GB2129470A

GB2129470A - Rail sleeper and fastening

Info

Publication number: GB2129470A
Application number: GB08328351A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alan Walter Briggs; Robert Moreton Haslam
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1982-11-01
Filing date: 1983-10-24
Publication date: 1984-05-16
Also published as: GB8328351D0; GB2129470B

Abstract

In a rail fastening comprising a rail clip in the form of a spring plate (12), Fig. 3, bearing on the rail flange, and passing under a reaction bridge piece (22) including a cross bar spaced above the sleeper (10), the sleeper (10) is of inverted channel section and the bridge piece (22) is formed integrally with the sleeper by a pressing operation, the sleeper also being formed with an upstanding clip retaining abutment surface (28) engaging an abutment edge (26) of the rail clip (12). The clip (12) of Fig.3 has an aperture adjacent a tab (30) for engagement by a clip-removing tool (shown chain dotted). In the modification of Fig. 6, the sleeper (10) has a reaction bridge piece (22), a clip-retaining abutment (32), and pressed-out sloping surfaces 34, 36 which serve to guide the leading end of the plate spring clip during insertion, and to facilitate its removal by the tool indicated without the need for an aperture in the clip. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Rail sleeper and fastening The invention relates to a rail sleeper and fastening.

It is known to provide a rail fastening comprising, in combination with a sleeper or other rail foundation, a rail-fastening member constituted by a length of resilient metal of rod form which is bent so as to have several portions one of which can be inserted into a passage extending through an anchoring member, the passage extending substantially parallel to the rail, for another portion of the rod to bear downwards on the rail foot. However, a particular disadvantage of this known kind of rail fastening is that, because the passage extending through the anchoring member extends substantially parallel to the rail, a minor derailment of trucks travelling along the railway line can cause the inadvertent extraction of one or more of the railfastening members.

It is also known to provide a rail fastening comprising, in combination with a sleeper or other rail foundation, a clip in the form of a spring plate bearing on the rail flange, and a reaction piece fixed in the sleeper or other rail foundation, the reaction piece being constituted by an upright hoop located substantially in one plane with its cross bar spaced above the sleeper and away from the rail flange, a lateral abutment for the rail being provided by a shoulder on the rail foundation. In this case the clip has been inserted into position in a direction at right angles to the rail.

Known arrangements of this latter kind have worked quite well and have not easily been knocked out of position. However, they have been somewhat expensive to produce. The invention has for its object to provide a rather less expensive rail fastening suitable in particular for securing the relatively lightly loaded mine car rails used in coal mines and laid on sleepers made of inverted lengths of channel section material. In addition, it is the object of the invention to provide a rail fastening which will be inherently safe in a mine where men frequently have to walk along the rail track, that is to say a rail fastening as free as possible from upstanding elements over which a person might trip or on which he might injure himself.

According to the invention, there is provided a rail fastening comprising, in combination with a sleeper made of an inverted length of channel section material, a rail clip in the form of a spring plate, the clip bearing at one end on the flange of the rail and at its other end on the top surface of the sleeper and fitting intermediately of its ends beneath a bridge piece upstanding from the sleeper, the end portion oft clip which bears on the top surface of the sleeper having an abutment edge adapted to co-act with an abutment surface upstanding from the top surface of the sleeper to retain the clip in position. The arrangement may be such that when it is desired to release the fastening, an extraneous tool can be engaged with an aperture in the clip to disengage said abutment edge of the clip from the abutment surface of the sleeper.The abutment surface upstanding from the top surface of the sleeper to retain the clip in position may have been formed by a pressing operation involving the shearing of the top surface of the sleeper along a line extending transversely of its length so that the resulting abutment surface is a sharp-edged step.

Alternatively, it may have been formed by a pressing operation forming an upstanding bulge in the top surface of the sleeper and against which which an end surfe of tclip can abut. In this latter case, the surface of the upstanding bulge in the top surface of the sleeper will preferably be continuous with but slightly proud of a downwardly sloping surface which when the rail clip is being fitted in position guides a leading end of the clip beneath the bridge piece upstanding from the sleeper. The top surface of the sleeper will preferabiy be provided with a further sloping surface, on the side of the bridge piece remote from the sloping surface continuous with the upstanding bulge, which when the rail clip is being fitted in position guides the leading end of the clip onto the flange of the rail.A lateral location for the rail foot may have been formed by a pressing operation having formed a depression extending across the top surface of the sleeper for the reception of a portion of the rail foot.

Alternatively, such a lateral location may have been formed by a pressing operation having formed abutments upstanding from the top surface of the sleeper, the abutments being spaced apart appropriately for the rail foot to be received between them.

In order that the invention may be fully understood and readily carried into effect, the same will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 is an exploded view of a rail fastening embodying the invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the rail fastening in assembled condition, Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 in Figure 2, and Figures 4 to 6 are views respectively similar to Figures 1 to 3 which illustrate a modified form of rail fastening which will be referred to.

Referring now to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings, the rail fastenings there illustrated comprises, in combination with a sleeper generally indicated 10 made of an inverted length of metal channel section, a rail clip in the form of a spring plate 12. In Figure 2 a rail is shown in chain-dotted lines engaged with a lateral location for the rail foot, that is to say located in a depression 1 4 extending across the top surface of the sleeper. (The depression 1 4 has been formed by a pressing operation which has sheared the top surface of the sleeper along parallel lines 16 and 18, and to accommodate the consequent inward movement of the opposite areas of the depressed portion of the sleeper a central area has been removed to form a slot 20).

As shown, the rail clip 12 is made of an eiongate length of rectangular section material and in use bears at one end on the flange of the rail foot. At its other end the rail clip bears on the top surface of the sleeper and intermediate of its ends it extends through a bridge piece 22 upstanding from the sleeper (the bridge piece having been formed integrally with the body of the sleeper by means of a pressing operation forming a cross-bar located a predetermined distance above the top surface of the sleeper).

The arrangement is such that the rail clip can be inserted through the bridge piece and can be driven into its final position by means of a hammer or other suitable tool so that its said one end can ride up the sloping surface of the flange of the rail foot. As it rides up the sloping surface of the flange of the rail foot the clip is caused to flex as it reacts intermediate its ends against the upstanding bridge piece and is caused to bear down with a substantial clamping force on the rail foot.

The end portion of the rail clip which bears flat down on the top surface of the sleeper, that is to say the end remote from the rail foot, has an abutment edge 26 adapted to co-act with an abutment surface 28 upstanding from the top surface of the sleeper to retain the clip in its final position. (Said abutment surface has been formed by a pressing operation having displaced an area of the top plate portion of the sleeper upwardly from the top surface of the sleeper, the pressing operation in this case having involved the shearing of the top surface of the sleeper along a line extending transversely of its length so that the resulting abutment surface is a sharp-edged step).Adjacent the end portion of the clip which bears flat down on the top surface of the sleeper there is formed a rectangular aperture 24 one side of which has been formed as shown with an upwardly inclined tab portion 30. The arrangement is such that when it is desired to release the fastening, an extraneous tool, such as the tool shown in chaindotted lines in Figure 3, can be engaged with the aperture 24 in the clip to disengage the abutment edge 26 of the clip from the abutment surface of the sleeper. The tool can be used as a "drift", that is to say can be struck by a hammer or the like when engaged with the clip so that the latter will be knocked out of position.A nose portion of the tool can be engaged in the aperture 24 in the clip and is shaped so that it can be driven beneath the upwardly inclined tab portion 30 of the clip; it bears upon the top surface of the sleeper and thus causes the end portion of the clip to ride up over the abutment surface 28 of the sleeper.

When the rail clip has been disengaged from the abutment surface 28 of the sleeper, it need be only partially withdrawn through the bridge piece 22 to release the rail foot and allow it to be lifted from the sleeper. Consequently, the rail clip is unlikely to become misplaced before again being needed.

Various modifications may be made. For example, in Figures 4 to 6 there is illustrated a rail fastening very similar to that illustrated in Figures 1 to 3. However, in this case the abutment surface upstanding from the top surface of the sleeper to retain the rail clip in position has been formed by a pressing operation forming an upstanding bulge 32 in the top surface of the sleeper and against which the end surface 26 of the clip can abut as shown in Figure 6. It will be seen in Figure 6 that the surface of the upstanding bulge is continuous with but stands slightly proud of a downwardly sloping surface 34 which when the rail clip is being fitted in position guides a leading end of the clip beneath the bridge piece 22 upstanding from the sleeper.On the side of the bridge piece remote from the sloping surface 34 continuous with the upstanding bulge 32, a further sloping surface 36 is provided which when the rail clip is being fitted in position guides the leading end of the clip onto the flange of the rail.

The sloping surface 36 has been formed by a pressing operation involving the shearing of the top surface of the sleeper along a line extending transversely of its length and spaced from the shear edge of the bridge piece. The area thus formed between the bridge piece and an undisturbed area 38 forming a seating surface for the rail foot has been tilted so that adjacent the bridge piece there is a stepped down portion acting to guide the leading end of the rail clip upwardly onto the flange of the rail and adjacent the seating surface for the rail foot there is an upwardly stepped portion forming an abutment 40 which constitutes a lateral location for the rail foot.

It will be seen that in this modified arrangement, the aperture 24 in the clip has been omitted. This is because it has been found that the clip can in this case be displaced to release the fastening by lever action applied to the end of the clip overlying the rail foot, as shown in Figure 6, the abutment edge 26 of the clip simply riding over the upstanding bulge 32.

Thus there is provided a rail fastening which is particularly suited for use down a mine, in particular because a minor derailment of trucks travelling along the railway track is unlikely to cause the inadvertent extraction of one or more of the rail-fastening members. In addition to this, because the rail clip is located in flat down or almost flat down condition on the sleeper along almost its entire length and the upstanding bridge piece 22 is itself very shallow, there is very little change of a miner tripping over the fastening when walking along the rail track or indeed of suffering any injury if he happened to fall on the fastener whilst walking along the track.

Claims

1. A rail fastening comprising, in combination with a sleeper made of an inverted length of channel section material, a rail clip in the form of a spring plate, the clip bearing at one end on the flange of the rail and at its other end on the top surface of the sleeper and fitting intermediately of its ends beneath a bridge piece upstanding from the sleeper, the end portion of the clip which bears on ths top surface of the sleeper having an abutment edge adapted to co-act with an abutment surface upstanding from the top surface of the sleeper to retain the clip in position.

2. A rail fastening according to claim 1, in which the arrangement is such that when it is desired to release the fastening, an extraneous tool can be engaged with an aperture in the clip to disengage said abutment edge of the clip from the abutment surface of the sleeper.

3. A rail fastening according to either one of the preceding claims, in which the abutment surface upstanding from the top surface of the sleeper to retain the clip in position has been formed by a pressing operation involving the shearing of the top surface of the sleeper along a line extending transversely of its length so that the resulting abutment surface is a sharp-edged step.

4. A rail fastening according to claim 1, in which the abutment surface upstanding from the top surface of the sleeper to retain the clip in position has been formed by a pressing operation forming an upstanding bulge in the top surface of the sleeper and against which an end surface of the clip can abut.

5. A rail fastening according to claim 4, in which the surface of the upstanding bulge in the top surface of the sleeper is continuous with but slightly proud of a downwardly sloping surface which when the rail clip is being fitted in position guides a leading end of the clip beneath the bridge piece upstanding from the sleeper.

6. A rail fastening according to claim 5, in which the top surface of the sleeper is provided with a further sloping surface, on the side of the bridge piece remote from the sloping surface continuous with the upstanding bulge, which when the rail clip is being fitted in position guides the leading end of the clip onto the flange of the rail.

7. A rail fastening according to any one of the preceding claims, in which a lateral location for the rail foot has been formed by a pressing operation having formed a depression extending across the top surface of the sleeper for the reception of a portion of the rail foot.

8. A rail fastening according to any one of claims 1 to 6, in which a lateral location for the rail foot has been formed by a pressing operation having formed abutments upstanding from the top surface of the sleeper, the abutments being spaced apart appropriately for the rail foot to be received between them.

9. A rail fastening constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated by Figures 1 to 3 or Figures 4 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.