Patent ID: 7690584

Claim:
A fastener for supporting a rail on a railroad tie using clips, said fastener comprising: an abrasion plate having an upper surface, and being constructed and arranged to fit on the railroad tie; a rail pad having a lower surface and being constructed and arranged to fit on said abrasion plate with said lower surface facing and contacting said upper surface and to support the rail; a pair of insulators disposed on said rail pad, said insulators being configured to receive the clips when the fastener is installed and to insulate said fastener from said clips, said insulators being formed with insulator holes having a n insulator hole dimension; and a coupling element integrally formed on said rail pad to hold said pair of insulators prior to the installation of the fastener, said coupling member including a spike having an enlarged head with a head dimension larger then said insulator hole dimension, said spike being arranged and constructed to collapse as said head is inserted through one of said insulator hole and then expand after said enlarged head passes through causing said spike to be captured within said respective insulator hole.