IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY RAIL-JOINTS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Henry Gibbon, of the City and County of Albany,
in the State of New York, United States of America for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY RAIL-JOINTS"
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Thomas Henry Gibbon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th November 1883.
THOMAS HENRY GIBBON, of the City and County of Albany, in the State of
New York, United States of America "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY RAIL-
JOINTS
33
Figure 1, is a side elevation of my rail-joint as adapted to the ordinary form of
Trail:
Figure 2, a plan view of the same :
Figure 3, a transverse section, at the line xx, of Figure 1:
Figure 4, a perspective view of the connecting piece, detached from the rails:
Figure 5, a side elevation of one end of a length of T-rail adapted to receive my
rail-joint:
Figure 6, a side elevation of my rail-joint as adapted and applied to a "double-
headed"rail :
Figure 7, an elevation of the same, showing the reduced end of one of the
lengths of rails in section: and
Figure 8, a side elevation of one end of a length of "double-headed" rail
adapted to receive my rail-joint.
This invention relates to an improvement in rail-joints for connecting together
lengths of rails that have had the heads of their connecting ends cut away to
receive a connecting piece so constructed that it will fit into the gap, created by
the removed portions of the rail-head, and produce a head of uniform size and
shape for the entire length of a line of rails, and it consists of a connecting piece
provided with a head, whose upper portion conforms to the size and shape of the
ail-head, and which is adapted to fit into and fill up the space created by the
removal of the parts of the rail-heads at the conjoining ends of the lengths of said
ails, the head of said connecting-piece being united-by means of side-plates,
which fit the web of the rails-to pendent flanges which are adapted to engage in
uitable grooves in the cross-ties for the road-bed, and which are provided with
nortices adapted to receive a transverse fastening plate.
LD..

page_text: As shown in the drawing, A indicates the rails; B, the connecting piece; C, the
transverse fastening plate; and D, the cross-ties.
The rails A, as shown in Figures 2, 3, and 5, are of the ordinary T-form, but in
the remaining figures of the drawing a double-headed rail is represented; at each
end of every length of said rail the heads a are cut away, as shown at a¹ in
Figures 5 and 8, to a distance that is equal to one half of the length of the head of
the connecting piece, and to such depth as will leave the thickness of the exposed
edges of the web a² of uniform thickness with the remainder of said web: the
cutting away of said heads may be effected in such manner as to form a right
angle, as shown by the full lines in Figures 5 and 8, or, when preferred, the corner
of the angle may be filleted, by leaving a slight curve, as indicated by the dotted
lines in the same figures.
The connecting piece B is preferably cast of steel, and is provided with a head, b,
that is adapted to fill the space created by removing the heads at the conjoining
ends of the length of rails; the head b is made to conform to the shape and size of
the head a of the rails, and is provided with two side-plates 6-that are integral
therewith and which fit against the web a³ of the rail; as shown in the first four
figures of the drawing, the side-plates 61 flare outwardly to form the flanges, b²,
which fit snugly over the bottom flanges a³, of the rails, and the said flanges are
then deflected downward to form the vertical flanges 63 which pass down at each
edge of the flanges as as shown in figure 3: the flanges 62 and b³ are extended
endwise beyond the length of the head bin the proportion of about three to one,
and by so doing the weakening of the rails, by cutting away the heads a as
hereinbefore described, is compensated for, and the weakness is reduced to a
minimum, while the support afforded to the bottom of the rails is maintained at a
maximum: sufficient space is left between the shoulders, d, of the flanges b² to
permit the heads of the rails to pass freely therethrough. As shown in Figures 6
and 7 the side-plates, 61, of the connecting pieces are carried down on their inner
faces in vertical lines to the depth of the rails A, and are thickened on the outer
faces to conform to the elongated vertical flanges 63; the thickened portions of the
side-plates b' conform to the length of the head band serve to fill up the lateral
spaces formed by removing the undermost head a of the rail. The vertical
flanges b, of the connecting pieces used for either form of rail, are provided with
longitudinal mortices 64 for receiving the fastening plate by which the connecting
piece is secured in place.
The fastening plate C passes through the oppositely located mortices b*, and
bears against the inner side of the rails A; said fastening plate is provided at one
end with hooked projections, c, which prevent the said plate from passing too far
into the mortices band, at both ends, it has holes, c¹, for receiving spikes, or
other fastenings, for securing it in place.
The cross-tie D-one of the series commonly used on road-beds for securing the
rails to is adapted to receive the connecting piece B, by having suitable crosswise
grooves cut therein for receiving the vertical flanges 6s, as shown in Figures 3
and 7, which grooves bind the connecting piece B sidewise and prevent the rails
from spreading at the joints.
As illustrated in the drawing the connecting piece B is shown as when used on
a rail-joint that is located directly over a cross-tie D, in which case the grooves in
the cross-tie serve to retain the connecting piece in place sidewise, additional
security being given to the joint by means of spikes, c², that are driven through
the holes c¹ into the cross-ties D, and it is in such places and under like conditions
that I prefer to use my improved joint; but, when required it may be used where
the joints of the rails come intermediately between two cross-ties, and under the
latter conditions the holes c¹ will be utilized for receiving screw-bolts, or other stop
devices, for securing the fastening plate C in place.
I claim as my invention:-
1. In a rail-joint, the rails A, having the heads of their conjoining ends cut away,
as at a¹, and a connecting-piece B, consisting of a head, b, that conforms to the

page_text: heads a of the conjoining rails, side-plates, b¹, having a uniform length with the
head b, and vertical flanges, 63, of greater length than the side-plates, b¹, and
provided with openings 6, as herein described, in combination with a fastening
plate C adapted to engage in the openings b for the purpose of securing the
rails A to the connecting piece B substantially as herein specified.
2. In a rail-joint, the combination with the rails A, having the heads of their
conjoining ends cut away, as at a¹, and a connecting piece B, consisting of a
head, b, that conforms to the heads a of the conjoining rails, side-plates, b', having
a uniform length with the head b, and vertical flanges, b³, of greater length than
the side-plates b', and provided with openings, b, as herein described, of the
fastening plate C, adapted to engage in the openings 6, and the cross-tie D
provided with transverse grooves for receiving the vertical flanges 63 of the
connecting piece B as and for the purpose herein specified.
In witness whereof I, the said Thomas Henry Gibbon, have hereunto set my
hand and seal this eighth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
THOMAS HENRY GIDDON (L.B.)