Improvements in and connected with Metallic Railway Ties or Sleepers.
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Metallic Railway Ties or
Sleepers.
We, JOHN PURL LANCASTER, of Nos. 134 and 136 Superior Street, Cleveland,
in the County of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, United States of America,
Mechanical Engineer, and SAMUEL PROSKEY, of No. 371 Fulton Street,
Brooklyn, in the County of Kings and State of New York, United States of
America, Builder, 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 all-metal (preferably steel) ties or sleepers (hereinafter
called ties) for railways, and consists in an improved construction of a tie of that
type, and in combination therewith of the devices for securely fastening the rails to
the tie, as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.
In the drawings, which illustrate the preferred form of this invention,
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the metal tie, showing the rails and their
fastenings in position upon the same;
Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on the vertical plane indicated by the
broken line marked a-x in Figure 1 ;
Figure 3 is an inverted plan view of the tie with the rails and rail keys or
fastenings removed;
Figure 4 is a detail view (in side elevation) of one of the rail keys removed from
the tie;
Figure 5 is a detail view (plan) of the plate or lock for locking the keys to the
rails and tie ;
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the cushioned bridge-piece removed from
the tie;
Figure 7 is a view of the under side of the tie with the keys and lock-plate
in their operative position, but with the "bridge or cushioned bearing removed;
and
"
Figure 8 is a plan view of the under side of the tie, showing the device com-
plete, with the bridge, lock-plate and keys (concealed from view by the bridge) in
position.
The same letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures.
Referring to the accompanying drawings the letter A designates the flat top, and
B B the parallel slightly flaring side flanges, of a rolled-steel tie of the improved
construction. The top A has two L-shaped slots or openings at each end, on
opposite sides of the places where the rails are to be bedded on the tie, each of said
openings comprising a rectangular aperture a and a narrow slot 6 at one end of and
at right-angles to the aperture a, thus together forming the L-shaped openings ab
at opposite sides of the rails R.
с
The rails are fastened upon the flat top of the tie by keys C (Figure 4) one on
each side; each key comprising a head c neck i and shoe or bottom part k. The
head or top part c which projects above the top of the tie and overlaps the con-
tiguous rail flange is beveled on the under side to conform to the shape of the flange
(or to the shape of the angle-plate at rail-joints if such are used), and the shoe k
is also made sloping on the same (inner) side so as to form a wedge, the purpose
of which will be described later on. At one side of the narrow part or neck i is a
recess, and on the opposite side between the head c and shoe k is another recess h
adapted to fit the rail flange or angle-iron as the case may be.
To the under side of the flat top A is fastened, by nutted bolts D and E,
the cushioned bearing or bridge-piece F. This consists of a plate of metal bent
into the shape shown in Figures 2 and 6, so as to form a central raised part or
CD
027

page_text: saddle G separating the depressed parts which form side recesses H H having end
flanges I I. The end flanges I have holes d¹ and e' drilled through them, coin-
ciding with the bolt-holes d and e in the tie for the insertion of the fastening bolts D
and E.
When the bridge-piece F is bolted to the under side of the tie, it will be seen
that the raised middle part or saddle G comes directly under that part of the tie on
which the rail is bedded, so that the cushion G-which may be of wood, rubber or
other suitable material will bear against the under side of the tie at that point,
thus giving an elastic support to the rail.
After the rails have been placed on the tie, they are fastened down immovably
by means of the keys C which are dropped from the top of the tie through the
aperture a and then pushed into the connecting slot so that the key-recesses g
and will interlock with the top of the tie on opposite sides of the slot b, thus
preventing the key from being withdrawn in an upward or downward direction
unless it is pushed back into the larger aperture a. But this is prevented by a
lock-plate L (see Figures 5 and 7), the extension K of which will, when this plate
is in its operative position, bear against the adjacent sides of the rail-keys C.
A bolt-hole is cut through this plate for the insertion of the bolt E by which
plate L is locked in position, and which also, as we have seen, forms a fastening for
one end of the bridge-piece F.
In order to save material and also make room for the saddle and cushion of
said bridge-piece, plate L is cut out as shown at in Figure 5, on the side facing
the keys.
If it is desired to remove a rail, bolt E is withdrawn which permits of the lock-
plate L being slipped out end wise. This lays open the apertures a a on opposite
sides of the rails, so that the keys CC can be pushed into them sidewise and then
removed by pulling them up through the apertures, which unfastens the rails. To
lock or fasten the rail to the tie, this operation is simply reversed, and here come
into play the sloping sides ff of the bridge-piece F, which, bearing against the
wedge-shaped shoes as these are forced down into position, have a tendency to
slightly tilt or turn the keys upon the neck i as a centre so as to cause their heads c
which overlap the rail-flanges on opposite sides to bear down upon and bind the
said flanges with very great pressure, thus holding the rail firmly and immovably to
its position on the tie.
From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, it will
be seen that this tie is exceedingly simple in construction, as well as very strong
and durable. All of the parts are metal-preferably steel-and of such shapes that
they can read.ly be rolled or stamped from suitable blanks.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1. The combination with the tie of the bridge-piece below its flat top having
a cushioned saddle bearing against the under side of that part of the tie on which
the rail is to be bedded, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2. The combination of the slotted tie, the removable keys, the locking-plate, and
the bridge-piece, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
3. The combination of the tie constructed as described; the keys comprising the
heads adapted to overlap and bind against the rail flanges, a narrow middle-part or
neck, and a wedge-shaped bottom part or shoe; the bridge-piece having a central
raised part or saddle and sloping sides; the locking-plate and the bolts; all
constructed and arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose shown and
set forth.
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent.