An Improved Spike and Holdfast for Securing Rails, Decking, Platforms, and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Sept., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 12th June, 1899-Accepted, 19th Sept., 1899
Date of Application, 19th dept., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 12th June, 1899-Accepted, 19th Sept., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Spike and Holdfast for Securing Rails, Decking,
Platforms, and the like.
I, FREDERICK BAKER, of "Maylands," Kambrook Road, Caulfield, in the
Colony of Victoria, Builder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates mainly to the spikes used on railways for securing the
flanges of the rails to the sleepers, but it is also applicable for numerous other
purposes where spikes or studs are employed, as for instance, in securing decking
and platforms to joists.
The main object of the invention is to provide a spike or stud which will
securely hold rails, planking, and the like and will not possess the disadvantages
arising from the use of the spikes, screws, nails, studs and other contrivances
at present in use for those purposes.
For railway work, especially, my invention will be found of great utility
because, unlike the present holding down spikes, mine will not be liable to be
worked loose and drawn out by the vibration of the rails and thus a considerable
expense in maintainence will be saved.
According to my invention the spike or stud is made in two parts longitudinally
and I form the same side of the main part of said spike as the projecting lug
or head with projections or teeth. The opposite side is tapered and a corre-
sponding taper may be formed in the second part of the spike. The teeth may
be fashioned perfectly straight across the shank or stem of the spike or they may
be short projecting pins. When intended for railway work the spike is preferably
of such a length as to project down through the sleeper its lower end being
formed with a projection or lug adapted to engage with the under side of said
sleeper when the tapering wedge or second part of the spike is driven into the
hole alongside it in order to force the teeth into the sleeper. The shank of the
spike is preferably square or otherwise sided in cross section or it may be round
or oval. If sided, it will not be liable to turn round and thus become disengaged
from the flange of the rail.
Instead of being formed with a laterally projecting head my improved spike
or stud may be made with a head like an ordinary screw to fit into a counter-
sunk hole so as to be flush with the surface of the timbers in which case it will
be useful for securing the planking or decking of platforms and the like. Owing
to the hold it would have in the joists it could not be drawn out by the warping
of the decking and it could be fixed in much less time than screws.
For holding down rails the head of the spike may be fitted with a projecting
finger, arm or holdfast arranged to bear against the underside of the head of the
rail and to fit on to the head of the spike the effect being to prevent said
spike from working loose in the sleeper thus ensuring the rail being more securely
held than is the case when spikes are used without any such contrivances. This
arm, finger, or holdfast may be constructed of a piece of stout wire bent into the
form of a square shaped hook at one end so that it can be fitted into a hole

page_text: provided for the purpose in the head of the spike, whilst the other part of
the hook bears against a shoulder provided for that purpose on the head of the
spike. If preferred, the finger, arm, or holdfast may be formed of a piece of flat
metal bent into a square shape so as to engage with the projecting head of the
spike whilst its upper end bears against the underside of the head of the rail as
before, and in lieu of a hole through the head of the spike a notch or recess may
be provided underneath same to receive the lower part of the square shaped
hook on the finger or arm.
Dated this Sixteenth day of August, One thousand eight hundred and ninety-
An Improved Spike and Holdfast for Securing Rails, Decking,
Platforms, and the like.
I, FREDERICK BAKER, of "Maylands," Kambrook Road, Caulfield, near
Melbourne, in the Colony of Victoria, Builder, 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 mainly to the spikes used on railways for securing the
flanges of the rails to the sleepers, but it is also applicable for numerous other
purposes where spikes or studs are employed, as for instance in securing decking
and platforms to joists.
The main object of the invention is to provide a spike or stud which will
securely hold rails, planking and the like without working loose but which can
be removed and replaced at will.
In order that my invention may be easily understood I will describe it by
reference to the accompanying drawings in which,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a spike such as would be used on railways for
securing the rails to the sleepers showing same constructed in accordance with
this invention.
Figure 2 is a plan of said spike, and
Figures 3 and
Figure 1.
are transverse sections on lines 3-3 and 4-4 respectively of
Figure 5 is a side elevation of a spike or stud adapted to be fitted into a
counter-sunk hole for securing planking or the like to joists, for instance.
Figure 6 is a sectional elevation illustrating the application of my invention
to a hook and eye gate hinge.
Figure is a similar view to Figure 3 illustrating a slight modification which
can be made in the construction of the spike as hereinafter described.
Figure 8 is a sectional elevation illustrating a further modification which might
be made in my improved spike to adapt it more particularly to railway work.
According to the form of my invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 8 the spike
or stud is made in two parts A and B, the latter of which is formed with from
one to three projecting teeth C as shown, whilst the former is wedge-shaped for a
portion of its length and is adapted to be driven into the hole behind the part B
so as to drive the teeth (forward into the body of the sleeper, joist or the like.
If intended for securing rails to sleepers the part 1 of the spike may have a

page_text: projecting head D to engage the flange of the sleeper, and at its lowest end it
has a projection E preferably slightly inclined on its upper edge and adapted to
be forced into engagement with the underside of the sleeper. The lower end of
the part B of the spike is preferably grooved out for a short distance as indicated
at F by which means the spike is made lighter, and a certain saving of metal is
effected.
The part A of the spike is formed with a slightly projecting head G to facilitate
its withdrawal, and it can be made square for a certain portion of its length,
say down to about the part marked H, the remainder of its length being curved
or rounded as in Figure 4. The face bearing against the part B of the spike
may be curved slightly to correspond with a similar curve which may be made
on said part B, as illustrated at I in Figure 3, or these adjacent faces might be
made flat as illustrated at J Figure 7.
The shank of the spike may be square instead of oval or round, but, by pre-
ference, it is constructed of the section shown in Figures 3 and 4.
The corners K of the part B are rounded off as shown to enable said part B
to be moved back into the hole when the part A has been removed. The corners L
of said part A are made so as to project slightly so that by being embedded in
the timber they will assist in preventing the spike turning round and thus
becoming disengaged from the flange of the rail.
The spike or stud illustrated in Figure 5 is substantially the same as shown
in Figure 1 except that the head is shaped to fit into a counter-sunk hole so as
to be flush with the surface of the decking, planking, or other timbers, this
construction being useful for securing the planking or decking of platforms and
the like, and, owing to the hold the three teeth C would have in the joists, it
cannot be drawn out by the warping of the decking, and, moreover, can be fixed
in much less time than screws.
The application of the invention for other purposes as for instance for securing
hook and eye hinges to gates and gate posts will be readily understood from
Figure 6, the part B carrying the hook being held in a hole in the gate post,
by the three teeth C with which it is provided being driven into the post on the
insertion of the part A.
The other part of the gate hinge could be secured to the gate in the ordinary
manner but instead of using small spikes of the kind illustrated in Figure 5
could be employed.
In order to compensate for shrinkage in the sleepers my improved spike
might be constructed as illustrated in Figure 8 with a slot through its upper end
through which a tapering or inclined key M might be passed the rear end of
said key being formed with teeth N to engage with the surface of the sleeper
and so prevent the key working loose. By driving this key in further it will
tighten its hold on the rail and draw the projection E on the lower end of the
spike against the underside of the sleeper thus compensating for any shrinkage
of this latter.
It will be readily understood that with the arrangement of spikes above
described they can readily be tightened at any time by driving down the locking
piece or key and owing to the expansion of the spike laterally they will be
effectually prevented from turning round in the sleeper.
The locking pieces or keys are preferably formed with heads at their upper
ends to facilitate their removal from the spikes.
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 spike for securing rails, decking, platforms and the like formed in two
parts longitudinally one part having two or three teeth (such as C) and the
other arranged to be driven down behind the first part so as to force said teeth
into the sleeper, joist or the like substantially as and for the purposes herein

page_text: described and explained and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 6 of the accompanying
drawings.
2. In a spike for securing rails, decking, platforms and the like made in two
parts a projection (such as E) on the lower end of one part so as to be forced
into engagement with the underside of the sleeper, joist or the like on driving
the other part into the hole behind said first part substantially as and for the
purposes herein described and explained and as illustrated in Figure 1 of the
accompanying drawings.
3. A spike for securing rails, decking, platforms, and the like made in two
parts with the rear corners of the front or main part rounded off (as at K) and
the corners of the other part left projecting (as at L) substantially as and for
the purposes herein described and explained and as illustrated in Figure 3 of the
accompanying drawings.
4. A spike or stud for securing rails, decking, platforms, and the like made in
two parts with a head to fit into a countersunk hole one of the parts being
provided with projecting teeth (such as C) and the other part being driven down
behind it so as to force said teeth into the wood of the sleeper, joist, or the like
substantially as and for the purposes herein described and explained and as
illustrated in Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.
5. A spike constructed as claimed in either of the preceding claims in com-
bination with a tapering or inclined key (as M) passing through a slot in the
upper end of the spike substantially as and for the purposes herein described
and explained and as illustrated in Figure 8 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Ninth day of May One thousand eight hundred and ninety-nine.
FREDERICK BAKER.
Abel & Imray,
Agents for the Applicant.