An Improved Railway Rail Joint.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Sept., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 24th June, 1895-Accepted, 27th July, 1895
I, WILLIAM
An Improved Railway Rail Joint.
NICHOLSON, Barrister-at-Law, of Gray's Inn, Holborn,
London, W.C. do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The rail terminates at one end in a knob joined to it by a short neck, while at
the other end is a slot or socket into which the knob of the rail laid next it can be
inserted laterally.
T
11
An Improved Railway Rail Joint.
I WILLIAM NICHOLSON of No. 1 Temple Gardens Temple in the County of
London Barrister-at-Law, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to the joints of rails for railways, tramways, and the like,
and has for its object to produce a joint for rails whereby the same may be firmly
secured together without the necessity of employing what are known as "fish
plates," whereby a great saving of expense is effected, and at the same time due
allowance is made for the contraction and expansion of the rail occasioned by
changes of temperature.
I will fully describe my invention in reference to the accompanying drawing, in
which Figs. 1, 2, and 3 are side elevations of alternative constructions of my
improved joint for rails, and Fig. 4 shows such a joint fitted in a chair.
According to my invention a mortice or recess a of suitable shape is cut or
formed in the end of the web of one rail A, and a tenon or tongue & of more or
less corresponding shape is formed upon the end of the adjoining rail B. The
forms and dimensions of the parts are such as give ample strength to the joint but
not to interfere in any way with the strength of the rails or the elasticity of the
permanent way, and the positions are such that when the parts are engaged as
illustrated the surfaces of the flanges of the rails will be level at the joint. The
tenon is not a good fit in the mortice a, but is arranged as illustrated so as to
leave spaces c. c. c. where required to allow for the due expansion and contraction
of the rails. The figures illustrate three different forms of joint, the effect being
the same in each case.
Fig. 1 is a plain fish-tail tenon; Fig. 2 shows same with curved sides; Fig. 3
illustrates a curved headed arrangement of joint.
Each joint is preferably supported and held laterally by the chair D, Fig. 4,
and by this construction the rails can quickly and easily be laid by simply placing
the tenons laterally within the mortices, and fixing the joints in the chairs, and the
rails cannot become unintentionally separated in longitudinal directions.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
The improved joint for railway rails consisting in a mortice and tenon arrange-
ment such as is above set forth or any modified form thereof.
Dated this 24th dor of Tune 1905
For the Applicant,
J. C. CHAPMAN,
70 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.