US2673689A

US2673689A - Toy railroad track

Info

Publication number: US2673689A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1954-03-30
Anticipated expiration: 1971-03-30

Description

March 30; 1954 J. 1.. BONANNO TOY RAILROAD TRACKS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 26 1951 INVENTOR. L/OJEPH 4. 50M: /V/V0.

ATTORNEY.

March 30, 1954 J. BONANNO 2,573,689

TOY RAILROAD TRACKS Filed March 26, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR. 4-75.95; L. EO/VA/VA/O.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 30, 1954 TOY RAILROAD TRACK Joseph L. Bonanno, Madison, N. J., assignor to The Lionel Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 26, 1951, Serial No. 217,582

9 Claims.

The present invention relates to toy railroad tracks, and is more particularly directed toward toy railroad tracks employing two or more rails supported on an insulating base, such as cross ties.

The present application is a continuation in part of my application, Serial No. 607,176 filed July 26, 1945 since abandoned.

Where the rails of toy railroad track are supported on an insulating. base or on insulating cross ties, special provision must be made for securing the rails to the insulating material, so that the rails are very securely held in lace and yet the insulating material is not injured during the assembly operations.

The present invention contemplates several forms of construction whereby the rails are secured to the insulating base or cross ties.

The present invention also contemplates that the fastening means employed for securing the rails to the insulating base or cross tie will be such as to provide a simulation of the spikes ordinarily employed in fastening railroad rails to the railroad cross ties.

The accom anying drawings show, for purposes of il ustrating the present invention, six embodiments in which the invention may take form, it being understood that the drawin s are illustrative of the invention rather than limiting the same.

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of one form of construction wherein the rail fastening or securing means simulates a single spike at each side of the rail flange;

Figure 1A is a perspective View illustrating such a form of rail fastening means:

Figure 2 is a cross sectionalview on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, one of the fastening devices having been omitted;

' Figure 3 is a cross sectional view onitheline 3--3 of Figure l, the track rail being omitted; Figure 3A is an enlargement to show clearance;

Figure 4 is a top plan view illustrating another form of construction for providing a similar single spike appearance;

Figure 4A is a perspective View of the fastening device of Figure l;

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a sectional view on the line 66 of Figure 5;

Figure '7 is a view similarv to Figure. 4 illustrating a modified form of construction in which the rail fastening, meansof Figures ite v6 is employed in a manner to simulate four spikes where each track rail is secured to a tie;

Figure 7A is a fragmentary top plan view of the tie of Figure 7;

Figure 8 is across sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 53-4 of Figure '7, part of one rail being omitted;

Figure 10 is a perspective view of a single device adapted when assembled to provide simulation for four spikes;

Figure 11 is a transverse sectional view showing the device of Figure 10 in position;

Figure 12 is a section taken on the line l2--l2 of Figure 11.

Figure 13 is an exploded perspective view showing a modified form of construction in which a single member secures both track rails to the insulating base;

Figures 14 and 15 are transverse and longi tudinal sectional views through an assembled track section (having the parts shown in Figure 13), Figure 14 being taken on the line l i-ll of Figure 15 and Figure 15 being taken on the line |5l 5 of Figure 14;

Figure 16 is a sectional view illustrating the securement of the third rail of Figure 3 to the insulating base; and

Figure 17 is a v ew illustrating a modified form of fastener for both track rails.

In the arrangement shown in Figures 1 to 13, inclusive, two solid rails suitable for toy railroad operation are illustrated at 23, 25!. The ties are indicated at 2!. These ties are molded insulating material and as here shown, each tie is of inverted box-shaped construction, so as to be recessed as indicated at 22, as shown more clearly in Figure 2. Eachtie is molded to have circular holes or openings 23 spaced according to the gauge of the tracks, and where these holes or openings appear, the molded material is provided with a reinforcement, indicated at 25.

he rail fastener 25, indicated more clearly in igure 1A., is a metal turning of the right size to pass upwardly through the hole 23. It has a flange to engage with the bottom of the tie and flat sides 2'? to engage the side walls of the recess 22, so as to assure proper registry of the device in the hole.

The rail fastening device 25 has two prongs 2&2t which extend up above the upper surface is of the tie. The surface 29' between the prongs is justabovethe top of the tie, as clearly shown in Figure 3A. 'iheseprongs are spaced the proper 3 width to receive the flanged base 30 of the rail which rests on the surface 29. The prongs are bent or swaged inwardly, as indicated in the drawings. This operation takes place in a press, in which the bottom of the fastener member 25 is rested on a suitable base, and no pressure is transmitted through the insulating material. The fastening device is secured to the rail and the tie held to the rail. While the track shown in Figure 1 is a two-rail track, it will be understood that a third rail may be similarly supported.

In the arrangement shown in Figures 4 to 6. inclusive, the cross ties 40 are generally similar to those above described, but are provided with longitudinally extending slots 4| (Figure 4B) spaced according to the track gauge and somewhat longer than the width of the rail flange. The tie has a thickened reinforcement, indicated at 42, through which this opening passes and the lower part of the opening is rounded, as indicated at 43, to facilitate the insertion of the track securing or fastening means. This device, as shown in Figure 4A, is a flat metal stamping 44 with lateral extending

bottom flanges

45, 45, adapted to overlie the reinforcement 42, with a bod portion 46 passing up through the opening 4|, and with two

prongs

41, 41, adapted to extend above the top of the tie and be pressed over on to the top of the rail flange to press the bottom of the flange against surface 49 and then pressed over on to the flange of the rail, as above described. Each prong 41 then simulates a spike.

In the form of construction shown in Figures '1 to 9, inclusive, tie 5i] resembles the tie 40 above described, but instead of having a narrow longitudinally extending slot 4|, it has a hole 5| somewhat wider than the hole 4| and provided with two web-like elements 52, which narrow the width of the hole to that of the width of the base of the rail. In the region of the holes 5|, the ties are thickened, as indicated at 53. The two

railfastening devices

44, 44, the same as shown in Figure 4A, are employed for each track rail, these devices and the rail being secured together in the same manner. One such device is used to hold down the third rail.

When the parts are in position, the web-

like elements

52, 52, fill the space between the two rail-fastening means 4G, 44, so that no visible opening or hole appears in the top of the construction.

In the arrangement shown in Figures to 12, inclusive, the track-securing device 60, generally of U-shaped configuration, is formed of sheet metal, as shown in Figure 10. Its upper portions are the same as in Figures 4-9, while its lower portion has laterally extending flanges 6|, 6|. It is employed in the tie with the same configuration as the tie 58 described above. The extensions 6|, 6|, overlie the reinforcements 53.

The construction shown in Figures 13 to 16 employs a skeletonized molded insulating base 1!! of the length of a track section and having cross-ties 1| and three track-bearing

longitudinal elements

12, 13 and 14, forming openings 15. The molding may be so made as to eliminate the openings 15, and the ties project to simulate the appearance of a road bed outside the rails. In line with each cross-tie and spaced the width of the bases of the wheel-bearing rail 16 and 11, the insulating base is provided with narrow risers 18 which simulate tie plates.

At suitable locations along the track section, usually at the ends and in the middle, the insulating base is provided with elongated slots 19 4 similar to slots 4|. In Figure 13, these slots are arranged in pairs in line with two adjacent ties.

A rail-fastener device is made of a single piece of sheet metal. It is of U-shaped crosssection and has a central bottom portion 8|, two side flanges 82, which engage the bottom of the insulating base in a manner similar to the flanges 45 of fastener 44, four upwardly extending portions 83, similar to the portion 46 of the fastener 44 and eight prongs 84 similar to the prongs 41. The portions 83 pass through the slots 19 and the prongs 84 are bent over into the rails as before.

The fastener 80 secures the wheel-bearing rails to the base and at the same time electrically connects them so that both wheel-bearing rails form ground returns.

The center rail 85 of Figures 13 and 14 is secured in place by a fastener 86, Figure 16, similar to the fastener 44.

The fastener 99 shown in Figure 17 is like one side of the fastener 80. It connects the twotrack rails.

Track sections made up according to any of the showings herein are extremely strong and stiff. Not only does a section effectively resist torsional strain exerted lengthwise of the track, but it also resists twisting when pressures are applied lengthwise of the opposite ends of the track section. The ties may be securely fastened to the rails at precise and predetermined distances from the ends of the rails so that the ties ma be used with coupling devices for securing track sections together with a certainty of aligning and spacing of parts.

Since it is obvious that the invention may be embodied in other forms and constructions within the scope of the claims, I wish it to be understood that the particular forms shown are but a few of these forms, and various modifications andchanges being possible, I do not otherwise limit myself in any way with respect thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. Toy railroad trackage comprising metal rails with flanged bases, an insulating rail-supporting base, provided with transversely extending openings under the rails and wider than the rail bases, and metal rail fasteners having flanges engaging the under surface of the rail-supporting base, body portions extending up through the said openings to have their upper surfaces engage the lower surfaces of the rail base, and upper inwardly bent portions which overlie the rail flanges to hold the flanges against the said upper surfaces.

2. Trackage as claimed in claim '1, wherein each rail fastener includes a flat, inverted T- shaped sheet metal element having two prongs extending from the upper end of the T for simulating two spike heads.

3. Trackage as claimed in claim 1, wherein each rail fastener is in the form of a U-shaped stamping with laterally extending elements forming the bottom flanges and having two prongs on each side of the U, whereby four spike heads are simulated.

4. Trackage as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rail fasteners are in pairs, side by side, and interconnected below the bottom by a plate integral with the fasteners.

5. Trackage as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bottom flanges of two aligned rail fasteners are integral with one another, so as to electrically connect the two rails to which the fasteners are secured.

6. In toy railroad trackage, in combination, a

metal rail with a flanged base, a tie-simulating rail support of insulating material having a downwardly opening recess, and a hole under the rail longer than the width of the rail base, and a rail fastener having a lower head housed in the recess, a body portion extending through the hole to provide upwardly facing rail base supporting surfaces and upset terminal portions bent over against the flanges of the rail and holding the rail base to said body portion.

'7. Toy railroad trackage comprising insulating ties, flanged rails and fastening devices insertable upwardly through openings in the ties, the lower ends of the fastening devices having fixed heads to prevent upward removal, the upper ends having prongs bent over onto the rail flanges to prevent downward removal thereof, the devices having upwardly facing rail flange supporting surfaces between the bent prongs and forming abutments to receive the clamping pressure.

8. Toy railroad trackage comprising a plurality of parallel metal rails with flanged bases of predetermined width, an insulating base of greater width than the spacing of the rails, the

base having openings spaced according to the crossing the openings, and metal rail fasteners having body portions insertable into the openings from below and fitting the openings, lower flanges engaging the lower face of the base to limit upward movement of the fasteners, upper faces level with the upper face of the base and prongs extending upwardly alongside the flanges of the rails and bent over onto the flanges to hold the rails to upper faces of the rail fastener.

9. Toy railroad trackage comprising an insulating base, two spaced Wheel-bearing rails with flanged bases, the insulating base having transverse slots under each rail longer than the width of the rail base, and a metal rail fastener and connector having a bottom portion engaging the under surface of the base, upwardly extending portions extending through the slots and engaging the lower surfaces of the rails, and upset terminal portions bent over against the flanges of the rails and holding the rail bases against said upwardly extending portions.

JOSEPH L. BONANNO.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,779,605 Koerber Oct. 28, 1930 1,845,962 Dorr Feb. 16, 1932 2,186,186 Weinreich Jan. 9, 1940