Improvements in Devices for Fastening, Securing, and doing Railway Rails, or the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Improvements in Devices for Fastening, Securing, and doing
Railway Rails, or the like.
A communication by JOHN CARL STURGEON, of Pietermaritzburg, in the Colony
of Natal, Draughtsman.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Fatent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool; and 6, Bank Street, Manchester;
both in the County of Lancaster; 118, New Street, Birmingham in the County of
Warwick and 322, High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to devices for fastening, securing and joining rails for
railways or the like, and is designed to resist creeping of the rails by securing a
tight joint between the fish-plates and rail chairs.
In carrying the invention into effect as applied to flat bottomed rails supported
in chairs on sleepers, the fish-plates are formed with flanges or angle pieces so
arranged as to embrace or partly embrace the flanges of the rails and resist lateral
movement of one rail independently of the adjacent one. The said fish-plate
flanges are also so arranged that they will lock or grip the rail chair. For this
purpose the flanges of the fish-plates have a hiatus or gap cut or formed in them
near each end thereof sufficient to clear the fastenings of both chairs and rails,
and leaving shoulders to abut against the chairs in such a manner that the chairs
oppose any longitudinal movement of the flanges and of the rails (to which the
fish-plates are bolted through holes) in either direction. Thus the chairs and their
fastenings resist creeping of the rails.
In the above description an arrangement has been described of carrying out
the invention as applied to flat bottomed rails of the kind indicated, but it is
obvious that having once given the idea, the invention can be applied to various
kinds of rails and rail chairs, whether flat bottomed or otherwise constructed, and
it must be distinctly understood that the invention is not confined to the exact
arrangements described. Thus, for example, the fish plates may be constructed
to lock or grip other kinds of chairs by slightly modifying the shape or construc-
tion of the flanges, or the fish-plates may be arranged to lock against rail clips
or against the sleepers direct. Furthermore, the fish-plate may be formed with
only one gap so as to grip the chair or other part at one end of the rail only.
Dated this 1st day of October 1896.

page_text: Improvements in Devices for Fastening, Securing, and Joining
Railway Rails, or the like.
A. communication by JOHN CARL STURGEON, of Pietermaritzburg, in the-Colony
of Natal, Draughtsman.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both
in the County of Lancaster; 118, New Street, Birmingham in the County of
Warwick and 322, High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer
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 devices for fastening, securing and joining rails for
railways or the like, and is designed to resist creeping of the rails by securing a
tight joint between the fish-plates and rail chairs.
The invention will be understood from the following description, reference
being had to the accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is a front elevation showing the ends of two rails jointed together;
Figure 2, a sectional plan;
Figure 3, a cross section on the line a b; and
Figure 4, a cross section on the line c d.
In carrying the invention into effect as applied to flat bottom rails, A are the
rails, B the chairs on which the rails are supported, and C the sleepers. D are
fish plates formed with flanges or angle pieces D' so arranged as to embrace or
partly embrace the flanges of the rails and resist lateral movement of one rail
independently of the adjacent one. The said fish-plate flanges are also so arranged
that they will lock or grip the rail chair B. For this purpose the flanges of the
fish-plates have a hiatus or gap E cut or formed in them near each end thereof
sufficient to clear the fastenings of both chairs B and rails A, and leaving
shoulders to abut against the chairs B in such a manner that the chairs B oppose
any longitudinal movement of the flanges of B and of the rails A (to which the
h-plates are bolted through holes) in either direction. Thus the chairs and their
fastenings resist creeping of the rails.
The other reference letters referred to in the drawings are as follows:-F are
bolts for bolting the fish plates and rails together, F bolt holes and G spikes for
fastening the chairs to the sleepers.
In the above description an arrangement has been described of carrying out the
invention as applied to flat bottomed rails of the kind indicated, but it is obvious
that having once given the idea, the invention can be applied to various kinds, of
rails and rail chairs whether flat bottomed or otherwise constructed, and it must
be distinctly understood that the invention is not confined to the exact arrange-
ments described. Thus, for example, the fish plates may be constructed to lock
or grip other kinds of chairs by slightly modifying the shape or construction of
the flanges, or the fish-plates may be arranged to lock against rail clips or against
the sleepers direct. Furthermore, the fish-plate may be formed with only one gap 4
so as to grip the chair or other part at one end of the rail only.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. The combination with the rails of permanent way and the chairs on which 4
the said rails are supported, of fish plates formed with flanges or angle pieces so

page_text: arranged as to embrace the rail flanges and prevent any side movement between
the rail independently of the adjacent one, the said fish plates being also adapted
to interlock with the chairs so as to resist longitudinal movement or creeping of
the rails independently of the chairs and sleepers substantially as described.
2. For the purpose of fastening, securing and joining railway rails, forming the
fish plates so as to interlock with the rail chairs in such a manner as to resist
creeping of the rails substantially as set forth.
3. The method of fastening, securing, and joining railway rails substantially
as herein described in reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 1st day of July 1897.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.