IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAMWAYS AND RAILWAYS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Page, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAMWAYS
AND RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 11th February 1879, and dated the 13th August 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Page at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th August 1878.
JOHN PAGE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Civil Engineer.
IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAMWAYS AND RAILWAYS."
This Invention has principally for its object to obtain an improved construction
of tramways suitable for the construction of tramways suitable for the traffic of
streets and ordinary roads, but the improvements, or some of thein, are also appli-
cable for railways.
The Invention comprises tramways, which are in some respects similar to, but
improvements on those described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to
the present applicant, and dated 17 June 1871 (No. 1603).
In all the improved modifications comprised in the present Invention continuous
chair sleepers of cast-iron are employed, and are formed with soles of convex, or
inclined, or flat form, of greater width than their upper parts. Holes are formed
through the soles for the introduction of concrete, or cement, or asphalte, or other
suitable packing material, after the sleepers have been accurately placed.
In the case of flat soles the sleepers are set upon stones or other supports to raise
the soles slightly above the bed or substratum, and leave space for the concrete or
other packing materials to be subsequently introduced through the holes. The
soles are connected to the continuous top parts of the sleepers, either by continuous
vertical webs or by legs or supports separated by transverse openings.
In some modifications the sleepers are made in longitudinal halves, which are
bolted together with the vertical or hanging web of the rail or tram secured
between them. The nuts of the bolts are by preference placed in sockets formed

page_text: for them in the sleepers, and in which they cannot turn; and the bolts are turned
for fastening or unfastening, an arrangement less liable to work loose than the
opposite plan on account of the greater frictional resistance to the turning of
the bolt.
The rails (of rolled steel or iron) are like those described in the earlier Speci-
fication herein-before referred to, but are in one modification made with the top
web of tapering thickness, the thicker part being at the outside, and with the part
of the sleeper on which it bears inclined to correspond. This improvement causes
the sleeper to assist in resisting any lateral blows on the rail, and admits of the
vertical web being comparatively light. The vertical web of the rail is rolled with
an angular or other shaped continuous indentation, the part of the sleeper against
it being correspondingly shaped for the purpose of more securely locking and incor-
porating the parts together.
In other modifications, with the sleeper divided or undivided, the rail is applied
with its vertical web on the outside of the sleeper, the bolt passing through the rail.
When the sleeper is divided its contact parts are made with counterpart longitudinal
ribs and grooves to prevent vertical displacement.
In some modifications, in which the sleepers are not divided longitudinally, the
vertical web of the rail is made of a curvilinear or other section, giving a greater
thickness at the bottom edge than at a part nearer the top web; and the rail is
fixed by means of longitudinal wedge keys, for which suitable wedge-shaped
recesses are formed in the sleeper. When fixed in this way the vertical web of the
rail may be made to join the top web at the side, or middle, or other part of the
latter.
The surface strip or guard on the side of the groove opposite to the main rail
may be formed either on the sleeper casting or by a separate rolled rail of steel or
iron, or in the same piece with the main rail. When the surface strip or guard is.
formed on the sleeper casting it is by preference chilled, and it may be formed with
indentations as some precaution against the slipping of horses' hoofs.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Page in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th February
1879.
JOHN PAGE, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Civil Engineer.
$6 IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAMWAYS AND RAILWAYS."
My said Invention has principally for its object to obtain an improved con-
struction of tramway suitable for the traffic of streets and ordinary roads, but my
improvements, or some of them, are also applicable for railways.
My Invention comprises tramways, which are in some respects similar to, but
improvements on those described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to
me and dated 17 June 1871 (No. 1603).
In all the improved modifications comprised in my present Invention continuous
chair sleepers of cast iron are employed, and are formed with soles of convex, or
inclined, or flat form, of greater width than their upper parts. Holes are formed
through the soles for the introduction of concrete, or cement, or asphalt, or other
suitable packing material, after the sleepers have been accurately placed.
In the case of flat soles the sleepers are set upon stones or other supports to raise
the soles above the bed or substratum,' and leave space for the concrete or other
packing materials to be introduced through the holes after the sleepers have been
accurately adjusted in position. The soles are connected to the continuous top
parts or rail beds either by continuous vertical webs, of a straight or undulating
form in a horizontal section, or by legs or supports separated by transverse
openings.
In some modifications the sleepers are made in longitudinal halves, which are
bolted together with the vertical or hanging web of the rail or tram secured between
them.
"
The rails (of rolled steel or iron) are like those described in my earlier Speci-
fication herein-before referred to, but are in some modifications made with the top
web thicker on the outside. The sleeper is shaped to correspond, and in con-
sequence assists in resisting lateral blows on the rail, so that the vertical web of
the rail may be made comparatively light.
In other modifications, with the sleeper divided or undivided, the rail is applied
with its vertical web on the outer side of the sleeper, the bolt passing through
the rail.
In some modifications, in which the sleepers are not divided longitudinally, the
vertical web of the rail is made of a curvilinear or other section, giving a greater
thickness at the bottom edge than at a part nearer the top web; and the rail is
fixed by means of longitudinal wedge keys.
The surface strip or guard on the side of the groove opposite to the main rail
may be formed either on the steeper casting or by a separate rolled rail of steel or
iron, or in the same piece with the main rail. When the surface strip or guard is
formed on the sleeper casting it is by preference chilled, and it may be formed with
indentations as some precaution against the slipping of horses' hoofs.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing the same may
be properly understood, I hereunto append two Sheets of explanatory Drawings, to
be herein-after referred to, and representing various modifications of my improved
tramways. In these Drawings the same reference numérals are used to mark the
same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
Figures 1 to 5 on Sheet 1 of the accompanying Drawings show various modi-
fications of my continuous cast-iron chair sleepers, with the rails in transverse
vertical section, and with the wedge keys also in section where these are used.
The chair sleepers are in end elevation in Figures 1, 2, 3, and in end elevation in
Figures 4 and 5.
Figure 6 is a transverse vertical section of both chair and rail.

page_text: Figures 7 to 10, on Sheet 2, show a modification differing slightly from that
shown in Figure 6, Figure 7 being a plan, partly in horizontal section; Figure 8,
a side elevation; and Figures 9 and 10, transverse vertical sections.
In the modifications shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, the continuous chair sleeper
is divided longitudinally, being made in two parts, 10, 11, which are bolted
together, the bolts 12 passing through the vertical or hanging web 13 of the rail 14.
The screw nuts for securing the bolts 12 are by preference placed in sockets formed
for them in the sleepers, and in which they cannot turn; and the bolts 12 are
turned for fastening or unfastening, an arrangement less liable to work loose than
the opposite plan on account of the greater frictional resistance to the turning of
the bolt. The sleepers 10, 11, are formed with soles 15, which extend along each
side, and form in each case a base of greater width than the upper part. The
soles 15, which may be curved, as in Figure 1, or inclined, as in Figure 2, or flat,
as in Figure 3, have holes 16 formed through them for the introduction of cement
or other packing material, as herein-before explained, after the sleepers have been
accurately adjusted in position.
In the modification shown in Figure 1 the vertical or hanging web 13 of the rail
is formed with a shallow angular groove 17 to fit counterpart angular surfaces
formed on one, 10, of the sleeper pieces; in the modifications shown in Figures 2
and 3 however such angular fitting parts are formed on the sleeper pieces 10, 11,
themselves, as shown at 18.
In all the modifications, excepting that shown in Figure 3, the rail is shown with
its main part 14 made thicker towards its outer edge 19, and of a form with which
the sleeper assists in resisting lateral blows on the rail, so that the vertical or
hanging web 13 of the rail (when there is one) may be made comparatively light.
In the modification shown in Figure 3 the rail 14 is shown as having its vertical
or hanging web 13 formed on the outer side, the sleeper 11 being suitably shaped
to receive it.
In the modifications shown in Figures 4 to 10 the chair sleeper is in each case a
single casting formed with a rail bed 20, which is connected to a flat sole 21 by
supports or legs 22, having openings or intervals between them, as shown in
Figures 4 and 5; or with a continuous vertical web 23, as shown in Figures 6
to 10, and which I prefer to make of an undulated or corrugated form in horizontal
section, as shown in Figure 7.
The undulated form of vertical web 23 admits of the packing hole 16 in the
base 21 being advantageously and conveniently placed; and also of the rail 14
being fixed to the rail bed 20 by bolts 24 passing directly down through the middle
of the rail bed, and having the nuts 25 applied to them, in the concave recesses
formed by the corrugations of the vertical web 23. Each nut 25 is prevented from
loosening by a washer 30, which is itself prevented from turning by its inner part
encountering a suitable projection or check on the under side of the rail bed 20.
When the nut 25 has been screwed home the front of the washer 30 is bended
down against it, so that one cannot turn without the other,
The sleeper shown in Figures 7 to 10 also admits of the use of a rail of a simple,
strong, and easily rolled form of section.
In the modification shown in Figure 6 a small rib 26 is formed along the inner
edge of the rail bed 20, and the rail is formed with a corresponding corner groove,
whereby a little additional resistance to lateral displacement is obtainable.
In the modifications of rail and rail bed shown in Figures 4 and 5 the vertical
web 13 of the rail is made of a curvilinear section, giving a greater thickness at
the bottom than at the part immediately above; and the rail is fixed by means of
longitudinal wedge keys 27, for which suitable wedge-shaped recesses are formed
in the rail bed 20.
In Figures 1, 3, and 4, the surface strip or guard 28 on the side of the tram
groove opposite to the main rail 14 is shown as formed on the sleeper casting; in
Figures 2, and 6 to 9, the surface strip is shown as formed on the same piece as the
main rail whilst in Figure 5 it is shown as formed by a separate rolled rail 29.
;

page_text: Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I have to state that I do not restrict myself to the precise details
herein described or delineated, but that what I believe to be novel and original, and
claim as the Invention secured to ime by and in terms of the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent is,-
1. The combination of parts shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings,
and herein-before described.
2. The combination of parts shown in Figure 2 of the accompanying Drawings,
and herein-before described.
3. The combination of parts shown in Figure 3 of the accompanying Drawings,
and herein-before described.
4. The combination of parts shown in Figure 4 of the accompanying Drawings,
and herein-before described.
5. The combination of parts shown in Figure 5 of the accompanyings Drawings,
and herein-before described.
6. The combination of parts shown in Figures 6 to 9 of the accompanying
Drawings, and herein-before described.
7. The making of the continuous cast-iron chair sleepers in longitudinal halves,
fixed together by bolts which also secure the rails, as herein-before described.
8. The making of continuous cast-iron chair sleepers for tramways or railways
with continuous corrugated vertical webs, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof. I, the said John Page, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Eleventh day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-nine.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JOHN PAGE. (L.s.)