US1686544A - Rail anchor - Google Patents

Description

the rail base, with su Patented Oct. 9 1928.

UNITED STATES CHARLES IE. YA'RDLEY, OF LABCEMONT, NEW YORK.

min. n1vcn:on.

Application filed September o, 1926. Serial No. 136,507.

My invention relates to improvements in rail anchors and has for its principal object to provide an improved one-piece bar type of anchor which will rip opposite edges of cient tenacity to prevent cr'eeping movement of the rail, but which may be readily dislodged from the rail without damaging the rail or the anchor, in the event that the anchor is struck by a derailed wheel or other heavy object.

The flanges of railroad rails have been at times broken out or otherwise seriously clamaged by derailed car wheels striking that portion of a rail anchor which ordinarily extends over the upper inclined surface of the rail base. Such damage is especially likely when the j aws of the anchor extend a substantial distance over the upper Surface of the rail base. My invehtion aims to overcome these and other afllied objections by providing an improved spring bar type of anchor which i so formed as to provide j aws which project over opposite edges of a rail base so as to support the anchor in its initial position on the rail base before being driven into gripping engagement with the rail base, which when applied to its operative position will exert a strong spring grip transversely of the rail so as to prevent longitudinal creeping movement of the rail, but which will be readily dislodged from the rail without damaging the rail base in the event that the anchor is struck by a derailed car wheel or other heavy part of a moving train.

Another and more specific object is to provide a one-piece bar type of anchor in which the jaws areso disposed with relation to each other thatthey may be engaged in their initial position on the rail base by moving the anchor about a vertical axis until the anchor stands in a diagonal position across the rail base, from which initial position one end may be driven longitudinallyof the rail base to f0rce the anchor to its rail gripping position and into operative engagement with an adjacent cross tie. A

A further and more specific object is to provide a one-piece anchor adapted to be flexed onto a rail base and which is so formed that the flexing of the anchor,in applying it to a rail, is distributed throughout the body of the anchor.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a railroad rail corners of the rail base;

showing a rail an"chor device constructed in Fig. 2 is a face view of the rail anchor il lustrating one method of applying the anchor to a rail.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the anchor device in its normal applied position and illustrating in dotted lines the position from which the body portion was sprung during the application of the device.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a rail base and an anchor device, showing another method of applying the anchor, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary end view of the rail anchor showing the manner in which one end extends forward of the cross tie and showing the manner in which the extremities of the yoke are flattened to increase the bearing surface which engages the edges of the rail base.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates a railroad rail and 11 one of the cross ties on. which the rail is supported.

The preferred embodiment of the invention shown herein consists of a relatively heavy metal bar 13, one end of which is bent upwardly to form a short arm 14 and the other end of which is bent upwardlyto form a relatively. long arm 15. The short and long arms are so disposed with relation to each other that it. is necessary to spread them apart in driving the anchor to its rail gripping engagement with opposite edges of the rail base. Both arms '14: and 15 accordance with my invention applied there- I of the anchor preferably extend inwardly toward each other so that they Will project over theupper edges of the rail base 10 in a mariner to support the anchor in its initial position on.the rail. The long arm 15 15 provided with a relatively shallow notch 17 adapted to snap over the upper and lower The notch is of such configuration that the top and bottom walls 18 and 19 bear against the upper inclined surface and the bottom surface respectively of the rail base. The depth of the notch is exaggerated in the drawing for the purpose of clearness. Normally it is relatively shallow, although of sufficient depth to prevent dislodgment of the anchor under service conditions, for example, by the pressure of the anchor against the ballast or by the chaffing referred to.

the long arm should be struck with any unusual force, Such, for example as when a car wheel is detailed and rolls along the flange of the rail, the arm will be flexed outwardly with relation to the edge of the rail base so as to be removed from the rail without damaging the edge of the rail base. arm 14 normally projects over the upper corner of the rail base but is so constructed as to be forced downward and out of engagement with the rail base when subjected to any unusual downward force like that above The notch 17, furthermore, is formed so as to bear flat against the vertical surface of the rail base when the anchor is flexed into its rail gripping position. The inner face of the long arm bears against the edge of the rail and serves as a cam to force the arms 14 and 15 apart and into gripping contact with the opposite edges of the rail base.

In order to increase the boaring surfaces of the arms against the rail base, the upper portions of these arms are flattened so as to increase the width of the bar at the point where the arms bear against the edgcs of the rail base. The long arm is also preferably offset longitudinally of the body, so as to normally stand out of contact with the tie. With such construction, the under rail portion 13 of the bar normally bears flatwise throughout its length against the tie when the anchor is in its operative position.

In applying the device to a rail in ac cordance with the method shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the anchor is disposed at right angles to the rail base and the long arm is hooked over one edg'e of the rail base as indicated in d0tted lines in Fig. 2. In this position the short end portion 14 may be raised above the upper-edge of the rail base, whereupon movement of the anchor bodily to theright of Fig. 2 brings the arms 14 and 15 into position to bear upon the longitudinal upper corners of the rail base at opposite sides of the rail. The upper end of the long arm may then be struck with a track sledge or other suitable implcmnt to drive the arm downwardly until the notch 17 snaps over the top and bottom edges of the rail base. The long arm, during its downward movements is flexed outwardly with respect to the rail, and the body 13 is simultaneously bowed upwardly from its normally straight position.

The outward camming of the long arm also subjects the short arm to some outward distortion so as to exert a strong spring grip on opposite edges of the rail base transversely of the rail. The upward distortion of the body, together with the inclined portion of the short arm, forces the end of the body adjacent the short jaw endof the anchor into tight erigagement with the adjacent lower corner of the rail base. The inclined The short A portion of the short arm and the notch 17 in the long arm provide sufiicient resistance to prevent the anchor from being dislodged from the rail by the normal pressure of the anchor against the ballast or by the chaffing movement of the anchor against the vertical face of the cross-tie.

The anchor may, if desired, be applied by first hooking the long and short jaws over the rail base to their initial position, shown in Fig. 2. The anchor may be then moved about a vertical axis to the diagonal position shown in Fig. 4. In the latter position of the anchor, the notch 17 may be engaged with the edge of the rail base without distorting the anchor. The short jaw end may then be driven toward the cross-tie, and thereby spread the long.and short jaw portions apart so as to effect a springgrip on opposite edges of the rail base.

While I have described my invention in connection with one specific embodiment, it will be obvious that modifications in structure might be made without departure from the principles of the invention. It -will therefore be understood that I contemplate all changes in structure as come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A rail anchor comprising a bar formed with angularly disposed end portions adapted to hook over opposite edges of the rail base and exert a spring grip thereon transversely of the rail, the end portions being so disposed with relation to the top surfaces of the rail base that the anchor, when in its normal gripping position, may be removed from the rail by downward pressure on the extremity of either of said end portions.

2. A rail anchor comprising a bar,.the opposite ends of which are bent to form angularly disposed arms adapted to be flexeol outwardly with respect to the rail when driv ing the anchor to its applied position; one of said arms being rclatively short with respect to the other and normally inclined inwardly toward the web of the rail so as to project over and engage only the upper longitudinal edge of the rail base.

34 A rail anchor comprisng a bar, the op-.

p0site ends of which are bent to form angularly disposed arms adapted to be flexed outwardly with respect to the rail when driving the anchor to its applied position; one of said arms being relatively short with respect to the other and normally inclined inwardly toward the web of the rail so as to project over and engage only the upper longitudinal edge of the rail base, the inclination of the.said arm being such that the anchor may be removed by striking the upper end of the arm. 7

4, A rail anchor comprising a bar, the oppos1te ends of which are bent to form angularly disposed arms adapted to be flexed outwardly with respect to the rail when driving the anchor to its applied position; one of said arms being inclined inwardly toward the web of the rail so as to project over and engage only the upper longitudinal edge of the rail base when the anchor is applied in its operative position on a rail.

5. A rail anchor comprising a bar, the opposite ends of which are bent to form angularly disposed arms adapted to be flexcd outwardly with respect to the rail when driving the anchor to its applied position; one of said arms being inchned toward the web of the rail so as to project over the upper edge of the rail base at one side of the rail and adapted to be removed by application of downward pressure on said arm, and the other arm being formed with a notch adapted to snap over the edge of said base at the opposite side of the rail.

6. A rail anchor comprising a bar of spring metal, one end of which is bent at an angie to the body so as to bear against the upper corner only of a rail base at one side of a rail, and the other end of which is bent to form an upwardly extending arm having a notch at its upper endadapted to snap over the edge of the rail base.

7. A rail anchor comprising a metal bar formed with angularly disposed arms adapted to grip the opposite edges of a rail base, the ends of said arms being flattened to increase the width of the rail engaging sur faces of the arms.

8. A rail anchor comprising a metal bar formed with angularly disposed arms adapted to be flexed outwardly with respect to each other and into gripping engagement with the opposite edges of a rail base; the

ends of said arms being fi attened to increase the Width of the rail engaging surfaces of said arms.

9. A rail anchor comprising a bar of spring metal having a body portion adapted to bear against a cross tie, one short arm which pro ects over the upper surface of the rail base without engaging said surface, and a long arm adapted to. engage the opposite edge of the rail base; the distance between said arms when the device is free of the rail being normally such that it is necessary to flex said arms outwardly with respect to each other in applying the anchor to its rail gripping position.

10. A rail anchor comprising a bar of spring metal having a body portion adapted to bear against a cross tie, one short arm which projects over the upper surface of the rail base without engaging said surface and adapted to be disengaged from the rail by downward pressure on said arm, and a long arm adapted to engage the opposite edge of a rail base; the distance between said arms when the device is free of the rail being normally such that it is necessary to flex one of said arms outwardly with respect to the rail base when applying the anchor to its rail gripping position.

11. A rail anchor comprising a bar of spring metal having a body portion adapted to bear against a cross tie, a short arm which projects over the upper surface of the rail base without engaging said upper surface, and a long arm adapted to engage the opposite edge of the rail base, the said arms being disposed with relation to each other whereby one of the arms normally stands in a position in advance of the other longitudinally of the rail, when the anchor is in its applied position.

12. A rail anchor comprising a bar of spring metal formed at one end with a short arm and at the other end wit-h a long arm adapted to grip opposite edges of the rail base with spring pressure, the extremity of the long arm being offset with relation to the body so as to engage one edge of the rail base at a point in advance of the engagement of the other arm with the opposite edge of the base.

13. A rail anchor having a substantially straight body portion provided at one end with an arm extending at substantially right anbles to the body and adapted to engage one edge of the rail base, and provided at the other end with a spring arm adapted to be flexed outwardly with respect to the edge of the rail base when forcing the anchor to its applied position; the arrangement of the body and arms beingsuch that the body extends transversely of the rail at an angle to the bottom surface thereof and the first mentioned arm projects over the upper surface of the rail base at one side of the rail.

14. A one-piece rail anchor having a substantially straight body portion formed at one end with a relatively short arm extending at substantially right angles to the body and adapted to engage one edge of the rail base,

and formed at the other end with a spring arm adapted to bo flexed outwardly with respect to the edge of the rail base when forcizig the anchor'to its applied position; the arrangement of the body and arms being such that the body bears against the bottom edge of the rail base at one side thereof and extends transversely of the rail at an angie to the body surface thereof, whereby the first mentioned arm projects over the upper surface of the rail base at one side of the rail and forms a line contact with the upper corner of said rail base.

CHARLES F. YARDLE Y.

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