Improvements in Fastenings for Rail Joints of Railways and Tramways.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Sept., 1894-Accepted, 3rd Nov., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fastenings for Rail Joints of Railways and
Tramways.
A communication from abroad by THE "WHITE" PATENT RAIL-JOINT
COMPANY, LIMITED, a company registered under the provisions of the
Companies' Acts of the Province of South Australia, having its registered
office at 96, King William Street, Adelaide, in the Province of South
Australia.
1, GEORGE BELOE ELLIS of the Firm of J. C. Mewburn and Ellis, Patent
Agents, of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane, London, 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 certain improvements in the method of fastening joints
of rails of the permanent way of railways and tramways, and has for its object to
provide a method of securing the same which will not shake loose under vibration
and which notwithstanding wear and corrosion will permanently keep the fish or
joint plates in close contact with the sides of the rail ends.
The invention consists in the employment as a fastening of a cambered spring
bar or helical springs, applied to the fish or joint plates on one or both sides of
the rail in combination with special bolts or fastenings.
For the purpose of this invention the cambered spring bar fastening may be a
single plate, or may be formed of several leaves. I may also employ the cambered
spring bar fastening with the fish or joint plates on both sides of the rail or I
may employ the cambered spring bar fastening or helical springs on one side only
of the rail and allow the heads of the bolts to hold the fish plates on the other
side.
In combination with the spring bar fastening and helical springs I employ a
special form of bolt and stud. These bolts may be slotted near the tail end and
be provided with the studs having projections which engage the body of the bolt
when the spring bar fastening is in position and which consequently cannot become
loose or shake out. Or as another form the tail end of the bolt may be slotted or
recessed on opposite sides and a saddle stud be dropped over the recessed end and
engaged by it with the pressure of the spring fastening.
may as an alternative provide bolts having ends turned at right angles instead
of the ordinary rounded heads and cause these inwardly projecting ends to engage
the ends of the cambered spring bar fastening. Under this alternative the spring
bar fastening does not require holes for the bolts whilst the studs themselves are
prevented from rising by the projecting ledges of the spring bar fastening.
In order that the invention may be the better understood, reference may be
made to the accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is a longitudinal plan partly in section of spring bar fastening, showing
the parts in position.
Figure 2. Longitudinal elevation of spring bar fastening.
Figure 3. Sectional elevation of the same taken at the bolt.
Figure 4. Longitudinal plan partly in section of single spring bar fastening in
combination with ordinary fish plate.
Figure 5. Sectional elevation of Figure 4.
Figure 6. Plan partly in section of alternative single spring bar fastening in
combination with ordinary fish plate.
Figure 7. Sectional elevation of Figure 6 showing the fish plates in position.
Figure 8. Plan of bolt with slotted end and portion of spring bar fastening.

page_text: Figure 9. Elevation of bolt with slotted end, spring bar fastening, and
holding the bolt in position.
Figure 10. Side elevation of bolt with saddle, fastening.
Figure 11. Plan of bolt with saddle fastening.
Figure 12. End view of saddle fastening for bolt.
Figure 13. Sectional elevation of bolt with fish plates showing helical springs.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all figures.
A bolt holes in
A spring bar fastening. A' A' flanges or ledges of the same.
either end of the spring bar fastening A. B alternative spring bar fastening.
C fish plate. D bolt. D₁ slot in tail end of bolt. D slots at either side of tail
end of bolt. D³ recessed ends of the side slots D2. E fastening stud for bolt D,
having a slotted tail end D'.. F fastening saddle stud for bolt D having a side
slotted tail end D. F¹ recessed slot ends of fastening stud F. F2 projecting head
of fastening stud F. G helical spring.
In order to fasten a rail joint by means of this invention, the fish or joint
plates C C are placed in position on the rails, the cambered spring bar fastenings A A
are secured at one end by passing a bolt D through the holes A2, the fish plates CC
and the rail, and slipping a fastening stud E through the slot D'. The spring
bars AA are then pressed back by means of a portable clamp until the stud E
can be slipped into position in the slot D' of a bolt D at the other side of the joint.
The pressure being released the spring bars A A will force the stud forward in the
slots of the bolts and the projections E' will effectually stop their shaking out.
Such pressure of the spring bar plates A A into position forces the centre of the
bars in close contact with the fishplates and presses them against the rails where
they will be permanently held by the inherent power of the spring bar
fastenings.
In place of the bolt D having a slotted end D' I may provide a bolt D having
side slots near the tail end such as D, the slots being recessed in the manner
shewn in D Figure 11. In combination with such a bolt as D a saddle
fastening stud F is used. When in position the spring bar fastening A will
force the projecting head F1 forward and cause it to engage the recessed ends D³
which with the flanges A' will effectually prevent the stud from being shaken out.
In Figures 4 and 5 is shewn an alternative method of using the invention in
which one spring bar fastening A only is used, the ordinary deep fish plate on the
other side being held by the heads of the bolts D. In Figure 6 is shewn an
alternative form of the spring bar fastening B with suitable bolts for holding it
in position without the necessity of holes being made in the ends of the spring
bar B. In this modification of the invention the bolts D instead of being provided
with the ordinary rounded heads, have the ends turned in inwards at right angles,
so as to form projections D', against which the ends of the spring bar fastenings B
engage.
The spring bar fastening as shewn in this invention may be used with any form
of fishplate at present in use, but preferably with a fishplate having an outwardly
projecting head as shewn more particularly in Figure 7, this form being necessary
with the alternative method of the spring bar fastenings B as shewn in Figure 6,
in order that the spring bar fastening may not rise out of position. In Figure 13
is shewn an alternative method applicable more particularly to the fishplates at
present in use. In this method a helical spring such as G, is applied to each bolt
such as D and answers the same purpose as the spring bar B.
I do not claim as this invention a slotted bolt such as D, and a stud such as E,
or a stud such as F except for the purpose indicated and in combination with a
spring bar fastening or helical springs, but,
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion as communicated to me, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In rail joint fastenings, a double spring bar fastening (such as A A) each

page_text: half being composed of one or more cambered spring plates, substantially as herein
described and shewn in Figure 1.
2. In rail joint fastenings, the combination with a fish or joint plate on one side
of the rail held by the heads of the bolts, of a single spring bar fastening (such
as A) formed of one or more cambered spring plates holding the fish or joint plate
on the other side of the rail, substantially as herein described and shewn in
Figures 4 and 5.
3. In rail joint fastenings, a single spring bar fasteuing (such as B) formed of
one or more cambered spring plates and held in position by suitable bolts (such
as D) having inwardly projecting ends (such as D), substantially as herein
described and shewn in Figure 6.
4. In rail joint fastenings, the combination with a single or double spring bar
fastening (such as A A) of bolts (such as D) having slotted ends (such as D¹).
held in position by studs (such as E) having projecting ends (such as E¹),.
substantially as herein described and shewn in Figures 9 and 10.
5. In rail joint fastenings, the combination with a single or double spring bar
fastening (such as A A) of a bolt (such as D) having a side slotted end (such
as D³) provided with recesses (such as D³) and held in position by a stud (such
as F) having a projecting head (such as F³) provided with recessed slot ends.
(such as F), substantially as herein described and shewn in Figures 11 and 12.
6. In rail joint fastenings, the combination with a bolt (such as D) having a
slotted end (such as D¹) and a stud (such as E), of a helical spring (such as G),
substantially as herein described and shewn in Figure 13.
7. In rail joint fastenings, the combination with a bolt (such as D) having a
side slotted end (such as D³) and a stud (such as F), of a helical spring (such
as G), substantially as herein described and for the purpose indicated.
Dated this 19th dow of Contember 1901
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.