilient keys or locking
devices in these grooves or what may be called "saddles" in such a manner that
one end of each key surrounds or embraces that portion of the flange of the rail
which is directed towards the centre of the track, while its other end with a
yielding pressure grasps the edge of the sleeper; that portion of the flange or
base of the rail which is directed outwardly, being arranged to bear against
projections raised on the sleeper.
The said key or locking device referred to may be of a flat, semi-circular or
triangular shape, according to the configuration of the "saddles" or grooves of
the sleeper in which it is to be laid. Where such key is of semicircular shape, the
rail will rest upon its edges, and the pressure to which the rail is subjected as a
carriage or train passes over it results in a tendency on the part of the key to
exchange its semi-circular shape for a flat shape, whereby such key is with.
increased firmness embedded in, or forced into, its "saddle."
The extremity of the key which embraces the flange or base of the rail is.
turned upwardly, the extremity of the key which embraces the edge of the sleeper
may be turned downwardly or upwardly and may have the shape of a dove-tail
hook or of a simple hook or of a nose.
The projections on the sleeper, against which the outward portion of the flange
of the rail rests, may be integral with the sleeper; or may be inserted into the
same as a separate piece, say of an angular shape. The nose of the key may
also embrace the edge of this angular piece.
The method of attachment of rails herein described is particularly suited for
railways laid across fields, forests and the like, where it may be necessary to
alter the position of the line or to take it to pieces with a view to transferring
it from one spot to another.
Dated this 20th day of April 1805

page_text: Improvements relating to the Attachment of Rails to Sleepers.
I, ARTHUR KOPPEL of 32 Dorotheen-Strasse, Berlin N.W., Prussia, in the
Empire of Germany, Manufacturer, 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 means for attaching rails to sleepers chiefly designed for
use in the construction of portable railways, such for instance as field or forest
railways, the lines being so arranged that they can be easily mounted or dismounted
and transported from one point to another in the shortest possible time, the said
means of attachment consisting of the smallest number of parts and so constructed
that the usual screws are dispensed with.
In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated several constructional forms of
the invention, in which the groove provided in the sleeper in direction of its length,
is semi-circular.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of one form or arrangement of rail securing device
constructed according to my invention.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is a sectional plan of Figure 1.
Figures 4 and 5 are detail views of a modified form of the wedge.
Figures 6 and 7 are views showing the arrangement of recesses in the sleeper
with which the said wedge is adapted to engage.
Figure 8 is a vertical section of a modified form of the rail securing device.
Figure 9 is a transverse section of the sleeper showing the rail and retaining
pieces in elevation.
Figure 10 is a vertical section similar to Figure 8 but taken on a different plane
and showing the retaining piece and the projection thereon in section.
Figure 11 is a plan of the retaining piece for securing the rail against outward
displacement.
Figure 12 is a vertical section of another form or modification of the rail
securing device.
Figure 13 is a side elevation of the same.
Figure 14 is a partial transverse section of the sleeper showing a modified form
of wedge.
Figure 15 is a plan of the said wedge.
Figure 16 is a vertical section of a further modified form of rail securing
device.
Figures 17 and 18 are transverse sections through the sleeper.
Figure 19 is a plan of the wedge shown in Figure 16.
Figure 20 is a vertical section of another modified form of rail securing
device.
Figure 21 is a side elevation of the same.
°
Figure 22 is a vertical section of another form of rail retaining device.
Figure 23 is a similar section but taken on a different plane and
Figure 24 is a side elevation of Figure 22.
In the constructional form, shown in Figures 12 and 3 the wedge a for fixing
the rail upon the sleeper is substantially semi-circular in cross section and the outer
convex surface thereof closely fits the longitudinal groove in the sleeper, the edges
of the said wedge being in the same plane as the surface of the said sleeper. The
wedge is made of steel of good springing or yielding power and the extremity a¹
which is situated inside or between the rails is bent in such a manner as to bear

page_text: with its edges upon the foot of the rail. The opposite or outer extremity of the
wedge is made of the shape of a fork, the prongs of which terminate in downwardly
projecting noses b¹.
If the wedge is driven below the foot of the rail through the groove provided
in the sleeper, the downwardly projecting noses b grip or embrace the outer edge
of the sleeper so as to prevent the lateral displacement of the rail toward the
inside of the track. The rail is secured against lateral displacement toward the
outside by means of retaining pieces o which are turned outward from the body of
the sleeper in an upward direction and grip over the outer part of the rail foot.
In a modified form of the wedge a shown in Figures 4 and 5, the latter instead of
being made fork-shaped may have its extremity made full and slightly pointed.
The said pointed extremity of the wedge a is provided with a downwardly
projecting nose b, which instead of embracing the edge of the sleeper, may
engage with a recess in the longitudinal groove of the said sleeper. This recess
may be produced by forming a depression in the metal of the sleeper, as illustrated
at d, Figure 6 or by cutting through and forcing out the metal from the body
of the sleeper as shown at din Figure 7.
Referring to the modification shown in Figures 8, 9, 10 and 11, the retaining-
piece is of angular shape, so as to bear against the web of the rail, the said
retaining piece is connected to the transverse sleeper by means of hooks or
projections which engage into recesses e in the sleeper. A hook and a recess is
provided at each side of the longitudinal groove of the sleeper as will be seen from
Figure 9. In this constructional form a curved recess d is provided at the
extremity of the transverse sleeper, into which engages the downwardly projecting
nose 6 of the wedge when this latter is driven home.
In the constructional form of the rail securing device as shown in Figures 12-15,
the wedge a³ instead of being made of the same shape as the groove in the sleeper,
is made in the form of a rod, the pointed and slightly downwardly bent extremity
of which is provided with the upwardly projecting nose 63. The retaining
piece is in this case rivetted to the sleeper.
In a modified form, shown in Figure 16, the body of the wedge a is bent down
upon itself and the end bent upward to a suitable angle to engage the foot of the
rail, the opposite extremity of the said wedge being directed toward the centre of
the track. The downwardly projecting nose 61 of the said wedge engages in a
recess in the sleeper, which recess is produced by cutting and turning up the metal
of the sleeper as at f, Figure 16.
Figure 17 shows a vertical section through the sleeper and wedge; and Figure 18
is a vertical section through the recess at f.
In the modification shown in Figures 20 and 21 the wedge is also made rod
shaped and the downwardly projecting nose b, provided at its extremity, embraces
the edge of a plate c which unites the horizontal arms of the angular retaining
piece to form one piece therewith the said plate being bent to the form of the
groove of the sleeper.
In the modification shown in Figures 22, 23 and 24 the upwardly projecting
nose of the wedge a³ embraces the edge of a single retaining piece cⓇ held in
position in the sleeper by means of ribs of and hooks which engage into recesses
provided in the said sleeper.
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 :-
1. The attachment of railway rails to sleepers with longitudinal grooves, the
characteristic feature consisting in the employment of a wedge inserted into the
longitudinal groove, which wedge by embracing the foot of the rail forces
the rail against a retaining piece provided upon the sleeper, and which wedge is
held in position on the rail by the engagement of a nose, on its springy extremity,
with the edge of the sleeper.

page_text: 2. A modified form of the attachment for rails of the before described kind,
having the characteristic feature that the nose provided at the springy extremity
of the wedge inserted into the longitudinal groove, embraces, an edge of the
retaining piece provided upon the sleeper.
3. The construction of the before mentioned retaining piece in such a manner
that the same is connected to the sleeper by means of hooks engaging into recesses
in the said sleeper, substantially as shown in the drawings.
4. The constructional forms or devices for attaching rails to sleepers by means
of wedges and retaining pieces substantially as described, and as illustrated in:
Figures 1 to 24 of the drawings.
Dated this 23rd day of January 1896.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.