IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILROAD SPIKES
Year: 1885

page_text: I ABRAHAM OSBORN MORFORD, of Port Chester, in the County of Westchester
and State of New York, United States of America Butcher, do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILROAD SPIKES" to be as
follows:-
:-
This invention relates to spikes for securing railroad rails, and has more
especially for its object the better hold of the spike to its place in the sleeper, on
which the rail rests, and consequent more secure hold of the rail.
"
Its principal duty is to correct that insecure hold of the spike when driven home
caused by the splitting of the sleeper by the shank of the spike, and to this and
other ends the spike is constructed with two claws or anchoring-arms suitably
pointed or shaped to enter into the sleeper, and arranged not only to extend
outwardly from the rear of the shank of the spike, but also laterally in relation to
the rear of said shank and so that the entering end or ends of said claw or claws
will be to the side of or out of line with the back of the spike, and so out of line
with any split in the sleeper which the shank in driving the spike home may
have produced.
This will give a firm anchored attachment of the spike to the sleeper and secure
hold of the head of the spike on the rail in the event of any looseness of the shank
in its hole, owing to the splitting of the sleeper by the shank, and where duplicate
claws are used diverging in opposite directions the effect is greatly increased.
Such construction of the spike while it also provides for greater resistance to the
lateral pressure of the rails and to any drawing action of the spikes, essentially
differs from another construction of spike having such last-named objects in view,
and made with an extended head provided with side ledges and with a short
inflexible stud on its under side, and arranged to enter the wood or sleeper at some
distance from the shank, but in like line with it transversely to the rail, and
consequently in the line of any split that the shank of the spike, when driven
home, may produce in the sleeper.

page_text: Improvements in Railroad Spikes.
I ABRAHAM OSBORN MORFORD of Port Chester, in the County of Westchester
and State of New York, United States of America, Butcher, do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILROAD SPIKES, 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 spikes for securing Railroad Rails, and has more
especially for its object the better hold of the spike to its place in the sleeper on
which the rail rests, and consequent more secure hold of the rail. Its principal
duty is to correct that insecure hold of the spike when driven home caused by the
splitting of the sleeper by the shank of the spike, and to this and other ends the
spike is constructed with two claws or anchoring arms suitably pointed or shaped
to enter into the sleeper, and arranged not only to extend outwardly from the rear
of the shank of the spike, but also laterally in relation to rear of said shank and so
that the entering end or ends of said claw or claws will be to the side of or out of
line with the back of the spike, and so out of line with any split in the sleeper
which the shank in driving the spike home may have produced.
This will give a
firm anchored attachment of the spike to the sleeper and secure hold of the head
of the spike on the rail in event of any looseness of the shank in its hole owing to
the spliting of the sleeper by the shank, and where duplicate claws are used
diverging in opposite directions the effect is greatly increased. Such construction
of the spike, while it also provides for greater resistence to the lateral pressure
of the rails and to any drawing action of the spikes, essentially differs from
another construction of spike having such last named objects in view, and made
with an extended head provided with side ledges and with a short inflexible stud on
its under side, and arranged to enter the wood or sleeper at some distance from the
shank, but in like line with it transversely to the rail, and consequently in the line
of any split that the shank of the spike, when driven home, may produce in the
sleeper.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this
specification, in which the figure represents a view in perspective of a spike
embodying my invention as applied to a railroad-rail, and showing by dotted
a sleeper which carries the rail or to which it is secured by the spike.
A indicates a railroad-rail in part, B a sleeper in part on which said rail is
secured, and D a spike embodying the invention applied to said rail and sleeper.
The head b, of the spike may be of the ordinary or any suitable construction as
may also its shank c.
B B¹ are two claws or anchoring arms forming integral portions of the spike
and arranged not only to extend outwardly from the rear of the shank of the spike
near its head end, but also laterally in relation to the rear of said shank or in
diverging relation with each other from the shank, causing the spike to be
triangularly braced, and so that their outer bent ends or engaging points or
projections d, which in driving home the spike are made to enter the sleeper will
be to the side or opposite sides of the shank of the spike, and so out of line of any

page_text: split in the sleeper which the shank of the spike in being driven home may.
produce, thus firmly securing and anchoring the spike and the rail held by the
spike, as herein before referred to.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. A rail road spike provided with duplicate engaging points or projections in
rear of and at a distance from the shank of the spike on opposite sides thereof,
essentially as specified.
2. A railroad-spike having duplicate claws or anchoring arms B¹, arranged to
diverge outwardly relative to the back or outer side of the shank c, of the spike
and provided with downwardly-bent outer entering ends or portions d, essentially
as shown and described.