An Improved Spike for Railway Fastenings and other Analogous Purposes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 28th May, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 24th Jan., 1898-Accepted, 5th Mar.,.1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Spike for Railway Fastenings and other Analogous
Purposes.
We, ARTHUR EDWARD NIELD YEADON, and SAMUEL NIELD YEADON, both
Engineers, of 4, Albion Place, Leeds, do hereby declare the nature of this inveu-
tion to be as follows:-
Our invention consists in the design and construction of an improved spike,
to be used principally for the purpose of securing rails or railway chairs to the
wood sleepers on which they rest; and which when driven down into the wood
sleepers shall remain securely fixed therein without the liability of working
loose, as with the ordinary spike.
We state above that our improved spike is intended principally for railway
sleepers, but we also claim its use in any case where an article has to be securely
fixed to any wood or other material.
"
The spikes at present in use on railways are usually made with square or round
shanks; the "square" ones having an overhanging lip on one side of the head
to hold down the flange of the (flat bottomed) rail; the "round" ones having
a "cup" shaped head, overhanging the shank all round, for holding down the
chair supporting the rail. Sometimes these shanks are "notched" on the outside
to increase their grip of the wood; sometimes the lower part of the shank is
partially twisted in the form of a very coarse screw, causing them to turn slightly
round when driven into the sleeper, also with the view of increasing their grip;
but in most if not all cases these shanks are parallel, and when driven into their
respective holes in the sleeper, their grip is only due to the friction of their length
and circumferential surface. The vibration from passing trains, the effect of rain
on the wood, and the rusting of the shanks gradually reduce their grip of the wood
and the spikes become loose. This can only be remedied by plugging the worn
hole with a piece of wood and boring a fresh hole. When the shanks are badly
rusted, the spikes cannot be used again, and go for old scrap iron.
Our invention is designed to remedy the above defects by producing an improved
spike, which, as it is hammered in, becomes of a larger diameter or width at the
lower end than any other part of the shank, thus preventing the liability or
possibility of its working loose, and we propose to carry it out as follows.
Our spikes can have either round or square shanks, and heads of ordinary shape:
but out of the lower part of the shank we cut, or cast, a longitudinal wedge shaped
piece, thus leaving it with 2 "fangs," similar in shape to a clothes-peg" as
used in drying clothes. In this groove we insert a wedge, preferably of iron,
having a flat head of rather less width or diameter than the body of the shank,
but which wedge is thicker than the groove, and projecting out of it when put
into the hole in the sleeper. The method of fixing is then as follows.
A hole is bored in the sleeper, of diameter and depth to suit the shank of the
spike. The wedge is inserted in the groove tightly enough to hold it in without
expanding the fangs. The hole need not be deeper than (say) half the thickness

page_text: of the sleeper. When the spike is gently driven into the hole, the projecting
head of the wedge touches the bottom first and remains there. As the spike is
further hammered in, the wedge opens the groove and expands the fangs, until
they are tightly wedged against the sides of the hole, and being thus of a larger
width or diameter than the upper part of the hole cannot work loose, as in the
ordinary way of fastening.
The fangs may be "notched" on the outside to increase their grip. The shanks
need not be more than half the length of ordinary spikes, yet having a far superior
grip. The spikes can be used over and over again; they can be made of any
metal, forged or cast, as also the wedges.
Our invention therefore is designed to produce a spike having a split or forked
end, fitted with a suitable projecting wedge, which when driven. home is made
by means of the said wedge of a larger width or diameter at the forked end than
the upper part of the shank, thus firmly wedging the fangs to the wood of the
sleeper and so preventing the spike from working loose; and we propose to carry
it out substantially as above described.
1
ARTHUR EDWARD NIELD YEADON.
SAMUEL NIELD YEADON.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Spike for Railway Fastenings and other Analogous
Purposes.
We, ARTHUR EDWARD NIELD YEADON and SAMUEL NIELD YEADON, both
Engineers, of 4, Albion Place, Leeds, in the County of York, 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:-
Our invention relates to improvements in the design and construction of spikes
to be used principally for the purpose of securing rails or railway chairs to the
wood sleepers on which they rest, and which spikes when driven down into the wood
sleepers shall remain securely fixed therein without the liability of drawing out
or working loose as with ordinary spikes.
As stated above, our improved spikes are intended to be used principally for
railway sleepers, and we shall therefore confine our description principally to their
application for that purpose; but we also claim their use in shipbuilding or other
analogous cases or purposes where the secure fixing of any articles to wood or
other similar material is desired, more particularly metal sheathing or plates to
hulls or beams of ships or boats.
<
The spikes at present in use on railways are usually made with square or round
shanks, the square" ones called " dog-head" having an overhanging lip on
one side of the head to grip and hold down the flange of the "flat-bottom" rails;
the round ones called "cup-head" having a cup shaped head overhanging the
shank all round for holding down the chair supporting the rail. Sometimes
these shanks are notched on the outside to increase their grip of the wood; some-
times the lower part of the shank is partially twisted in the form of a very coarse
screw, causing them to turn slightly round when driven into the sleeper, also
with the view of increasing their grip of the wood; but in most if not all cases
these shanks are parallel and solid and when driven into their respective holes or
positions in the sleeper their grip is only due to the friction of their length and
circumferential surface. The vibration from passing trains, the effect of rain
on the wood, and the rusting of the shanks gradually reduce their grip of the

page_text: wood and the spikes become loose. This can only be remedied then by plugging
the worn liole with a piece of wood and boring a fresh hole. When the shanks
are badly rusted the spikes cannot be used again and go for old scrap iron.
Our invention is designed to remedy the above defects by producing an improved
spike which as it is hammered in, becomes of a larger diameter or width at the,
lower end than any other part of the shank, thus preventing the liability or
possibility of its working loose, and we propose to carry it out substantially as
follows.
66
"
A reference to the accompanying illustration will help to explain the principle
of our invention as applied to railway sleepers. 1), A, and B show our spikes of
the "cup-head" type as used for securing chairs, D being of a smaller diameter
suitable for being used with hollow wood trenails C; E represents one of our
"dog-head" spikes as used for securing "flat-bottom" rails; F is a wedge for
expanding the fangs of the spike. Fig. 1 shows the ordinary method of securing
a chair to the sleeper with our cup-head" spikes; A showing the spike with
the thin end of the (stationary) wedge inserted in the fangs as at G₁; and A2
when this spike has been driven home on this stationary wedge which expands
the fangs as shown at H. Fig. 2 shows a similar method of securing "flat-bottom"
rails to the sleeper with our dog-head"
spike E and E2 as shown at G2 and H2.
Our spikes can be made with round or square shanks, but we preferably make
them round as shown; the heads can be made of the ordinary "cup-head" or
dog-head" shapes; but in or out of the lower part of each shank and (say) about
half its length we cut or cast a longitudinal dividing groove. This groove may
be narrow and parallel so that the fangs almost close together, or as we prefer, of
a longitudinal wedge shape as shown in our drawing, thus leaving the two fangs
of the spike similar in shape to a clothes-peg." This groove is also made
sufficiently open at the bottom so that our spike can be driven on the thin end
of the wedge which is preferably of iron having a flat head underneath, and
preferably made of rather less width or diameter than the body of the shank but
thicker than the groove. The principle of this application or combination is that
the wedge remains stationary whilst the spike is being driven on it. The wedge
may be placed in any suitable recess or part of the sleeper, but we prefer to let
it rest stationary at the bottom of a hole bored in the sleeper as shown at G¹, after
having first inserted in the spike as shown at A, and projecting out of it when put
into the hole in the sleeper. The method we preferably adopt for fixing it is then
as follows.
66
We bore holes in the sleepers of proportionate diameter and depth to suit the
shanks of the spikes, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The wedge is inserted in the
groove as shown at A just tightly enough to hold it in its position without expand-
ing the fangs of the spike. The hole need not usually be deeper than half the
thickness of the sleeper. When the spike is driven into the hole or recess pre-
pared for it, the projecting head of the wedge F touches the bottom first as shown
at G1, G2, and remains stationary there. As the spike is further driven in, the
wedge opens the groove and expands the fangs until they become tightly wedged
against the sides of the hole as shown at H1, H2, and being thus of a larger width
or diameter than the upper part of the hole, cannot work loose as in the ordinary
way of fastening.
If desirable the fangs may be "notched" on the outside as shown, to increase
their grip; the inside surfaces of the fangs and the outside surfaces of the wedge
may be plain or corrugated. The part of the shanks entering into the sleepers need
not be more than half the length of that of ordinary spikes, yet having a far
superior grip. Our spikes can be used over and over again; they can be made
of any metal, forged or cast, as also the wedges.
Our invention therefore is designed to produce a spike having a split or forked
cud, used in combination with a suitable projecting wedge, which spike when
driven home into the sleeper is made by ineans of the said wedge remaining
stationary, of a larger width or diameter at the bottom or forked end than the
:

page_text: upper part of the shank, thus firmly wedging the fangs in the wood sleeper and so
preventing the spike from working loose.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. A spike having a longitudinal division or slit in the lower part of its shank,
in combination with a suitable wedge which remains stationary in a fixed position
whilst the spike is driven on it, thus expanding the fangs of the spike and tightly
locking them in the wood into which they are driven.
2. The use of the above combined split spike and stationary wedge for securing
chairs and rails to sleepers for railways.
3. The use of the above combined split spike and stationary wedge for securing
metal sheathing, plates, or other materials to the hulls of ships or boats.
Dated this 22nd day of January 1898.
.T
ARTHUR EDWARD NIELD YEADON, 1
SAMUEL NIELD YEADON.