Abstract: A railway rail support assembly (3), for resiliently suspending a railway rail (1) above a track foundation (2) at discrete locations along the rail (1), has rail supporting means through which a predetermined clamping load is exerted on the said rail (1) such that the assembly (3) has a desired resistance to longitudinal creep therethrough of the rail (1). The rail supporting means are preferably attached, when the assembly (3) is in use, to an approximately horizontal upper surface of the said track foundation (2). Such an assembly (3) may be provided by first and second brackets (31, 32) and first and second elastic members (33, 34). Each of the said first and second brackets (31, 32) has a bearing part (312, 322) and a base part (311, 321) (311, 321), the bearing part (312, 322) being located adjacent to either sides of the rail (1) when the assembly (3) is in use and the base part (311, 321) being located on an upper surface of the said track foundation (2).

Abstract: A railway rail anchoring device, for use with a railway rail-fastening clip which is approximately M-shaped in plan and has first and second leg portions and a rail-bearing portion, comprises a base member and first and second clip-retaining members connected together by the base member such that the first clip-retaining member is spaced apart from the second clip-retaining member so as to define between the first and second clip-retaining members an opening for receiving the rail-bearing portion of such a clip.

Abstract: A resilient rail-fastening clip has a first straight portion (11) for locating the clip in a clip anchoring device (2) when the clip is in use, a second bent portion (12), a third heel portion (13), a fourth bend portion (14) and a fifth toe portion (15). When viewed such that lower most points of the first and fifth portions (11 and 15) of the clip lie in a horizontal plane, proceeding from the first portion (11), the second portion (12) appears to bend up out of that plane towards and then away from a vertical plane passing through the fifth portion (15). The clip (1) is used in an assembly including a baseplate (2) having a non-vertical stop (21d) on its shoulder (21) up which the clip (1) slides during installation until brought to rest through friction at a desired height above the rail (3).

Abstract: In an assembly for use in fastening a railway rail to an underlying rail foundation, a resilient railway rail fastening clip (1, 2,3) has at least one portion (1a) which when in use bears on, and extends substantially parallel to, a flange (301) of an adjacent railway rail (300), and retains an insulator (13, 13') for electrically insulating the clip (1, 2, 3) from the rail (300) when in use. The insulator (13) is held in engagement with the clip (1, 2, 3), which has a rail bearing portion of substantially circular cross-section, such that it can rotate about the longitudinal axis of the said rail bearing portion (1a). Unlike the prior art the insulator is self-aligning on the rail flange (301) when the rail (300) moves. One insulator (13, 13') disclosed has at least two load bearing surfaces (13a), such that it may be rotated so as to present an unworn load bearing surface (13a) to the rail flange (301).

Abstract: An elastic rail clamp (10), for fastening a rail to an underlying rail plate or rail tie (1). The clamp is of the type comprising a pair of substantially parallel members (19) folded into a D configuration so as to have a front toe portion (16) adapted to seat on a flange of the rail, which toe portion is formed by respective free end regions (18) of the substantially parallel members, and to also have a base portion (11) adapted to seat in a slot (4) in the rail plate or a shoulder secured to the rail tie.

Abstract: A railway rail fastening clip (1) suitable for holding down a railway rail (2) is formed from a rod of resilient material bent so as to be approximately M-shaped in plan, the clip (1) being such that, when it is bearing on the flange of a rail (2), the longitudinal axis of a part (14) thereof, which interconnects inner legs (13, 15) of the M, lies in a reference plane which is substantially parallel, but not identical, to a plane containing the longitudinal axes of outer legs (11, 17) of the M. Such clips (1) are used with an anchoring device (5), which, as the clip (1) is installed therein, deflects the outer legs (11, 17) downwardly with respect to the inner legs (13, 15), so as to place the clip under stress.

Abstract: A railway rail fastening clip (1) suitable for holding down a railway rail (2) is formed from a rod of resilient material bent so as to be approximately M-shaped in plan, the clip (1) being such that, when it is bearing on the flange of a rail (2), the longitudinal axis of a part (14) thereof, which interconnects inner legs (13, 15) of the M, lies in a reference plane which is substantially parallel, but not identical, to a plane containing the longitudinal axes of outer legs (11, 17) of the M. Such clips (1) are used with an anchoring device (5), which, as the clip (1) is installed therein, deflects the outer legs (11, 17) downwardly with respect to the inner legs (13, 15), so as to place the clip under stress.

Abstract: A pad, suitable for spacing the bottom of a railway rail from a rail foundation on which the rail stands, comprises a plate-like rail-supporting portion (1), made of cushioning material, having an upper main face supporting the rail and softer, resiliently-deformable, sealing portion (3) located at a peripheral region of the lower main face of the rail-supporting portion (1). When the pad is placed on a rail foundation and a rail is placed on the upper main face of the rail-supporting portion (1), the sealing portion (3) deforms under the weight of the rail so as to form a substantially watertight seal, between the rail foundation and the pad, around the periphery of the pad.

Abstract: A rail pad comprises a membrane (3) from opposite faces of which there project protrusions (4, 5), which may be ribs, possibly extending along the pad, perhaps over its whole length, or studs. The protrusions are such that no line perpendicular to the membrane passes through more than one of the protrusions. The pad is such that it is stiffer on one side than the other, for example because the ratio between the total area of protruding material and the total area of membrane free of protrusions is greater at the stiffer side of the pad than the other. The pad is preferably made of thermoplastic copolyester elastomer.

Abstract: A pad has a base portion, which lies on a foundation and on which a flange of a railway rail lies, and upstanding side portions extending upwardly from opposite sides of the base portion and formed with a recess in which lies a part of a rail clip. The pad may have sideways-extending portions for projecting on opposite sides of a clip-retaining member and it may also have projecting islands, possibly chevron-shaped, on one face or on both faces. The base portion may be one member made of soft material and this may be fixed to a separate member made of harder material which is formed with the side portions and the recess.

Abstract: An anchoring device (1) anchors a clip (60) to a foundation (50) for a railway rail (66). It has a head part (2) formed with a horizontal passageway (4) which is wider than it is high. In an upstanding wall section (5) there is a recess (6) and this receives a projection (52) on an electrically insulating bushing (51) which fits in the head part (2). The bushing has a passageway (53) through it and this receives two legs (61) and (62) of an e-shaped clip, the cross-section of the passageway having the shape of an athletics race track. The device (1) has a tail part (3) with projections (22 and 23) above which the tail part is of cruciform cross-section, with vanes (26 and 28).

Abstract: A railway rail-fastening clip, made by bending an initially straight rod, is approximately in the form of a letter e. The axies of all parts of the clip, except possibly the free end of the lower arm of the e, lie in a single plane. The rod may have a length less than 15 times the thickness of the rod. A retaining arrangement for the clip may have an opening in which lie the center arm and the upper arm of the e, the lower arm of the e pressing downwardly on the flange at the bottom of a railway rail. The opening may be in an electrically insulating bushing in a clip-retainer made of metal.

Abstract: A bushing of electrically insulating material has a passageway, of elongate cross-section, through it. The bushing is inserted in a clip-retaining member and the latter is supported in a mould into which a wet cement mix is poured so that a concrete railway sleeper is formed and the clip-retaining member is held in the concrete with the passageway above the concrete. A center arm and an upper arm of a substantially e-shaped clip are driven into the passageway and a lower arm of the clip bears downwardly on a flange of a railway rail.

Abstract: The invention provides an elastomeric rail pad of generally rectangular plan configuration, the pad having an upper face adapted to underly the lower face of a rail, and a lower face adapted to overly a rail foundation member, wherein each of the upper and the lower faces of the pad is provided with a multiplicity of distinct and separate portions, when separately viewed from adjacent side edges of the rectangular pad, raised above the base level of the respective face and adapted to engage the rail or the foundation member respectively, the arrangement being such that between approximately 30% and 70% of that part of each face of the pad which is arranged to lie directly between the rail and the foundation member is constituted by the raised surface portions.

Abstract: A device to be placed on a railway sleeper (1) or some other foundation for a railway rail (3) includes a pad (2) and two upstanding portions (6A). The pad (2) is of resilient and electrically insulating material and the upstanding portions (6A) are of stiffer electrically insulating material. At least two-thirds of the area of the pad (2) has none of the stiffer material above or below it. Preferably the upstanding portions (6A) are at least 150 mm. long and are on elongate members (6) which have ears (6B) at opposite ends which extend under only corners of the pad (2), where they are secured by spigots (2E) projecting into holes (6C).

Abstract: An elongate plate, for use in a railway frog or switch to receive two inclined rails which stand on the plate and on another plate like it and are to be anchored thereto, has an elongate hole through it, with the length of the hole being parallel to that of the plate. A recess is formed in the underneath face of the plate at one end of the elongate hole by counterboring after the elongate hole has been formed by punching, the recess forming a widening of the undersurface region of the elongate hole at that end thereof. Correspondingly, an associated clip anchoring device includes an upper part for anchoring a rail clip and a lower part which has an inverted T shape.

Abstract: An apparatus for use in measuring relative movement between two structures is described. A support (7) having bores for receiving input and output optical fibres (2, 10) is mounted on a plate (24), secured to one of the structures, at a predetermined position using alignment means (50). A filter (8) is fixed relative to the other structure so that light passing down the input fibre (2) passes through the filter (8) to the output fibre (10). The filter comprises a split field filter so that when light of two wavelengths is transmitted via the input fibre (2), the intensity of light at each wavelength transmitted through the filter (8) depends on the position of the filter relative to the support. An analogue output proportional to the displacement is provided using the transmitted intensities. The invention is particularly applicable to measuring displacement of a railway rail with respect to an underlying structure, and a method and installation for this are described.

Abstract: To position an electrical insulator, having first and second ends at which are first and second sideways-projecting lugs, so that a part of the insulator lies on the upper face of a rail flange, another part of the insulator lies between the rail flange and a neighboring upward projection, and the upward projection lies partly between the lugs, the insulator is held in an inclined position by gripping its upper end between two clamping parts and moved with a component of motion parallel to the rail until the lower lug catches on the upward projection. Continued movement of the clamping parts cannot be followed by the insulator, which changes its orientation and prises the clamping parts apart. They release it and the higher end of the insulator descends, possibly as a consequence of force exerted on it by a clip. The clamping parts may be mounted on a magazine containing rail clips.

Abstract: An insulating device comprising an electrically insulating member and a metallic reinforcing member is to electrically insulate a flange-footed railway rail from a rail clip, which bears downwardly upon the upper surface of the rail flange, and from an anchorage for the clip, this anchorage being at one side of the rail flange. A first portion of the insulating member, which is to lie on the rail flange, is surmounted by an elongate portion, having a flat bottom, of the reinforcing member and a second portion of the insulating member is to be between the edge of the rail flange and the anchorage. The reinforcing member has at least one reinforcing rib extending along and upwardly from the elongate portion and it has two sideways projections which are to extend on opposite sides of the anchorage to prevent the reinforcing member moving along the rail. No part of the reinforcing member is below the plane containing the flat bottom of the elongate portion.

Abstract: A railway tie plate has at least one rib to locate a railway rail and two arches under which parts of rail clips can be driven parallel to the rib. It can be made by deformation of a conventional tie plate designed for use with fastening devices for holding the rail on to the tie plate other than rail clips which are driven parallel to the rail.