Improvements connected with Railway Rail Joints.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Oct., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 13th June, 1898-Accepted, 16th July,
1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements connected with Railway Rail Joints.
I, CARL BOLLÉ, of 57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, which has been
communicated to me by The Sholto Douglas' Sche Hauptverwaltung, of Berlin,
Germany, to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the permanent way of railways and consists in an im-
provement in the manner of or arrangement for supporting the rails on the sleepers
next to the rail ends or joints, the object of the invention being to diminish the
shocks and wear and tear of the rails and rolling stock.
As is known the weakest point of the line of rails is the joint, and its improve-
ment has justly for a long time received special attention, as the wear or deterioration
of the perinanent way, which causes the high cost of maintenance, proceeds from
Notwith-
the joints, the shocks caused by their defective condition being very injuriously felt
in passing them and the rolling stock suffering greatly from their effect.
standing all the efforts expended, a satisfactory construction of this part of the
permanent way has hitherto not been found.
In order to satisfactorily counteract the effect of the shocks by an improved cou-
Experience shows that these
struction, it is necessary to investigate their cause.
shocks are caused less by the spaces between the rail ends at the joint than by the
following circumstances:-
When rolling stock passes over the line, the sleepers next to the joint or ends of the
rails, hereinafter called end sleepers, are more heavily loaded than the intermediate
sleepers. In consequence of this the end sleepers are pressed deeper into the ballast
than the other sleepers. The elasticity of the rails then lifts the end sleepers again to
their previous height or level and holds them suspended, and at the next passage of
a train, they are hammered again upon and into the bed of ballast.
The changes in their level or position experienced by the rail ends in consequence
of the yielding of the end sleepers, which ultimately produce a permanent set or bend
If the sinking of the sleepers
of the rail ends, are the cause producing the shocks.
is prevented and a permanent bearing of the same upon the bed of ballast obtained,
the change in the level of the rail ends and with it also the shock action will be
removed.
In the hitherto usual method of maintaining the permanent way only one means
is employed for remedying the sinking down of the end sleepers, which consists in
under-packing them with gravel or ballast. Without making use as a support of the
previous bed of ballast, hardened by the traffic, the repacking of the end sleepers
makes a new bed for them which is less firm than the ballast surface under the inter-
mediate sleepers remaining undisturbed has become through the action of the rolling
load. In consequence the hereinbefore mentioned defects of the rail joints, reappear
very soon after the under packing of the end rails so that this expensive and lengthy
work has little effect. It is this hitherto usual method which has caused the high
cost of maintaining the permanent way, but it cannot be avoided unless a regulation
the height of the rail ends relatively to the sleepers is provided.

page_text: Such regulation forms the subject of this invention. In carrying out the same
the ballast surface once it is beaten firm by the traffic is not disturbed again by new
packing; but is utilized by pressing the end sleepers upon the ballast bed by means
of an adjustable key or wedge inserted between the rail and the sleeper. The key
can be tightened in several steps to lift, for instance, up to 10 millimetres.
guided in a bedplate and held in position by the clamping plates.
It is
By pressing the end sleepers down upon the ballast surface the hammering of the
sleepers, the knocking of the wagons and all the injurious effects resulting from the
shocks are obviated.
Upon each end sleeper a bed plate is arranged in which the regulating key rests.
On these keys the rails rest, the ends of the rails being connected in the usual way
to each other by fish plates and bolts. The fixing of the rail upon the key is effected
by clamping plates tightened by ineans of screw bolts. The clamping plates seize
with projections into notches or teeth of the key and thus permit the rail to be fixed
in different vertical positions relatively to the sleepers. When the rail ends have
sunk, which the inspectors naturally will not allow to take place for more than a short
distance, the key is tightened after loosening the bolts and the rail ends thus raised
again to their normal level.
The details of the arrangement may be varied to suit different kinds of rails and
sleepers.
According to the experiences with the improved arrangement, a first adjustment of
the key for about 2 millimetres is required on a line with average traffic after three
months, notwithstanding a uniform under-packing of all the sleepers when first
putting them down, while the second adjustment of the key only becomes necessary
after about 6 months. As long as the tightening of the key suffices, re-packing of
the end sleepers is not required, and as the amount of tightening effected by the
key can be made as required in each case, the adjustment will suffice for years before
the end rails have to be repacked. The adjustment is then repeated in the previous
manner. The intermediate sleepers after having once been packed and with the
usual attachment of the rails to the sleepers, do not require any further packing at
all. The great importance of the improvement consists in this saving of the re-packing
of the sleepers.
The time when the key has to be tightened and the end sleeper thereby pressed
upon the ballast surface, can be ascertained by the sound of the stroke when striking
the end sleeper with a hammer. The tightening of the key can be effected by an
unskilled man in less than a quarter of an hour.
The advantages of the improved manner of regulating the positions of the rail
ends and sleepers hereinbefore described consist in the reduction of the cost of main-
tenance of the permanent way by preserving the rails and fish plates at the joints, to
about one half of the present charges for materials and wages, and in the saving of
the rolling stock in consequence of its smooth passage over the joints.
Dated this 29th day of October 1897
I, CARL BOLLÉ, of 57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, which has
been communicated to mne by The Sholto Douglas Sche Hauptverwaltung, of
Berlin, Germany, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-

page_text: proveinent in the manner of or arrangements for supporting the rails on the
eepers next to the rail ends or joints, the object of the invention being to diminish
e shocks and wear and tear of the rails and rolling stock.
or
As is known, the weakest point of the line of rails is the joint, and its improve-
ent has justly for a long time received special attention, as the wear
eterioration of the permanent way, which causes the high cost of maintenance,
roceeds from the joints, the shocks caused by their defective condition being very
juriously felt in passing them and the rolling stock suffering greatly from their
ffect. Notwithstanding all the efforts expended, a satisfactory construction of this
art of the permanent way has hitherto not been found, because the causes
roducing the destruction of the joints had not been completely ascertained.
The drawbacks referred to above could not be overcome without the said causes
It is now known that
eing fully known, which, however, is at present the case.
hocks are caused less by the spaces or clearances between the rail ends at the
oints than by the following circumstances
When the rolling stock passes over the line, the sleepers next to the joint or
ends of the rails, hereinafter called end sleepers, are more heavily loaded than the
intermediate sleepers. In consequence of this the end sleepers are pressed deeper
into the ballast than the other sleepers. The elasticity of the rails then lifts the
end sleepers again to their previous normal height or level, and holds them
suspended, and at the next passage of a train, they are hammered again upon and
into the bed of ballast.
The difference in height between two neighbouring rail-ends resulting from the
occurrence just stated is the first cause of the shocks, the other cause being the
finally permanent set or bending resulting from the rail ends or joints being bent
If the end sleepers can be prevented from
down hundreds or thousands of times.
sinking into the ballasting deeper than the other sleepers, the change in the relative
vertical position of the rail-ends and the shocks arising therefrom will also be
prevented.
In the method of keeping the permanent way in order as carried out hitherto,
only one means for doing away with the sinking of the rail joints was known or
employed said means consisting in packing or ramming ballast or gravel below said
end sleepers by the aid of a rammer or similar tool. This means, however, is far
from being perfect, as the compressed ballast produced by the powerful downward
movement of the end sleepers and forming a practically solid support, is no longer
used as such, there being after the packing, fresh gravel between the consolidated
ballast and the said end sleepers.
The fresh gravel although being somewhat compressed by the ramming in is far
from being as strongly consolidated as the old gravel; it becomes so only after some
time, but during this tiine, just in consequence of the gravel becoming consolidated
and compressed, the old drawback again makes its appearance, i.e. the rail ends give
way under the load of the train, shocks arise, and the joints are finally destroyed.
The purpose. of this invention is to overcome all the drawbacks hereinbefore
referred to not temporarily but permanently, this object being attained in general
by regulating or adjusting not the level or height of the end sleepers relatively to
the ground but the position or height of the rails relatively to the sleepers. The
consolidated support formed by the compressed ballast is not rendered useless by a
layer of fresh, non-compressed or but slightly compressed gravel, but its use as a
support for the sleepers is continued also after the latter have sunk so much as to
necessitate a re-adjustment of the position or height of the rail ends or joints. For
this purpose, I make use of adjustable keys, wedges or wedge-plates located between
the rails and the sleepers, in the manner hereinafter more fully described.
In order to make my invention more clear I refer to the accompanying drawing
in which similar letters denote similar parts throughout the several views, and in
5 which Figure 1, is a vertical cross-section through a rail and bed-plate or rail chair, the
latter being supported in the known manner by a sleeper, and the wedge or wedge-
Figure 2,
plate afore-mentioned being located upon the bed-plate or in the chair;

page_text: is a horizontal section through a rail, and Figure 3, is a side view of my novel device
seen from the inner side of the track.
The regulating wedge or wedge-plate b is arranged upon a preferably recessed bed
plate fixed to the sleeper A. Said wedge or wedge-plate supports the rail B. The
ends of the rails are connected with each other in the known manner by fish-plates e
and bolts and each rail is connected to the bed-plate a by clamping plates c, the
latter in their turn being held by bolts d and nuts d¹, and seizing or engaging with
suitably located projections c¹ into recesses b¹ provided in the wedge plate b.
When the end sleeper A has sunk, which in consequence of the constant inspection
and supervision it can only do for a very short distance without being noticed, the
wedge plate b is driven between the rail B and the bed-plate a in such a direction
and for such a length that the rail assumes its former or normal position of height,
the nuts having, of course, been unscrewed prior thereto, and the clamping
plates c having been taken off the bolts d¹. Thereafter, the plates c are again fixed
by the nuts so as to secure the wedge in its new position by the projection c¹, as
described.
According to experiences made with the novel device the first re-adjustment on a
line with a medium traffic, becomes necessary after about 3 months, although on
constructing the line every sleeper had been properly packed. The second re-adjust-
ment has to be made after about 6 months. The wedge being comparatively long the
repacking of the end sleepers can be deferred for about two or three years, and then
only is the wedge displaced in the reverse direction so as to re-assume its original
position. The intermediate sleepers need not be re-packed at all, which is a point of
very great importance, this saving of the repacking of the sleepers significantly
shewing the value of the invention. The necessity of driving the wedge further
home so as to raise the rail or, more precisely, to lower the sleeper and press the
latter more strongly upon the consolidated ballast is indicated by the sound of a blow
produced with a hammer upon the free end of the wedge. The re-adjustment of the
latter requires less than fifteen minutes, and can be effected by an unskilled hand.
The advantages offered by the method and means of regulation above described
thus consist in :-
Firstly, a diminution of the cost of the maintenance of the permanent way to
about one half by preserving the rail ends and fish plates, and reducing the time of
work and,
Secondly, a preservation of the locomotives and cars by enabling the same to roll
smoothly over the joints without being exposed to shocks.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The use and arrangement of an adjustable wedge between the end sleeper next
to a rail joint and the rail and of means for securing said wedge in its position sub-
stantially as and for the purpose herein before set forth.
2. The combination with the end sleepers and the rails of a railway line, of adjust-
able wedge-like plates or wedges between the rails and bed-plates placed on the
sleepers, recesses provided in the upper surface of said wedges, clamping plates seizing
over the feet of the rails and means for securing said clamping plates in position,
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawing and for the
purpose set forth.
1000