US714888A - Rail-joint. - Google Patents

Description

No. 7l4,888. Pa'ntd Dec. 2, |902.

W. H. FRITZ.

RAIL JOINT.

(Application led Aug. 20,1902.)

(No Mode.)

l' UNrrED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM H. FRITZ, OF HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. l714,888, dated December 2, 1902. Application tiled August 20, 1902. Serial No. 120.390. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern: Y

Be it known that l, VILLIAM H. FRITZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Harrisburg, in the county of Dauphin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Rail-Joint, of which the following is a specication.

The invention relates to improvements in rail-joints.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of rail-joints and rails and to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensive construction adapted to aiford practically a continuous rail and capable when the head of a rail at one side of a joint or other portion of a track becomes worn of being readily reversed without removing the base of the rail from the cross-ties.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective View of a rail-joint constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view. Fig. 4E is a detail view of the connecting piece or section. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the head of one of the rails.

Like numerals of reference designate correspondingparts in all the figu res ofthe drawlugs.

l l designate the base portions of two rails, which are provided with removable heads 2 and which are spaced apart at their ends, as clearly shown in Figs. l and 3, at the bottom and which are connected at the top bya connecting piece or section 3 to form practically a continuous rail and to prevent the ends of the rails from being broken down by the wheels of a train. The base l is provided with a longitudinal groove 4C for the reception of a depending web 5 of the head 2 of the rail, and the said groove 4 is formed by a pair of webs 6, spaced apart and provided at their upper ends with outwardly-extending flanges 7, arranged to support the head of the rail and receiving the lower faces of the same at opposite sides of the web 5. The upper and lower portions of the rails are secured together by transverse bolts'8, provided with nut-s and passing through the webs,wl1ich are provided with registering perfor-ations. The head of the rail is provided at each end with a recess or cut-away portion 9, forming a projecting portion 10, which is adapted to fit in a corresponding recess or cut-away portion 1l of the connecting-piece 3, which is provided with a central depending web 12, which fits in the grooves of the adjacent ends of the rails l. The central depending web of the connecting-piece is provided with a perforation to receive one of the adjacent bolts, and it has a slot 13 for the reception of the other adjacent bolt. The slot is adapted to permit the necessary expansion and contraction resulting from changes in temperature. The ends of the heads 2 terminate short of the ends of the base of the rail to permit the lower portions of the rails to receive the connecting portion or section 3. The overlapping recessed ends of the connecting-section and the heads of the rails form a continuous upper face or tread, and when one side of the connecting portion or section becomes worn it may be readily reversed to present its other side to flanges of car-wheels. The heads orupper portions of the rails may also be reversed by simply removing the connecting-bolts and vwithout detaching the lower portions from the cross-ties. This will be found especially advantageous where guard-rails are used, and in the case of frogs and points the upper portion of a frog or switch-point may be removed aud replaced by an unworn section or member without entirely discarding the frog or point and without removing the lower portion of the same from the cross-ties or other support. This construction will also enable such change to be made within a very short space of time, as it is only necessary to remove the bolts for connecting the webs of the upper and lower portions of the rails.

It will be seen that the rails and rail-joint are exceedingly simple and inexpensive in construction, that they are adapted to be readily secured to the cross-ties by spikes in the usual manner, and that they are adapted to dispense with the nsual iish-plates at the ends of the rails and at the same time form a solid upper portion which is practically continuous and which presents an unbroken surface to the wheels of a train. Also it will be ICO clear that the device will enable the rails now in use to be utilized, as their upper portions may be applied to the lower portions l of the improved rails by cutting off the base or lower portion, thereby leaving a head and a web similar to the upper portion 2.

Vhat I claim isl. In a device of the class described, the combination of the lower portions provided with longitudinal grooves, the upper portions having webs arranged in the grooves, said upper portions terminating short of the ends of the lower portions, and a reversible connecting device provided with a web to fit in the end portions of the said grooves and having a head forming continuations of the upper portions of the rails and overlapping the saine, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of the lower portions having parallel Webs forming grooves and provided at their upper ends with outwardly-extending flanges, the upper portions consisting of heads supported by the said flanges, and webs arranged between the parallel webs ofthe lower portions, and an overlapping connecting-section consisting of a head, and a web and arranged on and secured to the ends of the lower portions andover'lapping the ends of the upper portions, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of the lower. portions provided with grooves, the upper portions provided with webs to it the grooves and having recessed ends forming projecting portions, and a reversible connecting-section consisting of a web, and a head recessed at its ends to iit the recessed ends of the upper portions of the rails, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM H. FRITZ.

Witnesses:

A. W. HosTnR, Jr., M. R. HosTER.

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