US369756A - Railroad cross-tie - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

w. L. VAN HARLINGEN. Jr.

RAILROAD GROSS TIB- No. 369,756. Patented Sept. 13, 1887.

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UNITED STATES WILLIAM L. VAN HARLINGEN, JR

PATENT OFFICE.

, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

RAILROAD CROSS-TIE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 369,756, dated September 13, .1887.

Application filed May 18, 1887. Serial No. 238,672. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM L. VAN HAR- LINGEN, J r., a citizen of the United States of America, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad Gross-Ties, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to metal cross-ties for railwaysfand it has for its object the production of ties which can be manufactured at a comparatively low cost, which will be durable in use, and which will afford elasticity to the rails.

I The invention will first be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, and then clearly defined in the claims.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cross-tie, illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of a blank from which the cross-tie is formed. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the rail-clamp.

' Referring to the drawings, A represents the cross-tic, which is preferably shaped from the blank shown in Fig. 2, which gives the middle portion of the tie an inverted-trough shape, while the ends are formed into boxes B, for a purpose hereinafter stated. In forming the tie and its boxes, the blank is first bent into /\-shape on the dotted line 1. The wings to (one end only of the blank being shown) are then bent under on the line 2, after which the lip Z is bent on line 3, so as to underlie wing w.

Then, by means of a properly-shaped former, each end of the tie is struck up into box form, the slit 4permitting the metal to spread out to form the angular rear wall and the parallel side walls of the box, the square boltholes 5 and the recesses 6 for the reception of the base of the rail being brought directly opposite each other, respectively, all as clearly shown in Fig. l. I will here state, however, that the cross-tie may be of any desired shape in cross-section, and either solid or otherwise, providedit is'formed With the box at each end.

0 represents the rail-clamp for holding the rail in position, one of these clamps being located in each box at the ends of the cross-tie. It is constructed from two pieces of metal, as seen in Fig. 3, the two ends e and one side, 8,

being formed of one piece, and the other side, 8, of another piece. The side 8 has inwardlyprojecting lips 7 and 8 on its upper edge, the lips 7 being bent down into a horizontal posi tion, so as to rest under the base of the rail, while the lip 8 is designed to be clamped down onto the top of the base of the rail. The side piece,s, also has inwardly-projecting lips 7 and 8, like those just mentioned, and for the same purpose, Its ends are recessed, as at 9, for the reception ofthe projecting portions of ends 6, in which are formed elongated slots 10, for a purpose hereinafter mentioned.

D- represents a square bolt of a size to neatly fit the bolt-holes 5 in the sides of box B of the tie. The rail-clamp is secured in the box by passing the bolt first through one side of the box, then through the slots in the projecting ends of the clamp, and then through the other side of the box, the outer end of the bolt being provided with a nut. (Not seen.) It will be observed that when the bolt is in place it presses tightly against the side 8 of the clamp, thus holding the parts of the clamp together.

E represents a strong spring, which may be of any desirable form, located within clamp O, by which it is held in proper position in the cross-tie. The spring is of such height that while its lower end rests on the bottom of box B of the tie its upper end will extend slightly above the lower part of recesses 6 in the sides of the box. When the rail R is in place on the cross-tie, as seen at the right hand of Fig. 1, it lies within the recesses 6 and rests directly on the spring, being thereby held slightly above the bottoms of I said recesses, and as the clamp is attached to the rail it is slightly elevated from the bottom of the box.

It will be apparent that as a train moves along the track the rails will yield slightlyin a vertical direction under compression of the springs that support them, and that in doing.

so the clamps will be permitted to move with the rails by reason of the elongated slots through which the bolts pass. As the rails are at all times within the recesses in the ties, they cannot move laterally. Thus, while I have produced a cheap and durable metal cross-tie, I have also avoided the objection of rigidity of the rails, which is very destructive to the machinery of the road.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure'by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a cross-tie having a box at each end, ofa rail-clamp constructed of two pieces of metal, as described, the side parts of the clamp having lips for clasping the base of the rail and the end parts having slotted projections, and abolt passing through the sides of the box and said projections for holding the parts of the clamp together and in position in the box, substantially as above set forth.

'2. The combination, with across-tiehaving a box at each end, the sides of the box recessed, as described, and a rail located in the WILLIAM L. VAN HARLINGEN, JR.

Witnesses:

ALBERT SPEIDEN, G. W. BALLO'CH.

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