IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY RAILS AND APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1877

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Horace Henry Charles Sintzenich at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th February 1877.
HORACE HENRY CHARLES SINTZENICH, of the City of Toronto, in the County of
York, and Dominion of Canada, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY
RAILS AND APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH."
The first part of my Invention consists in the addition of four ridges to the rail
by the process of rolling, or by any other means which will thoroughly incorporate
the ridges with the rest of the rail and make them form a part of it in the course of
its manufacture or repair. Two of these ridges are placed on the under sides of the
head, and two on the upper sides of the table of the rail, forming a secure chamber
in which to drive in position a slide bar on each side of the rails to cover the joint.
The section marked Figure (1) one, on the top of the Drawing hereto annexed
shows the ridges with the slide bars in their chambers. Two of these ridges are
three-sixteenths of an inch in height from the table of the rail, or more exactly
speaking, from the level of the bottom of the chamber to the top of said ridges;
and two are three-sixteenths of an inch in depth from the level of the top of the
chamber to the bottom of said ridges, and ten-sixteenths of an inch at their bases
or points where they join the ordinary shape of the rails. Said ridges may extend
one, two, or more feet in length inwards from the ends, as in the case of repaired
rails, or the whole lengths, rails are manufactured; as in the case of new rails and
may be of such an altered height and depth, from three-sixteenths of an inch, as
practical experience with its use may make desirable.
The object of placing ridges on the rails in the position described is to hold in a
strong and safe position the slide bars.
I also claim the right to alter the shape and sizes of the slide bars, making them
heavier, lighter, shorter, or longer, as may appear desirable from the sizes I have
herein specified, in order to suit the heavy or lighter weights of rails of the same or
any other pattern, but of greater or less number of pounds of metal to each yard
run, provided they still retain their character as slide bars, and are moved into
a chamber to cover a railway rail joint, and that continuity is secured by this
principle.

page_text: The addition of ridges as described, or other projections and additions, and their
forming a part of rails, gives a distinctive shape and pattern varying from all shapes
now in use. I claim such altered patterns and call them Sintzenich's slide-bar
patterns for railway rails in all sizes and weights as my Invention, and I further
refer to the Figure marked (2) two, which gives a plan of said rail with ridges and
with the slide bars extended, showing the joint, and the manner of covering it with
said bars, but the scale of the Drawing would not allow their specified lengths
(which is sixteen inches) to appear.
The rails at present in use are continually requiring repairs at their ends in con-
sequence of the great deflection allowed by the imperfect fish plate and bolt joint ;
and in the operation of repairs the ends are cut off and refitted, and then rewelded
on again; this process gives a favourable opportunity of rolling on the ridges on the
pieces so detached and rewelded, and so confer the benefits of my Invention to the
metals now in use.
The second part of my Invention consists of the slide bars herein-before referred
to; they will be sixteen inches in length, five-eighths of an inch (spare) in thick-
ness, and two inches and five-sixteenths of an inch in their greatest heights, when
circular heads and bottoms are used, as shown in the Drawing, Section, Figure (1)
one, on the Drawing attached. These bars are to be of a good quality of wrought
iron, and can be made in any convenient lengths previous to being cut into slide-
bars' lengths, but care must be taken in their manufacture, handling, and carriage, so
that they do not become twisted, which would prevent them from being driven into
the chambers; the surfaces must also be made even to facilitate as much as possible
driving them into position.
I claim the right to alter the bars in shape, length, breadth, and thickness, and in
the material used in their manfacture, as experience and economic considerations
may render desirable or necessary. I also claim the right to add an additional
thickness to the centre of each slide bar in a square, round, or any other shape, or
to dispense with such if the thickness of the slide bars are sufficient to resist the
strains they are subjected to.
To prevent the ends of the slide bars becoming fractured with hammering, a tool
should be used, and be held against their ends when driven and the blows struck
upon it.
The chamber should be five-eights of an inch in width (full) and the slide bars
the same (spare) to reduce friction on the inner sides of the slide bars, and the
sides of the stems of the rails, facilitating the driving up of the slide bars into their
proper position over the joint, and so doing away with the necessity of using un-
reasonable force. Force sufficient to twist in driving up the slide bars must in all
cases be carefully avoided; the surfaces furnished on a well rolled rail and well
manufactured bar will not be too rough to drive, but will render them capable of
removal without causing unnecessary loss of time or labour.
To prevent the slide bars from leaving their proper positions over the joints
through looseness, they must be driven up and a stop be driven into the chamber,
which is a piece a few inches in length, cut off a slide bar and flattened by ham-
mering its sides until it drives very tightly; or any possible sliding away from
the joint may be prevented by keeping a spare slide bar in the chamber ready
for use.
This Invention is intended to supercede the use of fish plates, bolts and nuts,
and the punching of holes in the rails and fish plates. The first cost saving is the
four or more bolts and nuts, and the punching of eight or more holes in the fish
plates, and four holes in the ends of two rails at each joint.
The prospective saving is in the time and labour saved in tightening up bolts,
in the greater length of time each joint will last without repair (which can be
accounted for by the principle of the slide-bar joint being superior, and the addi-
tional strength the joints retain when they are free from the holes), and in the
decreased amount of repairs to the ends of rails.

page_text: The slide-bar principle, as detailed in this Specification, will make a better joint;
it secures continuity by making the rails even and close, and keeping them in a
proper position to one another, the deflection of the rails at the joints will be
decreased, and consequently the repairs lessened to rails and rolling stock.
In all cases good sound large ties are to be used to support the joints.