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J.‘ WOLFENDEN._
RAILROAD RAIL AND JOINT.
No'. 247,978.
'
Patented Oct. 4,1881. 8
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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. '_
o
JAMES WVOLFENDEN, OF LOCK‘HAVEN, PENNSYLVANIA.
RAILROAD RAIL AND JOINT.
SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 247,978, datedOctober 4,1881‘.
Application ?led September 6, 1881. (No model.)
To all whom it may concern :
.
Be it known that I, JAMES WoLFENDEN, a
citizen of Great Britain, residing in Look Ha
ven, Clinton county, in the State of Pennsyl
vania, have invented certain new and useful
Improvements relating to Railroad Rails and
Joints, ofwhich the following is a speci?cation.
My improved joint is of that class in which
IO
a portion of the metal of each rail is removed
and the rails caused to overlap each other or
splice together.
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'
The invention consists in the manner in
7
'if the ?rst of a» given line of rails is placed
with its web out of center to the right, the
second rail in that'line which abuts or joints
against it at the‘ end is reversed in position, so
that its web is out of center to the left. The
third is again out of center to the right, and 55
so on alternately.
The rails may be all formed
in the same rolls and exactly alike, care being
taken to'simply place them alternately end
for end. The webs are formed just so much
out of center that one face of each- web is in
the central line of the ra-il., These faces are
which the rails and clamps are formed and ?t made plane.
"
ted into each other, and will be understood
In preparing the splice I subject the rails to
from the following description and claims.
thevaction of saws, splining mechanism , or other
The following is a description of what I con
sider the best means of carrying out the inven
proper machinery, with the metal of the rail
tion.
so as to remove a snf?eient length-say about
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>
either in a cold or hot condition, and operate
65
The accompanying drawings form a part of eight inches-of one side of the head and at
each end. This removal of a portion of the
‘20 this speci?cation.
Figure 1 is a plan view with apot tion broken ‘head and ?ange at each end of each rail is al
away. It shows the rails at the joints with
ways on the side opposite to that which con
proper relations withoutthe inclosing-clamps. tains the web. Takingcare to make the shoulder
Fig.2 is a cross-section on the line B R in Fig. -or offset where each splice ends square and
25 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of thejoint. Fig. 4:. perfect, the ends of the two rails apply together
is a cross-section on the line S S in Fig. 3. Fig. perfectly, and making proper allowance—say 75
5 is a horizontal section on the lineT Tin'Fig. an eighth of an inch (more or less) for expan
4. Fig. 6 is the section on the line U U in sion and contraction—the splice may be held
Fig. 3. It is a section through the body of the together by any suitable means which will al
rail at a point removed from the joint.
low the proper end play for summer and win
Similar letters of reference indicate like ter, and a- complete joint is produced, with a
parts in all the ?gures.
A
*
smooth continuous head at the top and a smooth
A A are the rails, certain portions being des continuous ?ange at the bottom, but with the
ignated by further marks, as A’ A2, 850., when web of twice the usual thickness.
necessary to distinguish them.
A’ is the head. A2 is the broad base, some
times known as the “ ?ange,” and A3 is the up-‘
right portion joining the ?ange and the head,
universally known as the “web.” The web A3,
instead of being centrally placed in the rail, is
placed one side of the‘ center. ‘In order to
My clamps are formed of two equal parts,
each of which 'I will designate, when necessary,
'bythe single letter M. I will designate cer
tain parts of each by further marks M’ M2, 850.
These clamps M M are applied together in re
verse positions, and held by transverse bolts
P extending across below the ?ange of the rail.
85
compensate for the disadvantage which this They bind the. splice ?rmly and strongly to
may be supposed to involve, I make the web gether without weakening any part of either
a little thicker than would he esteemed eco rail by any hole or notch. Each clamp M is
45 nomical for a corresponding rail with the web formed with an internal offset, M’, which ap
in the center. Having thus attained the con plies in the space beyond the end of the nearest 95
ditions of a soundand every way reliable rail adjacent web. It is, in other words, an inter
with a web out of center, I place the several rails nal thickening or offset in the clamp, made
alternately in oppositepositions-—thatis to say, just suf?cient to match past one of the webs,
2
247,978
so that while the main inner surface of the
Modi?cations may be made in the forms.
I
clamp bears fairly and ?rmly against the stout can vary the thickness of the whole or all of
web A“, which, by the position of the rails, lies the various parts. The bottom lip, M‘, can be 60
on that side of the center line of the rail, this reduced or dispensed with altogether. I can
offset M’ extends inward just suf?cient to allow employ a greater number of bolts P than two.
for the thickness of that ?ange and cause this One stout bolt?rmly set up and reliably locked
portion of the clamp to bear against the web may be found sufficient.
The material of all the parts may be varied.
A3 of the other rail. In other words, the inner
faces of the clamps are ?tted to match to the
I can use hard or soft iron, all the grades of
peculiarly-lapped condition of the two vertical steel or semi-steel, or various combinations of
webs A“, where they lie side by side, preserv these favorite metals. My invention may be
used with steel-headed rails. In the rare cases
ing the full thickness of each.
The upperportion of each clamp other than where the head or the whole rail shall be hard
the offset M’ is marked M2. The part of each ened steel the shaping can be fully completed
clamp which extends out and back around the hoforehand.
I do not con?ne myself to any precise mode
broad thin base A2 of the rails is marked M3.
A broad extension downward below the ?ange of shaping the parts. I propose to make the
of the rails is marked M“. A slight internal clamps of cast-steel or semi-steel by the process 75
lip at the bottom of each downward extension of casting complete; but they may be made by
This lip M5 need not be forging by suitable dies in trip-hammers or
20 M4 is marked M“.
anything more than a slight thickening on the drop-presses.
The invention may be applied to double
inner face of each clamp. When the clamps
are applied together these lips M5 face to headed or triple-headed rails by simply pro
gether and form a broad ?rm hearing, which vidingforthe thick and rounded portions which
25 serves as a fulcrum to allow the bolts P to draw such rails present at the bottoms.
I claim as my inventionthe upper portions of the clamps very solidly
together. The holes for the bolts P are form ed
]. The rail-joint clamp described, having the
through the downward extension M‘, and are top bearing-surface, M2, lateral folded parts 85
re-enforced with su?icient metal, to loosely in M3, deep central web, M“, bottom bearing rib
10
close the bolts and form a stout bearin g, M“,
on each side to receive the heads and nuts of
the bolts I’, as will be obvious.
The invention allows of the introduction of
thin or thick rubber, felt, or other elastic ma
35 terial above or below the ?ange A2 of the rail
or on the inner faces of the ?rmly-bearing por
tions M’ M2; but I do not esteem such an ad
or surface, M5, and bolt-bearings MG, adapted
to serve relatively to each other and to the
con?ning-bolts P and inelosed rails as herein
speci?ed.
.
‘
9O
2. The railway-joint clamp described, hav
ing the internal projections, M’, adapted to
abut against the ends of the webs of the rails,
the upper bearing-surface, M2, foot~embracing
dition generally expedient. I prefer that the portion M3, bottom ?ange, M", lip or bearing 95
parts bear directly together, metal and metal, surface M5, and one or more bearings, M“, ar
and that they are nicely shaped to a?ord as ranged to receive the con?ning-bolts P. all
?rm a hearing as possible, to produce a ?nal substantially as herein speci?ed.
effect as nearly that of a single massive shape
3. The railway-joint described, having the
of metal as can be obtained.
clamps M, formed as shown, and the con?ning
Railroad practice proves that thejoints, how bolts P, in combination with each other and
45 ever thickened and forti?ed, are still not only with rails having webs Aa out of center, all
the most imperfect portions of the track by arranged to serve as and for the purposes
way of introducing roughnesses and oifsets in herein speci?ed.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set
the paths for the wheels, but also in being more
liable to fracture and looseness than other por my hand, at New York city, this 27th day of
50 tions of the track, and all ordinary joints are August, 1880, in the presence of two subscrib
more elastic than themain portions of the rails.
ing witnesses.
‘
My joint avoids danger of looseness, and by
the duplication in the thickness of the web
JAMES VVOLFENDEN.
and the ?rmness with which the parts are sup
55 ported by my clamping means gives a rigidity
equal to and somewhat greater than that of the
main body of the rail.
Witnesses:
M. F. BOYLE,
H. A. J OHNSTONE.