An Improved Rail Joint.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 28th Dec., 1885.
An Improved Rail Joint.
1: I, HANS VON GERSDORFF of Lüben Silesia, in the Empire of Germany,
Sub-lieutenant 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 :-
In the rail joint heretofore used, the rails are cut through at a right angle to
their longitudinal direction, and their adjoining ends are placed at a certain
distance from each other in order to provide for changes in dimension due to
action of temperature.
The carriage wheel which rolls over the joint partially sinks into the intermediate
space between the two ends of the rails.
The sharp jerk resulting from this is greatly increased by the fact that the wheel
previously presses down the end of the rail on which it approaches the joint below
the level of the succeeding rail.
This inconvenience is further augmented by the metal rail itself bending some
what. Not only jerks, but also serious injuries to the rolling stock result from this
difference of height at the joint.
Moreover, the abrupt relief and loading of the succeeding rails give rise to
changes of structure in the metal the consequences of which are breakages of the
rails. All these defects are obviated by the improved rail joint which is repre-
sented in the accompanying drawing. For this purpose the rails are scarfed
together in such a manner that the wheel rolling over them cannot leave one
rail until it has passed on to the other.
In this case the rails are placed with their head and web bearing laterally
against each other. Moreover the bottom flanges or feet of the rails mutually
overlap so that one rail end cannot be pressed down independently of the other,
but the two rail-heads will always remain at the same relative height at the joint,
so that the wheel can roll over the joint without any jerk.
The strong vibration of the rail throughout its length, which takes place with
the rail joint heretofore used and which is initiated by the jerk at the junction is
entirely obviated in the present joint, so that the carriage will roll more smoothly
not only over the joint but also over the entire rail.
In the new joint the number of the connecting parts may be diminished, because
one end of the two rails is already secured from being displaced by the rail bearing
laterally against it. Thus two rail spikes and an inner fish plate are quite sufficient.
This fish plate requires to be fixed only to one rail and bear laterally against the
web of the other rail.
I will now describe the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings
in which my improved rail joint is represented.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved joint.
Fig. 2 shows the two separate parts.
Fig. 3 shows a plan and Fig. 4 an enlarged section of same.
Fig. 5 shows the fish plate which connects the two rails to each other.
At the joint the head and web of the two rails a, a', are alternately cut along
the central line. The tongues 6' 6 thus produced fit tightly against each other
forming a lap joint. The foot of one rail a is cut at c, and bears upon the foot of
the other rail a¹, this foot being suitably cut.

page_text: It is expedient to strengthen the foot and web of the two rails at the joint
in order to compensate for the weakening effect caused by the cutting (see
Figs. 3 and 4).
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 rail joint characterised by the feature that the head and web of the adjoining
rails a, a, are cut in such a manner that the prolonged sections or tongues b, b',
thereby produced bear against each other laterally, forming a lap joint, whilst the
feet c, c', of the rails are cut so that they mutually overlap and bear upon each
other for the purpose of preventing a change in the level of the two rail ends
adjoining each other, and thereby enabling the carriage to pass without causing
jerks, the number of the connecting parts (fish plates and spikes) being reduced if
desired.
Dated this 25th day of November 1805
S. S. BROMHEAD,
97 Newgate Street, London, E.C., Agent for Applicant.