Improvements in Railway Rail Joints.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Jan., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 29th July, 1896-Accepted, 29th Aug., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Rail Joints.
I PERCY RICHARD JULIUS WILLIS, of 55 Chancery Lane, in the County of
London, Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication
to me from abroad by Herbert Stearns, Inventor, and Emily Doughty, Gentle-
woman, both of Byron, Ogle County, Ill., U.S.A.) to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide means whereby the meeting ends of
the rails are not pounded by passing trains, and whereby the wheels are caused to
roll freely over the ends of the rails without jolting the train.
The invention consists in the formation of a longitudinal slot in the upper
surface of each abutting end of the rails and inserting in said slot two curved
springs which are retained in place by bolts passed horizontally through the rails
and one end of each spring. The free ends of each spring are beveled to engage
beveled inclines at the ends of the slot.
Dated this 8th day of January 1896.
PERCY R. J. WILLIS.
Improvements in Railway Rail Joints.
I, PERCY RICHARD JULIUS WILLIS, of 55 Chancery Lane, in the County of
London, Manager do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication
to me from abroad by Herbert Stearns, Inventor and Emily Doughty, Gentle-
woman both of Byron, Ogle County, Ill., U.S.A.) 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 this invention is to form the meeting ends of railroad rails with
recesses within which are placed flat springs, the centre portions of which project
above the upper face of the rail so that the wheels are raised above the ends
of the rails at their junction thereby preventing the pounding of the ends of
the rails.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is an isometrical representation of the ends of two rails provided with
my improvements.
Fig. 2 is a similar view in which the springs have been removed.
Fig. 3 is an isometrical representation of the springs removed from the rails.
The usual manner of connecting the ends of railroad rails is by the employment
of fish plates and bed plates, which are designed to hold the rails rigid, but even
such devices do not prevent the wheels of the cars from battering the ends of the
rails until it becomes necessary to cut off a section of the ends of the rails. My
improvements are designed to overcome these difficulties.
In the drawings the rails are of the usual construction joined together by the
fish plates 2.

page_text: The upper surfaces of the rails at their ends are provided with a recess 3,
extending lengthwise of the rail, a section 4, of the recess stopping short of the
end and having an upward incline.
Holes 5 are drilled transversely through the rail near the ends of the recess.
Bars 6 of spring material and rectangular in form are formed curving, being
highest near the centre, and having the under side of one end 7, bevelled upwards,
and provided with holes 8 at the square end thereof.
These bars are secured in position in the recess by bolts 9, passing through
the holes 8 thereof and through holes 5 in the rails so that when the ends of the
rails are brought together the bevelled end of the spring will lie upon the
incline 4, of the adjoining rail. The fish plates are then placed in position and
held in place by the usual bolts. The bevelled ends of the spring stop short of
the upper end of the incline as shewn in Fig. 1, which will allow the spring to
lengthen when the pressure of the train is brought to bear upon them without
raising the free end of the spring above the level of the upper face of the rail.
The springs form a connection between the rails, upon which the wheels of the
train can ride thereby holding them above the level of the upper faces of the rails
at the meeting point of the rails which will prevent the wheels engaging the ends
of the rails thereby saving the usual battering of their ends. By the employment
of these springs the train will ride very smoothly over the joining of the rails and
owing to the ends of the springs which are secured within the recess extending
farther along the rail than their free ends an easy and smooth approach is
formed.
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 railroad rail provided with a recess in its upper face at the end thereof
and a spring secured within said recess.
(2.) A railroad rail provided with a recess in its upper face at the end thereof,
and a spring secured within said recess and having its free end lying in a recess
formed in the end of the adjacent rail.
(3.) A railroad rail provided with a recess in its upper face at the end thereof,
the end of a portion of the recess being upwardly bevelled, and a spring secured
in the recess having its free end bevelled and lying upon the incline of the
adjacent rail.
Dated this 28th day of July 1896.
PERCY R. J. WILLIS.