Improvements in Railway Tie-plates or Sleeper-plates.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Sept., 1893-Accepted, 21st Oct.. 1899
[Communicated from abroad by THE QAND W COMPANY, of the United States
of America.]
Improvements in Railway Tie-plates or Sleeper-plates.
I, JOHN THOMAS KNOWLES, Trade Marks Agent, of the Firm of D. Young & Co.,
of 11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:
My invention has for its object the production of a railway tie plate or sleeper-
plate which shall combine several novel and useful features. The invention
belongs to that class of plates wherein the underside of the plate is provided
with tie engaging flanges which enter and extend parallel with the grain of the
tie or sleeper when the plate is in position thereon. It has been found by experi-
ment that the plate of the greatest efficiency is one wherein each side edge of
the plate is provided at the edge with a depending flange adapted to enter the
tie or sleeper and wherein one or more corresponding flanges depend from the
body of the plate within the outer edges. My particular aim in this invention
is therefor, to provide such a plate and to combine with it certain other advan-
tageous features as for instance, the provision on the top of the plate of sand
grooves whereby any accumulation of sand between the rail and plate will work
into the groove and thus prevent the grinding away of the bearing surface of
the plate and the rail. Now, I have found that by locating these sand grooves
directly above the underside depending flanges, I can materially reduce the
weight of the plate without affecting its strength. The invention therefor con-
sists generally speaking, in the provision of a plate having depending tie engag-
ing flanges at its edges and one or more intermediate depending Hanges with
grooves in the top of the plates above the flanges. My plate also embodies
other novel features to be hereinafter described.
In the drawings:
Figure 1, is a perspective view of my plate.
Figure 2, is a cross section illustrating the relation of the rail tie or sleeper
and tie plate.
In carrying out my invention A represents the plate proper. B, the depend-
ing flanges at the edges of the plate and C, the intermediate depending flanges.
Dare sand grooves in the upper surface of the plate preferably located directly
above the intermediate tie engaging flanges C.
I will now call particular attention to the rounded corners a at each longi-
tudinal edge of the plate. The purpose of these rounded edges is to throw the
strain or weight of the rail on to the plate at a point inside the edge or at a
point inside the edge tie engaging flanges. Another purpose is to prevent the
wear on the edge of the plate due to what might be termed a rocking of the rail,
that is to say, a vertical motion of the rail caused by the weight of the passing
wheel on the rail between the ties, thereby depressing the rail slightly at this
point while that portion of the rail above the tie is slightly raised. This tilting
D... 077

page_text: of the rail is of course very slight and is not perceptible except in its effect upon
the tie plates after continued usage but practical usage of the plate has demon-
strated that there is such a tilting of the rails and a practical use of my improved
plate shows that the rounded edges overcome the wear due to this slight tilting.
At this point also, it might be well to call attention to the particular advantage
of having a tie engaging flange at the edge. This same tilting motion of the
rail which I have just described acts to loosen the plate to a great or less ex-
tent when the tie engaging flanges are not at the edge but with the flanges at
this point and with the rounded edge, the plate is held firmly in place and will
not rock upon the tie. Another feature of my invention is the slight flaring
out of the tie engaging flanges B. The advantage of this is that as the flanges
enter the tie, they enter it in a slight diagonal direction thus locking the plate
more firmly in place.
Another material advantage is the thinning of the metal as at E. Thus while
maintaining the thickness of the plate as at E¹ the weight is reduced for a given
size and thickness of the plate by thinning the metal at the same vertical por-
tions where the metal is more or less on edge and a thinner body of metal can
stand the pressure brought on it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. A railway tie- or sleeper-plate provided at its edges with tie or sleeper
engaging flanges adapted to enter the tie or sleeper parallel with the grain
thereof and on its upper side with one or more grooves or depressions, substan-
tially as described.
2. A railway tie- or sleeper-plate provided on its underside with tie or sleeper
engaging flanges along each longitudinal edge and with one or more inter-
mediate depending tie or sleeper engaging flanges and one or more sand grooves
on the upper side of the plate located directly above the intermediate tie or
sleeper engaging flange or flanges, substantially as described.
3. A railway tie- or sleeper-plate provided at its longitudinal edge with a
tie or sleeper engaging flange, the said edge having a convex surface which
begins at the upper surface of the plate and ends in the side surface of the flange,
substantially as described.
4. A railway tie- or sleeper-plate provided at its longitudinal edge with a
tie or sleeper engaging flange, said flanges flared outwardly substantially as
described.
5. A railway tie or sleeper plate provided on its upper side with one or more
sand grooves the metal comprising said grooves being thinner than the body of
the plate, substantially as described.
6. A railway tie or sleeper plate provided on its upper side with one or more
sand grooves and on its under side with one or more tie or sleeper engaging
flanges directly beneath the grooves, the metal comprising the walls of said
grooves being thinner than the body of the plate, substantially as described.
Dated this 2nd day of September 1899
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.