Year: 1888

page_text: I, ANDRÉ BOLZANO, of No. 29 Bahn hofstrasse, Augsburg, in the Empire of Germany,
Engineer, 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 has for its object a new method of fixing railway rails on timber
sleepers, by which all actual requirements as to duration and security of construction
will be fully satisfied, so that neither repairs nor continuous supervision will be
necessary.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which the Figures 1,
2 and 3 are a cross section, a plan view, and a side view of the new arrangement,
while the Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 show details of the means of fixing.
The main piece upon which the whole construction is based, consists of a long and
strong wood-screw à (see Fig. 1) which remains always in its hole. These screws are
loosened only when required and tightened from time to time. The screws a serve
for pressing down a fixing contrivance for the rail, consisting of two parts, which are
provided respectively with an excavation or recess and a boss or projection catching
into each other. One part of the fixing contrivance forms the lower binding plate 6,
while the other part is a fixed pressing plate d, made of wrought iron. The plate b
may be made of wrought or cast-iron, or of malleable cast-iron, or cast-steel (see
Fig. 1).
The rear part of the binding plate lying upon the sleeper is provided with a longi-
tudinal slot hole c, allowing the plate to be displaced to the extent of the half of the
possible widening of the gauge, so that by simultaneously displacing the opposite
plates the whole widening of the gauge may be obtained.
The inclined pressing
plate d is made exclusively of wrought iron and it is pressed downward by the wood
screw a which is perpendicular to the plate d; the latter serves at the same time for
covering the slot of the binding plate b, and for that purpose it is provided with a
hole corresponding to the diameter of the screw. Owing to the excavation or recess
and boss by which the two plates catch one into the other, a permanent connection of
the same is assured.

page_text: It may easily be seen from the position of the binding plate, if there is on the
place in question an alteration of the gauge and to what extent.
For exchanging rails etc., it is only necessary to loosen the screw a; the plate bd
is then turned say 90° (see the right side of Fig. 2) another rail is substituted, the
plates are turned back into their former position and the screw is tightened
again.
The Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 show several arrangements for connecting the plates b
and d with each other. The binding plate is made of any cast material and the
pressing plate of a correspondingly figured flat iron. Fig. 7 of the drawing shows
profiles of the two plates which are rolled or stamped out of wrought iron.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
A new method for fixing railway rails on timber sleepers consisting of the applica-
tion of a stationary wood screw (a) the head of which acts upon a fixing contri-
vance consisting of two parts movable round the screw head and connected together
in the manner shown in the Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7, the lower part (b) being also
movable sideways, owing to the longitudinal slot hole (c).
Dated this Sixteenth day of August 1888.