Patent GB-722900-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to rail fastenings
Inventor: MACBETH ALLAN
IPC: E01B9/30
Filed: 1951-08-30
Abstract: 722,900. Securing railway rails. MILLS, Ltd., EXECUTORS OF J. Sept. 1, 1952 [Aug. 30, 1951 ; Feb. 29, 1952], Nos. 20456/51 and 5327/52. Class 104 (2). In a rail fastening assembly for securing a flange footed rail to a sleeper by means of two spikes, each having a pressure-applying part which does not overlap the rail foot flange when the spikes are driven into the sleeper one on each side of the rail and in which a pressuretransmitting member is interposed between the spike pressure-applying part and the rail flange to hold down the rail and to be capable of removal without disturbing the driven spike the arrangement is such that when the assembly is complete each rail foot flange engages either the adjacent spike or the side of a recess provided at the upper side of the sleeper to hold the rail to gauge prior to the positioning of and independently of the pressure-transmitting member. A resilient spike 36 has a pair of spaced legs 37 joined by a horizontal downwardly inclined arm 38 bent to form a central opening 39 and a pressure-applying part 42. The legs 37 are driven into a sleeper 31 through openings 33 in a base plate 32 in such a manner that the part 42 does not overlap the rail 30. A tool 49 having forked ends 51 carrying opposed lugs 52 is placed over the top portion of the spike 36, Fig. 2, so that the lugs 52 engage the underside of the arm 38 and the arms 51 engage the upper side of the spike arm 38 and by depressing the outer end of the tool 49 the arm 38 is sprung upwardly to enable a pressure-transmitting member 43 to be inserted or removed from the rail engaging position shown in Fig. 1. The member 43 is constructed of a resilient metal strip and is of a cranked configuration with its lower end 45 bent upwardly in order to have flush engagement with the inclined upper face of the rail flange 48. In the modification shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the arm 38 is arched and V-shaped and the plate 43 is inserted between the legs 37 and beneath the part 42 so that one end bears on the rail flange 48 and the other end bears on the base-plate. In a further arrangement shown in Fig. 5, a single spike 36 of square or other non-circular section is formed at its upper end with a loop 64, the free end of which is inclined to the vertical and forms a seating for a U-shaped member 43, the lower and longer arm 67 of which bears on the rail flange 48. In a further modification, Fig. 7, a recess 60 is made sufficiently deep to engage the upper and lower sides of the arm 38 to prevent rotation of the member 43 about part 42. The rail 30 is received directly on the sleeper 31 in the arrangement shown in Fig. 8 and the member 43, comprising a spring clip which is slit to form two spaced legs 72 and a central tongue 71, is bent completely round the part 42 of a U-shaped spike 36 in such a manner that by inserting a wedge 74 between the tongue 71 and the sleeper 31 the legs 72 are pressed against the rail flange 48. By removing the wedge 74 the member 43 can be rotated about the part 42 to enable the rail 30 to be removed without removing the spike 36. A U-shaped member 43 is inserted beneath the part 42 of a U-shaped spike 36 in the arrangement shown in Fig. 10 and the upper arm 76 of the member 43 bears against the underside of the part 42 whilst the lower arm 75 of the member 43 bears against the base-plate 32 and the rail flange. In a modification of the above arrangement, Figs. 11 and 12 (not shown), the lower arm 75 of the U-shaped member 43 is shortened and bears only on the sleeper 31 whilst the length of the upper arm 76 is increased and bears on the rail flange. The upper arm 76 increases in width from its ends towards the centre, the widest portion being beneath the part 42. Fig. 14 shows an arrangement, whereby the rail is held by a truncated triangular shaped member 43 extending beneath the part 42 of a cranked spike 36 and having an upturned edge 81 formed with lugs 82 at opposite ends which engage the upper side of the spike arms 40 to prevent rotation of the member 43 about the part 42. The arrangement shown in Fig. 15 has an elongated kidney shaped member 43 provided with laterallyspaced ribs 90, 91, 92 on its lower face and a recess 93 in its upper face inserted beneath the part 42 of the spike 36. The member 43 in the embodiment shown in Fig. 17 comprises a resilient plate located between pairs of lugs 95, 94 formed on the base-plate 32 and bears at one end against a lug 96 formed on the baseplate 32 and at the other end presses on the rail flange. The upper end of the spike 36 in this embodiment is sprung upwardly by a tool 49 formed with a pair of ears 100, 101 on each side at one end thereof. The plate 43, Fig. 18 (not shown), is inclined to the longitudinal rail axis and has a groove formed in its outer edge to engage a leg 37 of the spike 36. The outer end of the resilient plate, Fig. 20 (not shown), of similar configuration to that shown in Fig. 3, engages a slot formed in the base-plate 32 and running parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rail. The plate 43, Fig. 19 (not shown), is held down by a dog spike. The member 43 in the arrangement shown in Fig. 22 is formed as a sleeve and is slidably mounted on the arm of the spike 36, a tongue 112 formed on the member 43 engaging with the part 42 holds the member 43 in the rail engaging position. The plate 43 in the modification shown in Fig. 24 is V-shaped and has recesses 115 formed in its outer edge to engage the legs 37 of the spike 36. Specifications 611,042, [Group XXV], and 708,435 are referred to.