Securing the Rails thereto.
Year: 1888

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by ROBERT S. SEA, of Salvisa, Kentucky, United
States of America, Gentleman.]
Securing the Rails thereto.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Hasoltine Lake and Co., Patent Agents
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex 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 :-
My invention relates to metallic railway-ties; and it consists in the improved tie
which I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.
To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I will describe its
construction and indicate the manner in which the same is carried out.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 represents a top plan view of a railway-tie embodying my invention.
Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the same.
Figure 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing one of the notched side
flanges.
In the said drawings, A represents the body of the tie, formed of any suitable
metal, and provided with side and end flanges a and b for retaining the tie in position,
and also preventing the ballast from washing out. The flanges a and bare turned
down at right angles with the body of the tie, and the extremities of the end flanges, b,
are turned inward at c upon the side flanges; or, if preferred, these extremities
may extend outward, as shown at d, to more securely hold the ballast in place and
prevent the displacement of the tie. The side flanges extend the full length of the
tie, and may have the whole or part of their surface notched or serrated, as shown
at e to give the tie sufficient elasticity to permit the ends which carry and support the
rails to spring upward or to resist the pressure caused by heavy passing trains.
It is well known that in the employment of solid or rigid metallic ties, when the
ends of the ties are pressed down by passing trains, they often remain so, owing to
their inelastic nature. This being the case many accidents have occurred by rapidly
moving trains jumping the track, the cause of which, it has been ascertained, is

page_text: largely due to this irregularity in the ties. By notching or serrating the side flanges,
as proposed by my method, all danger of jumping the track from the above cause is
avoided this result being due to the construction noted and to the employment of one
or more steel plates B, secured at the centre to the under side of the tie and between
the side flanges. These plates extend a considerable distance along the tie and in
construction taper toward each end, which is disconnected. It will thus be seen that
as the ends of the tie are depressed by the weight of the passing train the ends of the
plate or plates B, are depressed, in which position the tensile strength of the latter is
exerted to force the ends of the tie upward, thereby keeping the rail in close contact
with the wheels of the train and obviating any danger of the train jumping the track
by reason of any unevenness or weakness in the ties. As soon as the weight is
removed from the tie, its ends spring upward, because of the underlying spring plato
or plates and resume their normal position.
In the ends of the tie, immediately under the rail is a block or plate, C, through
the four corners of which bolts pass to secure said plate to the top plate of the tie.
This block bears snugly against the side flanges of the tie and prevents the ends of
the latter from side movement. The bolts, which pass through the blocks D and
tic, also extend through bracos y on the upper portion of the ties, and, in conjunction
with other bolts, h, secure said braces to the tie and against the flange of the rails.
The rails Dare securely held in position by these braces g and by plates Z and n
the former being secured to the tie between the braces by bolts n and the latter by.
bolts and o, respectively.
By reason of the above construction I am permitted to provide a metallic tie that
possesses sufficient elasticity to keep the rail automatically against the wheels of the
train, and one in which the ends of the tie are caused to resume their normal
position after the weight of the train has been removed therefrom.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
First The combination with a metallic railway tie having downwardly-extending
side and end flanges, of one or more steel plates secured at the centre to said tio and
having the outer ends free and bearing under the ends of the latter, substantially as
described.
Second-The combination with a metallic railway-tie having downwardly-extending
side and end flanges, of an underlying steel plate or plates secured thereto with its
ends bearing under the ends of the tie and a block or plate at the ends of the
tie between the flanges to prevent lateral movement of said tie, substantially as
described.
Third: A metallic railway-tie having side and end flanges, the side flanges being
notched or serrated to give flexibility to the tie, in combination with an underlying
tapered steel plate or plates having its ends free and bearing under the ends of
the tie, the rails, and means for securing the same to the tic, substantially as
described.
Fourth-The combination with a metallic railway-tic, of the block or plate C, the
braces g and plato m, the bolts passing through the block or plate C and through
the braces and plate m and a plate 7, between the braces, substantially as described.
T
1
PM
1000