IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY PERMANENT WAY, APPLICABLE TO THE PASSING OP DRAINAGE AND IBRIGATION WATERS."
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hardy Wells, Civil Engineer, of 10, Devonshire
Terrace, Notting Hill, London, Middlesex, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY PERMANENT WAY, APPLICABLE TO THE PASSING
OP DRAINAGE AND IBRIGATION WATERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hardy Wells at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th November 1871.
I, HARDY WELLS, Civil Engineer, of 10, Devonshire Terrace, Notting
Hill, London, Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY PERMANENT WAY, APPLICABLE TO
THE PASSING OF DRAINAGE AND IRRIGATION WATERS," to be as follows :-
This Invention consists of the following:-A series of pipe sleepers,
round, square, triangular, or any other shape, with open mouth pieces,
and chairs to fasten the rails upon. The pipes to be made of cast or
wrought iron, or any other material, and open or closed, the mouth pieces
to be any shape I like, open or closed, in one or more pieces of cast

page_text: or wrought iron, or any other material, and to be bolted together or
otherwise joined to form a continuous length of water passages.
I do not confine myself to any particular kind or shape of chair or
bearing for the rails to rest upon. This mode of passing drainage and
irrigation waters may be independent of the usual permanent way of
railways, so that it can be applied when railways are at present in
existence.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Hardy Wells in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 15th April 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HARDY
WELLS, of 10, Devonshire Terrace, Notting Hill, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Hardy Wells, Her special
Licence that I, the said Hardy Wells, my executors, administrators, and
assigus, or such others as I, the said Hardy Wells, my executors, adminis.
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY
PERMANENT WAY, APPLICABLE TO THE PASSING OF DRAINAGE AND IRRIGATION
WATERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Hardy
Wells, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner. the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Hardy Wells, do hereby declare the
nature of my said. Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
--
My Invention relates to the making of hollow sleepers, mouth pieces,
and other parts necessary for the complete railway permanent way.
In order that my Invention may be the better understood and
explained I have hereunto attached a Sheet of Drawings, made to a
scale of about one inch and a half to a foot except where otherwise
expressed, and similar letters of reference are marked on corresponding
parts of all the Figures.
Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 are sleepers of cast iron, made in one or more
pieces of any shape, round by preference, the parts immediately under
the rail where the shoe fastening Fig. 10 is placed is made with holes
for bolts, and expansion is allowed for; the bottom 9, 9, Figs. 1, 2, 3, and
4 is enlarged to any shape or form, with one or more ballast webbs, b, b,
Figs. 2 and 4, or the top and bottom parts may be alike. A wooden
cushion C, C, Figs. 2 and 4, may be placed between the shoe fastening
and sleeper to give elasticity, and when cast-iron sleeper is used longi-
tudinally, Figs. 3 and 4, gauge bars S are used to keep them to their
proper width and position, such gauge bars being made with forked
bent ends h, h, Fig. 4, to drop over the sleeper between the rail and
cushion or between the cushion and sleeper. The sleeper may also be
made in one piece as shewn by dotted lines A, Fig. 4.
When flat footed rails are used I hold the rail, by preference, with
my shoe fastening, a, a, in all the Drawings, which may be made so as
to give the necessary tilt to the rail, or a piece of wedge-shaped iron of
the necessary inclination may be placed between the sleeper and the
shoe fastening; a tongue piece u, u, Figs. 1 and 2, may also be used to
prevent the longitudinal sliding of the rail, thus preventing the necessity
of fish plates, and also diminishing the number of parts. Any chair
can be used according to the shape and weight of the rail, the rail may
also be secured by flange bolts and nuts, or common bolts and nuts with
holes in the rails, or otherwise. The cast-iron sleepers may also be
made with openings W, W, Figs. 1 and 4, so that the irrigation or drain-
age waters may be passed by means of joint pieces along any length of
aline of railway.
Figs. 5. 6. 7. 12. and 13 are wrought-iron sleeners and are made in

page_text: .
and 8 consisting of tension or bed plates V, V, Figs. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12,
and 13, and an upper piece U, U, Figs. 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, and 13, made
rectangular, trapezoidal, or any other shape, with strengthening or
angle plates 1, 1, Fig. 8; these strengthening plates may be of wrought
rolled iron when used inside the sleepers, and when used outside g, g,
Fig. 5, may be wrought rolled iron or iron plates rivetted together, and
have a foot piece fitting into the hooked shaped bottom of the tension or
bed plates V, V, Figs. 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, and 13, the fastening bolts passing
through to secure the shoe fastening before described, on which the flat
footed rail will rest. These hollow wrought-iron sleepers may be formed
in parts so as to be used without a continuous upper piece or continuous
tension or bed plate, as in Figs. 12 and 13, and the bearing parts may
be held together by gauge bars, and drainage waters passed both ways
when required. The gauge bars have holes for the bolts to pass through
to fasten the whole rigidly together, and they may also have holes for
strengthening tic pins e, c, Figs. 7 and 8, to be dropped through, and the
shoc fastening will be enlarged as at j, j, Fig. 8, to keep them in their
places, or the tie pins may be split, as shewn at e¹, Fig. 7.
bars with forked shaped ends T, Figs. 7 and 9, may be
dropped on to the sleeper h, h, Fig. 9, a hole being made for the end
of the outside prong to fit in; this centre bar may be used instead of
two bars S, S, Fig. 7. The mouth pieces are made in various shapes G, G,
Figs. 1 and 5, but I prefer those in Fig. 5. The portion adjoining the
sleepers is let into holes f,f. Figs. 1 and 5, and on each side x, x, Figs.
1 and 5, holes are made to let in the side pieces i, i, Figs. 1 and 5, which
are then bent to keep them in their places. The side parts are made
with rivets d, d, Figs. 1 and 5, which slide into a hole made in the floor
piece which has a flange or curtain piece, k, k, Figs. 1, 2, 5, and 6, let
into the ground any depth found advisable from the nature of the soil;
I also use bolts and nuts or any other fastenings for the parts of the
mouth pieces. These mouth pieces are made of wrought iron and may
be continuous as required, and may be adapted to the longitudinal|
sleepers by an angle shaped part to lead the water through them, and
the mouth pieces may be used on both sides of the permanent way when
required.
Single gauge
also used and

page_text: the dimensions of the parts are not positively determined, their pro-
portions may be reduced or increased.
What I claim as my Invention is,―
Firstly. The general construction and arrangement of permanent way
for railways as herein-before described.
Secondly. The construction and application of hollow cast-iron sleepers
and hollow wrought-iron sleepers with tension plates either trans-
versely or longitudinally applied, with or without mouth pieces attached
thereto.
Thirdly. The system of holding the sleepers and rails securely in
position and gauge by means of the shoe fastenings, gauge bars, forked
or otherwise, tie pins, and strengthening or angle plates.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hardy Wells, have hereunto set
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
my
HARDY WELLS. (L.s.)