US97792A - Improved railway-rail - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATEsPATENT OFFICE.

JAMEs'MoNTGoMEEY, oE calo'roN LANDING, NEW YORK.

`uviPRovEn RAILWAY-RAIL.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 97,792, dated December I4, 1869.

To all' whom it may concern.' `Be it known that I, JAMEsMoNTGoMERY, of thecity, county, and State of New York,

have invented certain new and useful Improve- 1 .ments in Railways and Rails therefor; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact vdescription of the same, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawings, making partof this specification, and in 4, 5, 6, and 7 are transverse sections, illustrat-V ing a modification in the construction of the rails and different modes of securing them in position. Fig. 8 isa transverse section on a large scale, showing more clearly the preferred form oftongne-and-groovejoints.' Fig. 9 illustrates a modification inthe form of the longitudinalrail-joint hereinafter described.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding partsl in the several views.

My invention consists, first, in the construction, substantially as hereinafter described, of a hollow rail of steel or other metal, either with or without the described longitudinal joints, with its top and bottom made thick for strength and its sides tapering toward the vertical center for lightness; second, in a device for securing such rails in position; third, in hermetically closing the longitudinal and transverse joints of the rails, so that they may be used for containing telegraph-wires, for con` ducting water for the supply ot' locomotives, for pneumatic transportationtubes, or for other purposes; fourth, in a peculiar manner of forming a permanent joint in the rails.

In the drawings, A represents my tubular rail, which I prefer to construct without lon gitudinaljoints by rollingifrom a hollow ingot of steel by means of suitable machinery, which will form the subject of a separate application for Letters Patent. By thus Arolling the bar from a hollow ingot the bers ofthe metal are drawn out longitudinally in all parts of the bar in such a manner as to impart to it greater tensile strength.

In order to utilize the hollow interior of the rail for various purposes, it may be constructed, either at intervals orthroughout, withlon gil tudinal joints, as shown in Figs. 4 to 9, inclu.-

sive. The rail, Whether jointed or not, may be made with vertical sides, as in Fig. 3, or with flanges.

In order to afford uniform support to the rails ,throughout their length, I prefer to recess 4them intolongitudinal sleepers or string-.pieces C, eitherjointed longitudinally, as shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3, or unjointed, as in Figs. 4 and b', and the said stringers may be notched into cross-ties D. The continuous support afforded to the rails by the stri'ng-pieces is also beneficial in preserving them from breaking in frosty weather, and also avoiding the uneven motion caused by the springing of the rails between transverse ties.

If preferred, the rails may be applied directly to the crossgties D and the stringere C beneath the ties, as illustrated in Fig. 5; or the rails may be supported vertically by the ties D and laterally by the stringers C, as shown in Fig. 7.

E E represent bolts, provided with nuts E', and applied in any suitable manner to clamp .the rails firmly in position. In Fig. 4 the nut E' is shown as introduced into a recess in the cross-tie. For use in this way the nut will be made of oblong shape, to preventit from turning in the wood, and the wrench will be 4applied to the head of the bolt.

F F are metallic knees, which may be used in connection either with the bolts E, as shown.

in Figs. 5 and 6, or with barbed or other spikes G, as shown in Fig. 7, to support the inner side of the rail. 4 I

By forming the tongues a, as shown in Fig. 8, straight at the base and tapering toward the edge, and the grooves b of corresponding shape, the tongues are adapted to enter the grooves with facility, and when they are wedged into position by cramping the rails between rolls or with any other suitable machin! 'ery the parallel parts ofthe tongues and grooves means ot powerful rolls, a mandrel being ein. plolyed to close the inner ange of the dove tai El is a thimble recessed into the ends ofthe rail-sections, and forming a coupling between them. Instead of thus employing a separate thimble, thejoint can be formed in the railsections themselves by recessing one end and reducing the other by means of suitable machinery. A- packing of india-rubber or other suitable material will be applied to form an air and water tight joint While providing for the longitudinal motion due to the expansion and contraction of the rails under changes of temperature. The longitudinal joints may also be packed with india-rubber, either in the form of liat strips or in cylindrical cords tted in grooves in the faces ofthe rail.

In practice I prefer to incline my rails inward at such an angle that the major axis of the ellipse will be in line with the resolution of forces between the vertical and lateral pressure and blows of the wheels. This inclination should, I suppose, be about thirty degrees from the perpendicular but it can be determined more accurately by experiment.

I I I represent telegraph-wires supported within the rail by disks J ot' glass or otherinsulating material. The insulators J are formed with ilangesj to retain them in their proper vertical position. K K represent test-holes, through which a suitable instrument maybe inserted in contact with either of the wires to ascertain Whether they are in effective condition.

Ot' the four railsconstitutingadouble-track railway, I propose to employ two for pneumaticdispatch purposes for conveying in opposite directions, one for the telegraph-Wires, and one as a Water-pipe, which may be connected with natural supplies of good water wherever they exist along the road, and may be furnished at suitable intervals with couplings and taps, with which a feed-pump on the locomotive may be connected, so as to make the locomotive pump v its own water. If preferred, water-tanks may be used, the water-conducting rail being still useful as a means ot conveying good and pure water from Wherever it may be found to the various water-stations. Where a head of water exists in the tubular rail, this may be used to elevate it into the tender or into a stationary reservoir.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent: l

l. A tubular rail rolled in one piece and composed of asinglebloom or ingot, having an aperture through it of such shape and `dimensions and so located as to leave the largest amount of metal at top and bottom, (the points against which the wheels bear,) the vertical or nearly-vertioalsides being parallel to each other. y

2. ll/Iounting tubular steel rails in stringpieces G, from which they derive both vertical and lateral support, and securing them by bolts E, applied in any manner, substantially as set forth.

formed in substantially' the manner described.

JAMES MONTGOMERY.

Witnesses:

OctrAvIUs KNIGHT, WM. H. BRERETON, Jr.

i HIhe dovetailjoints represented in Fig. 9,` i i i

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