Improvements in Railway Rail-joints.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Apr., 1889
Specification Accepted, 8th June, 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Rail-joints.
I, SYDNEY PITT of Sutton in the County of Surrey Gentleman, (a communication
to me from abroad, from George Adam Weber of the City, County and State of New
York United States of America Mechanical Engineer) 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 Invention relates to a new and useful Improvement in mechanism for holding
firmly together the ends of rails and preventing the jar or pounding. ordinarily
occurring between said rails and the wheels passing over them.
In my drawings Figure 1 represents a top view of my invention.
Figure 2 a side view of the same.
Figure 3 a section through Figure 2 on the line x. x.
Figure 4 a section through Figure 2 on the line y. y.
Figure 5 represents another form of my improvement.
A represents the rail which may be of the usual form.
These rails rest at their ends in the chairs B, consisting generally of plates of metal
bent twice at right angles, and provided with ears C for spiking the same to the ties.
The fish plates consist of two portions D and E, the general sectional shape of which
is clearly shown in Figures 3 and 4.
The lower part of the plate D rests against the part F of the chair B while the
part G similarly aids in retaining the fish plate or block E in position. The ends of
the rails are cut away as at H to allow of the substitution of the fish plate or block E,
for the wearing surface of the rail at the joint, and this part E should project at the
joint slightly above the rail. The general shape of the part E is inclined both ways
from the ends to the centre, as shown at K the ends dropping to the level of or below
the rail, while the centre projects slightly above the rail. Of cource this projection
is exagerated in the drawing and should be simply sufficient to carry the wheels L
free of the joint.
In practice the wheels L will extend still further over the block E than is shown in.
the drawings.

page_text: The parts D. E and chair B are bolted together by lock bolts M while the part E
rests upon the chair and the rail at its lower part as shown, thereby carrying the
weight of the wheel from the surface of the rail, to its lower flange and the chair at
the instant of passing the joint.
The completed structure is compact and stable, and will greatly reduce the wear
and tear on the rail and car now due to the impact of the wheels upon the ends of the
rails in passing over joints.
It is obvious that the raising of the block E above the rail is not essential to the
usefulness of the parts of my Invention-in fact that block may be level with the rails
as originally laid, and then if the rails give at the joint the hold will be taken upon
that block.
It is likewise non-essential to cut away the rails as at H, though I prefer this form.
The block E may extend beyond the ordinary outer surface of the rails and still
accomplish a valuable result.
This block E may likewise be provided with an interior elastic packing P, as shown
in Figure 5. In this case the block is cut away to receive the elastic packing and
the rails are locked tightly together and lost motion is prevented any slight
difference in expansion and contraction being taken up in the packing.
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 :-
1. The combination of the rail A-fish plate D-fish block E occupying part of the
surface of the rail at the joint, the bearing surface of said block E being equal in
length to the block itself, and the chair B, having bends F and G for holding the
parts D and E and the transverse horizontal bolt M locking together the chair and
fish plates substantially as described.
2. The combination of the rail A. fish plate D fish plate E having a chamber filled
with elastic packing P, and a chair B having lips or flanges F and G, the flange G
extending over the elastic packing P and the bolt M. locking together the chair and
fish plate, substantially as described.
Dated this 25th day of April 1889