IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR CONNECTING AND STRENGTHENING THE ENDS OF RAILS FOR RAILWAYS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Stephen Alley and James Baird Handyside,
both of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Engineers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR
CONNECTING AND STRENGTHENING THE ENDS OF RAILS FOR RAILWAYS OR
Sealed the 5th June 1874, and dated the 11th December 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Stephen Alley and
James Baird Handyside at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 11th December 1873.
We, STEPHEN ALLEY and JAMES BAIRD HANDYSIDE, both of Glasgow,
in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineers, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR
CONNECTING AND STRENGTHENING THE ENDS OF RAILS FOR RAILWAYS OR TRAMWAYS,
AND IN APPARATUS FOR APPLYING THE SAME," to be as follows, that is to
say:
-

page_text: venting any relative movement of the rail ends, considerably strengthens
the joints.
The Invention as applied to the common I rail consists according
to one modification in combining with fish plates applied to the sides
of the rail ends a stirrup plate applied to the bottom, the lateral edges 5
of such stirrup plate being curled upwards and inwards over curved
toes formed along the bottom edges of the fish plates, so that when
the fish plates are drawn inwards by the fastening bolts they lift and
tighten up the bottom stirrup plate, the fish plates acting as levers
with their fulcra upon the upper sides of the bottom web of the rail. 1
The bottom plate tends to keep the rails perfectly flush, and the strain
on the fish plates will keep the bolts from turning or becoming loose.
The bolt nuts may be additionally held from turning by being sprung
into slight recesses formed to fit them in the fish plates.
".
The improved fastenings may be easily adapted to various sections 1
of rail. Thus, in the case of I rails the fish plates are formed with
curved toe-like extensions projecting more or less over the sides of
the bottom web so as to enter within the curled or overlapping edges
of the bottom stirrup plate, this plate being by preference shaped to
bear principally up against the middle of the bottom web.
The bottom or stirrup plate is by preference made a little longer
that the fish plates, so that the ends can be bended or closed to prevent
longitudinal displacement, and it may be strengthened by a longitudinal
rib or ribs.
The stirrup plates may be made of steel or malleable iron, and .the 2
fish plates of the same or of cast iron.
The bottom or stirrup plate may be combined with or form part of a
sleeper plate, whether of steel, malleable iron, or cast iron.
In a second series of modifications more especially applicable to
the I rail, the bottom or stirrup plate is extended upwards at the 3
sides of the rail, and its upper edges are curved inwards over the
top edges of the fish plates. The holding bolts are passed through
the lateral extensions of the stirrup plate as well as through the fish
plates; and these fish plates act as toggle levers with their lower
edges bearing upon the upper sides of the bottom web of the rail 3
in such a way that the tightening of the bolts forcibly lifts up the

page_text: bottom of the stirrup plate against the bottoms of the rail ends. Or
instead of separate fish plates being combined with the stirrup plate
in any of the ways herein-before described, parts having the action
of the fish plates as herein-before described may be formed in the
same piece with the stirrup plate, and as lateral and upward extensions
of the part thereof which bears up against the bottoms of the rail
ends.
The sides of the plate may be folded or doubled over inwards at the
parts corresponding to fish plates; or these parts may be made of
greater thickness to give the necessary strength; but in all cases ribs_
or inward bulges are formed to bear upon the upper sides of the bottom
web of the rail, so that the tightening of the bolts may act with leverage
to lift up the bottom of the plate.
For applying the improved fastenings a pair of powerful tongs or
compressers is provided consisting of two crossed levers jointed together
and connected by a screw spindle. This instrument is applied to com-
press and hold the fish plates against the rail sides whilst the fastening
bolts are being entered into their places, and at the same time forcibly
draws up and tightens the bottom stirrup plate.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Stephen Alley and James Baird Handyside in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th June 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, STEPHEN
ALLEY and JAMES BAIRD HANDYSIDE, both of Glasgow, in the County
of Lanark, North Britain, Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said Stephen Alley and James
Baird Handyside, Her special licence that we, the said Stephen Alley
and James Baird Handyside, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said Stephen Alley and James Baird Handy-
_side, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time

page_text: stirrup plate 4, the fish plates acting as levers with their fulcra upon
the upper sides 9 of the bottom web of the rail. The bottom plate 4
tends to keep the rail ends perfectly flush, and the strain on the fish
plates 1, 2, will keep the bolts 8 from turning or becoming loose.
The bolt nuts 10 may be additionally held from turning by being
sprung into slight recesses formed to fit them in the fish plates, as
indicated in Figure 11.
The bottom or stirrup plate 4 is by preference made of a slightly
different length than the fish plates 1, 2, so that the ends of it, or of
them, can be bended, as shown at 11 in Figure 3, to prevent longi-
tudinal displacement; and the bottom plate 4 may be strengthened
by a longitudinal rib or ribs, as indicated by dotted lines at 12 in
Figures 2 and 3.
In Figure 1 the fish plates 1, 2, are shown as just entered within
the curled parts 6 of the stirrup plate 4, whilst in Figures 2, 3, the
fish plates are shown as forced into position and fastened by the
bolts 8.
The stirrup plates 4 may be made of steel or malleable iron, and the
fish plates 1, 2, of the same, or of cast iron.
In some modifications, more especially applicable to the I rail, and
of which examples are shown in Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, the
bottom or stirrup plate 4 is extended upwards at the sides 16, and
its upper edges 6 are curved inwards over the top edges of the fish
plates 1, 2. The holding bolts 8 are passed through the lateral exten-
sions 16 of the stirrup plates as well as through the fish plates 1, 2,
and these fish plates act as toggle levers with their lower edges shaped
with that view as shown, and bearing on the upper sides 9 of the
bottom web of the rail in such a way that the tightening of the bolts 8
forcibly lifts up the bottom of the stirrup plate 4 against the bottoms 5
of the rail ends. Or instead of separate fish plates (1, 2,) being com-
bined with the stirrup plate 4 in any of the ways herein-before described
parts 17 having the action of the fish plates, as herein-before described,
may be formed in the same piece with the stirrup plate, and as lateral
and upward extensions of the part 4 thereof which bears up against
the bottoms 5 of the rail ends.
The sides 17 of the plate may be folded or doubled over inwards
at the parts corresponding to fish plates, as shown in Thic
10

page_text: and 11; or these parts may be made of greater thickness to give
the necessary strength, as in the modification shown in Figures 12
and 13; but in all cases ribs or inward bulges 15 are formed to bear
upon the upper sides 9 of the bottom web of the rail, so that the
tightening of the bolts 8 may act with leverage to lift up the bottom 5
of the plate 4.
If desired the bottom of the stirrup plate 4 may be increased in
thickness and strength, as indicated at 14 in Figures 9, 10.
Our improved fastenings may be easily adapted to various sections
of rail. Thus, in the case of I, as shown in Figure 14 on Sheet 21
of the Drawings, the fish plates 1, 2, are formed with curved foot
or toe-like extensions 7 along their bottom edges, and projecting more
or less over the sides 9 of the bottom web of the rail so as to enter
within the curled or overlapping edges 6 of the bottom stirrup plate 4,
this plate being by preference shaped as shown to bear principally up
against the middle of the bottom web. Figure 15 is a side view corre-
sponding to Figure 14.
The bottom or stirrup plate may be combined with a sleeper plate,
as shown in Figure 16, the stirrup plate 4 being rivetted to the sleeper
plate 18. Or the bottom plate 4 may form part of a sleeper plate 18, 2
as shown in Figure 17, the curled parts 6 being cut in and turned
up from the body of the sleeper plate 18.
The sleeper plates 18 used, as indicated in Figures 16 and 17, may
be of steel or of malleable iron. Our leverage-action fish plates can
however also be used with cast-iron sleepers or sleeper chairs, or with
cast-iron chairs to be fixed on wooden or other sleepers.
Figure 18 is a transverse section, and Figure 19 is a side elevation
showing the application with a cast-iron sleeper chair, the insides of
the jaws. 20 being formed with notches 21 into which the toes 7 of
the fish plates 1, 2, enter. The forcing of the fish plates 1, 2, against
the rail causes them, by their leverage action, to force the rail down
into its seat.
For applying our improved fastenings a pair of powerful tongs or
compressers is provided of the kind shown in Figures 20 and 21, and
consisting of two crossed levers 22, 23, jointed together, and having
an end of each connected by a screwed spindle 24. The other ends

page_text: of the levers are formed with rounded jaws 25, and the instrument
is applied so as with these jaws to compress and hold the fish plates
(1, 2,) against the rail sides (3) whilst the fastening bolts (8) are
being entered into their places, and at the same time forcibly draws
up and tightens the bottom stirrup plate 4.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, we have to state that we do not
restrict ourselves to the precise details herein described or delineated;
but that what we believe to be novel and original, and claim as the
Invention secured to us by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is,
1. The fastening or connecting and strengthening of the ends of rails
for railways or tramways by combining a bottom or stirrup plate with
lateral or fish plates, the closing and fixing of which fish plates by a
leverage action tightens up the said stirrup plate, substantially as herein-
before described.
2. The forming of the stirrup plate in the same piece with the
leverage-action fish plates, as herein-before described. with reference
to Figures 10, 11, 12 on Sheet 1 of the accompanying Drawings.
3. The applying of an instrument such as is herein-before described
with reference to Figures 20, 21, for compressing fish plates used in
combination with a bottom or stirrup plate.
In witness whereof, we, the said Stephen Alley and the said James
Baird Handyside, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Ninth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-four.
Witness,
0
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
STEPHEN ALLEY.
(L.S.)
JAMES B. HANDYSIDE. (L.S.)