Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 19th Mar., 1892-Accepted, 23rd Apr., 1892
receives the pressure of the wheels when the same are passing over at the joint, and
distributes it uniformly to the joint sleepers, at the same time opposing in an
effectual manner the injurious one-sided strain exerted on the spikes or wood
screws employed for securing the rails in place.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a cross section;
Fig. 2 n side elevation looking in the direction of the arrow A, Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 a plan; and
Fig. 4 a side elevation looking in the direction of the arrow B, Fig. 1 of a rail
joint according to this invention.
Fig. 5 is an elevation of a fish bolt and nut.
It is to be understood that the arrangement may be employed with permanent
way other than that shewn in the drawings which shew that employed by the
Association of German Railways, and that it can also be applied to mine rails or
tr m rails or to portable railways being suitably modified to meet the special
requirements of each case.
6.
The two joint sleepers a and b, which are each bevelled at one side in the usual
manner, for the purpose of placing the rail in the direction of the wheel pressure,
On the inner side of the rail
support the rails by means of bearing plates
(Fig. 2) there is provided a fish plate of the usual construction; the accom-
panying drawing shows the standard angle fish plate d of the Prussian State
Railways. Suitable recesses e are formed on the fish plate to allow of the insertion
of the dog spikes f, which bear in the usual manner over the foot of the rails and
press upon the upwardly inclined portion thereof. The heads of the rail spikes
are formed with side lugs which serve to hold the head of the spike as firmly as
possible in the said recess e. A second spike g provided on the inner side of each
rail is also formed with these lugs. A rail spike is also provided on the outer
side of each rail.
On the outer side of the rails there is provided a fish plate H of special
construction. This fish plate (which may be made as an angle fish plate) is
extended upwardly so as to form a running head or tread, arranged longitudinally
close up against the rails S, where the joint occurs and projects beyond the top edge
of the rail to a slight extent corresponding to the conicity of the treads of the
wheels. The running head or tread of the fish plate II slopes downward from the
highest edge (Fig. 1) towards the rail S and also slopes at both ends towards
the joint sleepers, so that the end points and m of the fish plate H (Fig. 4) are
lower than the highest edge and are lower than the top edge of the rail. The
new fish plate H is, together with the ordinary fish plate d secured in position by
incans of ordinary fish bolts (Fig. 5); thus it will be seen that the fish plates
heretofore usually employed are capable of being used as inside fish plates for my
improved rail joint.
The nuts n of the fish bolts are secured by any suitable means, may be by an
|arrangement such as I will now proceed to describe. The fish bolt (Fig. 5) is

page_text: .
formed with a slit o which extends from the end of the bolt to a point beyond the
position occupied by the outer edge of the nut when the same is tightened up.
This slit, o is made of a wedged shaped form, and a wedge p, which corresponds to
the dimensions of the said slit o, is, after the nut n has been tightened up driven in
behind the same thereby securing it firmly in position so that it cannot become loose.
The wheels of vehicles when passing over rails jointed in the manner heretofore
usual have jumped when passing over the butt ends of the rail joints, thus producing
unpleasant shocks and causing excessive strains on the rail ends, and the ballast to
become hollowed out under the joints, so that expensive repacking of the sleepers
and renewal of overstrained fish plates etc. are constantly required as well as
causing considerable damage to the rolling stock, as for example breakage of
springs and tyres. With rail joints constructed as hereinbefore described, the
wheels in passing over the joints from the points or m respectively instead of
being supported. by the ends of the rails are supported by the fish plate H which
engages under the foot of both butt ends of the rails, and rests upon the joint
sleepers a and b, thus obviating vertical motion of the ends of the rails. Furthermore
as the fish plate H bears at both ends against the spikes and engages underneath
the rail foot, it renders the fastening of the permanent way still more intimate and
offers a resistance to the creeping of the sleepers.
Dated this 2nd day of March 1892
O. UMLAUF,
By L. W., per F. B.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Rail Joint.
I, OTTO UMLAUF, of Merseburgerstr. 3, Halle a/S, Germany, Railway Engineer,
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 a joint for Vignoles rails designed to relieve the butt
ends of the rails from the pressure of the wheels and thereby to obviate the
bumping or hammering of the treads of the wheels of vehicles passing over the
same, even at very high speed. For this purpose a fish plate is provided which
receives the pressure of the wheels when the same are passing over the joint, and
distributes it uniformly onto the joint sleepers, that is to say, the sleepers next the
joint, at the same time opposing in an effectual manner the injurious one-sided strain
exerted on the spikes or wood screws employed for securing the rails in place.
In the drawings left with my Provisional Specification
Fig. 1 is a cross section;
Fig. 2 a side elevation looking in the direction of the arrow A Fig. 1 ;
Fig. 3 a plan; and
Fig. 4 a side elevation looking in the direction of the arrow B, Fig. 1 of a rail
joint according to this invention.
Fig. 5 is an elevation of a fish bolt and nut.
It is to be understood that the arrangement may be employed with permanent
way other than that shewn in the drawings, which show that employed by the
Association of German Railways, and that it can also be applied to mine rails or
tram rails or to portable railways, being suitably modified to meet the requirements
of each case.
The two joint sleepers a and b, which are each cut or bevelled in the usual
manner, for the purpose of placing the rail in the direction of the wheel pressure,
support the rails by means of bearing plates c. On the inner side of the end
portions of the rails (Fig. 2) there is provided a fish plate d of the usual construction;
the drawing shews the standard angle fish plate d of the Prussian State Railways.
Suitable recesses e are formed in this fish plate d to allow of the insertion of the

page_text: dog spikes, which bear in the usual manner upon the feet of the rails and press
upon the upwardly inclined portion thereof. The heads of the rail spikes are
formed with side lugs which serve to hold the head of the spike as firmly as possible
in the said recesses e. A second spike provided on the inner side of each rail is
also formed with these lugs. A rail spike is also provided on the outer side of
each rail..
On the outer side of the end portions of the rails there is provided a fish plate H
of special construction. This fish plate (which may be made as an angle fish plate)
is extended upwardly so as to form a running head or tread i, arranged longitudinally
close up against the rails S where the joint occurs and projects beyond the top edge
of the rails to an extent corresponding to the conicity of the treads of the wheels.
The running head or tread of the fish plate H slopes downward from the highest
edge (Fig. 1) towards the rails S and also slopes at both ends towards the sleepers
at each side of the joint so that the end points and m of the fish plate H (Fig. 4)
are lower than the highest edge and are also lower than the top edge of the rail.
The fish plate H is together with the ordinary fish plate d secured in position
by means of ordinary fish bolts (Fig. 5). It will be seen that the fish plates
heretofore usually employed are capable of being used as inside fish plates for my
improved rail joint.
The nuts n of the fish bolts are secured by any suitable means, it may be by an
arrangement such as I will now proceed to describe. The fish bolt (Fig. 5) is
formed with a slit o which extends from the end of the bolt to a point beyond the
position occupied by the outer edge of the nut when the same is tightened up.
This slit o is made of wedge-shaped form, and a wedge p, the cross sectional
area of which is slightly greater than that of the said slit o, is after the nut n
has been tightened up driven in behind the same thereby securing it firmly in
position so that it cannot become loose.
The wheels of vehicles when running over rails jointed in the manner hereto-
före usual have jumped when passing over the butt ends of the rail joints thus
producing unpleasant shocks and causing excessive strains on the rail ends.
Furthermore such action causes the ballast to become hollowed out under the
joints, so that expensive repair thereof and renewal of overstrained fish plates etc.,
are constantly required, as well as causing considerable damage to the rolling
stock, as for example by breakage of springs and tyres.
With rail joints constructed as hereinbefore described the wheels when passing
over the joints from the point or m respectively, instead of being supported by
the ends of the rails are supported by the fish plate H, which engages under the
foot of each of the butt ends of the rails, and rests upon the joint sleepers a and b,
thus obviating vertical motion of the ends of the rails. Furthermore as the fish
plate H bears at both ends against the spikes h, and engages underneath the rail
foot, it renders the fastening of the permanent way still more intimate and offers
a resistance to the creeping of the sleepers.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. A rail joint for Vignoles rails wherein a fish plate H arranged to bear upon
the joint sleepers is bolted to the outer sides of the abutting ends of the rails S
so as to bear closely against and support the same, and is formed with an upper
projecting portion that is inclined transversely to correspond with the conicity of
the wheels intended to pass over the joint substantially as described for the purpose
specified.
2. My improved rail joint substantially as described and shown.