Spikeless tie plate fasteners, pre-plated railroad ties and related assemblies and methods

Abstract

Railroad tie plates secured collectively by spikeless fasteners to a tie with railroad spikes securing the rails to the ties and related methodology are disclosed wherein two-part fasteners are used in respect to sets of aligned tie and tie plate apertures such that the two fastener parts are joined together against inadvertent separation within each tie aperture at a connection or union site, which includes but is not limited to force fit unions and threaded unions, and spikes are driven into the ties through other tie plate apertures. Discarded ties rehabilitated as composite railroad ties are also disclosed.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.