An Improved Joint for the Rails of Railways, Tramways, and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Joint for the Rails of Railways, Tramways, and the like.
I, LEONARD COOPER, Junior, Merchant, of 206, Corn Exchange Buildings,
Cathedral Street, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the method of jointing rails for railways tramways or
the like & particularly to thoes rails along which an electric or other current has
to pass & for which the joint requires to offer as little resistance as possible. The
ends of the rails which require to be jointed are brought close together or left
open as may be desired & to the under flange I rivet bolt or weld electrically or
otherwise a short length of rail of a similar section or preferably of an irregular
shape namely of tram rail bulb tee angle iron tee iron channel iron or rolled joist
which may be made in steel iron or other metal, as desired. The irregular pro-
jections of the jointing piece become firmly imbedded in the concrete or other
foundation & resist any movement of the rail, in addition the said jointing piece
is of such mass that a current may be passed through it from one rail to another
with as little resistance as possible.
In such cases where the jointing piece does not rest on a solid foundation I may
bolt or rivet fish plates into the sides of the rails.
Dated this 8th day of November 18OS.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Joint for the Rails of Railways, Tramways, and the like.
I, LEONARD COOPER, Junior, Merchant, 206, Corn Exchange Buildings,
Cathedral Street, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, 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 said invention relates to the method of jointing rails for railways tramways
and the like and particularly to those rails along which an electric current has to
pass and to which the joint requires to offer as little resistance as possible.
Of the drawings sent along with this specification Fig. 1 is a front elevation
and Fig. 2 a cross sectional elevation of my improved joint shown as applied to
the connection of the ends of a tramway rail.
The two ends of the rails A & B see Fig. 1 are brought together in the usual
way and to the bottom flanges C a length of rail D of a similar section or of a
7071

page_text: section of such mass equal to the rails to be joined is rivetted, bolted or welded
electrically or otherwise.
The mass of the jointing piece being equal or nearly so to the mass of the rails
an electric current is able to pass freely from one rail to another without loss. The
irregular shape of the jointing piece when embedded in the concrete enables the
rails to be kept rigid at the joints.
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 combination of a length of metal of the same mass or nearly so as the
rails to be joined secured to the bottom flanges of the rails by bolts rivets or weld-
ing for the purpose of making a rigid joint and also to enable an electric current
to pass through from one rail to another without loss or resistance as described
and illustrated by drawings annexed.
2. A tram or other rail joint made to insure rigidity and electrical conductivity
substantially as described and illustrated by drawings annexed.
Dated this Thirty-first day of January 1899.
LEONARD COOPER, Junior.