An Improved Rail Joint.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Aug., 1892-Accepted, 24th Sept., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Rail Joint.
1, GEORGE GOULD STACY, residing at 253 East 128th Street in the City of
New York, County and State of New York, United States of America, Lawyer,
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 object of my invention is, to produce a cheap, strong and simple joint, which
may be easily applied to the meeting ends of rails and will hold them so that they
cannot move longitudinally or laterally, and a further object of the invention is to
produce a joint which will practically make the rails continuous, and will hold their
meeting ends together even though the sleepers beneath the joint should wash away,
or the joint should come between the sleepers.
To this end my invention consists in a rail joint, the construction of which will
be hereinafter described and claimed.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
Specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in
all the views.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a joint embodying my invention;
Figure 2 is a detail perspective view of the base plate, on a reduced scale; and
Figure 3 is a detail perspective view of one of the improved fish plates.
The rails 10, are of the usual kind and they are united by the outwardly-bent
angle plates 11, which are bolted to the rails and which have outwardly-bent upper
ends 12, which fit between the rail shoulders.
The angle plates have outwardly-extending base flanges 13, which overlap the
flanges of the rails 10 and which have at their outer edges notches 14, to receive
the spikes 14 by which the parts are secured to the railroad sleepers, and which
have also near the center a wider notch 15, adapted to receive the uprights 16, of
the base plate 17. The base plate is adapted to extend beneath the meeting ends
of the rails, and to rest upon the sleepers as shown in Figure 1, and it has side
flanges 18 adapted to prevent the rails from slipping laterally, and the flanges are
of a length to be about flush with the top surface of the rail flanges.
The uprights 16 are adapted to fit snugly in the notches or recesses 15 in the
outer edges of the angle plate flanges, and the upper ends of the uprights 16
terminate in Interally extending arms 19, which are adapted to overlap the top
surfaces of the flanges 13 of the angle plates, and which thus lock the parts
together.
To apply the parts of the joint to the rails, the rails are first placed in the base
plate between the flanges 18 thereof. The angle plates are then slipped downwards
on the sides of the rails so that the flanges 13 will project outward and so that the
notches or recesses 15 will embrace the uprights 16 and the angle plates are then
firmly bolted to the webs of the rails. It will thus be seen that the rails will be so
firmly united that they cannot separate laterally, longitudinally or vertically, as
the overlapping arms 19 will prevent the angle plates from separating from the
base plate.
It will be understood that any of the usual provisions may be made for the expan-
sion and contraction of the rails longitudinally, and my invention consists in the
connection between the angle plates and the base plate.
It will be seen that if desired the flanges 18 may be dispensed with as the
uprights 16 would prevent the lateral displacement of the rails, but the flanges 18
are preferably employed as they make the joint stronger.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is.
1. A rail joint comprising angle plates having vertical portions to fit the rail
webs, and outwardly-extending base flanges with notches therein, and a base plate
adapted to receive the rails, said plate having uprights on opposite sides to fit the
notches in the angle plate flanges, the uprights terminating at their upper ends in
laterally-extending arms to overlap the flanges of the angle plates, substantially as
described.
2. The combination with the base plate adapted to receive the rails and having side
flanges with vertical uprights, terminating in laterally-extending arms, of the angle
plates adapted to be secured to the rails, said plates having outwardly-extending
base flanges with notches therein to receive the uprights, substantially as shown and
described.
Dated this 23rd day of August 1892.
HUGHES, ELI & HUGHES,
76, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.