Title of Invention

"AN ANCHORING DEVICE FOR RAILWAY RAIL FASTENING CLIP"

Abstract

An anchoring device, for retaining a railway rail fastening clip suitable for holding down a railway rail, which clip is formed from a rod of resilient material bent so as to be approximately M-shaped in plan, the clip having, proceeding from one end of the rod to the other, a substantially straight first portion, a bent second portion, a third portion, a bent fourth portion, a fifth portion, a bent sixth portion, and a substantially straight seventh portion, the first and seventh portions forming respectively the outer legs of the M, the third and fifth portions forming respectively the inner legs of the M, the second and sixth portions joining the outer legs to the inner legs and the fourth portion connecting the inner legs together, which device has a base member and a pair of clip-retaining members connected to said base member and extending substantially upwardly with respect thereto when the device is in use, said clip-retaining members being spaced apart so as to define an opening there between for receiving the interconnected inner legs of such an M-shaped clip and being formed with respective guiding passageways there through for receiving respectively the outer legs of the M-shaped clip, the device being such that, as a clip is driven into it, the outer legs thereof are forced downwardly with respect to the inner legs, thereby placing the clip under stress such that the longitudinal axis of the fourth portion of the clip lies in a plane which is substantially parallel, but not identical, to a plane containing the longitudinal axes of the first and seventh portions of the clip.

Full Text

The present invention relates to an anchoring device for railway rail-fastening clip and assembly and methods of employing the same. The applicant's previous inventions, rail clips commonly referred to respectively as a "P-R" clip (disclosed in GB-861,473) and an "e"-clip (disclosed in GB-1,510,224), have both been successful for many years, providing low-cost rail fastenings that have been widely used in many countries around the world. These clips may be installed into shoulders alongside the rail either manually, using a sledgehammer to drive the clip into the shoulder, or automatically by a clip driving machine. Whilst automatic clip installation is obviously more desirable, being quicker and less labour-intensive, it can be a fairly complex process, requiring accurate positioning of the clip relative to the shoulder in order to achieve an adequate rail fastening. An improved clip which is the subject of a co-pending divisional application is formed from a rod of resilient material bent so as to be approximately M-shaped in plan, the clip having, proceeding from one end of the rod to the other, a substantially straight first portion, a bent second portion, a third portion, a bent fourth portion, a fifth portion, a bent sixth portion, and a substantially straight seventh portion, the first and seventh portions forming respectively the outer legs of the M, the third and fifth portions forming respectively the inner legs of the M, the second and sixth portions joining the outer legs to the inner legs and the fourth portion connecting the inner legs together, wherein, when the clip is bearing on a rail, the longitudinal axis of the fourth portion lies in a plane which is substantially parallel, but not identical, to a plane containing the longitudinal axes of the first and seventh portions. According to the present invention there is provided an anchoring device, for retaining such an improved clip which device has a base member and a pair of clip-retaining members connected to said base member and extending substantially upwardly with respect thereto when the device is in use, said clip-retaining members being spaced apart so as to define an opening there between for receiving the interconnected inner legs of such an M-shaped clip and being formed with respective guiding passageways there through for receiving respectively the outer legs of the M-shaped clip, the device being such that, as a clip is driven into it, the outer legs thereof are forced downwardly with respect to the inner legs, thereby placing the clip under stress. Preferably, in an anchoring device embodying the present invention, the said guiding passageways are formed on respective outer faces of the said Clip-retaining members. Desirably, in an anchoring device embodying the present invention, each of the said guiding passageways is in the form of a channel formed in a side wall of the associated clip-retaining member. In such anchoring devices, each of the said clip-retaining members preferably has, at respective locations thereon spaced from the said base member, an inwardly-projecting portion which extends at least partially over the said opening such that, when said clip is retained by said device, said inwardly-projecting portions are located directly above at least part of each of the inner legs of the clip such that those portions serve to limit upward movement of the said inner legs. In an anchoring device embodying the present invention, the roof of each passageway desirably has a portion which slopes downwardly, proceeding along said passageway in a direction away from the opening thereof into which an outer leg of a clip is inserted when the device is in use, for abutting the outer leg of the clip when the clip is being driven into the device so as to drive that leg downwardly with respect to said inner legs. Preferably, in an anchoring device embodying the present invention, said base member is such that when each outer leg of the clip is inserted into the opening of a corresponding passageway of the device such that an upper part thereof abuts the roof of the passageway and a lower part thereof abuts the floor of the passageway at said opening thereinto, the fourth portion of the clip is supported by said base member. Desirably, in an anchoring device embodying the present invention, opposing side faces of said clip-retaining members are not connected together by said base member along their entire lengths. Preferably, said base member connects only an end portion of one of the said clip-retaining members to an adjacent end portion of the other of the said clip-retaining members. Preferably, an anchoring device embodying the present invention includes second locating means for cooperating with first locating means on said clip. Desirably, the roof of one or each of the passageways of the anchoring device is provided with a downwardly-directed projection for engaging with the recess provided on the corresponding outer leg of the clip. Preferably in such an anchoring device, said projection is located such that the clip is held in position in which the clip bears on an adjacent rail. Desirably, the roof of one or each of the passageways is provided with another downwardly-directed projection for engaging with said recess which is preferably located such that the clip is held in a position in which the clip does not bear on an adjacent rail. Preferably, such projections are located at either end of one or each of the passageways. Preferably, an anchoring device embodying the present invention carries a shoulder insulator, formed of electrically insulating material for electrically isolating the anchoring device from said rail, located between the device and rail, the insulator having first and second plate-like parts which adjoin one another at an angle, greater than 0°, which is such that the first plate-like part of the insulator rests on a ledge portion of the anchoring device and the second part-like part of the insulator is in contact with a face of the anchoring device which adjoins said ledge portion and is adjacent to the foot of the rail, the insulator also having insulator locating means for locating the insulator relative to the said anchoring device. Preferably, such an anchoring device has an upstanding ridge portion which projects into a corresponding slot in part of the insulator constituting at least part of said insulator locating means. Desirably, at least part of said insulator locating means is constituted by a portion of the insulator which is located beneath part of said clip. Preferably, the free end of an outer leg of the clip lies above said portion of the insulator. Reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a railway rail fastening assembly including an anchoring device embodying the present invention; Figs. 2A, 2B and 2C show respective plan, side clevational and rear elevational views of the clip shown in Fig. 1, and Figs. 2D and 2E show respective enlarged plan and side elevational views of part of that clip; Figs. 3A, 3B and 3C show respective plan, side elevational and front elevational views of another clip and Figs. 3D and 3E show respective enlarged side elevational and plan views of part of that clip; Figs.4A, 4B and 4C show respective.plan, side elevational and front elevational views of the anchoring device shown in Fig. 1; Figs. 5A, 5B and 5C show respective plan, side elevational and front elevational views of an alternative form of anchoring device embodying the present invention;, Figs. 6A, 6B and 6C show respective side elevational, front elevational and plan views of another alternative form of anchoring device embodying the present invention, and Figs. 6D, 6E and 6F show respectively a side elevational view in partial cross-section, a front elevational view in partial cross-section, and a plan view of an assembly incorporating the anchoring device of Figs. 6A to 6C in combination with I he clip of Figs. 3A to 3E; Fig. 7A shows a plan view of an insulator shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 7B shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in Fig. 7A, and Fig. 7C shows an enlarged view of part of Fig. 7B; Figs. 8A and 8B show respectively plan and front elevational views of another shoulder insulator; Figs. 9A, 9B and 9C show views for use in explaining installation of a clip into an anchoring device embodying the present invention. Fig. 1 shows an assembly comprising a resilient railway rail fastening clip 1 having a toe portion 14 which bears against a flange of a railway rail 2 supported by a rail foundation 3, the rail foundation 3 being cushioned from the rail 2 by means of a resilient rail pad 4 located between the base of the rail and the rail foundation 3. The rail clip 1 is held in place by an anchoring device or shoulder 5, the shoulder 5 having a pair of passageways 53 (only one of which is shown in Fig. 1) in which respective limbs 11, 17 (only limb 17 being shown in Fig. 1) of the clip are located. The toe portion 14 of the clip I carries an insulator 6 covering the lowermost surface of the toe portion 14, so that the toe portion 14 of the clip 1 bears on the rail flange through the insulator 6, which thereby insulates the clip 1 from the rail 2. Located between the rail 2 and the shoulder 5 is a "side post" insulator 7, for electrically isolating the shoulder 5 from the rail 2. As shown in Figs. 2A, 2B and 2C, the clip 1 shown in Fig. 1 is substantially M-shaped in plan. It is made by bending a rod of resilient material which is, in this case, circular in cross-section (for example a steel rod 15mm in diameter), so as to have, proceeding from one end A of the rod to the other end B, a straight first portion 11, a second portion 12 bent through 180°, a curved third portion 13, a fourth portion 14 which is bent through 180°, a curved fifth portion 15, a sixth portion 16 which is bent through 180° and a straight seventh portion 17. The first and seventh portions 11 and 17 of the clip constitute the outer legs of the M, the third and fifth portions 13 and 15 constitute the inner legs of the M, the second and sixth portions 12 and 16 join respective inner legs to the outer legs, and the fourth portion 14 of the clip joins together the inner legs. When viewed in plan, as in Fig. 2A, the fourth portion 14 of the clip extends beyond the free ends A and B of the first and seventh portions 11 and 17. The second and sixth portions 12 and 16 of the clip 1 rise out of the plane containing the first and seventh portions 11 and 17 of the clip 1 such that no rising part of the longitudinal axes of those portions 12 and 16 is inclined to that plane by an angle greater than about 33°, although in other embodiments of this invention this angle may be up 40". The third and fifth portions 13 and 15 of the clip 1 are curved such that their longitudinal axes lie in respective planes which are substantially perpendicular to the plane containing the first and seventh portions 11 and 17 of the clip. Each of the third and fifth portions 13 and 15 in the illustrated embodiment has a first substantially straight part 13a, 15a and a second substantially straight part 13b, 15b, the longitudinal axes of which parts are inclined to one another at an angle of about 30°. However, the first and second parts 13a, 13b, 15a, 15b of the third and fifth portions 13 and 15 could themselves be curved so that the third and fifth portions 13 and 15 are curved more smoothly overall. When a clip is bearing on the rail, as shown in Fig. 1, a plane containing the longitudinal axis of the fourth portion 14 is substantially parallel to the plane containing the first and seventh portions 11 and 17. For the clip shown in Figs. 2A to 2C, the ratio of the maximum distance between the longitudinal axes of the third and fifth portions 13 and 15 and the plane containing the first and seventh portions 11 and 17 to the diameter of the rod forming the clip is 1.23. A preferred maximum value for this ratio is 2.0, but it could be as high as 4.0. The outer legs of the clip, i.e. the first and seventh portions 11 and 17 thereof, are each provided with detents 18 on their upper surface adjacent to the respective free ends A and B of the clip. The end B of one of the outer legs of the clip (which in this embodiment is identical to the other outer leg) is shown in more detail in Figs. 2D and 2E. In this embodiment, the detents 18 are each shaped so as to have two faces 18a, 18b which are inclined in opposite respective directions with reference to the longitudinal axes of the first and seventh portions 11 and 17 and another face 18c forming the floor of the detent 18 which joins together the inclined faces 18a, 18b and is itself substantially parallel to the longitudinal axes of the first and seventh portions 11 and 17. In this embodiment, the inclined faces 18a, 18b are inclined at an angle of 30° with respect to the longitudinal axes of the first and seventh portions 11 and 17. The floor 18c of the detent serves to space apart the inclined faces 18a, 18b of the detent 18, but in an alternative embodiment this floor 18c may be omitted so that there is no space between the lowermost edges of the inclined faces 18a, 18b of the detent 18. The detent 18 is preferably on the uppermost surface of the first and seventh portions 11 and 17 of the clip as shown, rather than on a lateral face thereof, so that when the clip 1 is installed in an anchoring device 5 the force on the outer legs of the clip caused by the engagement of the anchoring device 5 with the detents 18 is in substantially the same direction as the stress acting on the second and sixth portions 12 and 16 of the clip I owing to deflection of the outer legs. Each free end A, B of the clip 1 is tapered on its upper and lower surfaces, the upper and lower tapered surfaces 19a, 19b being in this embodiment at an angle of approximately 30° with respect to the longitudinal axis of the clip in the present embodiment the detent 18 is formed just behind the tapered part 19a of the upper surface. As will be clear from the description of Figs. 10A to IOC later on, the taper 19a on the upper surface of the outer leg is intended to ease insertion of the clip 1 into an anchoring device 5. The taper 19b on the lower surface of the outer leg is intended to facilitate use of the clip in holding the insulator 7 in place between the anchoring device 5 and the rail 2. A modified form of the clip shown in Figs. 2A to 2E is shown in Figs. 3A to 3E. The clip of Figs. 3A to 3E differs from that of Figs. 2A to 2E in that the third and fifth portions 13 and 15 thereof have respective first parts 13a and 15a which are slightly curved, the second parts 13b and 15b remaining straight, such that the overall height of the clip is reduced in comparison to that of Figs. 2A to 2E. In addition, the free ends of the outer legs 11, 17 of the clip 1 are rounded at their tops 19a and are chamfered at lateral parts 19c thereof, so as to ease insertion of the clip into an anchoring device. The clip shown in Figs. 2A to 2E, or that shown in Figs. 3A to 3E, may be used, as shown in Fig. 1, with an anchoring device as shown in Figs. 4A to 4C, although this anchoring device may be modified in some respects for example as shown in Figs. 5A to 5C. The anchoring devices 5 of Figs. 4A to 4C and 5A to 5C comprise a base member 51, which extends substantially horizontally when the device is in use, and a pair of clip-retaining members 52 which are connected at one end thereof to either end of the base member 51 so as to extend substantially perpendicularly thereto both vertically and horizontally. A channel formed in the outwardly-facing wall of each clip-retaining member 52 provides a passageway 53 for receiving the outer legs of the clip of Figs. 2A to 2E. The clip-retaining members 52 are spaced apart by the base member 51 so as to define an opening 54 there between for receiving the inner legs of the clip. Overhanging the opening 54 from the top of each clip-retaining member 52 are inwardly-extending projections 55, which projections 55 serve to limit upward movement of the inner legs of the clip which may occur due to rail tilt when the clip is in use. Each passageway 53 has an opening 56 at the end of the clip retaining member 52 which is furthest from the base member 51, but is closed by a wall 57 at the other end of the clip-retaining member 52 so as to provide means by which the insulator 7 may be located on the anchoring device 5, as will be explained later in more detail. For this purpose also, the roof of the passageway adjacent to the wall 57 is removed. When the anchoring device 5 is in use, the floor of the passageway 53 is substantially horizontal. The passageway 53 has only one side face, constituted by a wall 52a of the clip-retaining member 52 formed so as to lie between the outer and inner legs of the clip 1 when in use, the other side of the passageway being open. The roof of the passageway 53 is formed so as to have a sloping part 53a which is inclined with respect to the horizontal when the device is in use such that the passageway is taller at the part of that sloping part 53a which is closer to the opening 56 than it is at the other end of the part 53a, the roof of the passageway 53 being formed at either end of the sloping part 53a in such a way as to provide projections 53b and 53c for cooperating with the detent 18 formed in the outer leg of each clip I for locating the clip 1 at a particular location with respect to the anchoring device 5. The first projection 53b which is formed at the opening 56 of the passageway 53 presents to the opening 53 a first face 53b', which is fairly shallowly inclined to the horizontal in a direction such that the height of the passageway decreases proceeding towards the wall 57. The projection 53b then has a second face 53b", which is more steeply inclined with respect to the horizontal, but in the opposite sense, than the first face 53b' such that the height of the passageway increases. The second projection 53c which is formed closest to the wall 57 has a first face 53c' forming the sloping part 53a and a second face 53c" which is inclined in the opposite sense with respect to the horizontal by an angle which is greater than the angle of inclination of the sloping part 53a, but is smaller than the angle of inclination of the second face 53b" of the first projection 53b. Extending from each wall 52a of the clip-retaining members 52 in a region above the passageways 53 is a part 58 such that between the passageway 53 and the part 58 there is defined a recess 59 into which a tool, for installing a clip into or removing a clip from the device, or for lifting a sleeper to which a pair of anchoring devices 5 have been secured, may be inserted. The roof of the recess 59 may be sloped along one edge as shown. The wall 52a of each clip-retaining member 52 may be rounded or sloped along one edge as shown so as to reduce the amount of material required to make the anchoring device 5. The floor of the passageway 53 is preferably extended beyond the opening 56 so as to provide a part 53d against which the lower surface of the outer legs of the clip may rest when the clip is about to be installed in the device 5. The base member 51, which provides a support for the fourth portion 14 of the clip 1 when it is not bearing on the rail, is in this embodiment intended (when in use) to receive a side post insulator 7, a step 5la being provided in the face of the base member 51 which is closest to the rail 2 when the device 5 is in use for receiving a horizontally-extending part of the insulator 7. It should be noted, however, that this step 5la would not be required if the anchoring device 5 were to be used with a conventional insulator for electrically isolating the device from the rail. Further savings in the material needed to make the device 5 may be achieved by omitting the overhanging projections 55, thereby enabling the overall height of the anchoring device 5 to be reduced, as shown in Figs. 5A to 5C. The parts 58 have also been omitted from the device of Figs. 5A to 5C, although the upper part of this device 5 could be modified so as to provide a recess for receiving installation or lifting tools. In one embodiment of the anchoring device shown in Figs. 4A to 4C, for use with a clip as described with reference to Figs. 2A to 2E, the overall height of the anchoring device is 60mm and its overall width is 101mm. The clip-retaining members 52 define an opening between them which is 57mm wide, the walls 52a being 9mm wide. The lowermost surface of each overhanging part 55 is 46mm above that part of the anchoring device which will be level with surface of the rail foundation 3 when the device is in use, the separation between the overhanging parts 55 being 32mm. The part 53d extends beyond the opening 56 of the passageway 53 a distance 11mm, the length of the passageway from the inner wall 57 to the opening 56 being 77mm. The wall 57 is 8mm thick as measured in a direction parallel to the length of the passageway 53 and is 21mm high. The thickness of the floor of the passageway is 3mm and the height of the passageway at the opening is 22mm. The height of the passageway then decreases at an angle of about 13° to a height of 20mm before increasing again at an angle of about 45° to a height of 24mm. The sloping part 53a of the passageway roof is inclined at an angle of about 18° and at is lowermost point is 18.5mm above the floor of the passageway 53. The second face 53c" of the second projection 53c is inclined at an angle of 30° to a height of 24mm, the lowermost point of the second projection 53c being 26mm from the outer face of the wall 57. The lowermost point of the first projection 53b is 68mm from the outer face of the wall 57. The recess 59 above the passageway 53 has an upper surface which is inclined at an angle of about 15° starting at a height of 44mm above the lowermost point of the anchoring device and increasing to 51mm, the floor of the recess being 32mm above the lowermost point of the anchoring device. The step 5la formed in the base member 51 is formed at a height of 15mm above the lowermost point of the anchoring device and is of depth 8mm. The anchoring devices 5 of Figs. 4A to 4C and Figs. 5A to 5C may, as shown in Figs. 6A to 6F, be secured to a concrete rail foundation by means of a stem 50 provided so as to project from the base member 51 thereof. The stem 50, forming an integral part of the anchoring device 5, is embedded in the concrete sleeper 3 during manufacture of the sleeper 3 and is provided with vanes 50a to counteract any tendency of the anchoring device 5 to rotate in the sleeper 3. The insulator 7 shown in Fig. 1 will now be described in more detail with reference to Figs. 7A to 7C. The insulator has a first plate 71 which, when the insulator is in use, is located between the anchoring device 5 and the rail 2. Projecting perpendicularly from a central portion of the top edge of the first plate 71 is a second plate 72 which is shaped such that when in use it can be located in the step 5la of the anchoring device 5 so as to provide an unbroken flat surface on the base member 51. The first plate 71 is lower at its central portion that it is at either end, there being provided at either end of the first plate 71 upstanding insulator locating members 73 which extend perpendicularly to the first plate 71. These insulator locating members 73 are spaced from the second plate 72 so as to provide respective recesses 74 for receiving the walls 52a of the clip-retaining members 52 of the anchoring device 5. The locating members 73 are each formed in a lower face thereof with a slot 75, extending parallel to the first plate 71, for receiving the wall 57 of the anchoring device 5 when the insulator is in use, thereby preventing the insulator 7 from moving in a horizontal direction during use but allowing the insulator to be removed from the anchoring device 5, for example for replacement due to wear, by being lifted in a vertical direction. Extending from the bottom of a face of each insulator locating member 73 remote from the first plate 71 is a locating foot 76 having an inclined upper surface. When the insulator 7 is located on an anchoring device 5 and a clip 1 is fully installed in that device 5, the lower tapered surface 19b at the free end of each outer leg of the clip rests on the upper surface of the locating foot 76 so as to prevent lifting of the insulator 7 to an undesirable extent during use. Connecting one side of the upper surface of the locating foot 76 to the insulator locating member 73 is a wall 77. Another form of shoulder insulator 7 is shown in Figs. 8A and 8B. An embodiment of the insulator 7 intended for use with an anchoring device 5 as described with reference to Figs. 4A to 4C or 5A to 5C has: a first plate 71 which is 119mm long, 20mm high at its central part and 26mm high at the remainder, being 8mm thick; a second part 72 which is 55mm long, 15.5mm wide and 6mm thick; an insulator locating member 73 which is 21.5mm long, 26mm high and 19.5mm wide; a recess 74 which is 10.5mm wide; a slot 75 which is 20mm high, 8.5mm wide and 13mm long, there being a thickness of material of about 8mm forming two of the three vertical walls of the slot; and a locating foot 76 which is 3.5mm thick at its thinnest point, having an upper surf ace inclined at an angle of 16° to the horizontal, the locating foot being 15.5mm long, 8.5mm wide and having a lower surface which is 2mm above the lowermost point of the first plate 71. Installation of the clip I into an anchoring device 5 as shown in Fig. 1 will now be explained with reference to Figs. 9A to 9C (the toe insulator 6 that would normally be carried by the clip 1 being omitted for clarity in these Figures). Fig. 9A shows the clip in an initial position, as it is when it is about to be driven into the device 5, with the fourth portion of the clip I resting (via a toe insulator 6,.not shown) on the base member 51 of the anchoring device 5 and the outer legs of the clip I just inside the passageways 53 of the anchoring device 5 such that part of the lower surface of the outer legs rests on the portion 53d of the anchoring device 5, the face 18a of the detent 18 which is closest to the free end of the outer leg is in contact with the second face 53b" of the projection 53b, and the upper tapered surface 19a of the outer leg is partly in contact with the sloping part 53a of the roof of the passageway 53. In this position the clip is only partially deflected, for example only 2mm out of a total deflection of 12mm. When the clip is driven into an intermediate position, as shown in Fig. 9B, in which the face of the detent 18b is brought into contact with the first face 53b' of the projection 53b, the outer legs are deflected downwardly a little more, bringing the second and sixth portions 12 and 16 of the clip 1 upwardly. In this position, the fourth portion of the clip rests above part of the side post insulator 7, thereby preventing upward movement of that insulator. If the insulator is shaped such that it holds down the rail pad 4, then in this position the clip also serves to retain the rail pad through the insulator. Thus, it is envisaged that the clip, insulator, and preferably also the pad, could be installed on a sleeper provided with an anchoring device 5 in the sleeper factory before being taken to site. Fig. 9C shows the clip as it appears when it has been driven from the intermediate position shown in Fig. 9B into a final position where the fourth portion 14 (normally carrying a toe insulator 6) of the clip 1 bears on the rail 2. As the clip is driven horizontally, the sloping roof of the passageway in contact with the upper tapered surface 19a of the outer leg urges the outer leg downwardly, thereby deflecting the clip. In the final position of the clip, the detent 18 in the clip 1 is engaged by the second projection 53c of the anchoring device 5 and the free ends of the outer legs overlie the locating feet 76 of the side post insulator 7 so that upward movement of the insulator 7 is further restricted. The clip is fully deflected in this position, the fourth portion of the clip lying in a plane which is substantially parallel to the plane containing the first and seventh portions of the clip and the second and sixth portions 12 and 16 of the clip being at their highest point. When the clip is in its initial position, the insulator is free to move upwardly, so, if replacement of the insulator 7 is required, this may be achieved by driving the clip I back into its initial position, without the need to remove the clip I completely from the anchoring device 5. As the second and sixth portions 12 and 16 of the clip are, in the initial position of the clip, close to the surface of the sleeper, a potential problem of rail foot entrapment, that could occur when a rail is being lifted from its typical initial position alongside the rear of the anchoring device onto the rail pad 4, can be avoided. This shape of clip, in which the outer legs are deflected downwardly in relation to the inner legs, also allows the overall height of the shoulder to be reduced, thereby permitting it to be-lighter and cheaper. Desirably, when a clip I is installed in an anchoring device 5 there is a clearance of about 5mm between the bottom of the toe insulator 6 and the base member 51 of the anchoring device 5 so as to ensure that if the height of the rail is reduced owing to wear of the rail pad beneath it the clip will not be prevented from bearing sufficiently on the rail by the base member 51 of the anchoring device 5. WE CLAIM: 1. An anchoring device, for retaining a railway rail fastening clip (1) which is approximately M-shaped in plan, said device (5) having a base member (51) and a pair of clip-retaining members (52) connected to said base member (51) and extending substantially upwardly with respect thereto when the device (5) is in use, characterized in that said clip-retaining members (52) are spaced apart to define an opening (54) therebetween for receiving the interconnected inner legs of such an M-shaped clip (1) and are formed with respective guiding passageways (53) therethrough for receiving respectively the outer legs of the M-shaped clip (1), the device (5) retaining said railway rail fastening clip (1), as said clip (1) is driven into it, the outer legs thereof being forced downwardly with respect to the inner legs, thereby changing the clip (1) from its unstressed to its stressed operative configuration in which a toe portion (14) of the clip projects from a front face of the device to bear on a rail and the longitudinal axis of the toe portion (14) of the clip lies in a plane which is substantially parallel to, but spaced from, the plane containing the longitudinal axes of the outer legs portions (11, 17). 2. An anchoring device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said guiding passageways (53) are formed on respective outer faces of the said clip-retaining members (52) 3. An anchoring device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the said guiding passageways (53) is in the form of a channel formed in a side wall of the associated clip-retaining member (52) 4. An anchoring device as claimed in any one of claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein each of the said clip-retaining members (52) has, at respective locations thereon spaced from the said base member (51), an inwardly-projecting portion (55) which extends at least partially over the said opening (54) such that, when said clip (1) is retained by said device (5), said inwardly-projecting portions (55) are located directly above at least part of each of the inner legs of the clip (1) such that those portions serve to limit upward movement of the said inner legs. 5. An anchoring device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the roof of each passageway (53) has a portion (53a) which slopes downwardly, proceeding along said passageway (53) in a direction away from the opening (56) thereof into which an outer leg of a clip (1) is inserted when the device (5) is in use, for abutting the outer leg of the clip (1) when the clip (1) is being driven into the device (5) So as to drive that leg downwardly with respect to said inner legs. 6. An anchoring device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said base member (51) is such that when each outer leg of the clip (1) is inserted into the opening (56) of a corresponding passageway (53) of the device (5) such that an upper part thereof abuts the roof of the passageway (53) and a lower part thereof abuts the floor of the passageway (53) at said opening thereinto, the toe portion (14) of the clip (1) is supported by said base member (51). 7. An anchoring device as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 6, wherein opposing side faces of said clip-retaining members (52) are not connected together by said base member (51) along their entire lengths. 8. An anchoring device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said base member (51) connects only an end portion of one of the said clip-retaining members (52) to an adjacent end portion of the other of the said clip-retaining members (52). 9. An anchoring device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, which is provided with second locating means (53b, 53c) for cooperating with first locating means (18) on said clip (1). 10. An anchoring device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the said first locating means comprises a recess (18) provided on the corresponding outer leg of the clip (1) and the second locating means comprises a downwardly-directed projection (53c) provided on the roof of one or each of the passageways (53) for engaging with the recess (18). 11. An anchoring device as claimed in claim 10, wherein said projection (53c) is provided on the roof of said passageway(s) whereby the clip (1) is held in position in which it bears on an adjacent rail (2). 12. An anchoring device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the roof of one or each of the passageways (53) is provided with another downwardly-directed projection (53b) for engaging with said recess (18). 13. An anchoring device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the projection (53b) is provided whereby the clip (1) is held in a position in which it does not bear on an adjacent rail (2). 14. An anchoring device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the projections (53b, 53c) are located at either end of one or each of the passageways (53). 15. A railway rail fastening assembly comprising a railway rail (2), an anchoring device (5) as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 14 positioned adjacent to a flange of said rail (2), and a clip (1) installed in the anchoring device (5), wherein the toe portion (14) of the clip (1) bears on the rail flange. 16. An assembly as claimed in claim 15, which is additionally provided with a shoulder insulator (7), formed of electrically-insulating material for electrically isolating the anchoring device (5) from said rail (2), located between the device (5) and rail (2), the insulator (7) having first and second plate-like parts (71, 72) which adjoin one another at an angle, greater than 0°, whereby the first plate-like part (72) of the insulator (7) rests on a ledge portion (51 a) of the anchoring device (5) and the second plate-like part (71) of the insulator (7) is in contact with a face of the anchoring device (5) which adjoins said ledge portion (51 a) and is adjacent to the foot of the rail (2), the insulator (7) also having insulator locating means (73) for locating the insulator (7) relative to the said anchoring device (5). 17. An assembly as claimed in claim 16, wherein the anchoring device (5) has an upstanding ridge portion (57) which projects into a corresponding slot (75) in part of the insulator (7) constituting at least part of said insulator locating means (73). 18. An assembly as claimed in claim 16 or 17, wherein at least part of said insulator locating means (73) is constituted by a portion (76) of the insulator (7) which is located beneath part of said clip (1). 19. An assembly as claimed in claim 18, wherein the free end (A, B) of an outer leg of the clip (1) lies above said portion (76) of the insulator (7).

Documents:

917-del-1999-abstract.pdf

917-del-1999-claims.pdf

917-del-1999-correspondence-others.pdf

917-del-1999-correspondence-po.pdf

917-del-1999-description (complete).pdf

917-del-1999-drawings.pdf

917-del-1999-form-1.pdf

917-del-1999-form-13.pdf

917-del-1999-form-19.pdf

917-del-1999-form-2.pdf

917-del-1999-form-3.pdf

917-del-1999-form-5.pdf

917-del-1999-gpa.pdf