US1371126A - Device for repairing railroad-rails - Google Patents

Description

w. STECKLER." I DEVICE FOR REPAIRING RAILROAD RAILS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 24, I920.

Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

- momma UNITED STATES WILLIAM STECKLER, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

DEVICE FOR REPAIRING RAILROAD-RAILS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

Application filed February 24, 1920. Serial No. 860,789.

for Repairing Railroad-Rails; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improved device for repairing damaged railroad rails,

and it has more particular reference to one which is especially designed for use in connection with street railway tracks, although it is not to be restricted to such use.

During continued operation of cars, the rails, due to the pounding impact of the wheels, become cracked and damaged. Such cracln'ng in the most instances occurs at the point where the ball of the rail joms the web, especially within a close distance of the end of the rail, where the latter joins another rail.

At the present time, so far as I am aware, it is the general practice, when repairing damaged rails, to remove the entire damaged section and replace it with an entirely new section. This method of repairing rails involves considerable expense in that considerable excavating must be done, after which the new rail must be secured in position by riveting, welding or bolting it to the existing rail. Some tracks are laid by permanently welding the rail sections together to formvcontinuous rails. 1th this method of track laying, considerable difliculty is also experienced in repairing the rails when they become. damaged. I am aware also, that rails are sometimes repaired by the employment of a supplemental section which is inserted in a space formed in the main rail by removing the damaged portion of the latter. However, such devices of this type as I am familiar with are so constructed that considerable cutting of the main rail is necessary, or the main rail has to be especially prepared to permit use of the supplemental rails, which are of such construction that a special supplemental rail section is necessary for each dififerent rail section, hence they do not adapt themselves for general use.

It is therefore the object of this invention to overcome, as

much as possible, the above expensive and crude methods of repairing rails, by the provision of a simple device for this purpose which will permit easy and quick repairing of the rails at the joint, or at any other point, by merely removing the damaged portion of the ball only, in such a manner as to produce a substantlally rectangular space, whereupon my supplemental rail is inserted in this space and secured in position. As my device includes an apertured attaching plate it can, in practically all instances, be secured in position by making use of the usual existing boltholes in the main rail, thus obviating the necessity of expensive drilling as is usually necessary.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the above mentioned character in which means for securing it in position also serves as a fish-plate when used at the joint of two rail sections, thus permitting the old worn fish-plate to be discarded.

. Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of two sections of a street railway rail, showing portions of the ball removed so that my device may be applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of a device constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of my device applied for use.

Fig. 4: is a perspective view of two rail sections, one of them having a portion of its ball removed.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of Fig. 4, showing my device as it appears when associated with rails wherein only one of them has a portion of its ball removed.

Fig. 6 is a section taken on the plane of the line 6-6 of'Fig. 2.

Before describing the construction of my invention in detail,.I desire to call attention to the fact that my device is of such construction that it will fit any existing rail section within reasonable limit. That is to say, one pattern will fit many rail sections now in use as the device is to be placed in position on the outside of the rail, and as it has a specially constructed type of attaching plate, this plate will serve the function of the usual fish-plate which may be removed and discarded. Thus, the device acts both as a fish-plate, and as a support for the supplemental ball to be put into place. In the drawings, I have shown two rail sections 1 and 2, which are of the construction now employed for street railway tracks. As is Wellknown, the rail sections are laid in such a manner as to cause the ends of each to abut one another to provide a continuousrail. As before stated, constant pounding of the car wheels against the rail at the joint causes the ball, deslgnated at 3, to become cracked at the point where it joins the web 4: of the rail. Such cracking of the ball occurs in most cases, at the ends of the rail sections, and, as before stated, considerable difliculty is experienced in re pairing the rails.

I have devised a device, which is inclicated as a whole by the numeral 5, to permit effective and quick repairing of the rails. This device includes a ball 6, and an attaching plate 7, the latter being provided with a plurality of bolt-holes 8.

From an inspection of Fig. 1, it will be seen that the ball 3 of the rail extends beyond the outer face of the web 4 a greater distance than it does beyond the inner face, and therefore when the repair device, which has the ball 6 extending beyond the opposite side faces of its web 7 an equal distance, is put in place with either face of the web 7 engaging the outer face of the web 4:, the inner and outer side faces of the balls 3 and 6 will be flush as shown in Figs. 3 and 5.

Should the rail sections 1 and 2 become damaged, the portions thereof may be removed in any suitable way. Inasmuch as cracking of the ball usually occurs close to the end of the rails, it is only necessary in the majority of cases to remove about five inches, and the ball of my device may be inserted into the space formed by removing the damaged ball.

As the main rail sections are usually provided with bolt-holes, for the attachment of the fish-plates, and as I provide the attaching late 7 with bolt-holes to register with the olt-holes in the main rails, it will be seen that my device may be secured in position by means of bolts, and-the necessity of drilling special holes for its connection will be obviated. In this way, a great expense will be saved. Sometimes, only one of the rail sections will become damaged,'and, as shown in Fig. 4, it will be necessary only to remove a portion of the ball of this section .only. In fact, my device may be effectively used to repair rails at any point where they become damaged, that is, after the ball becomes cracked at the point where it joins the web of the rail. This device is so shaped that the attaching plate for a short distance beyond the ends of its ball'6, supports the newly'made end of the-existing rail, thus preventing further damaging of the existing rail. Installation of my device may be accomplished without disturbing the existing rail in the least. In the foregoing description, I have made frequent use of the words existing rail. These words are intended to mean, the rail which is in place at the present time.

Iy device has been in actual use for some time, and has proven to be extremely satisfactory. The time consumed in placing it in position, is very short; in fact, its installation does not interrupt the trafiic in any way. The time consumed in many in' stances, is only about three minutes, so it will be seen, that where street cars run on' schedule time, and where the schedule is about two minutes, the placing of my device in position will not interfere with the traffic.

It is to be emphasized, that employment of a device constructed in accordance with my invention will be found extremely satisfactory, in that it will not weaken the main rails in any manner whatsoever.. It may be installed in a few minutes, and the same bolts and bolt-holes which serve to retain the usual fish-plate in position, may be also used in retaining my device in position. It not only serves as a support for'the ball 6 thereof, but it also serves to supportthe ball of the main rail sections. It is also to be noted that the entire upper edge of the attaching plate is not in contact with the heads of the main rail sections, but a portion thereof is spaced away from the heads, so as to permit the plate to be conveniently welded in place, if so desired.

A careful study of the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings will enable the reader to obtain a thorough understandingof my device. For this reason, further description is deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, that the form of my invention herein shownand described is to be taken as a preferred form of the same and that various minor changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with a pair of rail sections each having a web and a ball carried by the web, one rail having a portion of its ball cut away from the end of the rail, of a plate fitting against the webs of the rails beneath the balls thereof and connected with the webs, and a ball section extending longitudinally of the upper edge of said plate and beyond opposite sides thereof an equal distance and occupying the space left by the portion of the rail ball cut away, the plate extending beyond the ends of the ball section carried thereby and extending beneath the balls of the rail sections to support and reinforce the same.

2. A rail repair device of the character described comprising a plate for fitting agamst the webs of a pair of rail sections 10 beneath the ball portions thereof, and a ball section extending longitudinally of the upper edge of said plate and terminating short of the ends thereof and extending approximately an equal distance beyond opposide side faces of the plate for filling the space left by a section of a rail ball cut away.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM STEOKLER.

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