Sleepers or Chairs.
Year: 1885

page_text: Sleepers or Chairs.
I, WILLIAM THOMSON, Civil Engineer, Royal Colonial Institute, 15 Strand,
London, England, at present Result Engr at Pará Brazil, do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for "IMPROVED MEANS FOR SECURING FLANGED RAILS TO
METALLIC RAILWAY SLEEPERS OR CHAIRS " to be as follows:-
I construct a metallic railway sleeper or chair with two undercut jaws, each
placed at a slight angle in one and the same direction to the flange of the rail
situated between them, sufficient room being left betwen the edges of the flange
and each jaw for the insertion of a key or wedge having on its outer side a taper
and bevil corresponding to the incline and undercut face of the jaw, and having its
inner side recessed so as to fit against and overlap the edge of the rail flange. Thus
on driving in the keys in opposite directions when the rail has been placed between
the jaws, the flange of the rail will be gripped firmly between the overlapping
faces of the keys, which are in their turn firmly held in position by the over-
hanging faces of the jaws, these being arranged at such a distance apart that the
rail can be readily dropped in between them. The meeting faces of the keys and
jaws are by preference roughened or slightly serrated, so as to prevent the keys
from shaking loose.
In place of forming or fixing, projecting jaws on the sleeper or chair, the surface
of these may be recessed so as to form a channel with under-cut sides at an angle
to the sides of the rail flange.
In applying this mode of fixing rails to wooden sleepers, the inclined undercut
jaws may be fixed or formed on a flat plate constuting a chair which is secured
to the sleeper in any convenient manner.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant,
28, Southampton Buildings,
London, W.C.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Securing Flanged Rails to Metallic Railway
Sleepers or Chairs.
I, WILLIAM THOMSON, Civil Engineer, Royal Colonial Institute, 15 Strand,
London, England, at present Resdt Engr at Pará, Brazil, 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 :-
I construct a metallic railway sleeper or chair with two undercut jaws, cach
placed at a slight angle in one and the same direction to the flange of the rail
situated between them, sufficient room being left between the edges of the flange
and each jaw for the insertion of a key or wedge having on its outer side a taper
and bevil corresponding to the incline and undercut face of the jaw, and having its
inner side recessed so as to fit against and overlap the edge of the rail flange. Thus
on driving in the keys in opposite directions when the rail has been placed between
the jaws, the flange of the rail will be gripped firmly between the overlapping
faces of the keys, which are in their turn firmly held in position by the over-
hanging faces of the jaws, these being arranged at such a distance apart that the
rail can be readily dropped in between them. The meeting faces of the keys and
jaws are, by preference, roughened or slightly serrated, so as to prevent the keys
from shaking loose.
In place of forining or fixing projecting jaws on the sleeper or chair, the surface
of these may be recessed so as to form a channel with undercut sides at an angle
to the sides of the rail flange.
In applying this mode of fixing rails to wooden sleepers, the inclined undercut
jaws may be fixed or formed on a flat plate constituting a chair which is secured
to the sleeper in any convenient manner.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings shews a part longitudinal section of a
metallic sleeper and wedges constructed according to my invention; Fig. 2 shews
a part plan, Fig. 3 shews a cross section and Figs. 4 and 5 shew plans of the two
wedges employed for securing the rail. The sleeper is formed with two jaws A. A,
parallel to each other but at a slight angle to the centre line of the rail. Their
distance apart is such that the rail B can be dropped into its exact position to
gauge between them, without requiring canting or shifting, so that the two
opposite rails could be tied together to gauge and then dropped into their places
on the sleepers. The inner faces of the jaws are undercut or overhanging. The
keys or wedges CC have on the inner side a lip overlapping the edge of the
bottom of the rail, and a shoulder which bears against the edge thereof, while on
the outer side they are formed with a bevil corresponding to the vertical inclina-
tion of the jaw and with a taper corresponding to the inclination of the jaw to the
axis of the rail, so that by driving in the wedges from opposite sides they are
forced with their shoulder tightly against the edge of the rail and are, at the same

page_text: time, caused by the inclination of the jaw to exert with their lips a downward
nipping action upon the face of the rail, thus holding the same very firmly without
any other fastening. According as the outer or the inner wedge is driven in more
than the other, the rail can either be tightened or widened to gauge, thus allowing
adjustment of gauge, independently of the sleeper.
The one wedge C¹ is made of somewhat greater width than the other, C, the
wider wedge being placed on the outside of the rail on straight portions of the line
and curves of large radii, while on curves of sharper radii the wider wedge of the
one rail is placed on the inside of the latter thus allowing the gauge to be widened
to a corresponding degree, and on very sharp curves both the wide wedges are
placed on the insides of the rails, so as to permit a still greater widening of the
gauge, and such widening can be still further increased by driving the inner
wedges farther than the outer ones.
It will be observed that the space or channel between the jaws of the sleeper is
made of greater width on the outer side of the centre line of the rail than on the
inner side, corresponding to the greater width of the outer wedge. The said dove
tail channel may be formed either by welding or stamping the jaws A in the solid
on the sleeper, as at Fig. 1, or by stamping them hollow as at Fig. 6, and the jaws
can be formed separately and rivetted or bolted on as at Fig. 7, although I prefer
to avoid the use of bolts or rivets if possible. The channel may also be formed
sunk below the surface of the sleeper. The wedges may be made of iron, steel,
wood or any other suitable material.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
The herein described improved means for securing flanged rails to metallic
railway sleepers or chairs wherein the rail is held in a dovetail channel having
inclined and undercut sides, by means of two wedges having a bevil face fitting
against the undercut face of the channel, a shoulder fitting against the edge of the
rail bottom or flange and a lip overhanging and bearing upon the rail bottom
or flange.