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A rail spike (also known as a cut spike or crampon) is a large nail with an offset head that is used to secure rails and base plates to railroad ties (sleepers) in the track. Robert Livingston Stevens is credited with the invention of the rail spike, [ 6 ] the first recorded use of which was in 1832. [ 7 ]
It automatically locks the couplers on cars or locomotives together without a rail worker having to get between the cars, and replaced the link and pin coupler, which was a major cause of railroad worker injuries and deaths. The locking pin that ensures Janney couplers remain fastened together is withdrawn manually by a worker using the "cut ...
On straight track, the link and pin coupler is used. Since the vertical curve between the straight track sections and the ramp between the lock chambers has a very small radius, the difference in height would be too great for a link and pin coupler, so the locomotives must be pushed through these sections uncoupled by using the side buffers.
To clip and scotch a set of railway points (Amer. a switch) uses two pieces of equipment to temporarily lock a set of points into a particular position. [1] The point clip clamps the end of a moving rail (the switch rail ) of a set of points to its associated stock rail , and the scotch is a timber wedge used to ensure that the other moving ...
Narrow gauge flat wagons, 750 mm (2 ft 5 + 1 ⁄ 2 in).Note the single buffer with a hook on the right side and a chain on the other. On some narrow-gauge lines in Europe, and on the Paris Metro, a simplified version of the loose-coupler is used, consisting of a single central buffer with a chain underneath.
On a standard-gauge railway, the nominal mounting height for the coupler (rail top to coupler center) is 33 inches (838 mm), with a 34 + 1 ⁄ 2 ± 1 inch (876 ± 25 mm) maximum height on empty cars and 31 + 1 ⁄ 2 ± 1 inch (800 ± 25 mm) minimum height on loaded cars.
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Railway interlocking is of British origin, where numerous patents were granted. In June 1856, John Saxby received the first patent for interlocking switches and signals. [2] [3]: 23–24 In 1868, Saxby (of Saxby & Farmer) [4] was awarded a patent for what is known today in North America as “preliminary latch locking”.