US731512A - Means for preventing the spreading of rails. - Google Patents

Description

No. 731,512.. 7 PATENTED JUNE 23, 1903.

M. MEANS FOR PREVENTING" THE SPREADING 0F RAILS.

APPLICATION rum) MAY '1. 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1-.

F0 MODEL.

PATENTED JUNE 23', 1903.

M, SELLERS. MEANS FOR PREVENTING THE SPEEADING 0F RAILS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 7.1902.

2 SHEETS-SHE 2.

N0 MODEL.

No. 731,51 a

Patented June as, 1903 .ATENT Urrrcn.

MORRIS SELLERS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MEANS FOR PREVENTING TllE. SPREADING OF RAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 731,5 12, dated June 23,- 1903. Application filed May 7, 1902. Serial No. 106,286. (No model.)

To (ti/Z whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MORRIS SELLERS, a cit izen of the United States,residing at Ohicago,in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improve merits in Means for Preventing the Spreading of Rails, of which the following is a specification.

The primary object of my device is to furnish means for. preventing the spreading of rails by engaging the outer sides of the rails and securing them together.

A further object of my invention is to provide such a device which shall also provide a metal wearing-surface for a wooden tie or sleeper.

Another object of my invention is to provide such a device which shall be especially adapted for use on curves and in like situa-' tions, where it will not only serve to prevent the spreading of the rails in the manner above mentioned, but shall also provide an effective rail-brace for the outer rail.

A further object of my device is to provide a simple, inexpensive, and effective railbrace. I These and such other objects as may hereinafter appear are attained by the devices shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of a railwaytie fitted with one form of my device, part of the tie being broken away. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through my device. Fig. 3 is a crosssectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows as shown in Fig. 1, showing the same applied to a railroad-track, the rails being shown in cross-section. Fig. 4 shows my device modified so as to serve also as a rail'brace. Fig. 5 is a perspective View of my device as shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a blank from which my device is made. a i 1 Like letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In its simplest formmy device consists of a Web A of sufficient length to extend lengthwise of a tie from the outer side of one rail to the outer side of the opposite rail. The web A is provided on its under side with attaching means B, preferably in the form of a downwardly-projecting longitudinal rib provided with a sharp edge, whereby it may readily be driven into the upper surface of a tie. At the opposite ends of the web A a portion 0 is bent over upon the upper surface of the web A, so as to provide an offset or shoulder D at each end of the web. These bent-over portions are so gaged with relation to each other that the opposite shoulders D shall engage the outer edges of the flanges of the rails.

Preferably my device is provided with spike-holes E, extending through the bentover portions 0 and the web 13, so that spikes may be used as additional means for securing my devicein place.

The modified form of my device shown in Figs. 4 and 5 may be formed from a T-shaped blank, such as is shown in Fig. 6. The depending stem or rib of this blank may then be cut through to the web, as at 1 1, adjacent to the opposite ends of the blank. The opposite ends of the blank are then bent over, as in Figs. 1 and 2, except that the bent-over portions 0 are continued into the bracing ends F, which extend upwardly from and at an angle to the ends 0, so as to engage the under side of the head of the rail, as shown in Fig. 4, the ribs 6 stiifening the bracingsections F and also engaging the under side of the head of the rail.

By the construction above described I have produced'a very simple but exceedingly effective device for accomplishing the objects previously recited. Not only is each rail held in place by the usual spikes which are used to attach my device to the tie but any tendency to spread either rail is also opposed,

first, by the spikes used to secure the opposite end of my device; secondly, by the opposite rail itself; thirdly, by the means used to attach the rail to adjacent ties, and, finally, it by any possibility all of theseopposing forces are overcome and either rail is spread outwardly I still succeed in maintaining the gage of the track, because any outward movement of either rail must necessarily cause a correspondingly equal movement in the direction of the opposite rail.

Further, my device not only serves all the purposes of a tie-plate, but as it may easily be constructed so as to provide a metal facing or veneering for the whole upper surface IOU of a wooden tie it enables the utilization of wooden ties in such a manner as to approximate to metal ties in durability and effectiveness, but at a much less expense.

Considered as a rail-brace I have succeeded in producing an effective, inexpensive, and yet rigid brace out of comparatively light material, and I not only succeed in utilizing the opposite rail and the means whereby it is secured in place to oppose the displacement of my rail-brace, but by reason of the fact that my rail-brace comprises a web which extends under and inwardly beyond the rail, which is braced thereby. It is also held against displacement by the rail which it braces, by the spikes which secure said rail to the tie at its inner side, and by the means which are used to secure said rail to the adjacent sides.

Obviously when it is desired to use my device simply asa rail-brace it is entirely practical to disregard the means by which I connect the rails together and to simply use so much of one end of my device, as shown in Fig. 3, as shall comprise the rail-brace section and so much of the Web as extends under the rail which is to bebraced and slightly beyond the inner spike hole, as shown in Fig. 6. I

In forming my rail-brace in the manner described the bending of the rail-brace portion in an upward direction necessarily results in the upsetting and consequent thickening of the metal forming the rib of the rail-brace portion at the point where the upwardly-extending part of the device departs from the horizontally-extending part of the bent-over portion. This practically results in reinforcing the rail-brace at this point, which would otherwise be a point of weakness, and results in producing a rail-brace which is exceedingly rigid and strong in proportion'to its area in cross-section.

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

1. A device of the class described, comprising a metallic Web arranged to extend along the upper face of a tie from the outer side of one rail to the outer side of the opposite rail,

integral means upon the under face of said web adapted to be embedded in the tie, said Web being forced over upon itself at its opposite ends so as to form shoulders arranged to engage the outer edges of the flanges of the opposite rails, substantially as described.

2. A device to prevent the spreading of rails, comprising a metallic web arranged to extend beneath a pair of adjacent rails, and from the outer side of one rail to the outer side of the other, said web being provided with integral means for attaching it to the tie, and being provided at its opposite ends with integral sections forced over upon the upper surface of said web so as to form shoulders arranged to engage a portion of the outer sides of each rail when set at the gage, substantially as described.

3. A device of the class described, comprising oppositely-disposed means for closely engaging the outer faces of a pair of adjacent rails, a metallic web arranged to extend beneath said rails and to connect said rail-engaging means, and integral means for attaching said device to a tie, substantially as described.

4. A device of the class described, comprising a web adapted to be attached to the upper face of a tie and provided at its opposite ends with means for engaging a pair of adjacent rails at the outer sides thereof and integral means for attaching said device to a tie, substantially as described.

5. A device of the class described, comprising a web arranged to extend along the upper face of a tie and provided at its opposite ends with means for engaging a pair of rails at the outer faces thereof, saidmeans being formed by folding a portion of said web back upon itself at a point adjacent to its ends and integral means for attaching said device to a tie, substantially as described.

6. A device of the class described, comprising a web provided on its under surface with means for attachment to the upper surface of a tie, a portion of said web adjacent to each end thereof being folded back upon the upper surface of the web to form means for engaging a pair of adjacent rails at the outer sides thereof, substantially as and for the purpose described.

7. A device of the class described, comprising a metallic plate arranged to extendlengthwise of the upper face of a tie, provided 011 its under surface with an attaching-stem arranged to be driven into the tie, and provided adjacent to its opposite ends with means for engaging the outer surfaces of a pair of adjacent rails, said means being formed by folding a portion of said plate back upon the upper face of said plate adjacent to each end thereof, substantially as described.

8. A device of the class described, comprising a metallic plate provided with integral means for attachment to a tie, said plate having a portion adjacent to one end thereof bent over upon the upper surface of said plate and thence extending upwardly to form a rail-brace for one of a pair of adjacent rails, and said plate having a portion thereof adjacent to its opposite end folded back upon the upper face of said plate, so as to form means for engaging the outer surface of the opposite rail, substantially as described.

9. A device of the class described, comprising a metallic plate provided with integral means for attachment to a tie, said plate having a portion adjacent to one end thereof bent over upon the upper surface of said plate and thence extending upwardly to form a railbrace for one of a pair of adjacent rails, said rail-brace portion being provided with a central rib arranged to extend to and engage the head of the rail, and said plate having a portion thereof adjacent to its opposite end folded back upon the upper face of said plate, so as to form means for engaging the outer surface of the opposite rail, substantially as described. r

10. A combined tie-plate and rail-brace comprising a tie-plate having one end thereof bent over upon and parallel with itself, and thence extending diagonally upward to engage the head of a rail said tie-plate being provided on its under side with an integral rib for attaching it to the tie, substantially as and for the purpose described.

11. A combined tie-plate and rail-brace, comprising a tie-plate separable from a tie having a portion thereof bent upward and backward so as to engage the outer surface of a rail resting upon the tie-plate proper, said bent-over portion being provided upon its upper surface with a rib arranged to engage the head of such rail, substantially as described.

12. A combined tieplate and rail-brace comprising a Web having a flat portion thereof adapted to rest upon the upper surface of a tie to form a tie-plate, and provided with means for attachment to a tie, and having another portion thereof folded over upon itself and thence extending in an upward direction to form a rail-brace, said rail-brace portion being provided upon its outer face witha rib extending in a direction to engage the head of a rail resting upon said tie-plate portion, substantially as described.

MORRIS SELLERS.

Witnesses:

M. E. SHIELDS, O. R. BARNETT.

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