Improvements in Railway Permanent Way.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 30th July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 30th Apr., 1891-Accepted, 30th May, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Permanent Way.
I, THOMAS THOMSON, of Blennerville, Tralee, in the County of Kerry,
Ireland, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:
From a very thorough study of the results of the use of metallic sleepers, I
have become convinced that for a road with steel sleepers to be perfect it must fulfil
the following conditions:
1st. The sleeper must have a flat bottom of sufficient length to give a proper
bearing on the ends, and sufficient width to give a proper bearing area.
2nd. The rail must be of such section that the vertical stiffness is considerably in
excess of the lateral stiffness.
3rd. The fastenings must be of such a nature that a lateral elastic movement
of inch or so may take place before the full strain comes on. Large bearing
surfaces must be used for the fastenings, and should bolts be employed, it would
be advisable that direct strain should not come on them. Timber keys are
unsuitable for hot climates.
4th. The sleepers must have very considerable weight, and at the same time a
certain amount of elasticity.
I know of no system at present in use either in this country or on the Continent
or elsewhere where all these conditions are carried out and very few where any of
them are.
The present invention is designed to fulfil these conditions and to produce at the
same time a sleeper at about the same cost as the present wooden one.
My sleeper is of the trough form, and may be rolled to any convenient section
having a flat or approximately flat bottom, but armed with projections,
corrugations, indentations or roughnesses to more perfectly hold to the ground
below.
A simple rectangular trough with projecting bosses for the rivet holes to give
strength at these points will probably be found best for most purposes.
On the bottom of the sleeper are placed the chairs for carrying the rail which
are rivetted in. The chair shown on Figure 1 is the best for carrying the ordinary
double-headed rail. It is formed from steel rolled to a special section, cut off in
lengths and then bent down to the proper shape. For hot countries, the form
shown in Figure 2 would be preferable. The bolt is of steel with lock nuts, and if
properly screwed up, remains tight. Where the expense of the steel chair in
Figure 1 would be too great, the ordinary cast iron chair can be used with nearly
equal advantage, bolted down or rivetted to the sleeper.
Both forms have the disadvantage of the small bearing area of the double-headed
rail, and probably Figures 3 and 4 would be found to wear better.
In these, a
modified form of the double-headed rail is employed, giving a flatter and larger
bearing in the bottom, while the proportion of the lateral to vertical stiffness is
retained.
Figure 5 is adapted for the ordinary Vignoles rail where it may be considered
advisable to use it. The fastening is by two bolts upon which no direct strain
comes except the lift of the rail.
In all these methods of a fastening, there is a certain amount of spring in the sides
of the chair, which provides the necessary lateral elasticity.
Figure 6 shows a sleeper adapted to the flat-bottomed rail where economy is an
object. This sleeper is stamped out of a plate of thin steel, and dispenses with the

page_text: chair. A sleeper of this description, suitable for a light 4 feet 81 road, would
weigh 60 pounds of steel, and, when filled up, 380 pounds. It has, however, this
disadvantage of having no side-spring in the fastenings.
After the road is laid, the interior of the sleeper is to be filled with either
a mixture of clay and stones or a mixture of marl or earth and stones, or, in a
first-class line where an extra expense per sleeper can be afforded, the sleeper
may first be filled with broken stone or slag, and then filled up with liquid
asphalte.
My reason for using asphalte is―
1. That it is a first-class preservative to the iron, and
I
2. That it is elastic and will not break up with the vibration of the sleeper.
I lay special stress on the use of steel bolts, as I am convinced that, with iron
ones; the oft recurring slackness is caused far more by stretching than by the nut
working loose, and steel has a tendency to prevent this much more than iron.
also lay stress upon the use of a steel sleeper of a trough form with the bottom flat
or approximately flat, and filled entirely with a mixture of clay and stone or of
broken stones and slag and asphalte; the use of the chairs and fastenings shown in
Figures 1, 2 and 5, adapted to carry existing rail sections over said sleepers; the
use of the special form of rail and fastening shown in Figures 3 and 4, specially
adapted for said sleeper; and the use of a steel sleeper as described above
but with a rail seat stamped on the sleeper itself to carry the rail, as shown in
Figure 6.
In order to prevent sleepers in curves from lateral movement, I may form them
with transverse corrugations, ridges or ribs on the bottom to catch into the ballast
below, while not preventing packing from the sides. The sleepers are required to
be in length at least twice the gauge of the line, and the rail, if of Vignoles or
T-head section, should be made of less width than at present, so as to be capable of
lateral elasticity, and thus bring the strains to bear on several sleepers at a time,
instead of on each successively with a sudden shock.
Dated this 29th day of July 1890.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Permanent Way.
1, THOMAS THOMSON, of Blennerville, Tralee, in the County of Kerry,
Ireland, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
From a very thorough study of the results of the use of metallic sleepers, I
have become convinced that for a road with steel sleepers to be perfect it must fulfil
the following conditions:-
1st. The sleeper must have a flat bottom of sufficient length to give a proper
bearing on the ends, and sufficient width to give a proper bearing area.
2nd. The rail must be of such section that the vertical stiffness is considerably in
excess of the lateral stiffness.
3rd. The fastenings must be of such a nature that a lateral elastic movement
of inch or so may take place before the full strain comes on. Large bearing
surfaces must be used for the fastenings, and should bolts be employed, it would be
advisable that direct strain should not come on them. Timber keys are unsuitable
for hot climates.
4th. The sleepers must have very considerable weight, and at the same time a
certain amount of elasticity.
I know of no system at present in use either in this country or on the Continent

page_text: or elsewhere where all these conditions are carried out and very few where any of
them arc.
The present invention is designed to fulfil these conditions and to produce at the
same time a sleeper at about the same cost as the present wooden one.
Reference being had to the accompanying three sheets of drawings, and to the
figures and letters of reference marked thercon :-
In
My sleeper is of the trough form, and may be rolled to any convenient section
having a flat or approximately flat bottom, but armed with projections, corrugations,
indentations or roughnesses to more perfectly hold to the ground below.
Figures 1, 1 and 2 and in Figure 6 will be seen a form of sleeper constructed to
meet these requirements. The length of the sleeper will however be best seen by
referring to Figure 6 as, for convenience of drawing, a portion only of the sleeper
is shown in Figures 1 and 2; it will be seen from the views forming Figure 6, that
the sleepers are of sufficient length to give a proper bearing on the ends, and as
regards their shape the trough like form of that will be best seen by reference to
Figure which shows a simple rectangular trough a armed with projecting
bosses (equivalent to corrugations, indentations or roughnesses) which, while
giving more perfect hold on the ground below, also provide for the rivet holes (for
the chair rivets) and give strength at these points.
On the bottom of the sleeper are placed the chairs for carrying the rail which
are rivetted in. The chair shown on Figure 1 is the best for carrying the ordinary
double-headed rail. It is formed from steel rolled to a special section, cut off in
lengths and then bent down to the proper shape. This special section, as will be
seen from the drawing, consists in forming the sleeper with legs or downwardly
extending projections and with one flanged higher than the other, the object of
the former is that, by raising the body of the chair from the sleeper, there is so
provided a certain amount of lateral elasticity, whilst, by having one flange higher,
good bearing surface is provided for the key d.
C
For hot countries, the form of chair shown in Figure 2 would be preferable.
The chair in this case consists of two portions e and and the bolt 9 for holding
them together. The bolt is of steel with lock nuts, and if properly screwed up,
remains tight. The advantage of this construction of chair, that is having it in
two portions as shown, such portions being of the shape and bolted together as.
shown, is that, whilst a certain amount of elastic movement is provided for as in
the case of Figure 1, no key, such as d', need be employed.
Where the expense of the steel chair in Figure 1 would be too great, the
ordinary cast iron chair can be used with nearly equal advantage, bolted down or
rivetted to the sleeper.
Both forms of chair have the disadvantage of the small bearing area of the
double-headed rail, and probably Figures 3 and 4 would be found to wear better.
In these, a modified form of the double-headed rail is employed and as will be seen
from the two figures, by giving to the bottom of the rail a flatter and larger
bearing the means employed for fastening together the rail and chair may be such
that a lateral elastic movement, of one eighth of an inch or so may take place
before the full strain comes on. In Figure 3 it will be noticed that the means of
fastening consist of two side pieces ii placed tight up against the neck of the rail
and bolted down to the chair by steel bolts g g in Figure 4 the means consist of
a side piece j clipping the rail-bottom to the chair-head, the side piece being held
to the chair-neck by the bolt . In these two figures the depth or rather the
height of the rail as compared with its width is such that the vertical stiffness is
considerably in excess of the lateral stiffness.
Figure 5 is.adapted for the ordinary Vignoles rail, where it may be considered
advisable to use it. The fastening is by two bolts gg, upon which no direct strain
comes, except the lift of the rail, the upper side of the chair where the rail has its
eating being recessed, thus allowing the heads of the bolts to clip on to the sides
of the bottom of the rail.

page_text: Figure 6 shows a sleeper adapted to the flat-bottomed rail where economy is an
object.
Of the views forming this figure
Figure 64 is an elevation,
Figure 6 is a plan,
: Figure 6 is a section on the line w w of Figure 6B, and
Figure 6, Figure 6 and Figure 6F are sections on the lines a x, y y and z z
respectively of Figure 6.
Figure 6 shows the attachment to this kind of sleeper, and, as will be seen, the
attachment is effected by means of the pieces kk gripping on to the side of the
rail and bolted down to the sleeper. This sleeper is stamped out of a plate of thin
steel, and dispenses with the chair. A sleeper of this description, suitable for a
light 4 feet 8 road, would weigh 60 pounds of steel, and, when filled up, 380 pounds.
It has, however, this disadvantage of having no side-spring in the fastenings.
After the road is laid, the interior of the sleeper is to be filled with either a
mixture of clay and stones or a mixture of marl or earth and stones, or, in a first-
class line, where an extra expense per sleeper can be afforded, the sleeper may
first be filled with broken stone or slag and then filled up with liquid asphalt.
My reasons for using asphalt are―
1. That it is a first-class preservative to the iron, and
2. That it is elastic and will not break up with the vibration of the sleeper.
I lay special stress on the use of steel bolts, as I am convinced that, with iron
ones, the oft recurring slackness is caused far more by stretching than by the nut
working loose, and steel has a tendency to prevent this much more than iron. I
also lay stress upon the use of a steel sleeper of a trough form with the bottom flat
or approximately flat, and filled entirely with a mixture of clay and stone or of
broken stones and slag and asphalt; the use of the chairs and fastenings shown in
Figures 1, 2 and 5, adapted to carry existing rail sections over said sleepers; the
use of the special form of rail and fastening shown in Figures 3 and 4, specially
adapted for said sleeper; and the use of a steel sleeper as described above but with
a rail seat stamped on the sleeper itself to carry the rail, as shown in Figure 6.
In order to prevent sleepers in curves from lateral movement, I may form them
with transverse corrugations, ridges or ribs on the bottom to catch into the ballast
below, while not preventing packing from the sides. The sleepers are required to
be in length at least twice the gauge of the line, and the rail, if of Vignoles or
T-head section, should be made of less width than at present, so as to be capable
of lateral elasticity, and thus bring the strains to bear on several sleepers at a time,
instead of on each successively with a sudden shock.
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 improvement in railway permanent way consisting in the employment, in
such a permanent way, of sleepers of a trough form, their bottoms being flat or
approximately flat, but armed with projections or the like, and of suitable length
and width, substantially as herein described and shown.
2. The improved sleeper for railway permanent way substantially as shown in
Figure 6 of the drawings, consisting in a sleeper of a trough form and stamped out
so that it will have projections, equivalent to chairs, as shown, on which the
bottoms of flat-bottomed rails can rest.
3. In a permanent way where sleepers of a trough form are used, the employ-
ment, in a filling up for such sleepers, of liquid asphalt, substantially as and for the
purposes herein before set forth.
4. In a railway permanent way such as hereinbefore described and shown, the

page_text: employment of rails of such section that their height as compared with their width
is such that the vertical stiffness is considerably in excess of the lateral stiffness,
substantially as hereinbefore described and shown.
5. A chair for railway permanent way formed with legs or downwardly extending
projections cc, forming sides, whereby there is provided a certain amount of spring
which provides the necessary lateral elasticity, substantially as hereinbefore
described and shown.
6. The improved forms of chairs shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5, adapted to carry
existing rails, and the improved forms shown in Figures 3 and 4 adapted to carry
the special form of rail, the bolts, where necessary, used for the fastenings being of
steel and the fastenings being such that a lateral elastic movement may take place,
all substantially as hereinbefore described and shown.
Dated this 29th day of April 1891.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, and London, Patent Agents.