US813243A - Railroad-tie. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED FEB. 20, 1906.

0. B. SHANNON.

RAILROAD TIE.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 2,1905.

INVENTOR C /zazZea E-Jfiannaiv UNITED STATES PATENT UFFIUE.

RAILROAD-Tl E.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 20, 1906.

Application filed June 2, 1905. Serial No. 263,371.

To all whom it 11mg concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. SHANNON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Marble City, in District No. 11, Indian Territory, have invented a new and Improved Railroad-Tie, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to railroad-ties.

The object of the invention is to produce a railroad-tie which will have the strength and durability of a metal tie, combined with the resiliency and advantages of a wooden tie.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and definitely set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tie constructed according to my invention, the end of the tie being broken away and shown in cross-section, and the rails are also shown in section. Fig. 2 is a plan of the tie, showing short portions of the rails in position above the tie. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section upon an enlarged scale and taken upon the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken substantially upon the line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the parts, 1 represents the body of the tie, which is preferably formed of pressed steel or similar material, having the form of a channel, presenting a horizontal web 2, with upwardly projecting side flanges 3. At the extremities of the body these side flanges are extended upwardly to form fins 4, and the inner extremities of these fins are undercut, so as to form recesses 5, adapted to receive the outer edges of flanges 6 of the rails 7, as indicated. The rails are supported upon blocks 8 of wood, fiber, or similar material, and these blocks fit nicely in the extremities of the body, completely filling the space between the side flanges 3. In order to secure these blocks against being lifted out of the tie-body, the side flanges 3 are provided with inwardlyprojecting tongues 9, formed by pressing the material inwardly, as indicated most clearly in Fig. 3. Opposite these tongues the sides of the blocks are formed with longitudinal grooves 10, which receive these tongues in such manner as to retain the blocks against upward movement. In this connection it should be understood that the blocks are inserted by slipping them longitudinally into the ends of the body. In order to limit the inward movement of the blocks when placed in position, as suggested, so that they will seat properly, I provide at suitable points projections or stops 11, which are preferably formed by pressing the material of the flanges inwardly, as indicated most clearly in Fig. 3. Against these projections the inner faces 12 of the blocks will abut, and they of course operate as stops to position the blocks. In laying the rails they are allowed to rest upon the upper faces of the blocks and then moved outwardly until the outer edges of their flanges are received in the recesses 5. The inner edges of the flanges are then securely attached to the blocks by spikes 13' of the usual form. In this way the rails are securely fixed. In order to enable the space between the blocks of the tie to drain freely, I provide drain openings 14, preferably located near the ends of the blocks, as indicated in Fig. 2.

Special attention is called to the fact that in laying the tie and rails the use of fasteningbolts and numerous spikes is unnecessary. The fact that the body of the tie is formed of metal gives it great strength, while the wood or fiber blocks give the track a desirable resiliency as the train passes over the ties. In this way the objectionablerigidity common to all metal ties is avoided. In this connection it should be understood that with my tie the rails rest entirely upon the blocks, the blocks being extended above the upper edges of the flanges for this purpose.

This tie can be laid upon the usual roadbed where wooden ties are used, and it does not require a specially-prepared road-bed of asphalt or concrete, such as is often required with metal ties. When the wooden blocks wear out, they may be readily removed without removing the body of the tie, and new ones may be easily inserted.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a railroad-tie in combination, a metal body having sideflanges projecting upwardly, said side flanges having extensions at the extremities of said body, said extensions having recesses formed thereunder adapted to receive the outer edges of the rail flanges, blocks disposed between said first flanges and adapted to support the rails, and fastening devices for securing the inner edges of the IOO thereof adapted to receive said tongues, stops formed by pressing said flanges inwardly and 15 engaging the inner ends of said blocks to lock the same against inward movement, and means for fastening the rails to said blocks.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of 20 two subscribing Witnesses.

CHARLES E. SHANNON.

Witnesses JAMES E. HoToHKIss, ABNER L. WILLIAMS.

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