The present invention is concerned with means for securing railroad rails to metallic base plates or tie plates and, more specifically, to an assembly utilizing a resilient metallic fastener clip which interconnects in locking engagement with a clip locking shoulder formed in the base plate.
Metallic resilient clips for retaining the foot or base of railroad rails to a base plate have been known and in use for a number of years. The existing systems encounter several drawbacks.
One of the drawbacks is such systems do not provide a secure and positive interlock of the clip with the base plate but rely upon friction to maintain the clip in place.
Another drawback encountered in known rail retaining systems for securing railroad rails to base plates is that the fastening clips are of such a design as to require the utilization of special tools for insertion of the clip into engagement with the base plate.
One such system having the foregoing drawback is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,312,026 issued to Cantrell, et al. In this patent there is disclosed the use of a U-shaped metallic fastening clip which cooperates with an aperture and shoulder to secure the clip to the base plate. However, in this system, the base plate and lower limb of the fastening clip are so formed that the fastening clip cannot be driven into interlocked engagement with the base plate. A special tool must be utilized to spread apart the upper and lower limbs prior to insertion of the clip into engagement with the rail base or foot and base plate and then released. In a like manner, removal of the fastening clip can only be achieved by the reverse procedure, i.e. utilization of the special tool to spread apart the upper and lower limbs.
What is needed in the industry is a resilient rail fastening clip and design of interlock on the base plate which will permit the clip to be driven into engagement with the base plate by ordinary devices such as a sledge hammer to thus avoid the necessity of special tools.