No. 835,276. PATENTED NOV. 1906. J. 0. GASHDOLLAR & H. L. BROWN.

RAIL 4JOIN T.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18, 190s.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIOE.

JOSEPH O. OASHDOLLAR, OF GALLERY JUNCTION, AND HERBERT L. BROWN, OF SEWIOKLEY, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 6, 1906.

Application filed June 18,1906. Serial No. 322,162.

T0 @ZZ whom, -it muy concern:

Be it known that we, JOSEPH O. CASH- DOLLAR, residing at Gallery Junction, in the county of Butler, and HERBERT L. BROWN, residing at Sewickley, in the county of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, citizens of the United States of America, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail- Joints, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to rail-joints; and its object is to provide improved means for firmly and securely connecting the meeting ends of railway-rail sections without the employment of bolts or nuts and without weak- .ening the web of the rail by forming the usual bolt-holes therein.

The invention consists of the improved construction of rail-j oint hereinafter fully described, and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in perspective of two connected rail-sections constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view of one of the rail-sections detached from the other. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the other rail-section. Fig. 4 is an end view of the rail-section shown in Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a section on the line :1c of Fig. 1.

The reference-numeral 1 designates vthe tread of one of the rail-sections, 2 the web, and 3 the base of the rail. The web 2 and base 3 project beyond the tread 1 to provide a tongue 4, and the base 3 on either side of the web is formed with grooves 5 and 6 to receive the lower edges of two proj ecting'parallel plates 7 and 8, extending from the web 9 of the adjacent rail-section. The base 10 of this rail-section is cut away to accommodate the grooved base of the other rail-section, and the tongue 4 fits the space below the tread 11 of said other rail-section. The plates 7 and 8 are tapered or gradually reduced in thickness at their ends '12 to provide smooth surfaces at their points of connection with the web of the adjacent rail, and the grooves 5 and 6 are correspondingly reduced or tapered in width to insure a close iit and a iirm connection of the plates with the grooved rail-section. The under surface of the tread 1 is also formed with a groove 13 j on each side of the web 2 to receive the upper edges of the plates 7 and 8. The plates 7 and 8 are slipped into the wide ends 14 of the grooves 5 and 6 and the grooves 13 and then forced along said grooves until the thin ends of the plates reach the end walls of the grooves, which movement causes the ends of the treads and bases of the two rail-sections to closely abut. Thus the rails are iirnily joined and braced together against lateral strain and the weakening of the webs by the formation of bolt-holes is entirely avoided.

It will be apparent that the construction enables the railesections to be quickly joined, the labor of applying bolts and nuts being dispensed with. Y

To facilitate replacing damaged rails, we preferably employ ordinary rail-sections and removable fastenings at intervals on alternate sides of the track.

What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a rail-joint, the combination with a rail-section provided with a web extension forming a tongue and having grooves in its base on each side of said web, of another railsection formed with projecting plates fitting said grooves.

2. In a rail-joint, the combination with a rail-section provided with a tongue formed by extending the web of the rail, and having grooves on the under side of its tread, on opposite sides of the web, and grooves in its base one on each side of the web, of another rail-section formed with projecting plates fitting said grooves, and with a space below its tread to receive said tongue.

3. In a rail-joint, the combination with a railesection formed with a vertically-disposed tongue, and having the under side of its tread and the upper side of its base formed with tapering grooves on opposite sides of the web, of another rail-section formed with parallel tapered plates fitting said grooves, and provided on the under surface of its tread with a space to receive said tongue.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH O. OASHDOLLAR. HERBERT L. BROWN.

Witnesses:

J. F. SHANNON, J C. JOHNSTON.