US73529A - Nicholas headington - Google Patents

Description

@uiten tatts gutem @ffice NICHOLAS HEADINGTCN, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

Letters .Patent ivo. 73,529, dated January 21, 1868.

IMPROVED RAILROAD-RAIL FASTENING.

'lO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS HnAD1NcToN,of Cincinnati, Hamilton county,-Oliio, have invented a new and useful Fastening for the Joints ofv Railroad-Rails; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, making part 'of this speciiication.

The design and 'purpose of my invention are toprovide a simple and eicient means of fastening the conterminous extremities of railroad-rails securely-together', so as to render the track of like continuity and-smoothness at the joints as in its intermediate portions, and prevent the hammering or pounding oi' the ends ofthe rails by the car-wheels, which is so destructive to the track and also to the rolling-stock.

Figure 1 is a perspective View of two ruil-ends fastened together by my improved fastening. v

Figure 2 is an elevatio'n of the end of 'one of the rails and a vertical section of the fastening.

(The other figures represent detached parts, and will be explained hereafter.)

` A and A are the sleepers, on each side of and adjacent to the rail-joint. B and B are portions of two consecutive rails, with notches C C in their ends, through which the yoke Dpasses, the ends of theyoke being bent downward,`so as to embrace the'edges b b of the rail-base, and extend below them in a vertical direction. In the ends of yoke D, below the ruil-base, there are-slots, E, which receive the key F and a gib', G. Between the key F and the sole or under part of the rail-base is introduced a sole-plate, H, which extends under the ends et both rails to their full width, and has, at its four corners, lugs o r projections it" 75', above its uppersurface, which enter gaius jj in the edges of the rail-base. The form of the lugs shown in the drawings is not essential, but that form is best which possesses the greatest strength, and at the same time can be made with the most facility. Lugs ofthe form represented, having no incipient break, are stronger than if the corners had been cut and turned up.

Figure 8 is a perspective view ot` Vthe sole-plete detached.

Y By the action of the gib and -keythe sole-plate H is pressed firmly upwards against the soles of both rails, -while the yoke D is drawn down with equal irmness upon that portion of the two rail-ends which is below the notches C C', and the rail-ends are thereby strongly griped and held together, and allvertical and lateral displacement of them, with reference to. each other, prevented. By the same means,the weight ofthe cars, as'l the wheels roll upon-the rai`lend on which they approach the joint,lwill be communicated to the oppositeand conterminous rail-end. The two rail-ends will thus mutually support each other, and the weight oi` the cars will be distributed upon and borne by the entire portio'uofthe rail extending from sleeper to sleeper, as well where the jointsoccur as in the intermediate parts of the rail.

To prevent the rails from shifting longitudinally, and some of the joints being therebyopened, there should be notches k k in the edges of the base of the rails, 'to receive the spikes driven into the sleepers on each side of and adjacent to the joints. The lugs it" of the sole-plate H, by occupying the gains jj in the edges ofthe base of the rails, assist in securing Ithat result, and prevent the displacement of the sole-plate itself. The gains jj should he sgmeivhat longer than the lugs e' z", so as to allow for .the expansion and contraction of the rails, resulting from changes of temperature.

The lower ends of the yoke D are held in position by the notches Z Z inthe gib G. The key F, after it has been driven to its place, maybe secured ugainstlooscning by a nail or piece of wire, m, driven into the aperture formed by a notch, n, across the upper edge of the gib, and one of a series ofun'otchcs across the lower edge ofv the-key, orby making saw-teeth indentations across the upper edge of the gib and the lower edge of the key, so that they will fit into each other when the key is driven home. Which ofv these methods will be the most convenient must be determined by practice.

Figure 4 represents a transverse section of the yoke D, where it passes through the notches C AC in the rail-ends. The notches C C are oithe same width throughout, and their inner extremities are semicircular iu form. Along .the centre or middle line ofv the yoke D it is made of a thickness equal to the width of the notches C C', so that the ends of the portion of the rails above the notches will touch or rest upon it, but the yoke falls off towards `its edges, and is thus convex or crowning across its upper surface, and the under parts ofits' edgesare curved, so as to iit the extremities of the notches C C when the rail-ends touch eacbother.

The especial object of making the yoke crowning on its v,upper surface is to facilitate the removal and relaying of a. single rail between two other rails in position. The most convenient way of accomplishing this result is to draw the spikes ofthe rail to be removed, and of one of the rails contiguous to it, and take out the key, ib, and sole-plate of the fastening between them. When this is done, the two .ftdjneent ends of the loosened rails should be lifted up vertically, as shown in Figure 5, until they separate sufficiently for one of them to clear,

the edge of the yoke; 'the yoke may then be slipped out of the notch in the other rail, and the rail to be removed may be shifted longitudinally until it clears the yoke at its other end, and then lifted from its place. y

The process of laying a single rail between two others i'n position will he the reverse of that just described. It is not essential to the efficiency ot' my improved fasteningthat the two sleepers adjacent to the' joint should be laid nearer together than the sleepers in other parts of the track, butto compensate for any accidental imperfection in the workmanship or material of the fasteningand at the same time afford partial relief from whatever strain will eome upon it, this course is recommended. I

A modification of my improved-fastening may be mede by having the notches C C on the top of the railends, instead of throughV their` web, in which ease the yokelj would pass over the notches and form a pnrt of the tread of therail. But while thismodication may possess some advantages, nfastening of the form represented I in the drawings can be mede more easily and with less iron, and for these and other reasons, which will readily suggest themselves, is preferable.

I claim herein as new, end of my invention-l y 1. In the deseribed combination with a sole-plate and keyingfdeviee beneath the rail-ends, I claim the yoke D, occupying the notches C C in the rail-ends, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The soleplate H, constructeclwith the upturnecl corners or lugs z'z" 2"" and 2", for the purpose above explained.

In testimony of which invention, I hereunto set rmy hand.

NICHOLAS HEADINGTON.

Witnesses;

GEO. H. KNIGHT, JAMES H. LAYMAN4

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