Improvements in Railway Rail Joints.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 15th July, 1896-Accepted, 15th Aug., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Rail Joints.
We, LEONARD WHITE KENNEDY, of 1705 Broadway, Oakland, Alameda
County, California, U.S.A., Mechanic, and THOMAS WILLARD NOWLIN, of
230 Montgomery Street, City and County of San Francisco, California, U.S.A.,
Attorney 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:-
Our invention relates to improvements in joints for the meeting ends of railway
rails, and a means for uniting and supporting them. It consists in certain details
of construction which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which,-
Figure 1 shows one form of our joint. Figure 2 is a modification showing
another form.
Figure 3 is a view of the joint support and fish-plate.
The object of our invention is to provide a means for connecting and
supporting the meeting ends of railway rails, to bridge the space necessarily left
between the ends of the rails for expansion, and especially to form a continuous
line of travel upon which the flanges of the wheels pass over the joints so as to
prevent bruising and battering the latter, and the wear which ordinarily takes
place on account of the shocks caused by the wheels passing over the more or less
open joints of the rails.
This will give a smooth continuous jarless track, make the ends of the raiis last
as long as the center, reduce friction to rolling stock to the minimum and prevent
the rails spreading, turning over or crawling.
AA are the heads of the meeting ends of two rails, B the web and C the
bottom flanges upon which the rails. rest upon the ties or other supports.
In order to properly apply this improved joiut, we cut away a portion of the
head A of the rails at points near their abuttiug ends. This cut away portion
removes so much of the head of the rail as to leave a space which is essentially in
the vertical plane of the side of the web B. This portion may be cut away with
bevelled ends, either inclining outwardly from the bottom of the cut away portion,
to the edge of the rail head, as shown at D, or the incline may be made in the
opposite direction as shown at E, Figure 2.
In the first case, the joint plate F fits into this bevelled recess, the upper part
of the plate being made of a corresponding thickness with the portion of the rail
head which has been cut away and having the same bevelled ends so that when
laid into this recess it practically fills it up and makes the top flush with the top of
the rail.
The plate extends in each direction from the cut away portion beneath the bead
of the rail, which is thus supported upon these extensions F¹. The lower
portion F of the plate follows the contour of the lower flange of the rail, and
extends over and beyond the edge of the flange so as to also rest upon the tie or
other support of the rail.
This construction thus provides the bevelled joint portion F, the supporting
extension F upon which the heads of the rail rest on each side of the joint, and
the part F which is in turn supported upon the lower flange of the rail, and when
bolted to the rails the whole is united into a mutually supporting structure.
The movement of the wheel across these bevelled joints is jarless and smooth

page_text: from end to end of the bevel and there is no perceptible blow or hammering when
the wheel passes over it.
In Figure 2, the diagonal channels are cut in the form of a dove-tailed bevel
in the rails, the upper part of the flange F fitting into these openings so that a
lock is formed which holds the joint together independent of any bolts or
fastenings, and prevents any shifting sideways of the joint, while at the same
time providing a continuous support across the meeting ends of the rails, and the
inclined or bevelled joint over which the wheels pass, as previously described.
That portion of the plate which fits against the web is made essentially vertical
or to coincide with the side of the web, and below this it is carried outwardly and
downwardly fitting over the lower flanges C of the rails, and itself resting upon
the tie or support upon which the rail is carried, as previously described.
In the present case, we have shewn an ordinary fish-plate G upon the opposite
side of the rail, and bolted through to the one having the flanges in upward
extension as shown, thus binding the rails and plates firmly together and forming
a perfectly smooth and even, diagonal or bevelled joint over which the wheels
must pass.
The parts are mutually supporting, and so interlocked that all parts must move
together and even if the bolts should become loose, the parts could not separate or
interfere with the wheels of passing trains.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1st. The improvement in railway joints consisting of rails having the head cut
away a short distance each way from the end upon one side, said cut away portions
connecting with the outer side of the rail head by diagonal or inclined lines, in
combination with a plate adapted to fit the form of the side of the rail having a
head extending upwardly to fill the cut away portion of the rail heads, and
correspondingly bevelled or inclined ends forming the joint.
2nd. A joint plate for the meeting ends of railway rails, consisting of a body
portion, the lower part of which is formed to rest upon the lower flanges of the
.rails, an extension beneath the rail heads upon which they form contact each side
of the joint, and a dovetail bevel extension projecting up flush with the upper
surface of the rails at one side of the web.
Dated this Fifteenth day of July 1896.
GEDGE & FEENY,
60 Queen Victoria Street, London, Chartered Patent Agents.