Year: 1886

page_text: I, EDUARD SCHMIDT, railway-inspector, residing at Zimmersrode, kingdom of
Prussia, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention consists in a new mode of constructing sleepers for railways of
worn-out or other rails, especially of the broad footed or Vignoles form, such as
are generally employed at present.
The sleepers are made out of two pieces of rails of suitable length, laid on the
side and juxtaposed with their heads, so that the flanges or portions of their feet
which are at the bottom, constitute the ribs that are to project into the ground.
The said pieces are connected together mainly by means of plates forming bed-plates
for the rails of the line, and sunk into recesses cut into the heads and the upper
flanges of the sleeper-rails. On the said plates the line-rails are fastened by means
of clamping-pieces and by screw-bolts, passing through the latter, the bed-plates
and the sleeper-rails, a secure connection of the said sleeper-rails with each other
being thus obtained at the same time.
The bed-plates may be provided at the sides with ribs serving as abutments for
the clamping-pieces; and the rails, in case they have suspended joints, may be
connected to each other by fish-plates suitably bent so as to reach over the foot of
the rails and arranged to bear with their ends upon the adjacent sleepers, or the
corresponding bedplates, and also endwise against the former.

page_text: I, EDUARD SCHMIDT, railway-inspector, residing at Zimmersrode, Kingdom of
Prussia, 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 consists in a new mode of constructing sleepers for railways of
worn-out or other rails, especially of the broad-footed or Vignoles form, such as
are generally employed at present.
For this purpose the rails, or pieces thereof, from which the sleeper is to be made,
are placed in juxtaposition with their webs horizontal, so that the flanges or
portions of their feet which are at the bottom, constitute the rib or ribs that are
to project into the ground in order to prevent the sleeper from shifting. The said
rails are connected together by cross-plates, or otherwise and on them are fixed the
track-rails.
On the annexed sheet of drawings a sleeper carried out according to my
invention is shown in combination with a pair of track-rails by Fig. 1 in sectional
elevation, by Fig. 2 in transverse section and by Fig. 3 in plan. Fig. 4 is a
sectional view showing to a larger scale the means for fastening the rails to the
sleepers. Figs. 4 and 5 represent in sectional elevation and in transverse section
the connection of the rails to each other which are preferably employed with the
said sleepers.
The two pieces of rails a, a, employed in the construction of this sleeper, and
placed with their webs horizontal, are juxtaposed with their heads, and they are
connected together mainly by means of the cross-plates b, forming bed-plates
for the track-rails c. In order to obtain a flat bearing-surface for the plates b,
suitable recesses are cut into the upper portions of the heads and the flanges of
the sleeper-rails down to the webs of the same. On the plates b the track-rails c
are fastened by means of clamping-pieces d and by screw-bolts e passing through
the said pieces d, the bed-plates and the sleeper-rails. A secure connection of
the track-rails with the sleeper-rails, and of the latter with each other is thus
attained.
For the purpose of preventing the rails c from shifting sideward on the sleepers,
the recesses of the rails a are preferably made of such width that the plates b
exactly fit into them, the plates are provided at their sides with ribs serving as
abutments for the clamping-pieces d, and these pieces are so adjusted so as to fit
with their lower portion between the said ribs and the foot of the rail c. By
making one clamping-plate narrower and the opposite one wider by the same
amount, the increase in the width of gauge required for curves may be produced;
(see Fig. 4). The upper surface of the bed-plates may be made sloping so as to
impart to the rails the necessary inclination towards each other.
The rails carried by the described sleepers may be connected together at their
ends in any suitable manner; but it is advantageous to employ suspended joints
and to secure the rails to each other by fish-plates f, Figs. 5 and 6, suitably bent
so as to reach over the foot of the rail and arranged to bear with their ends, (which

page_text: have to be notched for this purpose) upon the adjacent sleepers or the corresponding
bed-plates, and to abut lengthwise with their lower portion against the sleepers so
that a longitudinal displacement of the rails may be prevented.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is,
1. A railway-sleeper consisting of two flanged rails placed in juxtaposition with
their webs horizontal, substantially as specified.
2. A railway-sleeper consisting of two flanged rails placed in juxtaposition
with their webs horizontal and connected together by cross-plates, substantially as
set forth.
3. A railway-sleeper consisting of two flanged rails a, placed in juxtaposition
with their webs horizontal and connected together and with the track-rails c by
the bed-plates b, the clamping-pieces d and bolts e, substantially as described.
4. The combination with the two flanged rails a, placed in juxtaposition with
their, webs horizontal and having recesses cut into their heads and flanges, of
the bed-plates b placed in the said recesses, the track-rails c resting upon said
plates, the clamping-pieces d and the bolts e, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.