Joinrailway fastening manufacture
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Dec., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 26th Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 21st Dec., 1888
which an Improved Joint is Obtained.
We, WILLIAM BAYLISS, of and on behalf of the firm of Bayliss Jones and
Bayliss, of Victoria Works, Monmore Green, Wolverhampton in the County of
Stafford, bolt, nut, and railway fastening manufacturers, and ROBERT HOWARTH, of
53 Goldthorn Terrace, Penn Road, Wolverhampton, aforesaid, engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
In a railway fished joint, as ordinarily made, wear takes place specially over the
parts of the bearing surfaces between the rail ends and fish plates which lie
between the two middle or inner bolts, in consequence of the imperfect support
which such bolts acting through the fish plates lend to the extreme ends of the rails
and the resulting movement of the rail ends under the traffic. Any degree of wear
in this manner also tends to increase the rate at which further wear takes place in
consequence of lessening the support accorded to the rail ends by the bite of the
middle bolts, and the slackness thus occasioned cannot be entirely taken up by further
tightening up the bolts because their position prevents them from gripping up the
fish plates tightly against the extreme ends of the rails. The slight spring in the
lengths of the plates between the middle bolts, prevents them in the first instance
from being tightened up with the desired firmness against the extreme ends of the
rails, and the subsequent wear reduces the firmness with which they can be
tightened up.
Now, the object of this invention is to so construct the fish plates that they may
bear more firmly against the extreme ends of the rails than at any other point, and
indeed so that the whole strain upon the bolts may be chiefly concentrated upon such
parts, and thus the inconvenience referred to be very considerably reduced, and, also,
so that such plates may by their elasticity take up the slackness occasioned by any
wear which may take place, and also under all circumstances bear firmly against the
nuts and tend to prevent them from unscrewing on their bolts.

page_text: A fish plate constructed according to, and for the purpose of, this invention is
made of steel or of iron which offers the necessary degree of elasticity, and is
cambered lengthways so as when placed in position for fixing against the rails to be
convex on the side towards the rails. As the bolts are being screwed up the crown
of the curve is first pressed with the united grip of the bolts against the rails
immediately at the ends thereof, and as the bolts are continued to be screwed up the
bearing surfaces of the plate from the middle outwards towards each end are gradually
tightened against the rails, but the chief pressure is constantly exerted at the middle
of the plate, that is at the ends of the rails. It will be seen that the spring of the
plates enables them to follow up any wear which may take place and also ensures their
constant pressure against the nuts with the effect of reducing the tendency which
ordinarily exists of the nuts jarring loose by vibration.
When the fish plates are made of steel they may, if desired, be tempered to increase
their elasticity.
1
1007
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton and Walsall,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: An Improved Construction of Railway Fish Plate, by the Use of
which an Improved Joint is Obtained.
We, WILLIAM BAYLISS, of and on behalf of the firm of Bayliss, Jones and
Bayliss, of Victoria Works, Moninore Green, Wolverhampton in the County of
Stafford, bolt, nut, and railway fastening manufacturers, and ROBERT HOWARTH, of
53 Goldthorn Terrace, Penn Road, Wolverhampton, aforesaid, 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 :-
In a railway fished joint, as ordinarily made, wear takes place specially over the
parts of the bearing surfaces between the rail ends and fish plates which lie between
the two middle or inner bolts, in consequence of the imperfect support which such
bolts acting through the fish plates lend to the extreme ends of the rails and the
resulting movement of the rail ends under the traffic. Any degree of wear in this
manner also tends to increase the rate at which further wear takes place in consequence
of lessening the support accorded to the rail ends by the bite of the middle bolts ;
and the slackness thus occasioned cannot be entirely taken up by further tightening
up the bolts, because their position prevents them from gripping up the fish plates
tightly against the extreme ends of the rails. The slight spring in the lengths of the
plates between the middle bolts, prevents them in the first instance from being
tightened up with the desired firmness against the extreme ends of the rails, and the
subsequent wear reduces the firmness with which they can be tightened up.
Now, the object of this invention is to so construct the fish plates that they may,
under an elastic pressure, bear more firmly against the extreme ends of the rails than
at any other point, and indeed so that the whole strain or pressure of the plates may
be chiefly concentrated upon such parts, and thus the inconvenience referred to be
very considerably reduced; and, also, so that such plates may by their elasticity take
up the slackness occasioned by any wear which may take place at the middle of the
joint. The invention affords, however, a subsidiary advantage in that under all
circumstances the fish plates bear firmly against the nuts and heads of the bolts,
especially against those of the outer bolts, and tend to prevent the nuts from
unscrewing on their bolts.
A fish plate constructed according to, and for the purpose of, this invention is
made of steel or of iron which offers the necessary degree of elasticity, and is
cambered lengthways so as when placed in position for fixing against the rails to be
convex on the side towards the rails. As the bolts are being screwed up on either
side of the joint the crown of the curve is first pressed with the united grip of the
bolts, and under an elastic pressure, against the rails, immediately at the ends thereof;
and as the bolts are continued to be screwed up the bearing surfaces of the plate
from the middle outwards towards each end are gradually tightened against the
rails; but the chief pressure is constantly exerted at the middle of the plate, that is
at the ends of the rails. It will be seen that the spring of a pair of plates not only

page_text: causes them to bear firmly with a constant pressure against the ends of the rails, but
enables them to follow up any wear which may take place, and also ensures their
constant pressure against the nuts and heads of the bolts with the effect of reducing
the tendency which ordinarily exists of the nuts jarring loose by vibration.
The application of this invention is shewn, by way of example, in the case of the
usual section of fish plate and double-headed rail, by the drawings herewith, of which
figure 1 is a transverse vertical section through a rail and pair of fish plates, shewing
the latter to be screwed up tightly in place; figure 2 is a sectional plan taken on
line y y of figure 1, shewing the fish plates to be screwed tightly up in place;
figure 3 is a side elevation of the joint; and figure 4 is a similar view to figure 2; but
shews the fish plates in position with the bolts therethrough, but previously to the
joint being screwed up. Nothing special is shown by figures 1, 2, and 3, as these
views are just as they would be in the case of an ordinary fish joint, quite apart from
any application of this invention. These views, however, are given in order that
figure 4, which specially illustrates the application of the invention, may be clearly
understood. The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout
the views. The fish plates A A¹ are cambered lengthways, as shewn by figure 4, so
that when the bolts B are passed therethrough and tightened up the middle portions
of the fish plates are first caused to bear against the rail ends. As the bolts are
tightened up so as to straighten the fish plates back under an elastic strain and bring
them into the position shewn by figure 2 the pressure of the middle portions of the
plates increases, and the grip or bite between such portions is always very greatly in
excess of the bearing of the plates towards their outer ends, so that at all times the
extreme ends of the rails are more tightly gripped between the plates than is any
other portion of the rails. It will be seen, also, that if any slight wear takes place at
the ends of the rails the spring or elasticity of the plates causes, them to follow up
such wear and still bear firmly against the extreme ends of the rails. The tendency
also of the plates to spring outwards (from their middle portions towards their outer
ends) causes a constant clastic pressure against the nuts of the bolts, especially against
the two outer nuts, and thus tends to prevent them from jarring-loose.
The illustrations above described are given simply by way of example, as it will be
obvious that the invention is applicable to all descriptions of fish plates employed in
making railway joints.
When the fish plates are made of steel they may, if desired, be tempered to increase
their elasticity.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1. Fish plates for railway joints formed cambered lengthways, so as to be convex
longitudinally on their inner faces, substantially as described, for the purpose
set forth.
2. Steel fish plates for railway joints formed cambered lengthways so as to be
convex longitudinally on their inner faces, and tempered to increase their natural
elasticity, substantially as described, for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 25th day of September 1888.
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton and Walsall,
Agent for the Applicants.