RAIL FASTENING DEVICE
Year: 1885

page_text: I, BERNARD GALLAGHER of Lynn in the County of Essex and State of
Massachusetts one of the United States of America, Machinist, do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for RAIL FASTENING DEVICE, 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 improvements in Rail-fastening device for securing.
rails to the ties or sleepers on rail-roads, and it has for its object to prevent the
spikes holding the rails to the sleepers, from working loose by the jarring motions
of trains passing over the rails and also to prevent the chafing and softening of the-
sleeper beneath the rail by such jarring motions, which is the case in the usual
method of fastening rails to sleepers, and for this purpose I introduce an elastic
medium in the form of a metal or other yielding spring between the upper side of,
the rail flange and the underside of the head of the spike that is driven into the
tie or sleeper as will hereinafter be more fully shown and described, reference being
had to the accompanying drawings where Fig 1 represents a side elevation of the
improved rail fastening device; Fig 2 represents a plan view of it; and Fig 3
represents a cross-section on the line A-B shown in Fig 1; Fig 4 represents in
plan view.a modification of the invention and Fig 5 represents an end view of
Fig 4; Figs 6 and 7 represent in plan and end views another modification; and
Figa 8 and 9 represent in plan and section still another modification of the improved
rail-fastening device.
Similar letters refer to similar parts wherever the occur on the different parts of
the drawings.
a represents an ordinary rail on which a¹ is the lower flange resting on the
sleeper b as usual. cis the spike to be driven into the sleeper b and having a head c
in its upper end for securing the rail flange to the sleeper.
The elastic or yielding medium interposed between the top of flange a¹ and
head of spike c is shown in Figs 1, 2 and 3 as being composed of a half elliptic
metal spring d the ends of which rest on top of flange a¹, and said spring is pre-
ferably provided in its ends with downwardly bent lips d', d, adapted to lay over
the outer edge of flange a¹ so as to prevent said spring d from working out of
position by the jarring motions of passing trains. Midway on spring & I prefer
to make a pair of blisters or upper projections d", d¹¹ between which the head o

page_text: of spike c is driven as shown in Figs 1 and 2, and by this means the spring d is
prevented from working loose in the linear direction of the rail a and to be held
in its relative position to that of the spike cas shown.
The modification shown in Figs 4 and 5 consists of an elliptic or U-spring e
having its lower end e resting on rail flange a¹, and the spike e passed through
perforations in the upper and lower ends of said spring e, and afterwards driven
into the sleeper b with the head c' of said spike resting on the upper end of said
elastic spring e as shown in said Figs 4 and 5.
The modification shown in Figs 6 and 7 consists of a flat spring flaid parallel
with the sleeper b, its inner end f¹ resting on rail flange a¹ its outer end resting
on the said sleeper, and the spike c driven through a perforation in said spring f
between its inner and outer ends, the head c¹ of the spike c resting on top of said
spring f, as shown; to prevent the spring f, from getting out of position I prefer
to provide its outer end with a downwardly projecting lip f" adapted to be driven
into the top of the sleeper b as shown in said Figs 6 and 7.
The modification shown in Figs 8 and 9 is carried out as follows; it is composed
of a metal box g open at top and closed at the bottom saving a central perforation
through which the spike c is driven into the sleeper; within the box g is laid a
coiled spring g¹ (or rubber or other yielding mediumn) and on top of spring g' is
a washer g against the upper side of which the head c' of the spike c is driven
as shown in Fig 9; the inner edge of the bottom of box g is made to rest on top
of rail flange a', and held in elastic contact with the same by means of the
spike c, c¹ its elastic spring g' and washer g" as shown in Fig 9; the outside of
box g has an extended arm or plate g³ terminating as a downwardly projecting lip
or tooth g' that is driven into the top of sleeper b so as to retain the box in its
proper relative position to the rail and sleeper after the spike c has been driven
for the purpose set forth.
Other equivalent devices might be shown, and I wish to state that I do not
confine myself to any particular kind or construction of springs, as the gist of my
invention is to introduce an elastic medium between the upper, side of the flange
rail and the underside of the spike head for the purpose as set forth.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
The improved method of securing rails to their sleepers consisting in interposing
between the rail flange a' and the head c² of the spike c, an elastic spring or other
elastic medium for the purpose as herein set forth.