Rail fastening system constructed to allow pre-assembly of a rail clip and shoulder

Abstract

A rail fastening system including a cast shoulder and an elastic rail spring clip for applying a holding force to an insulator and a rail. The spring clip includes a pair of compressible arms for exerting a rail hold down force and a substantially horizontal base portion for application to the cast shoulder. The cast shoulder includes an anchoring portion, a receiving portion including converging opposing sides angled to define a throat having a width less than a decompressed width of the spring clip arms, and notches on the sides adjacent to the throat. In practice, the spring clip is applied to the cast shoulder such that two spring clip arms contact and move along the converging sides causing the spring clip arms to be compressed by the sides. When the arms move beyond the throat, the arms spring outwardly into the notch. The notch provides a catch that prevents any backward migration such that the elastic rail spring clip and the cast shoulder cam be pre-assembled at a remote location, requiring less labor at the rail installation site.

We claim:  
     
         1 . A fastening system for mounting a rail to a rail tie, comprising: 
 a spring clip having a pair of arms that can be deflected toward one another from a normal nondeflected position wherein the arms define a normal width of the spring clip; and    a shoulder comprising: 
 an anchoring portion adapted to be anchored to the rail,  
 a receiving portion for receiving the spring clip, the receiving portion having a pair of opposing sides angled to converge toward the rail and providing a throat location at which the distance between the opposing sides is less than the normal width of the spring clip so that the arms are deflected toward one another as they move along said sides toward the throat location, and  
 a notch adjacent to the throat location for receiving the arms when the arms move past the throat location, the notches defining a width greater than the distance between the opposing sides at the throat location to thereby allow the arms to assume the non-deflected position and thereafter prevent movement of the spring clip out of the receiving portion in a direction away from the rail.  
   
     
     
         2 . The rail fastening system recited in  claim 1 , wherein the opposing sides each includes a wall coupled with a base such that a width of the base is wider than a width of the wall to present a ledge surface for guiding the spring clip into said receiving portion.  
     
     
         3 . The rail fastening system recited in  claim 2 , wherein the opposing sides each includes an upper portion having a first downwardly inclined surface and a second substantially horizontal surface, such that an area between said ledge and the downwardly inclined and substantially horizontal surfaces of the upper portion present a coupling guide for the spring clip.  
     
     
         4 . The rail fastening system recited in  claim 1 , wherein each notch includes at least one surface which has a length at least substantially equal to a length of each spring clip arm.  
     
     
         5 . In a fastening assembly for holding a rail on a rail tie, a method for preassembling an elastic rail spring clip having a base portion and two arms to a shoulder having a receiving portion including a pair of converging opposing sides and a notch, the converging sides defining a throat location having a width less than a decompressed width of the spring clip arms, the method comprising: 
 coupling the horizontal surface of the elastic rail spring clip to the receiving portion of the shoulder;    moving the elastic rail spring clip into the receiving portion with the arms moving along the converging sides to compress the arms to a width less than said decompressed width; and    continuing to move the compressed elastic rail spring clip into the receiving portion until the arms pass said throat and align with the notches, whereupon the arms decompress and spring into the notches to thereafter hold the spring clip to the shoulder in a partially assembled condition.    
     
     
         6 . The method as recited in  claim 5 , including the step of moving the base portion of the elastic spring clip in a guide area defined between upper portions of the opposing sides and bases of the opposing sides.  
     
     
         7 . A fastening assembly for use to fasten a rail on a rail tie, comprising: 
 a spring clip having a pair of arms which normally assume an undeflected position wherein the arms are spaced apart and present a normal width, said arms being constructed to deflect toward one another from said undeflected position and opposing such deflection by spring action;    a shoulder adapted for attachment to the tie and including a receiving portion for receiving said clip therein, said receiving portion having a pair of opposing sides oriented to converge toward a throat as the sides extend toward the rail, said throat defining a width between said sides less than said normal width to deflect said arms toward one another as the arms move along said sides toward said throat; and    a notch in each side adjacent said throat to allow the arms to spring outwardly into said notches when the arms pass said throat, said notches having surfaces for catching on said arms to prevent the arms from moving away from the rail to said throat and thereby retain the clip to the shoulder in a partially assembled condition.