Improvements in or relating to Railway Crossings.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 30th June, 1893-Accepted, 23rd Sept., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Railway Crossings.
I, JOHN REINHARDT PFLANZ, of corner 33rd Street and Rudd Avenue,
Louisville, Kentucky, United States of America, Manufacturer, 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 to railway crossings and has for its object to provide
certain improved constructions therein by means of which the intersecting rails are
held in close contact with one another, and the jolting or jarring of cars passing
over the joint entirely avoided.
A further object of my invention is to provide certain novel features of con-
struction which form a secure support for the short rails of the crossing.
My invention consists in the peculiar construction of the several parts and their
novel combination or arrangement, all of which will be fully described hereinafter
and pointed out in the claims.
In the drawings forming a part of this Specification and in which the same
reference numerals indicate the same parts,-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a crossing constructed in accordance with my
invention.
Fig. 2 is a perspective detail view of the two rails and chair.
Fig. 3 is a side view and Fig. 4 show the details of the rails detached.
Referring to the drawings 10 indicates the solid main rails and 11 the sectional
crossing rails which are represented as constructed with a T-shaped head, a
central web, and a broad base. These rails are supported at their intersections
by means of the rail chairs 12, which rest upon and are secured to the cross ties 13,
metallic plates 14 being interposed between the ties and chairs to provide a safe
and rigid seat for the chairs. The rail chairs 12 are formed in two sections 12ª,
said sections being secured upon opposite sides of the sectional crossing rails -11 as
clearly shown, the upper portions of said sections being slotted transversely as
at 12 to receive the solid main rails 10. The sections 12" of the chair.are
formed with horizontal grooves 12° in their inner sides, the bottoms of said grooves
being beveled or inclined downwardly as at 12 the purpose of which will appear
farther on.
A bearing plate 15 is arranged between the sections of the rail
chair, said plate being adapted to occupy a portion of the grooves 12°. A vertical
depending flange 15ª is formed upon the lower face of the bearing plate, and upon
each side of this flange, the lower face of the plate is beveled to correspond with the
bottoms of the groove and upon which it rests. Bolts 16 are passed through the lower
portion of the rail chair and the depending flange 15ª thus securing the bearing
plate within the chair, and bolts 17 are passed through the upper portions of the
chair and the webs of the rails 11 thus securing the rails within the chair. The
solid main rail 10 is arranged in the transverse slot of the chair and the sectional
erossing rails are secured on each side of the main rail within the chair, and
resting on the bearing plate, the base of the said crossing rails occupying the rest
of the grooves 12° as clearly shown. The base of the main rail is notched on
each side at 12 to receive the end of the bases crossing rails and the head flanges
of the main rail are notched at 12 and 12% to receive the ends of the crossing
rail heads, the notch 12 extending to the tread of the rail by means of which the
tread of the crossing rail contacts with the tread of the main rail. The tread of
the rail 11 that is received in the notch 12' extends beyond the flanges of said rail
and rests upon the flanges of the main rail, thus leaving only space enough for the
passage of the wheel flange along the flange of the main rail.

page_text: The tread of the main rail is notched at 10" to permit the passage of the wheel
flange from the tread of one section 10 to the other, and, as the treads and flanges
of all the rails lie respectively in the same horizontal planes, there will be no
jolting or jarring of the car, and as the notch 10ª or space between the projecting
ends of cross rail tread and main rail tread is only the width of the wheel flange
there will be no jolt to the car in passing over the same. The webs of the
sectional rails extend beyond the heads and bases of the same in order to contact
with the web of the main rail thereby insuring a safe joint as by the construction
above described the rails are in contact at their bases, webs and heads.
From the above it will be seen that I provide a cheap, simple and efficient
construction of crossing. The main and crossing rails are so jointed that no
jolting or jarring is occasioned by passing over the joint, and by means of the
bearing plate within the chair the sectional crossing rails are given an additional
support and by having the grooves beveled and the lower face of the plate corre-
spondingly beveled, the plate is made adjustable to a certain extent by tightening
the section of the chair.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a railway crossing the combination with a plurality of ties, of the metallic
plate resting thereon, the rail-chair secured upon the plate and the main and cross
rails secured in the chair, substantially as described.
2. The combination with the rail chair formed in two sections, and slotted
transversely as described of the solid main rail resting in the transverse slot the
crossing rails, and the supporting plate secured between the sections of the rail
chair substantially as shown and described.
3. In a railroad crossing, the combination with the main and cross rails, of the
sectional rail chair slotted transversely and provided with longitudinal grooves
having inclined lower faces, and a rail supporting plate secured beneath the cross
rails, resting in the grooves and having beveled lower face substantially as and
for the purpose described.
4. The combination with the main rail of the crossing rails, the sectional rail
chair, the bearing plate arranged between the sections beneath the bases of the
main and crossing rails, and the depending flanges formed upon the said plate,
and the bolts for securing the sections, rails, and plate in proper position
substantially as shown and described.
5. In a railroad crossing, the combination with a rail chair slotted transversely
to support the main rail, of the main rail supported therein, the crossing rails
arranged within the rail chair, the supports within the chair adapted to hold the
cross rails in proper horizontal position, said cross rails being adapted to contact
with the main rail within the chair, substantially as shown.
6. The combination with the main rail notched at its head and base, of the
sectional rails adapted to contact with the main rail and fit the said notches, the
sectional rail chair slotted transversely, the bearing plate arranged within the chair
and the bolts for securing the rails and plate within the chair substantially as
.described.
Dated this 20th 1 T
1000