Improvements relating to the Permanent Way of Railways.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Aug., 1890-Accepted, 27th Sept., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Permanent Way of Railways.
I, NATHANIEL CADWELL FOSTER, of Fairchield, in the County of Eau Claire,
State of Wisconsin, 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:―
My invention consists in an improved finishing, or stub end of hard iron or steel,
or other suitable metal, for switch rails, frogs and other rails; the said stub end being
solid, and, except in its not having a web-reduction between its cap and flange-base
portions, is a counterpart. in transverse section of the rail to which it is applied.
The said end has two bolting extensions which are adapted for occupying positions
between the base flanges and the cap of the rail and are perforated at points
coinciding with bolt holes in the web of the rail for the reception of confining bolts
as will be hereinafter described.
My said invention while being applicable to switch rails or frogs, or other rails,
when the same are first constructed, its utility will be more especially developed
when it is employed as a means of repairing the bruised or battered ends of switch
rails and frogs; or the ends of rails which abut against one another along railroad
tracks.
When applied to new switch rails or frogs, or other rail ends, it will by reason of
its being made of hard iron, steel or other suitable bard metal, and solid, and of a
transverse thickness about equal to the web, cap and fish bars of ordinary rails,
render such rails capable of very great endurance, as the wheels of the cars passing
over the joint will not so easily break down or bruise or batter the ends of the rails,
as when such ends are made of ordinary rail metal, and with a reduced web; or of
metal which is not specially hardened for the purpose of increasing the durability of
switch rails at their joint ends; or for increasing the durability of frogs or other
rails at the points where the greatest wear is encountered.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved hard iron, steel or other suit-
able durable metal protection-end for switch rails, frogs and other rails of railroad
tracks.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a portion of a switch rail with my improved
protection end applied thereto.
Figure 3 is a plan view illustrating a switch with my invention applied thereto.
Figure 4 represents a frog with the invention applied thereto.
A indicates the solid bard iron, steel or other suitable metal protection-stub end
portion for a rail; it having a body equal in thickness or nearly so to the united
web and fish bars of ordinary rails, and two rearwardly extending fish plate like
branches a, a, all formed of homogenous metal. The end finishing portion A has a
shoulder a deep enough to receive the cap b¹ of the rail B so that the top surface
and the side edges of said cap are flush with the top and side surfaces of the hard
iron or steel finishing protection end A. A shoulder A2 is also formed on the said
finishing portion A deep enough to permit the base flanges of the rail B to come
in contact with the under bevel surfaces a² of the extensions or branches a, a and
have said flanges, exterior of said portions a, a, form continuous lines with the base
flange-portions of the finishing or protection-end portion A. As shown in the
drawing, the end finishing piece A abuts closely against the cap b¹ of the rail, also
against the base flanges b and the web b² thereof, and thus a very firm and substantial
structure is produced. The extensions a, a of the finishing end piece A form a
support to the cap of the rail, and they are perforated at c coinciding with the
perforations in the web of the rail, and through said perforations headed bolts C are
passed, and secured by nuts on their screw threaded ends. By my invention the
Price bd

page_text: manufacturer is enabled by finishing the ends of the rails with hard iron, steel or
other suitable metal protection ends A to use a lower grade metal in the construction
of the rails B, while at the same time such rails will be very enduring at the point
where the greatest work has to be done or resistance borne, because their ends are
terminated with solid hard iron or steel blocks without webs; or if the rails are
made of steel of high grade such rails can be readily repaired after they have
become battered or reduced to a dangerous condition at the ends or joints, by
applying to their ends the improved hard iron or steel finishing stubs A having the
fish plate like extension branches a, a.
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:
First. A switch rail, frog, or other rail of a railroad track, constructed with a
detachable finishing protection end of hard metal, as hard iron or steel, substantially
as described.
Second. The solid finishing protection end A of hard metal, as iron or steel,
formed with rearwardly extending bolting portions a, a, substantially as described.
Dated this 19th day of Angust 1890.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.