Improvements in Securing Rails to Metallic Sleepers.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application. 15th Feb., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 29th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 4th June, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Securing Rails to Metallic Sleepers.
I, JOHANN HEINRICH EHLERS, of Bahrenfeld, in the Province of Schleswig-
Holstein in the Empire of Germany Contractor, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
"
This invention relates to improvements in attaching flat-bottomed or "Vignole
rails directly to their metal-sleepers on the permanent way of railways by means of
clips griping over the bottom flange of the rails and secured in the desired position
by horizontally driven keys, and the object of these improvements is to afford
facilities for attaching and securing the rails to the sleepers.
According to my invention I provide in the sleepers made in the form of a
channel beam, oblong apertures on the outer side of the bottom flange of the rail
as well as on the inner side of the same which serve for the reception of the shank
of the inner and outer clips. The aperture in the sleepers on the outer side of the
rails is of less length than that on the inner side as the latter is adapted to receive
besides the clip griping with a jaw over the foot of the rail a stirrup or cramp
serving as a guide for the key or keys which drive the inner clip towards the foot
of the rail in order to press the latter rigidly on the sleeper. The shank of the
said clips and stirrup is provided at its lower end with an oblong head of such a
size, that the same may pass through the said apertures of the sleepers, but after
being turned within the latter about 90° the said clips and stirrups are prevented
from being withdrawn from the sleeper.
The clip griping with a jaw over the edge of the outer bottom flange of the rail
is provided at its upper end as well as the said stirrup or cramp with a projection
by means of which they are supported upon the upper face of the sleeper. The
jaw griping over the inner edge of the bottom-flange of the rail is however
provided with an inclined face opposite a correspondingly arranged inclined or
wedge-shaped face of the said stirrup, or cramp in such a manner, that a dove-
tailed passage for a pair of horizontally driven keys is formed by the said inclined
faces of the inner clip and stirrup or cramp and the upper face of the sleeper.
These keys are formed by cutting a bar of trapezoidal or dovetail cross section
diagonally in a vertical plane so that when the so obtained wedges, are moved
towards each other by strokes on their wider end the outer inclined faces con-
verging at the top are moved parallel from one another and thereby enabling the
jaws of the clips to bear tightly upon the foot of the rail.
In order to prevent loosening of the keys the faces of same bearing upon each
other are provided with semi-circular interstices which are adapted to receive a pin
or splint when two of the semi-circular interstices come opposite each other so as to
form a cylindrical hole.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Securing Rails to Metallic Sleepers.
I, JOHANN HEINRICH EHLERS, of Bahrenfeld in the Province of Schleswig-
Holstein, in the Empire of Germany, Contractor do hereby declare the nature
5 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 improvements in attaching flat-bottomed or "Vignole "

page_text: rails directly to their metal-sleepers on the permanent way of railways by means
of clips gripping over the bottom flange of the rails and secured in the desired
position by horizontally driven keys; and the object of these improvements is to
afford facilities for attaching and securing the rails to the sleepers.
I obtain this object by the arrangement and construction of parts as illustrated
in the accompanying drawing, in which
Figure 1 is a transverse sectional elevation.
Figure 2 is a side elevation partly in section, and
Figure 3 is a top view of my improved device for attaching and securing the
rails to the sleepers, particularly in connection with transverse sleepers in the form
of a channel beam.
Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
In the drawing a denotes the rail, the bottom flange of which rests on the
transverse sleeper b. In the latter I provide oblong apertures b', b, respectively,
on the outer side of the bottom flange of the rail as well as on the inner side of the
same which serve for the reception of the shank c and d, of the inner and outer
clips C and D. The aperture in the sleeper on the outer side of the rails is of
less length than that on the inner side, as the latter is adapted to receive besides
the clip D gripping with a jaw over the foot of the rail a stirrup or cramp E
serving as a guide for the key or keys f which drive the inuer clip D towards the
foot of the rail in order to press the latter rapidly on the sleeper b. The
shanks C, d and e of the clips C, D, and the stirrup E are provided at their lower
ends with oblong heads c, d, e' respectively, of such a size, that the same may
pass through the said apertures and respectively, of the sleeper, but after
being turned within the latter through an angle of about 90° the said clips and
stirrups are prevented from being withdrawn from the sleeper.
The clip C gripping with a jaw cover the edge of the outer bottom-flange of
the rail is provided at its upper end as well as the said stirrup or cramp E with
a projection core by means of which they are supported on the upper face of
the sleeper. The jaw d³ of the clip D gripping over the inner edge of the
bottom-flange of the rail is however provided with an inclined face d opposite
a correspondingly arranged inclined or wedge-shaped face e" of the stirrup or
cramp in such a manner, that a dovetailed passage for a pair of horizontally
driven keys ffis formed by the said inclined faces d', e of the inner clip D and
stirrup or cramp E, and the upper face of the sleeper. These keys are formed by
cutting a bar of trapezoidal or dovetail cross-section diagonally in a vertical plane
so that when the wedges thus obtained are moved towards each other by strokes on
their wider end the outer inclined faces fr converging at the top are moved
parallel from one another thereby enabling the jaws of the clips to bear tightly
upon the foot of the rail.
In order to prevent loosening of the keys the faces of the same bearing
upon each other are provided with semi-circular interstices which are adapted
to receive a pin or splint g when two of the semi-circular interstices come opposite
each other so as to form a circular hole.
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 :-
:-
The combination of the clips C and D gripping with their jaws c³ and d
respectively over the foot of the rail the stirrup E and the double wedge f, f
received within the dove-tailed space formed by the inclined faces d' and e* of the
clip D and stirrup E, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 20th day of April 1892
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.