The present invention relates to a device for use in a railway rail fastening assembly, between a flange of a railway rail and a toe of a railway rail fastening clip bearing on the rail flange, for inhibiting unauthorized withdrawal of the clip from the rail and to a railway rail fastening assembly incorporating such device. The device of the invention prevents unauthorised withdrawal of the clip without use of a specially-configured clip extraction tool.
In some areas of the world rail clips are removed from railway track by unauthorised persons, for the purpose of vandalism or theft. In the past, with a view to preventing such unauthorised removal, some elastic rail clips which are to be used in such areas have been provided with a step in the heel of the clip which comes into contact with a corresponding abutment on the shoulder, in which the clip is located, such that the clip can only be removed from the shoulder by means of a special tool. Clips of this type are shown in GB 2085057B. However, such a step can be difficult to manufacture and, in some clip configurations, can involve putting a stress concentration in a place where it could damage the clip.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for use in a railway rail fastening assembly, between a flange of a railway rail and a toe of a railway rail fastening clip bearing on the rail flange, for inhibiting unauthorized withdrawal of the clip from the rail, wherein a surface of the device on which the toe of the clip bears when the device is in its operative position is manufactured so as to provide an abutment shaped and located so as to inhibit unauthorized withdrawal of the clip from the rail, said device comprising a body provided with an insert constituting said surface on which said abutment is provided, said surface being formed with a recess for receiving the toe of the clip, the recess having a wall which forms said abutment.
Such a device allows clips without any anti-vandal step on the heel, or other discontinuity, to be inhibited from being withdrawn except by use of a specially-configured clip extraction tool, so permitting only authorised withdrawal.
A device embodying the invention may comprise a body provided with an insert constituting the said surface on which the said abutment is provided.
Depending upon whether or not electrical insulation is required between the rail and the rail fastening assembly, the device may be made either entirely of metal, or entirely of electrically-insulating material or materials, or may comprise a body made of electrically-insulating material and a metal insert.
Preferably, the said surface is formed so as to have a recess for receiving the toe of the clip, the recess having a wall which forms the said abutment.
Alternatively, the said abutment may be formed so as to stand proud of the said surface.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a railway rail fastening assembly comprising a rail clip shoulder, a railway rail fastening clip located in the rail clip shoulder when the assembly is in use, and a device as claimed in any preceding claim located in its operative position on a flange of a railway rail, the toe of the clip bearing on the device when the assembly is in use at a location adjacent to the said abutment whereby unauthorised withdrawal of the clip from the rail is inhibited.
Preferably, the toe of the clip does not have a chamfered free end, so as to further resist removal.
Reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figures 1A, 1B and 1C show respective perspective views of a railway rail fastening assembly incorporating a device embodying the present invention;
Figure 2A shows a plan view of the assembly of Figs. 1A to 1C, Figure 2B shows a view (partially in cross-section) taken on line B-B in Figure 2A, and Figure 2C shows a side view of the assembly of Figures 1A to 1C;
Figure 3 shows a perspective view from above of the device used in the assembly of Figures 1A to 1C;
Figure 4 shows a perspective view from below of the device used in the assembly of Figures 1A to 1C; and
Figure 5 shows a view of an alternative railway rail fastening assembly for use with a different type of rail clip.
The railway rail fastening assembly of Figures 1A to 2C comprises a pair of rail clip anchoring shoulders 4 secured to a railway sleeper 2 between which shoulders 4 a railway rail 1 (only part of which is shown), resting on an elastic rail pad 3, is located. In a passageway 4a in each shoulder 4 is located a centre leg 5a of a rail fastening clip 5 of the type shown in GB 1510224B. Each clip 5 has a heel portion 5b which rests on a ledge 4b on the shoulder 4 and a toe portion 5c which bears on a flange 10 of the rail 1. Between the toe portion 5c of the clip 5 and the flange 10 of the rail 1 there is provided a device 6 for inhibiting unauthorised removal of the clip 5 from the assembly.

The device 6 is shown in more detail in Figures 3 and 4. It comprises an outer liner 7 made of electrically-insulating material, which may for example be an injection-moulded nylon copolymer, and an internal cover plate 8 made of metal, for example a ductile iron casting. The outer liner 7 is approximately L-shaped, having a first portion 71 which rests on the upper surface of the rail flange 10 and a downwardly-extending second portion 72 formed with a recess 73 which engages the shoulder 4 to prevent horizontal displacement of the device 6. The outer liner 7 is formed in its upper surface 70 with a well 74 in which the internal cover plate 8 is located. The well 74 is provided on two opposite sides thereof with a pair of lugs 75 and a pair of slots 76. The upper surface 80 of the internal cover plate 8 is shaped so as to provide a well 81 for receiving the toe portion 5c of the rail clip 5. The well 81 has a stepped abutment wall 82, a higher back wall 83, a front wall 84 and an end wall 86. The first portion 71 of the liner 7 has rounded edges 77 adjacent to the walls 82 and 86 of the cover plate 8. Extending from its front wall 84 the cover plate 8 has ears shaped to match the recess 73 in the outer liner 7 and to provide respective lugs 85a which fit in the slots 76 and are overlain by the lugs 75 of the liner 7, and further lugs 85b which interlock with the lugs 75, to retain the plate 8 in position.
In use the clip 5 is driven onto the rail flange 10 such that the toe portion 5c of the clip 5 rides up and over an edge 77 of the liner 7 into the well 81 of the cover plate 8. Any unauthorised attempt to remove the clip 5 from the shoulder 4 is inhibited owing to

the end of the clip toe 5c (in this case unchamfered) coming up against the adjacent wall 82 when withdrawal is attempted by simply pulling on the clip 5. In order to extract the clip 5 from the shoulder 4 the clip toe 5c must be lifted clear of the well 81 by a specially-configured clip extraction tool (not shown) before clip extraction begins.
The abutment wall 82, the back wall 83 and the front wall 84 of the cover plate 8 serve as stiffening ribs, their height being determined by the need to ensure that the cover plate 8 does not bend as the clip load is applied. The height of the abutment itself is determined by the need to prevent the clip being extracted without a special tool. In the present embodiment these two criteria have resulted in the abutment wall -82 being stepped, but this need not always be the case.
As mentioned previously the device 6 need not be exactly as shown and described with reference to Figures 1A to 4. One alternative is for the cover plate 8 to be made of a material other than metal, providing it is suitably hard-wearing and easy to shape, for example another, hard-wearing, electrically-insulating material. Alternatively, the device 6 could be made in one piece, either entirely of a hard-wearing electrically-insulating material or, where there is no need to provide electrical insulation between the assembly and the rail, entirely of metal. In a further alternative, the device 6 need not be provided with a well in its surface to provide the abutment, but instead the abutment could be formed so as to stand proud of the surface.

A different kind of rail fastening assembly, in which the rail clip is driven laterally rather than parallel to the rail, is shown in Figure 5. In Figure 5 a rail fastening clip 5. of the type shown in US4313563 has a base portion 5a' located in a slot 4a' of a rail clip anchoring shoulder 4' and a toe portion 5c' bearing on a device 6' located on the flange 10 of a rail 1. The device 6' comprises an outer liner 7' of electrically-insulating material having a first portion 71' resting on the rail flange 10 and a downwardly-extending second portion 72' between the rail 1 and the shoulder 4'. In a well 74' in the upper surface of the outer liner 7' a cover plate 8' is located. The cover plate 8' has a lug 85' located in a slot 76' formed in one side of the well 74' to retain the cover plate 8' on the outer liner 7'. The cover plate 8' has a well 81', in which the toe portion 5c' of the clip 5' sits, the well 81' having a front wall 82' against which the end of the toe portion 5c' of the clip 5' abuts when an unauthorised attempt to extract the clip 5' is made, thereby inhibiting unauthorised removal of the clip 5'. In order to remove the clip 5' a special tool (not shown) for lifting the toe of the clip 5' out of the well 81' is required.

WE CLAIM:
1. A device for use in a railway rail fastening assembly, between a flange of a
railway rail and a toe of a railway rail fastening clip bearing on the rail flange, for
inhibiting unauthorized withdrawal of the clip from the rail, wherein a surface of the
device on which the toe of the clip bears when the device is in its operative
position is manufactured so as to provide an abutment shaped and located so as
to inhibit unauthorized withdrawal of the clip from the rail, said device comprising
a body provided with an insert constituting said surface on which said abutment is
provided, said surface being formed with a recess for receiving the toe of the clip,
the recess having a wall which forms said abutment.
2. A device as claimed in claim 1 which is made entirely of metal.
3. A device as claimed in claim 1 which is made entirely of electrically-
insulating material or materials.
4. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said body is made of
electrically-insulating material and the said insert is made of metal.
5. A device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the said abutment is
formed so as to stand proud of the said surface.
6. A railway rail fastening assembly comprising a rail clip shoulder, a railway
rail fastening clip located in the rail clip shoulder when the assembly is in use, and
a device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5 located in its operative position on a
flange of a railway rail, the toe of the clip bearing on the device when the
assembly is in use at a location adjacent to the said abutment whereby
unauthorized withdrawal of the clip from the rail is inhibited.
7. An assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein the toe of the clip does not
have a chamfered free end.

8. A device for use in a railway rail fastening assembly, between a flange of a
railway rail and a toe of a railway rail fastening clip bearing on the rail flange, for
inhibiting unauthorized withdrawal of the clip from the rail, substantially as herein
described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
9. A railway rail fastening assembly, substantially as herein described with
reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.