US839633A

US839633A - Railway.

Info

Publication number: US839633A
Application number: US29522406A
Authority: US
Inventors: Francis Washburn Parsons
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1906-01-09
Filing date: 1906-01-09
Publication date: 1906-12-25
Anticipated expiration: 1923-12-25

Description

No. 839,633. PATENTED DEC. 25, 1906. F. W. PARSONS.

RAILWAY.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 9. 1906.

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No. 889,633. PATENTED DEC. 25, 1906 P. W. PARSONS. RAILWAY.

APPLICATION FILED J'AN.9.1906.

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UNITED s'rarns PATENT OFFICE.

RAILWAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 25, 1906.

Application filed uary 9, 1906. Serial No. 295,224.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANCIS WASHBURN PARSONS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Osterville, county of Barnstable, and State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in R ailways, of which the following is a description.

My invention relates, first, to improvements in railw ays, and, second, to an improved safety construction whereby the rail and truck may be coupled in such wise as to minimize the danger of the truck leaving the rails during its progressive movement.

The objects of my invention are, first, to provide an economically-constructed rallway with a minimum amount of grading and suitable for use in sparsely-settled neighborhoods as feeders to trunk-lines.

The second object of my invention is to provide the railway and trucks passing over it with a safety device whereby danger of derailment is minimized.

The third object of my invention is to combine a truck carrying safety devices with a railway comprising laterally-flanged safetyrails and ordinary or non-laterally-flanged rails, so that the truck at desired points may have its safety devices out of engagement with the rails.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of my new railway, showing Iparallel lines of rails mounted on tie-plates t at are on the tops of vertical osts and also showing in each line of rails l aterally-flanged safety-rails and non-later ally-flanged or ordinary rails and also showing braces for the vertical rail-supporting posts. Fig. 2 is in part an enlarged transverse section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1 and in part an end elevation of a truck provided with a safety device adapted to cooperate with the lateral safety-flanges of the rails. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view, partly in cross-section, at line 3 3 of Fi 1 and shows also in end elevation the true referred to resting on the nonlaterally-flanged or plain rails mentioned. Fig. 4 shows one form of tie-plate in perspective and detached. Fig. 5 shows in per spective a bolt-plate employed for fastening the tie-plates, and Fig. 6 shows another form of the tie-plate.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The parallel safety-rails 1 1 have between their tops and their bases 2 a lateral lengthwise-extending rib 3. This is a typical form of rail heretofore used commonly, so far as I am advised, in railway construction, the prior function of the flange 3 having been to rest onfilling or ballast placed under it and eX- tending between the rails. I now use this typical form of rail in the main parts of my new railway, utilizing for the first time the laterally-projecting flange 3 as a safety web or flange for cooperating with a safety device carried by the truck, as hereinafter set forth. The said form of rail forms a safetyrail in my new construction and is used preferably throughout my new railway, except at points, such as terminals or switches, where it is desired to have the truck free from coupled relation with the rails. At such points I use the ordinary non-laterally-flanged rail 4. If it is not desired to have the truck coupled or interlocked with the rails of the railway, the ordinary non-laterally-flanged rails 4 may be used throughout the entire length of the line without departure from my invention more broadly considered.

In constructing my improved railway, without reference to the particular contour of rails used and in such wise as to largely eliminate all grading, so as to simplify and economize the construction of the railway and road-bed, I set posts 10 in the ground with their tops at any suitable distance thereabove and in parallel lines to support the parallel rails. The tops of the posts are of course in a horizontal plane approximately. On the top of each post I fix a tie-plate 1 1, having an upwardly and inwardly inclined side web 12, which is preferably on the outer side of the tie-plate and overlaps the flange 2 of the rail. The plate 11 preferably has parallel downwardly-extending arms 13, that respectively engage the inner and outer sides of the posts. The horizontal part of the post-plate 11 is preferably provided with two spike or bolt holes, through one of which a spike 14 is driven into the top of the post before the rail is put in place. Preferably before this spike is driven the transverse bolt-plate 15, having two spike-holes corresponding with the holes in the post-plate, is passed through opposite holes or slots 16 in' the downwardly-extending arms 13 of the post-plate, the spike-holes in the two plates being caused to register by the head 17 engaging one of arms 13, thus forming a positioning-stop. When spike 14 is driven through its hole in the post-plate and into the top of the post, it passes through the opposed spike-hole in the bolt-plate 15, and thereby holds the same firmly in place. Preferably the transverse bolt 18 is passed through opposite holes in the arms 13 13 and a hole through the intermediate portion of the post, this bolt being held by its head and a nut, as usual. The post of course is transversely bored to form holes to receive the boltplate 15 and bolt 18, the holes in the arms 13 through which the bolt 18 passes being indicated by 19 and the holes in said arms through which the bolt-plate 15 passes being indicated by 16. After the plates 11 are flxed on the proper number of posts any suitable form of rail having a flanged bottom is placed on the upper surfaces of the post or tie-plates with one bottom flange of the rail under the upwardly and inturned flange 12 of the post-plate 11. The opposite flange of the rail is formed with a spike-hole, which is coincident with the spike-hole 20 in the boltplate 15 and with the spike-hole 21 in the horizontal part of the post or tie-plate 11. The other spike-hole in the bolt-plate is indicated by 22, and the corresponding hole in post or tie-plate 11, through which the spike 14 passes,is indicated by 23. Aspike 25 is now passed through the hole in the base of the rail, through hole 21 in the post-plate, and driven downwardly into the top portion of the post and through the opposed spike-hole 20 in the transverse bolt-plate 15. The tie-plates 11 are thus strongly fixed in place on the posts. Preferably the flanges 12 of the tie-plates engage the outer flanges of the rails, so as to re sist any lateral thrust of the trucks running on the rails. Any suitable inclined braces 24 may be used, if necessary or desired, for better holding the top portion of the posts in vertical position, and it is frequently desirable to connect the posts of one line with the posts of the other line by transverse tie-rods 25. If desired, the posts of each line may be connected at or near their upper portions by tie-rods 26, extendin approximately in the direction of the lengt of the rails supported on one and the same line of posts 10. A railway thus constructed is suitable for self-propelled vehicles and for other types of cars and by reason of its economic construction is particularly adapted for use as feeders to trunk-lines through sections of country where there is too small a population to support a steam or electric railway of ordinary construction. The new railway is also well adapted for use in lumbering and mining countries, as well as for use in the construction of railways for temporary military puroses.

The tops of the posts 10 may be at any desired height above the ground and vary with the contour thereof. The posts should be set firmly in the ground, and their embedded portions may be directly in the earth or in concrete or like bodies 27, suitably placed in the earth around the embedded portions of the posts. Generally speaking, I prefer to have the tops of the posts, and therefore the rails, at a suflicient height above the ground to prevent persons and cattle from getting onto the tracks. In very many localities no grading at all will be required, the ground being cleared of trees and bushes and the ralls being from, say, three to four feet above the ground or to a greater height, according to the contour of the country through which the railway is to be built.

In the form shown in Fig. 6 the post or tieplate is made right angular in cross-section, the plate being generally indicated by 28 and having the depending arm 29 and the horizontal portion of said plate having the inturned holding-flange 30 and a short depending flange 31 at the end of the horizontal portion opposite the arm 29. The latter arm is provided with the aperture 32, through which a bolt plate similar to 15 may be passed or through which a bolt similar to 18 may be passed. In the horizontal portion spike-holes 33 are provided for receiving spikes, such as 14 and 25, respectively. Obviously this sort of post or tie-plate is specially adapted for light railway construction, but affords ample strength for heavy construction.

The axle of a truck (indicated by is provided with the usual flanged wheels 41 41 and carries near each of its opposite ends a downwardly-projecting arm 42, having a lateral extension 43, which is preferably provided with a roller 44, this roller being beneath the under surface of the laterally-projecting flange 3 of the rail and in approximate contact therewith. It is apparent by this construction that any force tending to derail the truck will be resisted by the engagement of a roller 44 or arm 43 with the web 3 of the rail. I deem this construction quite desirable, especially where self-propelled vehicles of the automobile type are to be run over the railway. At the same time this safety device may be dispensed with, if desired.

When the railway comprises rails having the lateral safety-flange 3, it is desired that the terminal rails and the rails of switches or the like should not have any such lateral or interlocking web, so that the truck may be out of interlocking engagement with the rails. This form of rail is shown at 4, Figs. 1 and 3.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In combination with the supports for traction-rails, a tie-plate carried by each support comprising a horizontal and a vertical portion, and means for securing the tie-plates to the supports including a bolt-plate passed through the vertical portion andthrough the post and a bolt passed through said vertical portion and through the post below said boltsigned my name to this specification in the plate, the bolt-plate and the horizontal por- I presence of two subscribing Witnesses. tion of the tie-plate being provided with corresponding apertures through which spikes 5 may be driven to hold the plate to the post Witnesses:

and the rail to the said tielate. D. W. ABEROROMBIE, In testimony whereof have hereunto CHAS. T. GALLAGHER.

FRANCIS WASHBURN PARSONS.