Self-locking railroad spike

Claim 1

A railroad spike of conventional form of the type having a rigid, parallel shank, a head at one end having a rail-contacting projection, and a wedge-like point, having a cutting edge at the other end, the said edge of the point being normal to the angular direction of the projection of the head; wherein the improvement consists of the provision of a spur attached to said spike at a point below the head thereof and extending downwardly in parallel Relationship thereto and terminating adjacent the said wedge-like point of the basic spike, the confronting surfaces of said spike and said spur being separated by an unbroken plane, said spur being provided with a wedge-like point having a cutting edge beveled from the inside only, the edges of both points being in parallel relationship; said spur being of relatively thinner form than the shank of the basic spike, the reduced thickness being parallel to the said edges of the wedge-like points; the two combined elements of the improved spike being so constructed and arranged that the spike, when driven in the usual manner, will penetrate a railroad tie, forming its own straight path normal to the surface thereof with a wedging action only in a direction longitudinal to the tie into which it is driven, while said spur, making its own individual and independent point of penetration, will follow a generally arcuate path in divergent relationship to that of the spike proper, said spur further providing a brace adapted to resist any forces tending to increase the fixed gauge of a railroad track.