Improvements in or relating to Rail Connecting Devices.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 24th Feb., 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Rail Connecting Devices.
I, JOSEF BAUSE, Professor, of Meseritz, Province of Posen, in the Kingdom
of Prussia, 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:-
The drawbacks arising from the heavy shocks caused by the rail wheels striking
against the rail ends have caused many attempts to be made to remedy the evil.
The new device for connecting the ends of rails surpasses any similar device as
regards strength and stability to avoid shocks with the wheels, inasmuch as it
presents to the wheels a firm continuous surface which will not change as regards
relative height.
In the accompanying drawing:
Figure 1 represents a side view of the connecting device applied to two adja-
cent rails.
Figure 2 is a plan view of same,
Figure 3 is a cross section, and
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the device.
The essential feature of the invention is as follows: The heads of each of the
adjacent rails to be connected in continuation of each other are cut off to an
extent equal to one half of the length of the connecting device. In addition to
this a further part of the head remaining is cut away so as to form part of a
lap or rabbet joint, to the extent of some centimetres, until the neck of the rail
is met. The head of the rail represents them in the form shown at aa, bb¹ in
Figure 2. If the covering of the interstices between the two rails were not neces-
sary it would be sufficient to provide the head and consequently also the connect-
ing device with straight ends or butt joints instead of lap joints, as described
above. The rails thus prepared are now provided with a connecting device c
exactly corresponding to them and provided with head, web or body and flanges,
the flanges & being so shaped as to be embraced by long and strong clamps e, the
relative forms of the parts being such that a wedging action takes place between
the clamps and flanges when the former are drawn together by their bolts.
The upper parts or jaws of the clamps e engage as described, the flanges of the
connecting device whilst their bases.extend under the main rails, the clamps thus
provided on either side being then connected by means of screw bolts f and
drawn tightly towards each other. The connecting device is so arranged that
the lower side of its head rests upon the top of the web of the rail which has been
deprived of its head. The effect is obtained that the side portions of the connecting
device extend downwards only so far that between the flanges of the connecting
device and the upper surface of the rail flanges a small space of a few millimetres
is left. It is only by pressing together the clamps by means of the screw bolts
that the flange of the connecting device is drawn down in contact with the flange
of the rail

page_text: In order to facilitate the slipping of the clamps over the parts or tightening
them with sufficient power, a piece of plain or ribbed or roughened sheet iron g
may be placed under the flanges of the rails, when packing is required to cause
a light clamping of the parts.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I 'declare that what
1 claim is:-
1. A connection for rails comprising a device placed over the web portions (the
head portions having been removed) of two adjacent rails characterized by the
depending sides of the device being formed with angular bends the flanges so
formed being pressed firmly on to the flanges of the rails by means of clamps
provided with bolts substantially as described.
2. A rail connection comprising a rail head device, as c, with depending side
portions, having flanged ends, and clamping jaws, as e, adapted to press the
flanges of the connecting device downwards on to the flanges of the rails, to which
it is applied, substantially as described.
3. The complete rail connection substantially as described or illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
Tato this 27th day of November 1899
BOULT, WADE & KILBURN,
Agents for the Applicant.