US600769A - Tie and fastening for railway-tracks - Google Patents

Description

(No Modeli) W. A. DETWILER. TIE AND FASTENING FOR RAILWAY TRACKS.

Patented Mar. 15, 189 8.

WVILLIAM A. DETWILER, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM F. HELWIG, OF HAMILTON, OHIO.

TIE AND FASTENING FOR RAILWAY-TRACKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,769, dated March 15, 1898. Application filed August 2, 1897. $erial No. 646,722. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM A. DETWILER, of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Tie and Fastening for Railroad-Rails, of which the following is a specification.

It is the object of my invention to provide a reliable and inexpensive means for fastening railroad-rails to metallic ties which shall be adapted to be easily and quickly applied, shall hold or look the rails rigidly and securely and yet be capable of removal without difficulty, and may be used again with the same facility as before.

The construction, arrangement, and operation of parts are as hereinafter described, and

shown in accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of my tie and a rail secured together by my improved fastening. Fig. 2 is in part a side View and in part a longitudinal section of a tie provided with my improved fastening. Fig. 3 is a plan view. Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section on line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspective View of one of the rail-clamps. Fig. 6 is a perspective View of one of the locking-wedges. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective of a portion of the tie.

The track-rails a are of the usual construction. The concave metallic tie in is provided with two pairs of slots or rectangular openings 1 and 2, Fig. 3, near each end, which receive the rail-clamps c and their locking-wedges d. There are two clamps and two wedges for securing each rail. The tie b is provided with pendent right-angular flanges 3 (see especially Figs. 2 and 7) at the ends of the two adjacent openings 1 and 2 which are farthest apart. These flanges 3, Fig. 7, have two openingstc wit, a dovetail opening 4in the vertical portion to receive a corresponding lug 5, Fig. 5, that projects from one end of each clamp c, and an opening 6 in the horizontal portion that receives the prongs 7 of the wedges d.

The lateral edgesof the openings 6 are beveled, Fig. 4, to adapt them to properly engage the wedge-prongs 7 and are also a less distance apart than the width of the wedge through the prongs at the point of their engagement with the sides of the opening, so

that when the wedge is driven its prongs are forced toward each other against the undercut sides of the projection or lug 5 of clamps 0, so

The clamps 0, having the lug 5 at one end, as

before stated, are cut away at the other or inner end upon a downward incline to form a jaw 8, adapted to engage a flange of the rail and provided with horizontal notches or open slots 9, Fig. 5, at the base of such jaw,-the portions below said slots forming claws that engage the edge of the tie at the inner ends of the openings 1 and 2, as shown in Fig. 2.

The wedges d are made of flexible metalsay soft steel or cast malleable iron. Their prongs 7 are normally parallel on their inner sides, while their outer sides are tapered or inclined downward to the point. The opposite face sides of the wedges are likewise tapered.

The manner of applying myimproved fastening is as follows: The ties I) having been laid on a particular section of road-bed, the

two inner clamps c are inserted in place in the inner openings 1 and their wedges d driven home behind them, so that said clamps are locked firmly in position. It will be understood that to thus insert the clamps they are held at an inclination, so that the dovetail lugs 5 enter the dovetail opening 4 in the flanges 3, and then the body of the clamp falls into horizontal position, being supported on the horizontal portion of the flanges 3. The next operation consists in moving the clamp c horizontally toward the center of the tie to cause its notches 9 to engage the metal at the inner end of the opening in the tie, as shown in Fig. 2. When the inner clamps 0 have been thus adjusted, there is space left at their outer ends to receive the wedges d. When the latter are driven down, their flexible prongs 7 straddle the dovetail lug 5 and their outer beveledv or tapered sides come in contact with the beveled sides of the openings 6 in flanges 3 (see Fig. 4) and are thus forced and bent inward, so as to clamp upon the inclined or undercut sides of said lug 5, whereby the Wedges are held or locked in place. In brief, the clamps c engage both the tie b and rails a and the wedges d in turn engage the clamps and tie and hold the former locked in position. The wedges are themselves being locked in the act of driving. WVhen the inner clamps have been thus locked as described, the rails are laid in place and then the outer clamps and their wedges are respectively adjusted and driven in,which completes the operation.

Thus a firm, reliable, and cheap rail-fastening is produced and which can be applied with great rapidity.

The fastening may be removed with equal facility by simply withdrawing the wedges d, which is permitted by the flexibility of their prongs 7. To this end I provide the upper portion of the wedges with a transverse hole 10 to receive the point of a bar or other form of lever, as indicated by dotted lines, Fig. 2. By prizing with such lever the prongs 7 yield or spread laterally, so that the wedge is drawn out without difficulty, and upon straightening the prongs 7 the wedges may be used again.

The tie b may be made of cast metal, but I prefer to cut it from a sheet of steel of suitable thicknessand drop-forge it at one operation. In practice the thickness will be about three-eighths of an inch at the middle and one-fourth inch at the ends where the rails a rest. The angular flanges 3 will be formed of integral top portions of the tie, which when depressed leave the openings 1 and 2 for the clamps c. The openings 4 and 6 in said flanges 3 and lips 3 are also formed at the same time the flanges proper, 3, are cut out of the body I) of the tie.

While the opening 4 in flanges 3 is preferably dovetail or keystone shape, it is not necessarily so, and it may also be continuous with opening 6, if desired.

I also further suggest that the wedge d might'be made with one prong and still serve to engage and lock with an undercut lug on the clamp.

What I claim is- 1. In a rail-fastening, the combination with a metallic tie having one or more openings in its upper side, and one or more rail-clamps having at one end a jaw to engage the railflange, and claws for engaging the tie, and at the other end a dovetailprojection which also engages said tie, of a pronged wedge adapted to be driven as shown, and an attachment of the tie composed of parts which engage the prong or prongs and force them laterally inward so as to lock with the said dovetail projection, as specified.

2. In a rail-fastenin g, the combination with the metallic tie, having top openings and pendent angular flanges provided with openin gs in their vertical and horizontal portions, of rail-clamps having a jaw and claws at one end and a dovetail projection at the other end, and a wedge provided with two prongs which, when the same is driven, straddle the aforesaid projection and engage the sides of the lower opening in the angular flange and are forced toward each other so to look as shown and described.

The improved metallic tie for railroads which comprises a concave body having openings in the top and pendent integral, angular flanges having in their horizontal portion an opening provided with convergent or beveled sides as shown and described.

4. In a rail-fastenin g, the combination with a metallic tie having top openings and pendent right-angular flanges provided with vertical openings, of rail-clamps adapted to fit loosely in said top openings, and, when in situ, to rest and slide on the horizontal portion of said flanges, and devices which enter the flange-openings for locking said clamps, substantially as shown and described.

W. A. DETWILER. lVitnesses:

W. F. HELWIG, AMOS W. HART.

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