Rail-tie fastening assembly

A rail-tie fastening assembly for connecting a rail having a rail flange with an upper surface, a lower surface, a first side and a second side to a tie having an upper surface, comprising:

• a rail seat assembly connectable to the upper surface of the tie having a first end, a second end, a first side, a second side, an upper surface and a lower surface, a seat hook assembly being formed on the rail seat assembly generally near the first end of the rail seat assembly and being adapted to engage the first side of the rail flange and to extend a distance generally over a portion of the upper surface of the rail flange generally near the first side of the rail flange, the seat hook assembly being spaced a distance from the upper surface of the rail flange;
• and
• a rail anchor having a first side, a second side, a first end and a second end, an anchor hook assembly being formed on the rail anchor generally near the second end of the rail anchor, a portion of the anchor hook assembly being adapted to extend a distance generally over and engage a portion of the upper surface of the rail flange generally near the second side of the rail flange and a portion of the anchor hook assembly being engageable with the second side of the rail flange, the rail anchor being connectable to the rail seat assembly in an assembled position to permit limited vertical movement of the anchor hook assembly and portion of the rail flange engaged thereby.

A rail-tie fastening assembly adapted for use with a rail having a rail flange, comprising:

• a tie having an upper surface with cavity means formed in a portion thereof of the upper surface;
• a base anchor means disposed in the cavity means in the tie after the cavity means has been formed in the tie, the cavity means having a sufficient size whereby the base anchor means is disposable within the cavity means;
• means for connecting the base anchor means to the tie, comprising;
• compound means disposed in the cavity means whereby the compound means covers at least a portion of the portion of the base anchor means disposed in the cavity means and whereby the compound means substantially fills the portion of the cavity means not occupied by the base anchor means and cooperates to secure the base anchor means in the cavity means.
• means connected to the base anchor means and connectable to the rail flange for connecting the rail to the tie via the base anchor means.

A rail-tie fastening assembly adapted for use with a rail having a rail flange with an upper surface, a lower surface, a first side and a second side, comprising:

• a tie having cavity means formed in a portion thereof;
• a base anchor means disposed in the cavity means in the tie;
• means for connecting the base anchor means to the tie;
• and
• means connected to the base anchor means and connectable to the rail flange for connecting the rail to the tie via the base anchor means, comprising:
• a rail seat assembly connected to the base anchor means and having a first end, a second end, a first side, a second side, an upper surface and a lower surface, a seat hook assembly being formed on the rail seat assembly generally near the first end of the rail seat assembly and being adapted to engage the first side of the rail flange and to extend a distance generally over a portion of the upper surface of the rail flange generally near the first side of the rail flange, the seat hook assembly being spaced a distance from the upper surface of the rail flange;
• and
• a rail anchor having a first side, a second side, a first end and a second end, an anchor hook assembly being formed on the rail anchor generally near the second end of the rail anchor, a portion of the anchor hook assembly being adapted to extend a distance generally over and engage a portion of the upper surface of the rail flange generally near the second side of the rail flange and a portion of the anchor hook assembly being engageable with the second side of the rail flange, the rail anchor being connectable to the rail seat assembly in an assembled position and engageable with a portion of the upper and lower surfaces of the rail flange substantially to restrain longitudinal movement of the rail while permitting movement of the rail in vertically upwardly and downwardly directions within predetermined limits, the anchor hook assembly being engageable with the second side of the rail flange and the rail seat assembly being engagable with the first side of the rail flange to restrain lateral movement of the rail in an assembled position of the rail anchor.

A rail-tie fastening assembly adapted for use with a rail having a rail flange with an upper surface, a lower surface, a first side and a second side, comprising:

• a tie having cavity means formed in a portion thereof;
• a base anchor means disposed in the cavity means in the tie;
• means for connecting the base anchor means to the tie;
• and
• means connected to the base anchor means and connectable to the rail flange for connecting the rail to the tie via the base anchor means, comprising:
• a rail seat assembly connected to the base anchor means and having a first end, a second end, a first side, a second side, an upper surface, a lower surface and an anchor slot formed through a portion thereof, the anchor slot having a predetermined slot width, a seat hook assembly being formed on the rail seat assembly generally near the first end of the rail seat assembly and being adapted to extend a distance generally over a portion of the upper surface of the rail flange generally near the first side of the rail flange;
• and
• a rail anchor having a first side, a second side, a first end and a second end, the rail anchor being operatively associated with the rail seat assembly and being movable from a normal position to a compressed position, the rail anchor having an anchor width extending generally between the first and second sides thereof, the anchor width being greater than the slot width of the anchor slot formed in the rail seat assembly in the normal position of the rail anchor and the anchor width being less than the slot width of the anchor slot formed in the rail seat assembly in the compressed position of the rail anchor, an anchor hook assembly being formed on the rail anchor generally near the second end of the rail anchor, a portion of the anchor hook assembly being adapted to extend a distance generally over a portion of the upper surface of the rail flange generally near the second side of the rail flange, and the first end of the rail anchor being insertable in the anchor slot generally near the second end of the rail seat assembly in the compressed position of the rail anchor and the rail anchor being movable through the anchor slot to an assembled position wherein the anchor hook extends over a portion of the upper surface of the rail flange generally near the second side of the rail flange and the rail anchor being movable to the normal position in the assembled position of the rail anchor for cooperating to hold the rail anchor in the assembled position.

A method for connecting a rail having a rail flange with an upper surface, a lower surface, a first side and a second side to a tie having a first end, a second end and an upper surface using a rail-tie fastening assembly means comprising the steps:

• forming cavity means in the tie having a sufficient size so a portion of the rail-tie fastening assembly means is disposable with the cavity means;
• disposing at least a portion of the rail-tie fastening assembly means in the cavity means after forming the cavity means in the tie;
• securing the rail-tie fastening assembly means in the cavity means, the rail tie-fastening assembly means connectable to the rail for connecting the rail to the tie, comprising;
• disposing compound means in the cavity means whereby the compound means covers at least a portion of the portion of the rail-tie fastening means disposed in the cavity means and whereby the compound means substantially fills the portion of the cavity means not occupied by the portion of the rail-tie fastening means disposed in the cavity means and cooperates to secure the rail-tie fastening means in the cavity means.

A method for connecting a rail having a rail flange with an upper surface, a lower surface, a first side and a second side to a tie having a first end, a second end and an upper surface, using a pair of rail seat plates wherein each rail seat plate is connected to a base anchor means and a rail anchor, comprising the steps of:

• forming a first cavity in the upper surface of the tie, generally near the first end of the tie;
• forming a second cavity in the upper surface of the tie generally near the first end of the tie, the second cavity extending generally parallel with the first cavity and being spaced a distance therefrom;
• disposing the base anchor means having the first rail seat plate connected thereto the first cavity in the tie, the first cavity being sized with respect to the base anchor means connected to the first rail seat plate so that the first seat plate is disposed generally on the upper surface of the tie when the base anchor means with the first rail seat plate connected thereto is disposed in the first cavity;
• securing the base anchor means with the first rail seat plate connected thereto in the cavity;
• disposing the base anchor means having the second rail seat plate connected thereto in the second cavity in the tie, the second cavity in the tie being sized with respect to the base anchor means connected to the second rail plate so that the second rail plate is disposed generally on the upper surface of the tie when the base anchor means with the second rail seat plate is connected thereto is disposed in the first cavity;
• and
• securing the base anchor means with the second rail seat plate connected thereto in the second cavity, the first rail seat plate and the second rail seat plate each being sized and positioned in the respective first and second cavities so that a space is formed between the first and the second rail seat plates defining an anchor slot, the rail anchor being movable through a portion of the anchor slot for connecting the rail anchor to the first and the second rail slot plates.