Improvements in Rail Joints for Railways and other like purposes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 5th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 7th Jan., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rail Joints for Railways and other
like purposes.
HECTOR GERMAN of 1 Duke Street, Brighton, Surveyor, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
This invention has for its object improvements in rail joints for railways and
other like purposes whereby the jolting of the train on travelling over the joints of
the rails is entirely obviated or nearly so, at the same time the joints are perfectly
secure and the ordinary fish plates may be used. The invention consists in scarfing
or halving the ends of the rails horizontally or vertically. In practice I preferably
cut the ends of the rail centrally and longitudinally, say three inches or thereabouts
of its length, and then transversely from such cut to its lower or upper edge or
sideways as the case may be. The rails are then placed together according to the
direction the train is travelling, the one rail overlapping the other at the joints or
side by side; they are then jointed together by the usual or any desired fishplate.
If desired the rail may be cut vertically and transversely but I prefer the method
above described. It will be seen that on the train travelling over the joints a firm
and rigid rail is presented thereto thus doing away with the jolting as
experienced when travelling over the ordinary joints.
Dated thin at Jave of Hanat 1000
now
HECTOR GERMAN.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rail Joints for Railways and other
like purposes.
I HECTOR GERMAN High Street Lindfield Sussex formerly of 1 Duke Street
Brighton Sussex Surveyor do hereby declare the nature of the said 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 has for its object improvements in rail joints for railways and
other like purposes whereby the jolting of the train on travelling over the joints of
the rails is entirely obviated, or nearly so, at the same time the joints are perfectly
secure and the ordinary fishplates may be used.
The invention consists in forming the ends of the rails with a kind of lap joint.
In practice I prefer to cut the ends of the rail centrally and longitudinally say
three inches or thereabouts of its length, and then vertically or transversely from
such cut to its lower or upper edge as the case may be.
The rails are then placed together according to the direction the train is
travelling, the one rail overlapping the other at the joints, they are then secured
together by the usual or any desired fishplate.
In order that my invention may be properly understood and readily carried into
effect I have appended hereto a sheet of drawings in which
Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the rails connected together by one method
of constructing a rail joint according to my invention and Figure 2 is an end view
of one of the rails.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of another method of forming the joint, Figure 4
is an end view of one of the said rails and Figure 5 is a plan of the rails when
placed in position.

page_text: Figure 6 is another modification and Figure 7 is a vertical section through the
joint when the rails are in position and
Figure 8 is a section through the joint of a further modification.
Referring now more particularly to Figures 1 and 2, a a¹ are the rails 6 is the
central longitudinal cut and the vertical or transverse cut, in this instance it will
be seen that the rail a laps over the rail al and has a firm central seating thereon
at b. The two rails a a' are shewn secured together by the fishplate c.
In Figures 3, 4 and 5 the rails are so formed or cut that the part marked b of the
rail a rests on and laps over the part 6 of the rail a and -tho part 6 of the rail-a
Falso fits and rests on the part 6 (shown in dotted lines) of the rail a'.
In Figures 6 and 7 the rails are so formed or cut that the part 6 of the rail a rests
on the part 2 (shown in dotted lines in Figure 6) of the rail a'.
Figure 8 simply shows a vertically cut rail the one butting on the other.
It will be seen that on a train travelling over rail joints for railways constructed
according to my invention a firm and rigid rail is presented thereto, thus entirely
doing away with all jolting as now experienced when travelling over the joints at
present in use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
The lap joint for the rails of railways and other like purposes constructed and
arranged substantially as herein described and shown in the accompanying drawings
and for the purpose stated.
Dated this 20th day of November 1809
HECTOR GERMAN.