US1399269A - Rail-joint - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES- ANDREW J. NEAFIE, OF MOUNTAIN LAKES, NEW JERSEY.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 6, 1921.

Application filed December 22, 1920. Serial No. 432,472.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW J. NEAFIE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mountain Lakes, in the county of Morris and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to means for joining and supporting the abutting ends of railway rails, and the main object of the invention is to provide a base-platoon which the joined rail-ends are reliably supported between adjacent ties with freedom of the rail to creep thereon in the direction of travel, and which may be easily and economically shifted to the next advance tie when the rail-joint has advanced by such creep.

Another important object is to provide the base-plate with spike-holes so located. as to match the spike-holes in the tie-plate employed, so that in such advance of the base plate the spikes for the forward end of such plate will be received in the holes left vacant in the tie by the removal of the forward tie-plate, and the-spikes for the latter will be received in the holes in the rearward tie left vacant by the shifting of the baseplate, thus avoiding damage to-the ties in making the shift.

Another object is to provide rail-bars for connecting the abutting ends of the rails, so constructed as to join such ends strongly and stifily without connection to the baseplate, and also to be reversiblewhen worn by the impact thereon of the rail-headsand thus permit the presentation of an. unworn surface to such impact without requiring the installation of new bars.

The invention consists in certain novel features and details of construction and arrangement by which the abovejand' other objects are attained, to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification and show theinvention as it has been carried out in practice.

Figure 1 is a plan view ofa rail-joint showing the base-plate bridging two ties, and a standard tie-plate on the adjacent forward tie. The dotted lines show the positions of the parts when the base-plate has been advanced and the rearward tieplate secured on the vacated tie.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the upper face of I the base-plate alone. I

Fig. 6 is a corresponding longitudinal vertical section, taken on the line 66 in Fig. 5, and partly in elevation.

Fig. 7 is an elevation showing the inner face of a rail-bars.

Referring to the drawings, 1, 2 and 3 indicate the three ties included in the operation of the invention. 4:..is a base-plate shown as secured to the central tie 2 and rearward tie 3 and bridging the space between them, and 5 is a tie-plate secured to the forward tie marked 1.

The j oint, at 6between the rail- ends 7 and 8 lies on the base plate and the rail-ends are supported by the latter. On the base-plate 4 are longitudinal ribs 9 and 10 forming a shouldered channel in which the base of the rail is received to prevent lateral movement of the rail-ends. The ribs or ridges 9 and 10 are formed integrally with the body of the plate and are preferably of sufficient width or lateral thickness to permit reclaiming when worn, to receive rails of greater width of base. Beyond the ribs, onv each side of the plate, the upper face is formed with shallow grooves as at 11 and 12- to match approximately the under faces of the heads of standard screw-spikes or other fastening means. I

.The tie-plate 5 is shown as held by screwspikes 13, 14 and 15, and performs its usual function.

At the forward end of the base-plate, on the outer side, are spike-holes 16 and 17 and on the inner side, 18 and 19, and at therearward end on the outer side, 20 and 21, and on the inward side, 22 and 23. Screw-spikes 24 and cut-spikes 24 in all the holes hold the base-plate securely to the ties 2 and 3. The holes 17, 18, 21 and 22 are in the shallow grooves 11 and 12. The holes 16, 19, 20 and 23 extend through the ribs 9 and 10 and the flanged heads of the cut-spikes therein are thus held above and out of conportion of one of the reversible tact with the rail-base While overhanging the latter to limit the rising movement of the rail ends, as usual.

When the creep of the rail has moved the joint 6 forward, as indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2, the spikes 13, 14 and 15 in the tie-plate 5 are withdrawn and the tie-plate removed. The spikes 24 and 24, are also removed from the base-plate 4 and the latter shifted forward to bridge the space between ties 1 and 2, with the spike holes 16, 17 and 19 matching the holes in tiel left vacant by the spikes 13, 14 and 15 of the removed tie-plate, and the hole 18 presented over an unbored surface of the tie '1 in which a spike may take a firm hold inthehew wood. Theadvance of the base: plate brings the holes 20, 21, 22 and 23 into register with the vacatedspike holes in tie 2 ready for the insertion of the spikes,

'and the holes in tie 3 left vacant by the withdrawal of spikes from the holes 20, 21 and 23, receive the newly inserted spikes correspondingto 13, 14 and 15 in the same or another tie-plate introduced beneath the rail on tie 3.

Ties asnow treated with preservatives resist the action of the elements and ordinai'y wear of service for long periods if not otherwise damaged by the use of this invention the crushing strains at the railjoints are distributed by the base-plate over wide surface areas on two adjacent ties, thus reducing the effect of 'usual unavoidable Wear, and the mechanical damage due to a multiplicity of spike-holes is eliminated and the tearing out-of the spikes as in a fixed joint is entirely avoided.

To stiffen the joint and reduce the shocks to the ties due "to the depression of one railendrelatively to the other at the passage of a car wheel, the rail-bars 25, formed as shown, are em loyed. Each has a heav ridge or flange 26 on the inner face at we margin, with the upper and lower edges inclined or beveled to match to the under face of the rail-head and upper face of therailbase, and are applied in pairs clamped; to the rail by traek-bolts 27 extendin through the bars and web of the rail an heldby washers 28 and nuts 29. The cros's section of the bars is such as to insure great stren th and stiffness and as both edges are practically alike, with the holes for the traek-bolts located at the midheightfthey may be applied with either edge uppermost.

The impact of the under surface of the rail-heads upon the upper edges of the railbars at and immediately adjacent to the rail joint 6, eventually produces a slight notch or depression in such edges, lessening the effective supportofthe rail-ends at this point, When this depression has increased sufliciently torequire attention, it is only necessary to remove the bars and reverse them by turning the unimpaired lower edge uppermost beneath the rail-head with the damaged edge in contact. with the rail-base,

in which latter contaet the depression is of no consequence, and the bar is thus conditioned for another long period of service.

By thus reliably joining and supporting the rail-ends at the joint, the shocks deinvention to various conditions of service and to the standards of construction adopted by various railways. Y

Cut-'spikesor screw-spikes may be employed as dictated by conditions or'preferment, or on bridgestructures. and the like, bolts may be substituted In the usual method in which the rail joints are fixedly secured to the ties, the creep due to travel in one direction, expansion, or other'canses, carries the fastened ends ofthej ties with the rail; resultin in skewing these ties into angular "positions, requiring correction and therespaci'ng' of the adjacent ties By the used]? thepresent invention this fault and the labor and exe'ns'e attendin such correction are avoided. he same a pies tore-laying "rails differing in len'gt from therernoved rails and having the rail-joints differently located relatively to the ties. 1 i

I claims-- to lie upon two adjacent'ties andto support the abutting rail ends with freedom for the rail to move longitudinally thereon, means for joining said ran-ends, spike hol'es in said base-plate located to "match the spike holes in a as: late, and means receivedin such spike iioles for'holding said base-plate and tie plate to the ties.

2." In a raihjeint, baSe pIate a'da ted to lie upon tw'o adjacent ties and bridge the s" ace between them and support 'the abut.- tmg rail-e'nds with freedom of the railto move longitudinall thereon, a tie-plate on the succeeding a vanced tie, fme'ans fifor fastening said base-plate and tie-plate to sueh ties, said base-plate havingspike-holes matching the spikeholes in said tie-plat substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth. 7 h j e e 3 In a rail-joint, a base plat'e adapted to lie upon two adjacent ties ana' ndge the space between them and to support the abutting rail-ends, longitudinally extended ribs on said base-plate adapted to receive the rail-base of said rail ends between them and permit said rail-ends to move ,freely longitudinally andto hold said rail-ends against lateral movement, a tie-plate on the succeeding advanced tie, means for joinr M "1:00 1. In a rail-joint, a base-plate adapted ing said rail-ends, removable fastening means for securing said base-plate and tieplate to such ties, said base-plate, having spike-holes at the front and rear ends, located to match the spike-holes in said tieplate, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

4-. A base-plate for a rail-joint, adapted to lie upon two adjacent ties and bridge the space between them, longitudinally extending ribs on said plate, spike-holes through said plate exterior to'said ribs, located to match spike-holes in a tie-plate, and spikeholes extending through said ribs and plate.

5. A base-plate for a rail-joint, adapted to lie upon two adjacent ties and bridge the space between them, longitudinally extending ribs on said plate, grooves in the latter exterior to said ribs, and spike-holes extending through said plate in said ribs and grooves.

6. The method of conserving railroad ties at a rail-joint consisting of supporting the rail-ends on a base-plate with freedom to move longitudinally thereon, such baseplate bridging the space between two adjacent ties, and having spike-holes for the reception of removable fastening means ex tending through such holes into said ties, such spike-holes arranged to match the holes in the next advanced tie produced by the removable fastening means for a railsupporting tie-plate on such advanced tie,

when said base-plate is shifted forward,

and the holes in the rearward tie thus vacated matching the holes in such tie-plate. In testimony that I claim the invention above set fonth I affix my signature,

ANDREW J. NEAFIE.

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