US341567A - Claek fishee - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

0. FISHER.

RAIL JOINT.

No. 341,567. I Patented May 11, 1886.

WITNESS ES;

N. PETERS, PhnwLflhognphar. Washington, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC CLARK FISHER, OF TRENTON, NEYV JERSEY.

RAIL-J OINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 341,567, dated May 11, 1886.

Application filed March 4.1886. Serial No. 193,976. (No model.)

of a joint by the employment of which rails of different heights or vertical depths can be united one to the other.

The invention is an improvement upon that covered by Letters Patent No. 19,555, granted March 9, 1858, to M. Fisher, of Trenton, and known as the Fisher joint. The said Fisher jointconsists of a sole-piece, bridge, chair, or base-plate provided with longitudinal upright lateral flanges, upon the upper face of which sole-piece clamps or forelocks to grasp the bases of the rail ends rest, and in which the foreloeks are held down upon the rail'flanges by one or 'more bolts passing through the whole, as by reference to the Letters Patent referred to will be understood.

Heretofore the sole-pieces of joints of the foregoing description have, as to their upper surface, presented a level and unbroken or continuonsly-uniform surface, and the forelocks employed have been of a uniform depth through their length. It has therefore been impossible to unite by these joints rails of different heights, a frequent necessity of railroad construction, and at the same time to maintain their heads or bearing-surfaces in the same plane, and the two ties upon which the sole-piece rests on the saine level in the road-bed.

My invention aims to render the foregoing result possible, and to such end comprehends the construction of a sole-piece the upper surface of which is formed with two levels that is to say, one-half of the said sole-piece being of greater vertical depth than the other halfand also comprehends the employment of forelocks of different depths as to their respective ends, all as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, which rep device.

resent a rail-joint embodying my invention, Figure l is a side elevation, Fig. 2 a top plan, and Fig. 3a view in perspective, of the entire Fig. dis a left-hand end view, and Fig. 5 a right-hand end view,of the completed device, as represented in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Fig. 6 is a transverse central vertical section through the joint of Figs. 1, 2, and 3, in a plane between the meeting ends of the rails as viewed from the left-hand end of said figures. Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 are detail views, each representing a forelock of the character which I employ.

Similarletters of reference indicate corresponding parts iuall the figures.

In the drawings, A is a portion of a rail of a depth, for instance, of four inches; A, a portion of a rail of the depth, for instance, of five inches. Vhen the heads of these rails occupy the same horizontal level, the level of the base of the four-inch rail will obviously be one inch above the level of thebase of the five-inch rail. It is apparent, therefore, that the base of the lower rail must be sustained upon a higher level than the base of the higher rail, and this I accomplish by making that portion, end, or half ofthe sole-piece B which is to receive and sustain the lower rail of a vertical depth greater than that portion, end, or half of the said sole-piece which is to receive and sustain the higher rail, obtaining the said greater vertical depth by superimposing a base-block or liner, I), upon the upper surface of that end, portion, or half of the sole-piece which is to receive and sustain the lower rail.

The base-block (shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and

j 4) may be cast, rolled, or otherwise formed integral with the sole-piece, or, being formed as a separate member, and composed of iron, steel, or wood, may be riveted or otherwise attached or secured thereto.

a are the side flanges of the sole-piece.

' O are the forelocks, and I) a U-bolt, the upturned arms of which are threaded and armed with nuts d, to bear upon the upper surfaces of the foreloeks. Each foreloek is preferably level as to its upper surface, and is provided with a depending foot or step, 0*, which, in the application of the parts passes between the outer edges of the bases of the rails and the inner face of the side flange of the sole-piece, and

ICO

' rests upon the upper surface of rail-bases,hav-

ing an inclined surface corresponding therewith.

In uniting rails of equal depths in the old form and use of the Fisher joint the under surface of each forel0ck0r that surface which is adapted to rest upon the bases of the rails which it overhangs, and, under the stress of the nut bearing down upon its upper surface, to clamp the said bases securely to thesole-piece is made as a plane-inclined surface th roughout its entire length, as is obviously necessary where the upper portions of the adjoining bases of the rails lie in the same plane.

In my improvement I construct each forelock as to its under surface with two levelsa lower level, which I designate the deep clamping-surface c, and a raised level, which I designate the shallow clamping-surface as best represented in Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11therebyin effect making each forelock of unequal depth as to different portions of its clamping-surface.

In the mounting and union of the parts the shallow clamping surface of each forelock bears upon the base of the lower rail, and the deep clamping-surface upon the base of the higher rail.

The respective depths of the two clampingsurfaces of each forelock are'to be calculated with respect to the depth or thickness of the base-block or liner of the sole-piece, and with regard to the respective depths or heights of the rails to be united.

The line of division between the deep and shallow clamping-surfaces of each forelock is preferably central and in a transverse verti cal plane projected through the bolt-hole, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10.

It is of course obvious that each sole-piece, constructed in accordance with myinvention, and the pair of forelocks which are intended for use with it, are together adapted for employment only with rails of a given different Vertical depth, and that a set of these devices adapted to unite a five-inch rail with a fourinch rail would not be adapted to unite a four and one-half inch rail with a five-inch rail. This fact is self evident, it requiring but a half-inch variation in the forelocks and baseplate to unite rails of the heights last instanced.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. As a new article of manufacture, a railjoint sole-piece, chair, or bridge the upper or carrying surface of which is as to its respective ends formed or otherwise provided with different levels, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A rail-joint sole-piece, chair, or bridge the upper or carrying surface of which is as to its respective ends formed or otherwise pro vided with different levels, in combination with two rails of different heights, by means of forelocks formed each with two rail-clamping surfaces occupying different levels, sub stantially as set forth.

3. The combination, to form a rail-joint for the support of the meeting ends of two rails of different heights, of a solepiece, chair, or bridge, that portion of the upper surface of which piece upon which rests the base of the lower rail occupies a higher level than that portion of said surface upon which rests the higher rail, a rail of a given vertical depth, a rail of a greater vertical depth, and forelocks having each two clampingsurfaces upon differeut levels for clamping the bases of said rails, substantially as shown and described.

4. As an article of manufacture, a forelock for a rail-joint, the upper surface of which is level and which is formed with a deep clamp ing-surface and a shallow clamping-surface occupying, respectively, different levels.

As an article of manufacture, a chair or sole piece for a rail-joint, provided as to a portion not greater than one-half of its length with a raised base-block or liner formed as a part thereof or secured thereto.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 27th day of February, A. D. 1886.

CLARK FISHER.

In presence of EDWARD O. STovnR, CHAS. XV. EDXVARDS.

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