There was a sleeve or sheath-type thing ( [:-^] ) that was marketed for this purpose. I can’t remember the name of it - maybe mudchicken can remember. Anyway, it was a rectangular sheet metal tube with a pointed end that fit over the spike. Flutes were formed into each side of it, kind of like mini-louvers - cut and bent outwards. As I recall, the theory was that driving the spike into it would force the flutes outward and into the tie. I don’t recall how the interface between the surfaces of the spike and this widget would be improved, though.
This patent description-type page may be of interest (not vouching for it, though):
That is not the Garfinkle spike, which is one bent piece with the teeth on the inside; the legs bend out and the enhanced barbed grip is on the ‘wedge’ formed between the diverging legs. One disastrous thing about this is that once driven it and its tie are ‘forever’ – no taking up rail, no reusing the tie, no disposing of the tie without sharp metal edges where you’d removed the formed ‘head’. I thought of improvements to it, a collar of malleable metal just under the shank to preclude lateral motion relative to the tie plate, or forming it with four legs to lock longitudinally as well as axially, before I figured out the whole idea was a boondoggle compared to simple pad and clip systems a la Pandrol.
It might be noted that a Garfinkle-like device is a good alternative to the worthless lags in the Pandrol Wood-tie fixation system … assuming you can keep the plate located properly as the device is driven, something unlikely to happen just by holding the plates on the rail base with their clips. Theoretically you could dowel a lag hole and then use a Garfinkle with only nominal reduction of effective grip, and it would be simple to detect both unsettling or relative motion between head and plate with high-speed machine vision. So there may be a use for this after all.
The sleeve device sounds a bit like the Schiro approach, but using a head on the sleeve to actually hold the rail, with the spike being a convenient way to lock the sleeve in position A bad
Fatigue is not a fixed lifespan. The bearable number of load changes depends on the installation situation and the load combination. If the lag screw is tightened correctly their upper part has a press fit in the wood. If the screw loosens this fit can get lost and the bending moments inscrease leading to a shorter fatigue lifespan.
Regards, Volker
The men walking the track in Germany had a large wrench. I think you can hear from the sound if a screw is loose or broken when you hit it with the wrench. But these people haven’t worked with nothing else than rail fasteners with lag screws.
Today the work of is done by exclusivly by geometry cars. When anomalies are found a track gang is sent.
Volkner over here the engineers have a simple problem solver they love to use for complex problems. We outside the enginering world call it the KISS principle or Keep It Simple Stupid. Here is something to think about in WW2 German tanks were considered the best in the world especially the Panther and Tiger 1 and Tiger 2 series. However what won the war sheer numbers of T-34’s of the Soviet Army and M4 Sherman tanks made here in the USA. 20K tanks made by Germany verus 35K Shermans of all types and 85K T-34’s alone by the Soviet Union. We out produced your nation with a tank while not quite as good as the Panther or Tiger models could overwhelm them in sheer numbers. Ours where easy to fix in the field yours where nightmares to repair. To replace a busted roadwheel on a Sherman required just a wrench a jack and the replacement. On both the German designs it had to go back to heavy maintance to get it done do to the overlapping roadwheel deisgn.
Our track workers like things simple for one reason less tools they need to carry around in the field. Most track workers can fix a broken rail with the tools they carry and do it quickly no need to worry if the bolt is tight enough if the spike is down they know it is tight.
I know this principle. I think it doesn’t fit everywhere. I wouldn’t like to see a real high-speed train running at 200 mph on spiked rail. With today’s power tools rail, geometry cars maintaining rail fasteners with lag screws doesn’t have to be more complicated than with spiked fasteners.
I know we have a different philosophy than you. You have another saying: If it isn’t broke don’t fix. We say: The better is the enemy/death of the good. An example: IBM distributed and supported Lockheed’s CADAM CAD-software in Europe. When IBM asked for further development Lockheed thought it good enough. In the end IBM Europe switched to Dassault’s (French mititäry aircraft manufacturer) CATIA CAD-software.
You choose one way we a different one.
As I said before German track workers were able to handle the Oberbau KS fasterners containing lag screws with hand tools they carried with them. At least temporarily as the lag screws are finaly pre-stressed to about 25 to 30 kN (5500 to 6600 lbs).
Regards, Volker
We in the engineering world called it the same thing. Of course, that was wrapped up in the concept of engineering economics, lifespan analysis, etc., but we still called it KISS. No disrespect to Gene Simmons.
One thing I have not seen in this or prior discussions on the subject of threaded spikes was a report on the metalurgy of them. Perhaps I missed it along the way but it should have been made available to those of us who have an interest in whether or not those threaded spikes met the appropriate standards for strength, their ability to hold their position in relation to the tie and rail and their ability to withstand any corrossion they may encounter. Should you find a report expressly explaining the above concerns please post it.
I don’t believe any system of rail securement will ever be foolproof in the long run but wonder if the threaded spikes used on Union Pacific were thoroughly vetted prior to their installation. I would like to think UP MOW engineers did their homework befor approving them.
One other factor May be the difference in loading of rail cars in Europe vs those in North America. I don’t know load limits in Europe but ours are 286,000 pounds per car with exceptions for Schnabel cars and six axle cars.
Vossloh states:Some types of screw spike we produced are ASTM A66-87 screw spike, UIC864-1 screw spike (Ss series Ss8, Ss23, Ss25, Ss35, Ss36, DHS35 etc), 3V screw spike meet to NF F50-006, to name just a few. http://www.bsrailway.com/rail-fastening/vossloh-fastening-system.shtml
Hairpin spikes (lock spikes) are universally hated by the western railroads, especially anyone in the field that encounters one. (special tool issue again, clawbars tend to slip or not work at all… so much for travelling light with all the useless junk in the tool bins slowing you down because of the chance of encountering an oddball fastener)
PDN: Hope you aren’t talking about those Huck-Bolt related headaches in curve tie plates and switch plates…That stuff works in insulated joints (i-bonds)and insulated switch plates, but the permanence of the fastener is its own undoing when you add-in Pandrol or D-E clips[+o(][+
MC: No, neither one of those. As I recall, lock spikes were invented by Bethlehem Steel Co., and there were 3 different types (shape of the hairpin part). The Huck Bolt type of thing had a different name back then. I installed approx. 8 dozen in the joint bars of the approaches to a new manganese casting double-curved crossing frog in 1982 (then B. F. Goodrich Co. plant, Pedricktown (Penns Grove), NJ - N 39.76355 W 75.41981) with the cooperation of the plant engineer to try to maximize the service life of everything associated with it. I was there a couple years ago and most of them were still there. I wouldn’t do it again, though, for the ‘special tooling needed’ reasons you mention.
The spike thingy I roughly described is from the 1980’s or 1990’s, so long ago I doubt that even with a photo or sketch either of us would remember the name of the manufacturer or the trade name for it. It was designed to improve the holding power of spikes in marginal or spike-killed ties. I’m sure there were many ads in Railway Track & Structures, but my copies from back then are long gone.
Only other thing I can think of were threaded camcars with a little square-ish spring clip instead of a washer. The thought was, if you were even thinking of those (like around crossings with downed ties) it was already time to change out the wood tie. (also jokingly referred to as belts and suspenders band-aids)