Improvements in Rail Joints.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Rail Joints.
I, FREDERICK JOHN TALBOT, of Globe Steel Works, Sheffield, in the County
of York, Chairman of Ibbotson Brothers and Company Limited, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Experience has shown that the best method of connecting the ends of rails
is by means of fish-plates; these however do not form a perfect joint, largely
because the two rails which are joined together are rarely of precisely the same
section. The rolls employed in the manufacture of rails wear in the process of
rolling consequently what frequently occurs is that a parallel fishplate is
expected to fit two rails one of which is slightly wider than the other between
the head and flange. After a certain amount of traffic has passed over such a
joint, the defect therein becomes apparent, and it will be found impossible
so to tighten up the fishplate as to make a fit.
The object of the present invention is to produce a fishplate which shall be
somewhat self-fitting and as strong as the ordinary fish-plate.
In one form of carrying the invention into effect I make a fishplate to fit
the rails in the ordinary way and with a tapered or wedge shaped groove to
grip the flange or lower head of the rail. The fishplate is extended below the
said groove and is provided with additional bolt holes in this part. By means
of saw cuts or slits passing up into the grooves, I divide the lower portion of
the fishplate and thus render it pliable, so that by screwing up the nuts on
the bolts beneath the rail, the lower part of the fishplate shall bend and grip
the flange or lower head of the rail securely. I form one of the said slits or
saw cuts in the centre of the joint, so that each half of the fishplate securely
fits each rail though the rails vary in size. It may be of advantage to have
an additional slit or slits between the central slit and the end of the fishplate.
Instead of making the bottom of the fishplates flexible so that the bottom'
of the groove may bend upwards, I may insert taper wedges in holes in the
fishplates beneath the rails, so that they may bear against the bottom of each
rail and when tightened up with a nut and bolt, produce a similar result to
that above described. The said wedges may be hollow so that the said bolt
may pass through them.
HARRIS & MILLS, .
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C:, Agents...

page_text: Improvements in Rall Joints.
I, FREDERICK JOHN TALBOT, of Globe Steel Works, Sheffield, in the County.
of York, Chairman of Ibbotson Brothers and Company Limited, 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:
Experience has shown that the best method of connecting the ends of rails
is by means of fish-plates. These however do not form a perfect joint, largely
because the two rails which are joined together are rarely of precisely the
same section. The rolls employed in the manufacture of rails wear in the
process of rolling; consequently what frequently occurs is that a parallel fish-
plate is expected to fit two rails one of which is slightly wider than the other
between the head and flange. After a certain amount of traffic has passed over
such a joint, the defect therein becomes apparent, and it will be found impos-
sible so to tighten up the fish-plate as to make a fit.
The object of the present invention is to produce a fish-plate which shall be
somewhat self-fitting or adjusting and as strong as the ordinary fish-plate.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood, I will describe the
same by the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Fig. 1 is a cross section of a rail fitted with one form of my improved rail
joint, held in position by the upper bolts previous to the application of the
lower bolts.
Fig. 2 is a cross section of the same on the line A--B, Fig. 3, showing both
upper and lower bolts in position and screwed up so as to cause the fish-plate
extensions to bend and tightly grip the flange or lower head of the rail.
Fig. 3 is a side view of Fig. 2 drawn to a smaller scale.
Fig. 4 is a cross section on the line C-D of Fig. 7 showing a rail fitted with
a slight modification of my improved rail joint, but having no bolts in position.
Fig. 5 is a cross section on the line E F of Fig. 7 with the upper bolts only
in position.
Fig. 6 is a cross section of said modification also on the line E-F of Fig. 7
but showing both upper and lower bolts in position, and Figs. 7 and 8 are
opposite side views of Fig. 6.
'
Fig. 9 is a cross section on the line G-H of Fig. 11 showing another modifi-
cation of my improved rail joint.
Fig. 10 is a side view of Fig. 9 showing only a portion of the rail joint with
one upper and one lower bolt in position, and Fig. 11 is the opposite side view
of Fig. 9 drawn to a smaller scale showing the entire rail joint.
Fig. 12 is a cross section on the line I J of Fig. 13 and the latter is a side
view of Fig. 12 showing a modification of the form shown at Figs. 9 to 11 and
Figs. 14 and 15 are similar views of yet another modification.
In all the views like parts are indicated by similar letters of reference.
Referring to the form of my invention represented at Figs. 1, 2, 3; a, a
are two rails and bare two fish-plates connecting together said rails. These
fish-plates are made to fit the rails between the head and flange or between the
two heads in the ordinary way, bolt holes b¹ being formed in such parts as
usual. The improved fish-plates are also formed with tapered or wedge shaped
grooves to receive the flanges or lower heads of the rails, and with exten-
sions 63 below the grooves 3. and such extensions are provided with additional

page_text: bolt holes 6. Bolts cd secure the fish-plates to the rails. I divide the lower
portions or extensions 63 of the fish-plates by means of saw-cuts or slits 65 pass-
ing up into the grooves b³, and thus render them pliable so that by screwing
up the nuts on the bolts c', the lower parts or extensions of the fish-plates shall
bend and thereby cause the lower parts of the wedge shaped grooves to grip the
flange or lower head of the rail securely. I form one of the slits or saw-cuts 65
in the centre of the joint so that each half of the lower part or extension of a
fishplate may bend and securely fit each rail though the rails may somewhat
vary in size. It may be of advantage to have an additional slit or slits 65
between the central slit and the ends of the fish-plate extension.
In Fig. 3 I have shown one such additional slit.
In the modification represented at Figs. 4 to 8, the fish-plates are constructed
as shown and described with reference to the previous figures, with the excep-
tion that the extensions 63 3* do not extend the full length of the fish-plates,
and only one of such extensions, 63, is divided by a slit or saw-cut 65, the
other, 63, being continuous from end to end.
This latter fish plate extension may however have a saw cut 67 made therein
to give some amount of flexibility thereto, thus enabling both fish-plates to be
made of like section as shown by dotted lines.
I will now describe the modification represented at Figs. 9 to 11. In this
case, instead of making the lower portions or extensions 3 of the fish-plates
flexible so that the bottom of the groove may bend upwards as in the pre-
viously described forms, I do not employ such grooves but in lieu thereof I
form holes 66 in such extensions 63 below the rails and insert taper wedges d
therein so that their upper surfaces may bear against the bottom of each rail
and, when tightened up by a bolt c¹ and nut, produce a similar result to that
described with respect to the forms shown at Figs. 1 to 8. These wedges d
may be formed hollow as shown so that the bolt c¹ may pass through them.
A further modification of my invention may comprise a fish-plate of the
character of either of those represented at Figs. 1 to 8 and a fish-plate such as
that shown at Figs. 9 to 11.
The modification represented at Figs. 12 and 13 is very similar to that
shown at Figs. 9 to 11 with the difference that the wedge d* is formed in
one piece with the bolt and the hole in the fish plate extension 63 is wide
enough to accommodate two sets of wedges and bolts."
In the modification represented at Figs. 14 and 15 the wedges d' are long
enough to take a bearing in both extensions 63 of the fish plates and thus
support the rails at their centre instead of at their edges. One of such
wedges (d) has a screw thread formed at one end whilst the other wedge ()
has a bearing plate & formed at one end thereof through which the screwed
end of wedge is passed.
A hole 6 is formed in each fish plate extension 63 each hole having two
adjacent bearing surfaces at different levels and opposite angles to receive the
two wedges. Thus by screwing up the nut on the screw thread of the bolt d¹
it takes a bearing against the bearing plate №³ and in the continued screwing up
of the same it pulls the wedge d' and pushes the wedge until they afford a
firm bearing to the bottom of the rails."
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:-
1. A rail joint comprising a pair of -fish-plates fitting the rails as heretofore
downward extensions formed on such fish-plates, tapered or wedge shaped
grooves formed in such extensions to grip the flange or lower head of the rails,
one or more slits or cuts in such downward extensions, and bolt holes formed
in the upper and lower parts of said fish plates to receive bolts, so that on
screwing up the lower bolts the extensions are bent and thereby caused to grip

page_text: firmly the flange or lower head of rail; substantially as herein set forth and
illustrated at Fig. 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.
3. In a rail joint, a fish-plate fitting the rails as heretofore, a downward
extension formed on such fish-plate, a tapered or wedge shaped groove formed
in such downward extension to receive the flange or lower head of the rails,
and enable the extension to bend and thereby grip the rails on the fish-plates
being screwed up, one or more slits or cuts in such downward extension, and
bolt holes formed in both upper and lower parts of said fish-plate to receive
bolts, substantially as herein set forth.
f.:
3. A rail joint consisting of the combination of parts substantially as herein
described with reference to Figs. 4 to 8 of the accompanying drawings."
4. "A rail joint comprising a pair of fisli-plates fitting the rails as heretofore,
downward extensions on such fish-plates, bolt holes formed in the upper, parts
of such fish-plates, holes formed in the downward extensions, hollow" taper
wedges inserted in such lower holes and bearing against the flange or lower
head of rails, and bolts passed through such hollow wedges, substantially as
herein set forth.
5. A rail joint consisting in the combination of a fish-plate such as either of
those described with reference to Figs. 1 to 8 and a fish-plate fitted with hollow
taper wedges such as that described with respect to Figs. 9 to 11, and bolts for
securing the said fish-plates to the rails, substantially as herein set forth.
6. A rail joint consisting of a pair of fish-plates fitting the rails as heretofore,
downward extensions on such fish-plates, bolt holes formed in the fish-plates,
holes in the downward extensions to receive wedges, wedges, inserted in such
holes, screwed stems, on such wedges and nuts to draw such wedges firmly into
contact with the lower head or flange of the, rails, substantially as herein
set forth.
7. A rail joint consisting of the combination of parts substantially as herein
described with reference to Figs. 12 and 13 of the accompanying drawings..
8. A rail joint consisting of the combination of parts, substantially as herein
described with reference, to Figs. 14 and 15 of the accompanying drawings.
Dot
al LOTTA
12415
day of
HARRIS & MILLS,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.,""