NEW OR IMPROVED COMBINED RAILWAY SLEEPERS AND CHAIRS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Brown, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford,
Manufacturer, for the Invention of "NEW OR IMPROVED COMBINED RAILWAY
SLEEPERS AND CHAIRS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Brown at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd May 1879.
WILLIAM BROWN, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Manufacturer.
NEW OR IMPROVED COMBINED RAILWAY SLEEPERS AND CHAIRS."
My Invention cousists of the new or improved combined railway sleepers and
chairs, hereinafter described, in which great strength and efficiency are combined
with economy in manufacture.
I make the railway sleeper of rolled bar iron and steel, and near the ends of it
I punch one or more holes; or in rolling the bar iron or steel I form depressions, or
ribs, or corrugations, either all along the bar or at those portions of the bar which,
when the bar is cut up into the required lengths, will form the ends of the sleeper.
The ends of the bars or sleepers of the kind described are placed in the moulds in
which the chairs are cast, so that the inolten cast-iron or steel when poured into
the mould forms the chairs, and at the same time attaches or connects the chairs to
the sleepers by the molten cast iron or steel running through the holes or entering
the depressions or engaging with the ribs or corrugations; or the ends of the
sleeper may be turned up, and the chairs cast upon the turned up ends, the outer
side of each chair being of wrought iron or steel, backed and supported by cast iron
or steel; or both sleeper and chairs may be made of wrought iron or steel, and
connected together by placing the ends of the sleeper and the bases of the chairs in
a mould or moulds, and casting a connecting piece of cast iron or steel upon them
so as to join the chairs to the ends of the sleeper.
To give a greater bearing to the sleeper at any required part or parts broad plates
or flanges of cast iron or steel may be cast upon the sleeper at the parts where the
greater bearing is required.
My Invention is applicable to longitudinal combined sleepers and chairs, as well
as to cross combined sleepers and chairs.

page_text: .
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Brown in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th
November 1879.
WILLIAM BROWN, of Smethwick, in the County of Stafford, Manufacturer.
"NEW OR IMPROVED COMBINED RAILWAY SLEEPERS AND CHAIRS."
My Invention consists of the new or improved combined railway sleepers and
chairs, hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, in
which combined' sleepers and chairs great strength and efficiency are combined with
economy in manufacture.
I make the railway sleeper of rolled bar iron or steel, and near the ends of it I
punch or cat one or more holes; or in rolling the bar iron or steel I form depres-
sions, or ribs, or corrugations, either all along the bar or at those portions of the
bar which, when the bar is cut up into the required lengths, form the ends of the
sleeper.
The ends of the bars or sleepers of the kind described are placed in the moulds in
which the chairs are cast, so that the molten cast iron or steel when poured into the
moulds forms the chairs, and at the same time attaches or connects the chairs to
the sleepers by the molten cast iron or steel running through the holes, or entering
the depressions, or engaging with the ribs or corrugations; or the ends of the
sleeper may be turned up, and the chairs cast upon the turned up ends, the outer
side of each chair being of wrought iron or steel supported by cast iron or steel.
At those parts of the sleeper where the chairs are to be cast upon it enlargements
'may be rolled at the same time as the sleeper is made, and to give a greater bearing
to the sleeper at any required part or parts, broad plates or flanges of cast iron or
steel may be cast upon the sleeper at the parts where the greater bearing is required;
or both sleeper and chairs may be made of wrought iron or steel, and connected
together by casting a connecting piece upon them.
My Invention is applicable to longitudinal combined sleepers and chairs, as well
as to cross combined sleepers and chairs.
The
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents an elevation, Figure 2 a plan,
and Figures 3 and 4 vertical sections taken at right angles to one another, of the
end of a rolled iron or steel cross sleeper and its chair made according to my
Invention, the said chair being suitable for supporting a double headed rail.
section; Figure 3, is taken on the line a, a, Figure 2; and the section, Figure 4, is
taken on the line b, b, Figure 2; Figure 5 represents a plan of the end of the sleeper
before the chair is cast upon it.
I make the sleepers c, c, of rolled bar iron or steel, and near the ends of each
sleeper I punch or cut a set of holes marked d², d, d, d, d, as best seen in Figure 5,
that is, I make a large oblong hole d² at the middle of the sleeper and smaller holes
or indentations d, d, d, d, at its edges.
I do not however limit myself to the size, shape, position, or number of the said
holes or indentations.
For the purpose of making the chair and its connections, I take a pattern of such
a shape that besides forming a mould for casting the chair in, the said pattern also
.forms at the base of the mould a space or recess of a shape proper to form a casting
for surrounding that part of the sleeper at which the chair is to be cast. A mould
having been made by the use of a pattern of the kind described in the ordinary
way of making sand moulds, the end of the sleeper c is placed in the mould, and
molten cast iron or steel is poured into the said mould.
A chair marked e is thus cast upon the sleeper, the molten metal at the same time
filling the base of the mould, and surrounding the end of the sleeper, as shewn at
f. g. The said molten metal also passes through and fills up the holes d², d, d, d, d,
in the sleeper c, so as to connect the upper side or body e of the chair with the part
cast on the underside of the said sleeper. The chair e is thus formed on and at the

page_text: same time connected to the sleeper c, the shrinking or contracting of the cast metal
on the sleeper, combined with the connecting webs or pieces formed by the metal
entering the holes in the sleeper ensuring the firm connection of the chair to the
sleeper. The chair itself is also strengthened by its base part being secured in the
way described and illustrated to the sleeper.
The manner in which the cast metal at the base of the chair e surrounds or clips
the edges and underside of the sleeper c will be understood by an examination of
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4. The middle connecting web or piece formed by the cast
iron or steel running through the hole d² is seen in Figures 3 and 4, and is marked
d³, and the edge connecting webs or pieces formed by the cast metal running
through the holes or indentations d, d, at the edges of the sleeper c are shown in
Figure 2, and are marked d*, d*.
1
The ends of the sleeper c may be turned up, and the chairs cast upon the turned
up ends. In this case the outer side of each chair is composed of wrought iron or
steel supported by cast iron or steel; or the cast metal need not be made to surround
or clip the edges of the sleeper. This modification of my Invention is illustrated in
section in Figure 6. I prefer in this case to provide the sleeper c with ribs h, h, on
opposite sides of the end of the sleeper on which the chair is to be cast, between
which ribs the metal forming the base of the chair is cast, as represented, the con-
necting webs or pieces formed by the molten metal passing through the holes in the
sleeper being marked i, i.
Figure 6 represents a series of cross sleepers and their chairs made according to
my Invention; and Figure 6B represents a longitudinal sleeper and its chairs made
according to my Invention. In the said Figure 64 the wrought iron or steel sleepers
are marked c, and the chairs cast thereon are marked e; and in Figure 6B the lon-
gitudinal wrought iron or steel sleeper is marked c¹, and the chairs cast thereon are
marked e. The longitudinal sleepers may be connected together by tie rods or, by
cross sleepers.
A greater bearing may be given to the sleeper, preferably at that part of the
sleeper at which the chair is cast, by casting a broad bearing at the same time as
the chair is cast.
Figures 7 and 8 represent in section, partly in elevation, and Figure 9 in plan, a
chair cast upon a sleeper according to my Invention, the base of the cast chair
underneath the sleeper having a broad bearing for the ballast. The said broad
bearing is marked k, k, and is hollow, and has the dish shape represented. This
hollow or dish shaped bearing k, l, to the sleeper is especially suitable for sandy or
other soft ballast, as it covers a large surface or area, and the dish shaped or hollow
part of the bearing takes a firm hold of the ballast. As the broad bearings k, k, at
each end of the sleeper are buried in the ballast the sleeper between the said bearings
lies on the ballast, being maintained firmly in its place by the sunken bearings k, k.
I do not limit myself to the hollow or dish form represented of the broad
bearing.
The upper side of the base of the chair near the edges of the sleeper is made in
Figures 7, 8, and 9 of less width than that represented in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4.
When this form of chair is used, either with or without the broad bearing k, the
perforations in the sleeper for the cast metal to run through are arranged somewhat
differently from those in the sleeper, Figure 5.
Figure 10 represents in cross section, and Figure 10A in plan, a combined sleeper
and chair of the kind commonly called a "pot or bowl sleeper and chair," con-
structed according to my Invention. In this form of sleeper and chair I make the
pot or bowl sleeper of wrought iron or steel, and cast the chair e upon it in the
manner herein before described with reference to flat sleepers. In this construction
of combined sleeper and chair the ordinary cross sleepers may be dispensed with,
the chairs being fastened together by tie rods, as in ordinary pot or bowl sleepers
and chairs. By the casting of the chair upon the bowl sleeper the said sleeper is
much strengthened.

page_text: Instead of casting a chair upon the sleeper, a seat only may be cast upon the
sleeper for receiving a loose chair.
This part of my Invention is illustrated in Figures 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15,
Figure 11 representing in side elevation, and Figure 12 in plan, the seat cast upon
the sleeper, with the loose chair fitted in the seat; and Figures 13 and 14 represent
the seat without the loose chair; Figure 15 represents the loose chair detached.
The cast seat marked is attached to the sleeper c by the cast metal being situated
underneath and surrounding or clipping the edges of the sleeper. The seat / has an
abutment at one end for the loose chair m to bear against, the other end of the
chair, being secured in the seat by the screw pin and nut at p. The head of the
l
screw pin p fits in the recess q, cast on the underside of the sleeper with the seat 1,
the said recess preventing the chair from getting out of place should the nut work
loose. A thin piece of wood or other yielding material may be placed between the
loose chair and the sleeper to give the chair a firm bearing when screwed home.
The edges of the cast seat may be undercut to receive the edges of the loose chair.
The loose chair may be made in two parts. Or the base only of the chair may
be cast upon the sleeper, the said base being provided with dovetail or taper
grooves at its sides, in which grooves the cheeks or sides of the chair, made either
of cast iron or wrought iron or steel, may be inserted and fixed by cotters or wedges,
or otherwise.
Figure 16 represents in side elevation, and Figure 17 in plan, a cast base of a
chair provided with moveable cheeks; and Figure 18 is a plan of the base of the
chair without the cheeks and rail; Figure 19 represents in side elevation a chair
having a fixed cheek cast in one piece with the base of the chair, a single moveable
cheek being used with the said fixed cheek. is the base of the chair, cast upon
the sleeper c, the said base having in it one or two dovetail grooves s for receiving
the moveable cheek or cheeks t, t. The moveable cheeks are fixed in their places
in the dovetail grooves by metal keys t². By this modification of my Invention
the separable parts can be replaced without difficulty.
Figures 20 and 21 represent in cross section flanged rails supported in the chairs
of combined sleepers and chairs made according to my Invention. In Figure 20
the flanged rail is fixed in its chair by the ordinary wooden wedge w, and in
Figure 21 the flanged rail is fixed in its chair by a taper metal key x bearing on
the flange of the rail, the said key being drawn up and fixed in its place by a screw
nut; or the rail may be fixed by a key at each side of the flange. In this case both
cheeks of the chair are made in the manner represented with respect to the cheek y,
Figure 21.
Figure 22 represents in section the arrangement of my Invention, in which the
chair or lining for the chair is made of wrought iron or steel, and connected
to the wrought iron or steel sleeper by placing the end of the sleeper c and wrought
iron or steel lining c³ in a-mould, and casting a connecting piece d of cast iron or
steel upon them, so as to join the chair to the end of the sleeper. The wrought iron
or steel chair or lining c³ may be stamped or otherwise wrought into the required
shape for receiving the rail and wedge or key. Figure 23 represents the wrought
iron or steel chair or lining separately, and Figure 24 represents the plate or blank
'from which it is made.
I have shewn in the accompanying Drawings combined chairs and sleepers, in
which the sleepers are made from flat iron or steel, but I do not limit myself thereto,
as sleepers having an arched, trough, or other figure in cross section may be used, as
illustrated in the cross sections, Figures 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, and
35; or the sleeper may be chequered, or have ribs or corrugations made on its
.surface for more effectually ensuring the attachment of the cast metal to the sleeper,
as illustrated in Figure 36. When the sleeper is ribbed, corrugated, or chequered,
it may be perforated or not with holes for forming the connecting webs or pieces
between the upper and lower parts of the chair. The sleeper may have raised parts
upon it, on which raised parts the chairs are cast, as illustrated in Figure 37, or the

page_text: sleeper where the chairs are to be cast upon it may be widened by cross rolling.
The ends of the cross sleepers may be turned down at right angles to the other
part of the sleeper, as illustrated in the Drawings, for embedding the ends of the
sleepers in the ballast.
Although I have described and represented chairs suitable for supporting double
headed and flanged rails, fixed by wooden or metal keys or wedges, yet chairs may
be cast on and connected to the sleepers of shapes suitable for supporting rails of
other sectional figures, and the seating parts of the chairs may be made of such
inclinations as will give the required lean or tilt to the rails supported in them. In
addition to the casting on longitudinal sleepers of chairs of the ordinary kind, as
represented, other supports for the rail may be cast upon the said sleepers. I cast
these additional supports by preference midway between the ordinary chairs, the
said supports having sufficient height to bear against the base or bottom of the rail.
The said supports have the general figure of an ordinary chair without the cheeks
or side supports.
By railway sleepers and chairs I wish it to be understood that I mean sleepers
and chairs which are used for supporting the rails of all kinds of railways, that is to
say, ordinary railways, colliery railways or tramways, and road railways or tram-
ways, and for supporting rails for such other railways as combined sleepers and
chairs constructed according to my Invention are or may be applicable to.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention
of new or improved combined railway sleepers and chairs,-
First. Combined railway sleepers and chairs consisting of rolled bars of iron or
steel, upon the ends of which, or, in the case of longitudinal sleepers, at the required
distances apart, the chairs or the seats for the chairs, or the bases and parts of the
chairs, are cast and connected substantially as herein before described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawings; also the modifications described and illustrated
with respect to the combined pot or bowl sleepers and chairs.
Secondly. Increasing the bearing surface of the sleeper, preferably under the
chair, by casting upon the sleeper broad iron or steel bearings or flanges, substan-
tially as described and illustrated.
Thirdly. Casting upon longitudinal sleepers between the ordinary chairs
supports having the general figure of chairs without the cheeks or side supports,
as described.
Lastly. Connecting wrought iron or steel chairs or linings for the said chairs to
the ends or other parts of rolled iron or steel sleepers by casting a connecting piece
upon them, as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Brown, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventeenth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
WILLIAM BROWN. (L.S.)