Year: 1887

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by JAMES HENRY WESTMAN, of the City of Toronto, in
the County of York, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, Engineer.]
I ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E. 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:
The object of the invention is to design a simple, effective and cheap nut lock
specially adapted for the fish plate bolts of railroad iron; and it consists essentially of
a thin plate of iron having annular holes made in it to slip over the fish plate bolts
and preferably extending beyond the nuts thereof so that a corner or end of the thin
plate may be turned up against a side of each of the nuts or a portion of the said
plate in proximity to each of the nuts may be cut so that a portion of the said plate
may be turned up against the side of each of the said nuts substantially as hereinafter
more particularly explained
Figure 1 represents a view of a rail joint provided with this improved nut lock.
Figure 2 represents this nut lock applied to a single bolt at the end of the fish
plate.
Figure 3 represents this nut lock made by cutting a portion of the plate.
Although this nut lock is applicable for other purposes besides securing the nuts of
fish plate bolts it will be sufficient for the purpose of this specification to illustrate
it only in this particular application.
When the nut lock is designed to be used in connection with a rail joint where
there are two bolts passing through each rail it is preferable that the plate forming
the nut lock should have two annular holes made in it to fit over the two bolts A of
cach rail as shown in Figure 1. The plate B which must be made of good pliable
metal is held between the nuts C and the fish plate D). When the nuts are scrowed
home the end of the plate which projects beyond each nut is turned up so as to buit
against a side of the nut. The exact portion of the plate which is turned up depends

page_text: upon the position of the side of the nut. That is to say if the side of the nut is
straight across the fish plate the end of the plate B is bent up as indicated, or if the
side of the nut is at an angle the corner of the plate immediately opposite to it is
turned up as shown.
It will readily be seen that as the plate B is immovable its end when turned up will
securely prevent the nut against which it butts from turning.
Where it is not practicable to slip the plate over two bolts it may be prevented
from turning on a single bolt by turning one of its end over the end or edge of the
fish plate and its other end up against the edge of the nut as shown in Figure 2..
An equivalent form of the nut lock is suggested in Figure 3 where a portion of
the plate B is shown in proximity to the nut and marked a cut so that it may be.
bent upwardly against the edge of the nut.
By making the plate B of good pliable material it may be bent and rebent several
times without being destroyed but unless the portion of the plate B which butts
against the nut C is flattened out it will be impossible for the said nut to work loose.
It will be noticed that the plate B is made such a width as will just fit between the
base of the rail and its head.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent and in what manner the same is
to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The within described nut lock consisting of a plate having a hole in it, to fit over
the bolt below the nut so that it may be bent up against the same substantially as
described.
2. A nut-lock for fish plate bolts A consisting of a plate B made of pliable material
and having two holes made in it to fit over the fish plate bolts A and resting upon the
fish plate between the head and base of the rail the ends of the plate projecting
beyond the sides of the nuts C so that it may be turned up against the sides of the
said nuts substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 1st day of Anril 1887