Improvements in Rail-chairs.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Feb., 1896-Accepted, 18th Apr., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rail-chairs.
I, CHARLES GRANDISON CHAMBERLAIN, of Pacific Grove, in the County of
Monterey, and State of California, 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:-
This invention relates to an improvement in railway chairs or fasteners, and has
for its object to provide a simple and efficient construction of rail-chair which is
capable of embracing the base-flange of the rail upon both sides, and also bearing
against the opposite sides of the web, whereby the rail is firmly clamped and
supported and effectively held both vertically and laterally.
The invention consists in a chair adapted to pass beneath and underlie the base
of a rail, forming a support therefor, said chair being provided with a pair of
diagonally-disposed lugs for embracing and clamping the base of the rail and
adapted to bear against the web of the rail at opposite sides, said chairs being
further provided with elongated openings or slots arranged opposite to the inwardly-
extending points of said lugs and in line with the opposite edges of the base of the
rail when in operative position, said slots being adapted to receive tapering spikes
which, when driven into place, will serve to swing the chair sufficiently to cause
the same to still more firmly clamp the base of the rail.
In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a railway chair or fastener constructed, in
accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section taken through one of my improved
chairs in line with the slot therein, showing also a rail and a portion of a tie in
section.
Fig. 4 is a plan view of a portion of a road-bed with my improved chair
applied.
Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the improved coupling-plates.
Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the several
figures of the drawings.
Considerable difficulty has been experienced in the use of rail-chairs, as
heretofore constructed, in that as they are slipped loosely on the end of the
rail more or less motion or play is permitted between the rail and the chair,
which has given rise to the disagreeable and continuous rattling during the
passage of trains. By means of this invention all motion or play between the
rail and chair is effectively overcome by reason of the chair closely embracing
and clamping the bottom edges and upper face of the base of the rail. The
improved chair, which will now be described, also serves as a thorough brace
against any tendency to overturn the rail, caused by centrifugal force on curves
or lateral motion on straight lines, by clamping the base of the rail on both sides
and by arranging the points of the lugs so that they will reach well up and bear
against the web of the rail upon opposite sides.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, the improved rail-chair comprises a
substantially flat base or bearing plate 1, which is interposed between the base of
the rail and the upper face of the tie and serves as an effective support for the

page_text: rail, preventing the latter from wearing into a wooden tie. The base 1 is provided
with a pair of upwardly and inwardly projecting lugs 2 which are arranged at or near
the opposite side edges of the base and are therefore diagonally disposed as shown.
The outer opposite faces of the lugs 2 are arranged in the plane of the opposite
side edges of the base 1, and the inner adjacent edges of said lugs are inclined and
extend in parallel relation, thereby forming an oblique or diagonal recess or space
of a width sufficient to receive the base of the rail when the chair is turned into
such position as to bring said oblique or diagonal recess into alignment with the
base of the rail.
It is to be understood that the lugs 2 are formed in such manner that their bearing
faces will correspond exactly to the shape of the base of the rail and so that the
points of said lugs will bear snugly. against and firmly support the web of the rail
as indicated in Fig. 3. For this reason said lugs are varied in shape according to
the particular shape or weight of the rail to be used in the construction of the
road bed.
3 designates a pair of elongated openings or slots. These slots are also diagonally
disposed and are located one opposite the point of each lug 2 and in line with the
edge of the base of the rail when in operative position. The slots 3 are elongated
longitudinally of the chair and are of a length sufficient to extend slightly beneath
the adjacent edge of the base of the rail.
4 designates a spike which is formed with a pointed and tapering shank, as shown,
and provided with the usual head for engaging the base of the rail. After the
chair has been placed beneath the rail and turned so as to bring the lugs thereof
into engagement with said rail, a pair of these tapering spikes are inserted into and
driven downward through the slots 3, the effect of which is to still further swing
the chair and cause the lugs thereof to bind against the base and web of the rail.
It will be understood that this is caused by the tapering sides of the spikes bearing
against the edges of the base of the rail and the outer walls or ends of the slots or
openings 3.
When the spikes have been driven home the heads thereof will engage the base
flanges of the rail thereby assisting in anchoring the rail and serving to effectually
prevent the chair from turning in a manner that will be readily understood.
From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the improved chair is
placed in position by introducing the same between adjacent ties and beneath the
rail with the oblique or diagonal recess between the lugs in line with said rail, and
lowering the rail until it rests upon the flat base of the chair 1.
The chair is turned until the lugs thereof closely embrace and bind against the
base and web of the rail, after which the tapering spikes are driven home in the
manner above described. It will be apparent that as the train passes over the rails,
the weight thereof is thrown upon said chairs and serves to hold them in place.
There is consequently no vertical strain on the spikes as in the usual construction,
the strain being in a lateral direction, which the spikes are perfectly capable of
withstanding many times over. By the use of these chairs the ties are also protected
from cutting by the rails and will last considerably longer as a result. It is to be
understood also, that the chairs may be made in rights and lefts, as illustrated
in Fig. 4, and these may be alternated or arranged in any manner which is found
by practice to be the most serviceable. 5 designates a coupling plate intended as
a substitute for the ordinary fish-plate. This plate is formed from sheet iron or
steel, and is made of a length greater than the distance between two adjacent ties,
so as to slightly overlap the latter. The plate 5 is provided with two spurs or
projections 6 one near each end formed integrally therewith and adapted to engage
notches formed in the underside of the head of the rails as shown. Two of such
coupling plates 5 are employed at the meeting ends of adjacent rails, as shown in
Fig. 4, said plates conforming in shape to the head web, and base of the rail so as
to fit snugly against the same. It will be understood that by reason of the spurs
or projections 6 engaging positively with the notched ends of the rails when the
chairs are applied and brought to bear against the coupling-plates, the latter are

page_text: held as effectually as if bolted to the rail and are not so liable to get loose. These
plates may be manufactured at very low cost and are more easily applied than the
ordinary fish-plates.
It will be apparent that changes in the form and proportion of the base and
diagonally-disposed lugs and in the exact length and location of the elongated
openings or slots, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to
without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this
invention.
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
The herein described railway chair, comprising a substantially rectangular base
plate adapted to be interposed between the base of a rail and a tie, a pair of
diagonally-disposed lugs formed to embrace and bear against the base flange and
head and web of the rail and arranged in such manner as to permit the chair to be
introduced beneath the rail, and a pair of elongated openings or slots also diagonally-
disposed and arranged one opposite each lug and in line with the opposite edges of
the base of the rail, said openings or slots being extended beneath the base of the
rail and adapted to receive tapering spikes whereby the driving of a spike will serve
to tightly lock the rail within the chair, substantially as described.
Dated this 20th day of February 1896.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.