Railroad tie

Claim 2

An improved strength member comprising a first timber adapted to span and connect the spaced-apart rails of the railroad track and having at least one drill hole extending therethrough in parallel with said rails, a second timber also adapted to span and connect said spacedapart rails and also having at least one drill hole extending therethrough in parallel with said rails, and a hollow rotatable metal bolt means inserted in said holes with one end externally threaded in one direction for engaging said first timber and with the other end externally threaded in the other direction for engaging said second timber, wherein said timbers are both pre-treated with a penetrating liquid preservative after said drill holes have been formed therein.

Claim 3

The strength member described in claim 1, wherein said first and second timbers are closely alignable to form a railroad tie of conventional configuration, and wherein said bolt means is provided with open ends for receiving a rotatable turning means.

Claim 4

The strength member described in claim 2, wherein said bolt means is further adapted to engage said received turning means for rotation to bring said timbers into closer engagement, one to the other.

Claim 5

The strength member described in claim 3, wherein each of said timbers is wide enough to receive a downwardly driven railroad spike or the like in each end.

Claim 6

The strength member described in claim 4, wherein said timbers are each provided with at least two equally spaced-apart drill holes extending therethrough in parallel to each other and to said rails, and wherein said bolt means has one threaded end inserted in one of said two holes in one of said timbers and the other end inserted in the corresponding one of said two holes in the other of said timbers.

Claim 7

The strength member described in claim 4, wherein each of said two holes in each of said two timbers is located generally midway between one of the ends of the timber and the rail located nearest thereto, wherein said bolt means is inserted in the two confronting holes in one of the two enDs of each of said timbers, and wherein another such rotatable bolt means is similarly inserted in the other two confronting holes in the other of the two ends of each of said two timbers.

Claim 8

The strength member described in claim 6, wherein said timbers are pre-treated with a penetrating liquid preservative before receiving said bolt means.

Claim 9

The strength member described in claim 7, wherein said bolt means are rotatable in either direction.

Claim 10

An assembly of timbers arranged and combined to form a railroad tie or other strength member, comprising a first wooden half-tie means having a length sufficient to span and be secured to a pair of spaced-apart parallel railroad rails and further having at least one pre-drilled hole extending through said first half-tie means substantially midway between its upper and lower surfaces and parallel with said rails, a second wooden half-tie means also having a length sufficient to span and be secured to said same pair of spaced-apart rails and further having at least one pre-drilled hole extending through said second half-tie means substantially midway between its upper and lower surfaces and parallel with said rails, said half-ties being both pre-treated with a penetrating liquid preservative after said pre-drilled holes have been formed therein, said second half-tie means being further adapted to be abuttingly aligned with said first half-tie means to form said railroad tie or strength member when said pre-drilled holes are also in axial alignment, and a fastening device disposed in said axially aligned holes in said half-tie means and being a metal tubular member having one of its ends externally threaded and embedded in said first half-tie means and having its opposite end externally threaded oppositely of the threads on said one end and embedded in said second half-tie means, said tubular member being rotatable for drawing said half-tie means into locked engagement with each other.

Claim 11

An assembly of timbers arranged and combined to form a railroad tie or other strength member, comprising a first wooden half-tie means having a length sufficient to span and be secured to a pair of spaced-apart parallel railroad rails and further having at least one pre-drilled hole extending through said first half-tie means substantially midway between its upper and lower surfaces and parallel with said rails, a second wooden half-tie means also having a length sufficient to span and be secured to said same pair of spaced-apart rails and further having at least one pre-drilled hole extending through said second half-tie means substantially midway between its upper and lower surfaces and parallel with said rails, said half-ties being both pre-treated with a penetrating liquid preservative after said pre-drilled holes have been formed therein, said second half-tie means being further adapted to be abuttingly aligned with said first half-tie means to form said railroad tie or strength member when said pre-drilled holes are also in axial alignment, and a fastening device disposed in said axially aligned holes in said half-tie means and being a metal tubular member having one of its ends externally threaded and embedded in said first half-tie means and having its opposite end externally threaded oppositely of the threads on said one end and embedded in said second half-tie means, said tubular member being rotatable for drawing said half-tie means into locked engagement with each other.

Claim 12

A timber assembly suitable as a strength member for supporting railroad trackage and the like, comprising a first half-tie member formed of wood and adapted to receive and retain a downwardly-driven railroad spike or the like at a location adjacent each end of said half-tie and further provided with a plurality of equally spaced-apart holes each horizontally extending entirely through and across the grain of said first half-tie member, a second half-tie member also formed of wood and adapted to receive and retain a downwardly driven railroad spike or the like at a location adjacent each of said half-tie member and further provided with a plurality of holes each horizontally extending through and across the grain of said second half-tie member and each located in functional cooperation with a corresponding one of said holes in said first half-tie member, said half-tie members both being pre-treated with a penetrating liquid preservative after said holes have been formed therein, said first and second half-tie members being further aligned in abutting relationship, one to the other, to form a railroad tie capable of supporting said trackage, and at least one hollow bolt member having one end disposed in one of said holes in said first half-tie member and having its other end substantially equally disposed in a corresponding one of the holes in said second half-tie, said bolt member having an internal socket section and having oppositely directed external threads on said ends, whereby said bolt member may be rotated to draw said half-tie members into snugly abutting alignment with each other.

Claim 13

A timber assembly suitable as a strength member for supporting railroad trackage and the like, comprising a first half-tie member formed of wood and adapted to receive and retain a downwardly-driven railroad spike or the like at a location adjacent each end of said half-tie and further provided with a plurality of equally spaced-apart holes each horizontally extending entirely through and across the grain of said first half-tie member, a second half-tie member also formed of wood and adapted to receive and retain a downwardly driven railroad spike or the like at a location adjacent each of said half-tie member and further provided with a plurality of holes each horizontally extending through and across the grain of said second half-tie member and each located in functional cooperation with a corresponding one of said holes in said first half-tie member, said half-tie members both being pre-treated with a penetrating liquid preservative after said holes have been formed therein, said first and second half-tie members being further aligned in abutting relationship, one to the other, to form a railroad tie capable of supporting said trackage, and at least one hollow bolt member having one end disposed in one of said holes in said first half-tie member and having its other end substantially equally disposed in a corresponding one of the holes in said second half-tie, said bolt member having an internal socket section and having oppositely directed external threads on said ends, whereby said bolt member may be rotated to draw said half-tie members into snugly abutting alignment with each other.

Claim 14

An improved strength member comprising a first timber adapted to span and fixedly support the spaced-apart rails of a railroad track and having a plurality of drill holes equally spaced apart and extending entirely through said first timber in parallel with said rails, a second timber also adapted to span and fixedly support said spaced-apart rails and also having a like pLurality of drill holes extending entirely through said second timber and spaced apart to match said holes in said first timber, and a like plurality of hollow rotatable bolt means interconnecting said first and second timbers, said bolt means each being composed of a metal tubular member having one externally threaded end inserted in one of said holes in said first timber and having the other end externally threaded oppositely thereto and inserted in the matching one of said holes in said second timber, said timbers both being pre-treated with a penetrating liquid preservative after said drill holes have been formed therein, and each of said tubular members further being split and resilient and having a normal diameter larger than said holes, whereby said tubular members may be rotated in one direction only to draw said timbers into close unitary alignment with each other.

Claim 15

An improved strength member comprising a first timber adapted to span and fixedly support the spaced-apart rails of a railroad track and having a plurality of drill holes equally spaced apart and extending entirely through said first timber in parallel with said rails, a second timber also adapted to span and fixedly support said spaced-apart rails and also having a like pLurality of drill holes extending entirely through said second timber and spaced apart to match said holes in said first timber, and a like plurality of hollow rotatable bolt means interconnecting said first and second timbers, said bolt means each being composed of a metal tubular member having one externally threaded end inserted in one of said holes in said first timber and having the other end externally threaded oppositely thereto and inserted in the matching one of said holes in said second timber, said timbers both being pre-treated with a penetrating liquid preservative after said drill holes have been formed therein, and each of said tubular members further being split and resilient and having a normal diameter larger than said holes, whereby said tubular members may be rotated in one direction only to draw said timbers into close unitary alignment with each other.

Claim 16

The bolt means described in claim 11, wherein said tublar members also are each installed in said holes prior to immersion of said timbers in a bath of liquid preservative and thereafter rotated in said one direction to draw said timbers into close alignment thereto.

Claim 17

The bolt means described in claim 12 wherein the confronting edges of each of said longitudinally split tubular members are beveled oppositely of each other, whereby when said tubular member is rotated in said one direction the progressing one of said edges tends to ride into and under the trailing one of said edges and to thereby tend to constrict said tubular member in said hole, and whereby when said tubular member is rotated in the opposite of said one direction said trailing edge of said tubular member tends to engage the inner wall of the holes in said timbers in which said tubular member is disposed and to oppose further rotation thereof in said opposite direction therein.

Claim 18

The strength member described in claim 13 wherein each of said timbers has at least three drill holes each containing one of said bolt means.