Improvements in Railway Rail Joints.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 1st July, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 1st Apr., 1898- Accepted, 7th May, 1898
Improvements in Railway Rail Joints.
I, GEORGE FLETT, of "Llangollen," Weybridge, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improved construction and arrangement of the rails
and their joints for use in connection with tramways and railways and for like
purposes, the object being to produce a joint having continuity of metal so as to
avoid the gap and break which occurs with the ordinary form of fish plate and
joints now in common use, thus obviating the necessity of using separate sole
plates.
In carrying my invention. into effect when constructing my improved joint
for use with a girder or other rail, I make the end of the rail which is, to be used
for jointing in the form of a reduced section, so that one portion may scarf on to
the other, and thus by its scarf make the complete section. with a continuous
head for the whole run of the rail, thus reducing the shocks to the car or motor.
I unite the scarfed ends together by means of fish plates which. I prefer, to form one
of a channel shaped section to enter between the underside of the head and the
upper side of the flange of the rail on the one side, and with a hook like fish, plate
which fits between the head and the flange, and also partly or wholly embraces
the underside of the flange on the opposite side (obviating the existing method, of
using separate sole plates and bolts), uniting the two together by means of bolts
and nuts passing through the same and the rail web in the usual well known
manner. In this manner I am. able to reduce the number of loose parts.. I make
the length of the fish plates to suit the form and strength of the rail which is
employed and the length of scarf that may be found desirable.
I'sometimes make the joint between the fish plates and the rail head by causing
the fish, plate to enter a recessed or cut away portion of the rail head instead of
lying between the head and the flange, which forms a continuous bearing for the
rolling stock wheels. I curve and fashion the fish plates to. suit the inner portion
of the rail so that the web may not be pressed upon when the plates are tightened
up, and I sometimes form a hook between the embracing fish plate and the rail by
causing the embracing fish plate to fit within a recess or cut away portion of the
flange instead of passing over the extreme edge of the same, thus keeping the
combined fish and sole plate the width of the rail flange.
I do not limit the application of my improved method of jointing to any par-
ticular form of girder or other sectioned rail, but I modify the shape of the fish
plates and the strength of the same to suit the type of rail to which it is to be
applied.

page_text: I, GEORGE FLETT, of "Llangollen," Weybridge, in the County of Surrey,
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:-
My invention relates to an improved construction and arrangement of the rails
and their joints for use in connection with tramways and railways and for like
purposes, the object being to produce a joint having continuity of metal so as to
avoid the gap and break which occurs with the ordinary form of fish plate and
joints now in common use, thus obviating the necessity of using separate sole
plates.
In the accompanying sheet of explanatory drawings, Figure 1, is a side elevation
of my improved rail joint.
Figure 2, is a sectional end elevation, and
Figure 3, is a plan of the same.
Figures 4 and 5 are sectional elevations of modified forms of my joints I some-
times employ.
In carrying my invention into effect when constructing my improved joint for
use with a girder or other rail A, I make the end of the rail which is to be used
for jointing in the form of a reduced section, so that one portion a may scarf on
to the other a¹ and thus by its scarf make the complete section with a continuous
head B B for the whole run of the rail, thus reducing the shocks to the car or
motor. I unite the scarfed ends a a¹ together by means of fish plates C₁ which I
prefer to form out of a channel shaped section to enter between the underside of
the head and the upper side of the flange of the rail on the one side,
and with a hook like fish plate D which fits between the head and the flange,
and also partly or wholly embraces the underside of the flange on the opposite
side (obviating the existing method of using separate sole plates and bolts), uniting
the two together by means of bolts and nuts E E¹ passing through the same and
the rail web in the usual well known manner. In this manner I am able to
reduce the number of loose parts. I make the length of the fish plates to suit
the form and strength of the rail which is employed and the length of scarf that
may be found desirable.
I sometimes make the joint between the fish plates and the rail head by causing
the fish plate C¹ to enter a recessed or cut away portion of the rail head b b¹,
Figures 4 and 5, instead of lying between the head and the flange, which forms a
continuous bearing for the rolling stock wheels. I curve and fashion the fish
plates to suit the inner portion of the rail so that the web may not be pressed upon
when the plates are tightened up, and I sometimes form a hook between the
embracing fish plate and the rail by causing the embracing fish plate to fit within
a recess 62 or cut away portion of the flange instead of passing over the extreme
edge of the same, thus keeping the combined fish and sole plate the width of the
rail flange.
I do not limit the application of my improved method of jointing to any par-
ticular form of girder or other sectioned rail, but I modify the shape of the fish
plates and the strength of the same to suit the type of rail to which it is to be
annlied

page_text: 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:
1
1. An improved joint with fish and sole plate connection substantially as herein-
before described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. A joint for the connection of rails consisting in scarfing the rails substantially
as described.
3. In a rail joint the use of a fish plate or plates for entering into a recess or gap
formed in the head or flange of the rail substantially as herein before described
and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
4. In a rail joint the use of a fish plate which embraces the lower flange of the
rail substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this sɩt day of Maren 1
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents.