Year: 1885

page_text: I THOMAS ALFRED DAVIES of the City County and State of New York United
States of America Gentleman 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 this invention is to secure a firm and reliable connection between
railroad rails and their sleepers.
The invention consists in the construction and combination of the various parts
of the fastening with the rails and sleepers of a railroad track as will be hereinafter
fully described and then claimed.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
Specification in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all
the figures.
Figure 1 is a plan view of a railroad rail and parts of sleepers to which my
improvements have been applied the central spikes being shown in section.
Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same taken through the line x, x
figure 1. Figure 3 is a part of the same view enlarged. Figure 4 is a sectional
elevation of the same taken through the line y, y figure 3. Figure 5 is a sectional
elevation of the same taken through the line z, z. figure 1. Figure 6 is a side
elevation of a stay plate. Figure 7 is a sectional end elevation of the same taken
through the line w, w, figure 6. Figure 8 is a front elevation of one of the spikes,
and showing a part of a rail flange in longitudinal section. Figure 9 is a side
clevation of one of the spikes. Figure 10 is a rear elevation of the same.
Figure 11 is a side elevation of a spike showing a modified form of head. Figure 12
is a front elevation of the same.
A represents a railroad rail and B its sleepers. In the flanges of the rail A, at
the centres of their edges are formed recesses C to receive the spikes D that secure
the said rail to the centre sleeper.
By this construction the centre of the rail A will be held stationary while its
ends will be free to move, as the said rail expands and contracts, so that the said
rail cannot get out of place, and cannot affect the joints between the ends of the
said rail and the ends of the adjacent rails.
The spikes D, may be driven into the sleepers B at right angles with the plane
of the rail but I prefer to drive the said spikes with their points inclined towards

page_text: the direction in which the rail tends to creep so as to more strongly resist the said
tendency and hold, the rail securely in place.
When the improvement is applied to a single track road, the central spikes upon
the opposite sides of each rail should be driven with their points inclined in
opposite directions, so as to resist the tendency of the rails to creep in either
direction.
This inclined position of the spikes is important in all parts of the track, but is
especially important on a steep grade where the tendency of the rails is to creep
down the grade and open the weakest joint so as to leave a gap between the
ends of adjacent rails and thus loosen the said joint and destroy the continuity of
the rails.
9
The bodies and lower ends of the spikes D are made in the ordinary manner.
The heads of the spikes D are made with their lower parts in the form of frustrums
of cones having their axes at right angles with the axes of the spike bodies and
thus parallel with the tops of the sleepers B and the bottoms of the rails A The
upper parts of the spike heads may be made flat with rounded edges or rounded or
of any other desired shape.
With this construction the lower parts of the spike heads will have a firm bearing
on the flanges of the rails A when the said spikes are driven into the sleepers
vertically and when driven at an inclination.
With this construction also the greatest amount of metal will be at the angles
between the heads and the bodies of the spikes D where the greatest strength is
required so that the heads of my improved spikes will be much less liable to be
broken off than the heads of spikes made in the ordinary manner.
Another advantage of this improvement is that there will be angular spaces at
the sides of the spike heads between the side parts of the said heads and the upper
surfaces of the rail flanges, into which the point of a crowbar or of a pinch bar can
be inserted or jammed when it is desired to draw the spikes, so that the said spikes
can be drawn readily and without breaking down the fibres of the wood and
preventing the spikes from having a suitable hold on the wood should they be
driven a second time in the same place.
If desired the lower parts of the heads of the spikes D may be made oblique or
with a lateral inclination as shown at D¹ in figures 11 and 12. In this case the
inclined surface of the lower sides of the spike heads is preferably, slightly rounded
as shown in figure 12 so that the said heads will always have a substantial bearing
upon the flanges of the rails should the angle at which the spikes may be driven
into the sleepers be somewhat varied.
The construction first described is preferred as securing a firm and substantial
bearing of the spike heads upon the flanges of the rails at whatever angle the spikes
may be driven.
The spikes D should be driven into the sleepers B at an angle of 20 degrees or
more with a plane passing transversely through the rail at that point so that any
rise of the rails will cause the upper sides of the inclined spikes D to press upward
against the grain of the wood and thus carry the said sleepers with them without
tending to draw the spikes from the sleepers. This upward rise of the sleepers
will allow sand to gradually work in beneath the said sleepers and cause the
track to level itself and thus ultimately prevent the rails from having any up and
down movement so that the said rails will be held firmly to their seats.
E, are stay plates each of which is made about two inches square and about a
quarter of an inch thick at its rear end and is tapered to a sharp edge at its
forward end.
In using the stay plates E they are driven into the sleepers B at the outer sides
of the spikes D and transversely to the grain of the wood.
With this construction the plates E will have a wide bearing against the grain
of the wood and will thus firmly support the spikes D against the lateral pressure
of the rails A so that the said rails A will be held from spreading and will be kept
accurately in line.

page_text: By this improvement the annoyance and danger heretofore unavoidable arising
from the spikes being forced laterally into the wood, crimping the grain of the wood
and allowing the rails to have a lateral movement, is wholly prevented.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The combination with the railroad rail A having recesses C in the centres of
the edges of its opposite flanges and the central sleeper B of the inclined fastening
spikes D driven into the sleepers at opposite inclinations, substantially as herein
shown and described, whereby the centre of the rail will be held securely in
place while the ends will be allowed a free longitudinal movement as the said rail
expands and contracts and the rail will be held securely against creeping, as
set forth.
2. A railroad rail spike made substantially as herein shown and described, with
the lower part of its head in the form of the frustrum of a cone having its axis
at right angles with the axis of the spike body, whereby the said spike head will
have a firm bearing on the rail flange whether driven vertically or at an inclination
towards either side, as set forth.
3. A reinforce for railroad sleepers, consisting of a metal plate adapted to be
driven into the sleeper transversely to the grain of the wood, the said plate being
in the rear of the spike and of greater width than the said spike, substantially as
described.
•
4. The combination with the rails A, the sleepers B and the spikes D, of the
wedge shaped plate E driven into the sleepers at the outer sides of the spikes and
transversely to the grain of the wood, the said plates being of a greater width than
the spikes substantially as shown and described, whereby provision is made for
metal lining or reinforcing the fibres of the wood to prevent lateral crushing of the
said fibres as set forth.