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******** A Dedicated Blog On Rail Fastening System ******************
1 Fish Plate: In rail terminology, a fishplate, splice bar or joint bar is a metal bar that is bolted to the ends of two rails to join them together in a track. The name is derived from fish, a wooden bar with a curved profile used to strengthen a ship's mast.The top and bottom edges are tapered inwards so the device wedges itself between the top and bottom of the rail when it is bolted into place.In rail transport modelling, a fishplate is often a small copper or nickel silver plate that slips onto both rails to provide the functions of maintaining alignment and electrical continuity.
History...
more...

of Fish Plate:
The first railway fishplate, patented by William Adams and Robert Richardson in 1847.The device was invented by William Bridges Adams in May 1842, because of his dissatisfaction with the scarf joints and other systems of joining rails then in use. He noted that to form the scarf joint the rail was halved in thickness at its ends, where the stress was greatest.It was first deployed on the Eastern Counties Railway in 1844, but only as a wedge between the adjoining rails. Adams and Robert Richardson patented the invention in 1847,but in 1849 James Samuel, the engineer of the ECR developed fishplates that could be bolted to the rails.
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Why are fish plates on a railway track called so?
Ans: A fish plate is a metal or wooden plate that is bolted to the sides at the ends of two rails or beams, to join them. A fish plate does not have anything in common with the aquatic fish. The fish in this term is derived from the French word 'fiche', meaning a peg. 'Fiche', in turn, is derived from the old French word 'fichier', which means to fasten. Thus a fish plate means a plate that fastens. This explanation has been given by
— V. Venkata Rao, Ahmedabad
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What is Rail Fastening System?
Ans: A rail fastening system is a means of fixing rails to railroad ties (United States) or sleepers (international). The terms rail anchors, tie plates, chairs and track fasteners are used to refer to parts or all of a rail fastening system. Various types of fastening have been used over the years.
Important Rail Fasteners are:
1 Rail spikes 2 Screw spikes 3 Fang bolts 4 Spring spikes 5 Fixing equipment
Important Rail supports are:
1 Chairs 2 Tie plates 3 Clips
There are Seven types of Rail Fastening namely:
1 Rail spike with baseplate above the tie
2 Track joint and chairs
3 Pandrol 'e-Clip' fastening
4 Pandrol 'fastclip' fastening
5 Tension clamp fastening
6 Bolt clamped fastening
7 Steel spring keyed rail in chair
For details of Rail Fastening System please refer: click here
Attached Images:
1Pandrol 'e-Clip' fastening
Image Link: click here
2 Steel spring keyed rail in chair
Image Link: click here
3 Fish Plate in Rail Track
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