Improvements in and relating to Apparatus or Means for Fastening the Bolts of Railway-rail and other Joints.
Year: 1889

page_text: Improvements in and relating to Apparatus or Means for Fastening
the Bolts of Railway-rail and other Joints.
We, NELSON ROWEN, Carpenter, and ALBERT EVANS, Clerk, both residing at
Rockvale, in the County of Fremont and State of Colorado, one of the United States
of America, 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 fastenings for rails, timber, and for general use where
bolts are commonly employed.
The purpose of the invention is the production of a fastening that can be readily
applied and tightened without the application of tools, and which, when arranged in a
series, will mutually lock each other, the last fastening of the series being secured
by any desired means, preferably by bending the end of the cam-lever over the fish-
plate, if applied to a rail-joint, or over the corner of a timber.
The improvement consists of the peculiar construction and combination of the
parts, which hereinafter will be more fully described and claimed, and shown in
the annexed drawings, in which-
Figure 1, is a side view of a rail-joint having our fastener applied thereto.
Figure 2, is a cross section on the line, X, X, of Figure 1.
Figure 3, is a horizontal section on the line, Y, Y, of Figure 2.
Figure 4, is a perspective view of the bolt.
Figure 5, is a perspective view of the cam-lever, and
Figure 6, is a side view showing the application of a single fastening.
The fastening consists of the bolt, A, having a head at one end and the hook, a, at
the opposite end, and the cam-lever, B. The bolt is provided with the usual square
portion, b, to prevent it from turning when properly adjusted. The web of the
rails, (, has a series of elongated openings, d, and the fish-plates, E, have corre-
sponding openings, e. The bolt is passed through an opening in the fish-plates and
rail, and the cam-lever is slipped on the hooked end of the bolt and turned down.
The cam portion of the lever, wedging its way between the hook, a, and the fish-plate,

page_text: draws the parts together. The bolt, A, is adjusted so that when the end of the lever
rests on the foot of the rail the bolt will be tightened. The next lever is applied in
the same way as the first, and so on for a series. The levers are long enough to
permit the bolts being spaced at a suitable distance apart, and have the end of one
on, the last lever being
lever project beneath the head of the next lever, and so
fastened by bending over the fish-plate. When a single fastening is used, the end of
the lever is secured in any desired manner, as by bending it over the timber or
rail. If the distance between the hook and the fish plate be greater than the greatest
thickness of the cam-lever, one or more washers may be interposed to reduce the
space, as will be readily understood.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
1. The herein-described fastening, consisting of the bolt having a hook at one end
and the cam-lever journaled on the bolt and adapted to have its end bent to engage
with the rail or timber, substantially as described, for the purpose specified.
2. The combination, with a series of bolts having hooked ends, of the cam-levers
having the end of one lever extending beneath the head of the next lever, whereby the
levers mutually lock each other, substantially as described.
3. The combination, with the rail having elongated openings in its web and the
fish-plate having, corresponding elongated openings, of the bolts passed through
the openings and having hooked ends, and cam-levers mounted on the hooked ends of
the bolts, the said levers mutually locking each other, and the last lever of the series
being bent over the fish-plate, substantially as set forth.
1000
2000
Dated this 9th day of March 1889.
NELSON ROWEN.
ALBERT EVENS.
By Jensen & Son,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Patent Agents.