US2017918A

US2017918A - Tool for seating rail anchors

Info

Publication number: US2017918A
Application number: US749181A
Authority: US
Inventors: John F Reilly
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1934-10-20
Filing date: 1934-10-20
Publication date: 1935-10-22
Anticipated expiration: 1952-10-22

Description

Get. 22, 1935. J RE|LLY 2,017,918

TOOL FOR SEATING RAIL ANCHORS Filed Oct. 20, 1934 I mfenigr Patented Oct. 22, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention relates to improvements in tools for driving rail anchors longitudinally of the railroad rails, on which they are applied, so as to force the anchor devices into firm contact with the cross-ties or other stationary parts of the roadbed, which serve as abutments for the anchor devices. The force exerted against rail anchors of the one-piece yoke type to spring or drive the anchor device onto the base portion of a rail does not ordinarily serve to move the anchor device into firm seating engagement with a crosstie. It is important, however, that rail anchoring devices have a firm bearing against the crossties, which serve as abutments for the another devices. Otherwise the railroad rails will move over the cross-ties under the force induced by passing trains, at distance suflicient to take up the initial looseness between the rail anchors and the ties. If the several anchor devices should be spaced unequal distances from the cross-ties,

the initial creeping of the rails will cause the cross-ties first engaged by said devices to be displaced from their original position in the ballast of the road-bed. Such displacement of the cross ties will continue until the anchor devices have been firmly seated against a sumcient number of cross-ties to prevent further creeping movement of the rail.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved tool of simple construction which can be used to facilitate the application of the rail anchors to their operative engagement with adjacent cross-ties. In this connection the invention contemplates a device which may be conveniently positioned over the head of a rail and into engagement with opposite ends of a rail anchor device. The construction of the tool being such that the force of a single hammer blow on the upper end of the tool will be distributed equally to the opposite end of the anchor device and thereby maintain the rail anchor yoke in a position substantially normal to the length of the rail while it is being driven longitudinally thereof.

Another object is to provide an improved tool of the above character which may be used in seating rail anchor yokes of various constructions.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the description of one embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a portion of a railroad rail showing one form of rail anchor device applied to the base portion of the rail and illustrating a tool constructed in accordance with this invention applied to the rail in a position to force the rail anchor device into firm contact with an adjacent cross tie. I

Fig. 2 is a partial sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the assembly shown in Fig. 4 is a view in seating tool, andv Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating the use of the tool member in connection with a rail anchor of difierent form.

The improved tool of this invention is shown in 15 the drawing in connection with a one-piece rail anchor applied to the rail. The rail anchor shown consists of a bar In bent at one end to provide a hook-shaped jaw H adapted to hook over one base flange of the rail 12. The body portion of 20' the anchor is bowed downwardly, as shown at l3, and is adapted to bear against the adjacent vertical face of the cross-tie l4 when the anchor is in its applied position. The end. portion l5 of the anchor projects a substantial distance 25 above the rail base and is formed with a notch Hi to receive the edge of the rail base. The said anchor device is applied to the base portion of the rail by hooking the jaw ll over one flange perspective oi the anchor 10 of the rail base with the. body portion of the 305 anchor extending across beneath the rail in close relation to the cross-tie M. A suitable lever wrench (not shown) is then used to exert a strong upward pressure against the downwardly bowed portion of the anchor at substantially the loca- 35 tion indicated by the reference numeral I! (Fig. 2). Such pressure causes the notched end I5 01 the anchor to snap over the edge of the rail base to its applied position.

In applying said anchor to a rail it is desirable 40 to locate it as closely as possible to the cross-tie against which it abuts to resist the creeping movement of the rail. After the anchor has been forced to its rail gripping position, it may be driven into close contact with the cross-tie by 451 striking opposite ends of the anchor with a track sledge. This manner of seating the anchor against the cross-tie is undesirable because the hammer blows on alternate endsof the anchor tend to shift it to a position diagonally across 50' the rail base and thereby reduces its gripping efliciency. Also the edge of the anchor presents but a relatively narrow striking surface and con sequent-1y exposes the workmen to the danger of injury from glancing hammer blows.

In order to overcome the above mentioned and other incidental objections, the rail anchor seat ing tool herein shown provides for the application of uniform pressure to the opposite ends of the anchor device while the anchor is being driven longitudinally of the rail. The said seating tool, preferably, comprises a head portion l8 and downwardly extending arms is and 20 which embrace the head 2| of the rail. The distance between the arms is preferably such that the engagement with the side faces of the rail head will maintain the tool in substantial alignment.

with the rail. The lower ends of the arms are bent outwardly, as indicated by the

reference numerals

22, 23 and then downwardly, as indicated by the

numerals

24, 25. The outwardly bent portions 22-23 of the tool engage the portions of the anchor device which projectover the upper surface of the rail base while the downwardly projecting. portions 24--25 of the tool engage portions of the'anchonwhich lie below the plane of the bottom surface of the rail. This character of engagement maintains the anchor device normal to the length of the rail during the driving of the anchor longitudinally of the rail. Such engagement between the tool and the opposite ends of the anchor also prevents the anchor from canting or tilting about a horizontal axis in a manner to cause the jaw portions of the anchor to bite into the top surface of the rail base. By distributing the driving force against the top and bottom portions of the hook end of the anchor, these portions of the anchor are maintained in substantial perpendicular alignment, whereas striking one of thesaid portions, for example, with a sledge, tends to distort it out of said vertical alignment and thereby impairs the character of grip of the device on the rail.

In order to protect the top of the rail from mis-directed hammer blows the head portion of the tool is provided with a rearwardly extending shield member 26 which overlies the top surface of the rail head. The shield plate is relatively thin and is preferably, though not necessarily, formed integrally with the head portion l8 of the tool. The handle 21 for positioning the tool on the rail extends upwardly and outwardly from the head [8 of the tool. The said handle portion is shown as broken away in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing in order to conserve space in the drawing. It will be obvious, however, that the handle may be made of any desirable length.

While the construction of the improved tool 1 has been described in connection with a specific form of anchor in which a substantial portion of the anchor projects above the rail base at opposite sides of the rail, it will be apparent from inspectionof Fig. 5 that the improved tool is not limited in its usefulness to any particular form of anchor device. In Fig. 5 the improved tool is shown in connection with a one-piece rail anchor device provided with a jaw 28 at one end which is forced into gripping engagement with the top and bottom surfaces of the base flange 29, the other end of the anchor being provided with a relatively low locking shoulder 30 which snaps up over the lower corner portion of the rail base at the opposite side of the rail to hold the anchor device in its applied position. Should it be found desirable to use the improved tool on this type of rail anchor the engagement of the

portions

23 and 25 with the jaw and underrail portion of the anchor at one side of the rail serves to hold the jaw and body portions of the anchor in substantially vertical alignment. The engagement of the downwardly extending portion 24 of the seating tool with the locking shoulder end of the anchor insures equal distribution of the driving force on opposite ends of the 5 anchor device.

I claim:

1. A rail anchor seating tool comprising a head portion, arms extending downwardly from the head and spaced apart to embrace the head por- 10 tion of a railroad rail; the lower ends of said arms 1 being provided with surfaces adapted to seat against portions of the anchor device at opposite sides of the rail whereby application of force to the upper end of the tool is distributed equally to 15 opposite ends of the anchor.

2. A rail anchor seating tool comprising a head portion and spaced arms which embrace the head portion of a rail and extend downwardly toward the rail anchor being operated on; the said arms :0 being bent outwardly and downwardly to provide portions for engaging opposite end portions of the rail anchor whereby application of force to the upper ends of the tool is equally distributed to the said opposite ends of the anchor. 25

3. A tool for use in forcing a rail anchor longitudinally of the rail and into firm seating engagement with a cross-tie comprising a head portion, and spaced downwardly extending arms which embrace the head portion of the rail and 305 formed at their lower ends with portions angularly disposed relative to the upper portion of the tool for engaging parts of the anchor which project over the top surface of the rail base flange.

4. A tool for use in forcing a rail anchor longi- 35; tudinally of a rail and into firm seating engagement with a cross-tie comprising a head portion, and spaced downwardly extending arms which embrace the head portion of the rail and hear at their lower ends against a portion of the rail or anchor lying below the plane of the bottom surface of the rail base.

5. A tool for use in forcing a rail anchor longitudinally of a rail'and into firm seating engagement with a. cross-tie comprising a head portion, spaced downwardly extending arms which embrace the head portion of the rail and formed at their lower ends with outwardly and downwardly extending portions; the outwardly extending portions being adapted to rest upon the base flanges of the rail and a downwardly extending portion adapted to bear against opposite end portions of the rail anchor at locations closely adJacent to the opposite edges of the rail base.

6. A rail anchor seating tool comprising a head portion for receiving hammer blows. spaced arm members connected with a head which, in the. normal position of the tool on a rail, extends diagonally downward across the side of the rail for engagement with the rail anchor, and a shield plate adjacent said head portion of the seating tool and adapted to overlie the top surface of the rail head. g V

7. A rail anchor seating tool comprising a head portion for receiving hammer blows, spaced arm members connected with the head which, in the normal position of the tool on a rail, extends diagonally downward across the side of the rail for engagement with the rail anchor, a relatively thin shield plate positioned on the head to overlie the upper surface of the rail head at an angle to the top surface thereof, and a handle extending upwardly from one side of the head portion of the tool. V

8. A rail anchor seating tool comprising a head portion for receiving hammer blows, and spaced downwardly extending arms which embrace the rail head and engage with the opposite end portions of the anchor being seated; the lower ends of said arms being formed with angularly disposed members which bear upon the top surface of the rail base at opposite sides of the rail to support the said lower ends of the tool, and the upper end of the tool being provided with a rearwardly extending shield member which intervenes between the top surface of the rail and th head portion of the tool.

JOHN F. REILLY.-