US56279A - Improvement in railroad-rails - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J. W. SHIVELEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-RAILS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 56,279, dated July 10, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. W. SHIVELEY, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Joint for Railroad-Rails 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of ends of two rails slightly separated, constructed so as to be secured together by my invention; Fig. 2, a perspective view of the same joined together; Fig. 3, a top-plan view thereof; Fig. 4, a plan bottom view thereof. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the double cheek-bar; Fig. 6, a perspective view of therails, cheek-bar, and chair united; Fig. 7, a cross-sectional elevation of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention has for its object the constructing ot' a joint for railroad-rails in such a manner that the rails will be rmly connected together so that they cannot yield or give in either a lateral or vertical direction, and the hammering of the ends of the rails by the carwheels totally prevented, and the rails rendered equally as iine and solid as if they were constructed of a continuous bar of metal.

A represents what may be termed a chair,77 constructed of either wrought or cast metal, and provided at each side with a lip or iiange, d, the inner surfaces of which are slightly inclined from a vertical plane, so that the space between the Lipper edges of the flanges will be rather narrower than the space between their lower edges. (See Figs. 6 and 7.) The chair A is bolted to the tie by means of bolts l or spikes passing through suitable holes in the chair.

B B represent the adjoining or abutting ends of two rails. The ends of these rails are cut in a peculiar manner, as shown in Figs. l, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, the cuts forming a zigzag joint composed of four angular tongues, a a a a, and four angular corresponding recesses, b b b D, on each rail, as shown. The tongues and recesses fit together, as shown, forming a joint which cffectually prevents any lateral displacement or movement of the rails, being a perfeet lock, preventing one rail from Vmoving laterally without the other. `rlhe end of each rail is also slotted longitudinally in a horizontal direction, so that a rectangular space or opening, c, will be made in each rail, said spaces or openings c being in line or coinciding with each other when the ends of the rails are fitted or adjusted together. (See Fig. 2.)

C represents what may be termed a double cheek-piece, made of the form shown, composed of side cheeks and central bar, f, arranged to t snugly between the outer snraces of the necks of the rails and the inner sides of the lips or iianges Z of the chair A. Consequently the outer sides of the cheekpiece are planes slightly inclined from vertical planes, and the inner surfaces are curved corresponding to the curvature of the exterior surfaces of the necks ofthe rails, as shown in Fig. 5.

The cheek-pieces are connected by a central longitudinal bar or rib,f, of rectangular form, corresponding to the spaces or openings c in the ends of the rails, which are designed to receive the bar or rib f. This bar or rib and cheek-pieces may be formed or cast in one piece or in two or more pieces, bolted together at L L, so that any joint and rail may be taken up and replaced when desired. The cheekpieces clamp or hold the rails iirmly in the chair and effectnally prevent any vertical displacement or movement of the same, the outer inclined sides of the cheek-pieces, in connection with the inner inclined surfaces of the lips or projections d, holding the cheekpieces or preventing them 'from moving vertically, while the curved inner surfaces ot' the cheek-pieces, tting snugly against the necks of the rails, in connection with the bar or rib f, fitting in the spaces or opening e in the' same, effectnally prevent the rails from rising between the cheek-pieces.

The cheek-pieces are prevented from movling longitudinally in the chair by means of bolts and spikes, which are driven down through recesses or notches h h h2, made respectively in the outer sides of the cheekpieces, the inner sides of the lips or projections d of the chair, outer sides of the bases of the rails, and through the bottom of the chair into the tie. Thus it will be seen that the ends of the rails are Very firmly connected together, all Vertical and lateral movement of the saine being prevented, and the ends of the rails consequently preserved from the hammering of the Wheels-a result due to a square joint and contracting of the rails and the rising and falling of the ends of the rails as the Wheels pass over them. The rails are also allowed to expand and contract under diilerent degrees of temperature of Weather Without admitting of the `joint of the rails being opened, a close or tight joint being preserved at all times by the bolts or spikes in the recess-notches h h, which compress and bind the two long` points a a of the rails more rmly-together as the joint and rails are drawn apart.

To preserve the points a a of the rails they may be made of steel or converted into steel or hardened wrought-iron by any process now known for converting wrought-iron into steel.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Pat ent- 1. Providing the rail ends With angular tongues a a ct a and angular recesses I) b b b, when fitted and operating together as herein shown and described.

2. The combination, with the above-mentioned tongues and recesses, of the doublecheek and look bar C, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. The combination of the said tongues, recesses, and cheek-bar with the chair A, substantially as herein shown and described.

4. The recesses h h h2, in combination with the rails, the cheek-pieces, aud the chair, substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and described.

J. W. SHIVELEY.

lVitnesses: l

WM. F. MGNAMARA, ALEX. F. ROBERTS.

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