Rail fastening devices

A rail and tie plate suitable for attachment to a wood tie, comprising:

• a base plate adapted to be applied to the tie and a pair of abutment members upstanding therefrom to accommodate therebetween a rail having a rail flange portion on each side,
• each rail flange portion having a laterally outer edge and an upper side, each laterally outer edge of each rail flange portion engaged by a lower laterally inner side of a respective abutment member,
• each abutment member providing a downwardly facing upper abutment surface for reaction with a laterally inwardly inserted rail clip, and an upwardly facing lower ramp surface defining a lower side of an opening extending through said abutment member and inclining from a laterally outer side of each abutment member upwardly to a termination on a laterally inner side thereof at least as high as said upper side of said rail flange portion engaged thereby, said lower ramp surface terminated at a planar surface of an upper side of said plate outwardly of the abutment members, for facilitating insertion of the clip through said opening to an installed position wherein an inner end of the clip bears resiliently on an inner side of the rail flange and,
• said plate having a central portion between the abutment members that tapers in thickness and has an upper side canted with respect to the lower side thereof and said lower side is provided with discrete wedge shape projections spaced inwardly from a longitudinal edge of said plate said projections having vertical surfaces facing in a direction of increasing thickness of the central portion of the plate.