US2212657A - Track construction - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 27, 1940. 1.. T. BURWELL TRACK CONSTRUCTION Filed March 11, 1938 R m m v m Lester T. B wweH KfL ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 27, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE My invention relates to track construction and has particular reference to the holding of rail against longitudinal creeping or expansion (which term also includes contraction) due to temperature changes, and the provision of a suitable tieplate and fastenings. Y

My present invention has particular refer,- ence to open track above surface, laid on tiepla-tes fastened to ties which are embedded in ballast, preferably cinder or stone, the rail being subject to a wide range of temperature from mid-summer sun to the cold of winter. While holding the rail against expansion, and

permitting the rail to be laid without expansion gaps, my invention also contemplates holding a rail against creeping caused by traffi'c, by brak ing, or by other forces and conditions.

An object of my invention is to provide a comparatively low costimproved track construction which is safe. A further object of this invention is to provide means and method of holding a rail without restricting-the wave motion but which limits the upward movement of the rail whether due to wave motion or not.

In general I prefer toprovide ,a rail seat on the tieplate, preferably crowned or cambered to provide line contact only between the rail and the tieplate. I prefer to provide shoulders on both sides of the rail seat or equivalent bulwarks against lateral movement of the rail. I prefer to permit the rail to have free and unrestrained vertical motionbetween the bulwarks but definitely to limit the extent of that free motion'to a safe amount so that there can be no danger of the rail jumping the shoulders or escaping if the rail fasteners should break, become dislodged or be destroyed. In such construction, my invention contemplates a rail fastener firmly gripping the base flange of the rail top and bottom, that part of the rail fastener which grips the bottom of the rail flange to be confined in an opening inthe tieplate abutting both sides of said opening at a point below the rail so that the restraining force of the tieplate on the fastener acts in or close to the plane of the gripping force of the fastener on the rail, to avoid pivoting of the rail fastener with consequently play and loss of grip.

I prefer that the construction of the opening in the tieplate be such that the fastener may be driven into position with a spike maul or the like and thereafter a rail spike or other tieplate fastening be driven into a prepared outer portion of the tieplate opening or elsewhere, where it performsits main functions of holding down the tieplate and of overlying the rail or rail fastener, preferably both, .but the overlying portion spaced from the part it overlies so as to limit but not prohibit upward motion of the rail. The tieplate fastening may but does not necessarily form the sole backing for, the rail fastener.

Where itdoes form such sole-backing it preferably actsas a block between the edgeoi the tieplate opening'and the back of the rail-fastener, on which the rail fastener slides'up andxdown and in such case the block or spike may be of hardened spring metal. as is the rail fastener itself.

I prefer that the dimensions of the rail fastener shall not affect the dimensions of thetieplate holding means, or vice versa, and to that end that the tieplate opening be larger or smaller, as is required, at the outer end'so that the tieplate fastener shall fit into the tieplate opening and thus the tieplate be prevented from moving on the tie. 1

Lastly, my invention contemplates a balanced rail fastening for each tieto prevent either split- 1 ting, rolling or slewing rail fasteners diagonally across the railfrom each the tie, by placing the other, one on one side of the center line and the other on the-opposite side of the center line or line of contact between rail and tieplate. .Preferably, the center line of rail, tieplate and tie are undisturbed by this construction. I may similarly stagger the tieplate fastenings also, on tangent, track.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, as will be apparent as the description proceeds, my inventionresides -in *the combination and arrangement of partsgandin the details of construction described in this specification and particularly pointed out in the appended claim. I intend no limitation other than those of'the claim when fairly interpreted in the light of the full disclosure and :the present state of the art, it being understood that changes maybe made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention."

In the drawing, illustrative of 'a preferred and other modificationso-f my invention, Fig. 1 is a frag-mentarycross sectional elevation of a rail, tieplate, rail fastener and tieplate fastener disposed according to my invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional plan view atthe surface of the tieplate in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sketch of the tieplate fastener 'of Fig. 1; Figs; 4 and 5 are views similar to Figs. 1 and 2, of a. modification of my invention;- Figs. 6 and 7 are similar views of another modification; Fig. 8 is a sketch of the modified rail fastening of Figs. 6 and 7; Fig. 9 is a sketch of still another modified form of my invention; Fig. 10 is a fragmentarysection on the line-I'll of Fig. 9;' Fig. 11 is a plan view'of the arrangement of a tieplate and fastenings according toathe device of Fig. 1. T

Similar reference characters relate to correas 3 (Fig. '11). The tieplate is preferably'cambered or crowned, as at 4, and preferably is double shouldered 5, 5, (Fig. 11) and provided with a spike hole on each side 6, 6, adjacent the rail, inga'ddition to the opening'provided for the rail fastener.

To hold the tieplate to the tie, various forms of spike fastenings may be used, the particular form of the spike not being my invention but designated herein as 1, 1A, 1B, the spike I (Fig. 6) being an ordinary rail spike, spike IA being a form of resilient wedge spring spike, 1B illustrative of a full throated cut spike of well known construction. Various spike combinations may be used, as suggested in the arrangement of Fig. 9; described below T Besides the usualr-ail spike holes diagonally disposed, the tieplate 2' is provided on each side of the rail seat with an opening 8 under the rail "and extending outwardly beyond the rail edge a greater. distance than the spike hole, the outer end preferably widened'in the arrangement of Figs..l and 2, but narrowed in the 'arr-angeme'nt of Figs. 4 and 5, of the same size (Fig. 9 br divided to form a U-shape (Figs. 6 and '7). A rail fastener of resilient material 9, preferably U-shaped, which may be relatively elongated 9A (Fig. 4) or'slotted 93 (Figs. 6 and 8), is provided to be driven on the edge portion of therail base 'I and to fit into a slot 8 so as to abut both side walls thereof at points below the a rail base, the gripping force of said fastener being sufiicientto restrain longitudinal movement or expansion'of thejrailQ This fastener is adapted to be driven" by a'spike'maul or the like and may 'be held from backing off or release, by abutting the edges 10- (Fig. of the tieplate opening." It is apparent that in this instance, the opening 8' extends out from the rail, edge a distance less than the length of the lower portion'of the rail fastener 9A,

Preferably the opening 8 extends a distance greater 'than the length of the lower portion i5 of the rail fastenerB so that the fastener may be dropped into the opening and driven into place without lifting the railJIn such instances the outer end of. theopening may widen abruptly to provide-abutment shoulders ll (Fig; 2) for the tieplate fastenings, in this instance the spring spike IA, against the hardened surface of which the rail fastener 9 may slide up and down, limited by the overhanging arm l2 (Fig. l) which extends over the rail but is spaced therefrom. A portion 13 on the other leg of the spring spike lA serves to limit the amount it can be driven, as does the full throat I4 of the spike 13 (Fig. 4). Inlthe latter instance the outer portion of the opening 8 is narrowed and fits the spike'IB so that the ti'eplateis held from jmovement on the tie. It is essential for the tieplate to be held when on a wooden tie not only to prevent movement of the rail; but also to prolong the life of the tie.

If the'rail fastener 9Bis slottedthrough the bend of the U, a U-shaped opening may be provided at thel'outer end of the opening 8 and the spike! may be against the rail edg'eand abut the tieplate portion l6 (Fig. '7), the spike head overlying both the fastener 93 and the rail 1, the railifastening 9Balso held from backing off by the spike I and, in turn, furnishing a'filler portion on each side of the spike to prevent tieplate movement on the tie.

In some instances I may prefer to dispose the several parts as indicated in Fig. 9, the fastener 9 being of spike width and backed up by a blocking spike l in the outer part of the opening 8. Alongside the will also provide in anordinary rail spike holeB, a spring spike 1A, for example, generally of spike dimensions, overlying the rail to limit upward motion (Fig. l0) and serving to hold the tieplate 2 to the tie by the spring wedging effect in the spike hole 6 and an anchor below the tieplatein the tie.

Preferably, as in Fig. 11, rail spike holes 6 are provided, one on each side of the rail seat, for emergency, and the rail fastener and tieplate fastening on one side of the rail is in a difierent opening which extends under the 9.11 seat and out from the rail edge a greater distance'than the ordinary spike hole 6. These fasteningson one side of the rail are preferably'diagonally disposed from similar fastenings on' the other side of the rail and are on the opposite side of the contact line, thus providing a balanced rail fastening with free movement up and down-of the fastened rail portions at these points of substantially greatest rail flexure over the tieplate. one fastening on each side of the rail and one fastening on the approach side of the centerline ofcontact and another on the departing side and the spikes are not in the same grain of the tie or along the rolling axis. The holding forces on the rail act on each side below' the base of the rail and are equalized. My invention, as thus set forth, has particular efficacy in holding long welded rails or successive rails not welded but with ends butted together without expansion gaps- What I claim is: Q In a railroad track construction, incornbina tion, a rail so laid as tobe effected by temperature changes and free from any embeddingmaterial and a support therefor including a tie anchored in ballast and a tieplate between said rail and said tie provided with an opening therein under the rail and extending outwardly beyond the edge of the rail base and changing abruptly to greater width at the outer end thereby providing abutment edges for a tieplate fastener, a rail fastener comprising a resilient clamping member gripping the rail base top and bottom and provided with a lower portion thereof clamped against the under side of the rail base and positioned in said tieplate opening in abutting relation to the side walls thereof below the rail of such character that the rail is held from longitudinal creeping or expansion due to temperature changes and ispermitted free upward movement during wave motion-and other means to limit the extent of such free upward movement comprising a tieplate fastener positioned in the wide outer end portion of said tieplate opening resiliently wedged between the outer wall thereof and said abutment edges and anchored in said tie and thereby serving to hold said tieplate and in frictional engagement with said rail fastener to prevent release of the latter; said tieplate fastener presenting a hardened surface to said rail fastener and provided with a portion extendingover said fastener of such character that the upward motion thereof is limited and thereby limits the up ward movement of saidrail during wave' motion.

LESTER T. BURWELL.

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