Railway switches and signals – Crossings – frogs – and mates
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-26
2001-08-21
Le, Mark T. (Department: 3617)
Railway switches and signals
Crossings, frogs, and mates
C246S460000, C246S465000, C246S472000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06276643
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to railroad track components for turnouts, crossings and the like. 2. Description of Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,785 of which Applicant is inventor, provided certain improvements in railroad track crossings. Among these were a new and improved railroad track crossing which included an interchangeable insert. Among the components of the structure were support fillers and filler blocks. These two structural components had vertical contact surfaces on side portions which were adapted to mate with and fit against corresponding flat vertical surfaces formed on the upright web portion of the rail. The support fillers and filler blocks also had downwardly sloping upper and lower surfaces. These sloping surfaces were intended to conform or correspond to the conventional sloped planar surfaces present in rails or other track pieces. These sloped planar surfaces were present in rails below the wheel contact portion of the rail and also on the base portion of the rail.
However, problems have been found to exist. Due to the rolling process of forming rails, these were minor variations in the angles and ratios of these portions of the rail. The dimensions and slope of the vertical flat on the web, and the sloped surfaces below the wheel contact portion and on the base portion and their relative spacing, had minor variations in different rail members and also along the length of any one particular rail member.
It was thus difficult to achieve a proper match between the rails, filler blocks and filler members when track structures such as frogs and crossings were assembled. To the extent that a properly fitted match between these three contact surfaces was not achieved, the relative strength of the assembled structure was reduced, and the service life of the structure decreased. This could in some cases after time pose a possible safety concern.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Briefly, the present invention provides new and improved structural components in the form of filler members and filler blocks for railroad track structures. The structures may be, for example, in the form of junctures between adjacent rails and may include frogs, guardrail and crossings.
The filler members according to the present invention are attached to a rail in the railroad track structure for support purposes. The filler members include a filler member body which has a laterally outwardly extending vertical contact surface which engages a corresponding flat vertical surface on a web portion of the rail. The filler members include a leg member extending downwardly from the filler member body. The leg member has a horizontal contact surface for mounting on a corresponding horizontal flat surface formed on a sloped surface of a base portion of the rail. The filler members also have an upwardly extending upright which has a horizontal planar upper contact surface to engage a corresponding horizontal flat surface formed below a head portion of the rail. The engagement of the horizontal and vertical surfaces on the filler member with corresponding surfaces on the rail provides ease of alignment and installation, as well as increased strength and better load transfer.
The filler blocks of the present invention are attached between adjacent rails in the railroad track structure. The filler blocks include a filler block body which has a laterally outwardly extending vertical contact surface formed on it to engage corresponding planar flat vertical surfaces formed on web portions of the adjacent rails. The filler block body has a horizontal lower contact surface on a lower surface for mounting on corresponding horizontal flat surfaces formed on base portions of the adjacent rails. The filler block bodies also have one or more uprights formed extending upwardly, having horizontal upper contact surfaces formed on them. The upper contact surfaces on the uprights engage corresponding horizontal flat surfaces below head portions of the adjacent rails. The engagement of the horizontal and vertical contact surfaces of the filler blocks with corresponding surfaces on the adjacent rails provides ease of alignment and installation, also increasing strength and improving lead transfer.
Railroad structures with filler members and filler blocks according to the present invention thus have increased strength and extended service life. These structures are also more easily aligned and installed, and are more easily maintained.
REFERENCES:
patent: 664617 (1900-12-01), Barry
patent: 825172 (1906-07-01), Angerer
patent: 862645 (1907-08-01), Lewis et al.
patent: 912621 (1909-02-01), Reinnoehl et al.
patent: 940441 (1909-11-01), Dotter et al.
patent: 1072866 (1913-09-01), McEvoy et al.
patent: 5393019 (1995-02-01), Ortiz-Rivas
patent: 5456430 (1995-10-01), Ortiz-Rivas
patent: 6119988 (2000-09-01), Ortiz-Rivas
Railway Track & Structures, Nov. 1992, pp. 27-29.
Railway Track & Structures, Mar. 1996, pp. 34-35.
Bracewell & Patterson L.L.P.
Le Mark T.
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