A well-known type of railway baseplate, known as a K-plate, comprises a central rail seat area on each longitudinal side of which there is formed a rib through which there is. a slot extending transversely with respect to the rail. The width of the slot varies in a vertical direction such that the width of the slot at the lower part of the rib is greater than the width of the slot at the upper part. A large variety of different rail clips may be used with the K-plate, but they are generally all of the type having a substantially D-shaped profile, one end of the clip forming a base portion for engaging in the lower wider part of the slot and a toe portion which bears on the rail foot, the toe portion being shaped such that it cannot be unintentionally withdrawn through the narrower upper part of the slot. Some clips which are used with the K-plate, such as those described in US3067947 and US4313563, have a toe portion comprising two arms which must be compressed to. pass through the upper part of the slot on installation of the clip and are then allowed to spring back to prevent withdrawal, but special tools are usually required to achieve the desired compression of the toe portion..

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a railway rail fastening clip for use on a railway rail baseplate of the type having a central rail seat area on each longitudinal side of which there is formed a rib having a slot therethrough extending transversely with respect to the rail such that the width of the slot at a lower part thereof is greater than the width of the slot at an

upper part thereof, which clip comprises an elongate member bent such that first and second end regions of the member form respective lower and upper limb portions, the lower limb portion forming a base portion of the clip for engaging. the slot in the baseplate and the upper limb portion extending further than the lower limb portion to form at its free end a toe portion of the clip for bearing on a rail foot, wherein the toe portion is not bifurcated and the width of the toe portion of the clip is narrower than the width of the upper part of the slot in the baseplate whereas the width of the lower limb portion of the clip is broader than the width of the upper part of the slot in the baseplate.

Since the toe portion of such a clip is narrower than the upper part of the slot in the K-plate, no compression of the toe is required in order to install the clip.

The base portion is preferably centrally bifurcated so as to have a pair of legs, which desirably have rounded outer top edges.

In one embodiment the width of at least part of the clip tapers progressively between the base portion and the toe portion. Desirably, the toe portion and the base portion are of constant width.

The clip is preferably made from elongate plate- form material.

Desirably, the clip comprises, proceeding from the first end region to the second end region thereof, firstly a substantially flat base portion, then a bent rear portion, then a substantially flat intermediate portion, and lastly a bent front portion.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a railway rail fastening assembly comprising a railway rail fastening clip in accordance with the first aspect of the present

invention and a device comprising a plate portion for location on the rail foot, wherein the plate portion is provided with an abutment surface for abutting the toe portion of the railway rail fastening clip so as to prevent unintentional withdrawal of the clip from the rail.

Preferably the abutment surface is formed by one side of a-ridge provided on the said plate portion, the ridge desirably extending along an edge of the said plate portion. In a preferred embodiment the device further comprises a ramp portion arranged so as to extend laterally from the plate portion such that when the plate portion is located on the rail foot the ramp portion projects downwardly. The ramp portion preferably extends from the edge of the plate portion adjacent to the ridge. In a preferred form of such an assembly, in use the ramp portion of the device extends between the legs of the clip.

Reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 shows a plan view of a rail fastening assembly embodying the present invention; Figure 2A shows a cross-sectional view taken on line II-II in Figure 1 and Figure 2B shows a side view of the rail fastening assembly of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a partially cut-away plan view of the rail fastening assembly of Figure 1; Figure 4 shows a side view of a rail fastening clip embodying the first aspect of the present invention in its unstressed configuration; Figure 5 shows an underneath plan view of the clip shown in Figure 4; Figure 6 shows a cross-sectional view taken on the line VI-VI in Figure 4; Figure 7 shows a plan view of a device for use in an assembly embodying the second aspect of the present invention;

Figure 8 shows a side view of the device of Figure 7; Figure 9 shows a cross-sectional view of the rail fastening assembly of Figure 1 in which the clip is in a partially installed position ; and Figure 10 shows a view of a slot in a K-plate.

The railway fastening assembly of Figures 1,2A, 2B and 3 comprises a railway rail fastening clip 10 and a device 20. The clip 10 is shown in its operative configuration, located in a slot 31 formed in a rib 30 of a K-plate 40, held down to an underlying sleeper (not shown) by screwspikes 50 (screwspike not shown in Fig. 2A). The device 20, provided on the foot 65 of the rail 60, serves to retain the clip 10 in the slot 31 (device 20 not shown in Figure 2B). The rail foot 65 of the rail 60 sits in a rail seat area 41 of the K- plate 40, there being a cushioning pad 70 therebetween.

Although not shown in any of the Figures there is a similar rib 30 with slot 31, clip 10 and device 20 on the opposite side of the rail 60. The width of the slot 31 at a lower part 31b thereof is greater than the width of the slot 31 at an upper part 31a thereof.

Figures 4 to 6 show the clip 10 in more detail.

. The clip 10 comprises an elongate member of plate-form material which has been bent such that respective first and second end regions of the elongate member are adjacent to one another and form respective lower and upper limb portions 11, 12. Continuing from the lower limb portion ll, which is substantially flat and bifurcated by gap 18 so as to have two legs 16 and 17, the clip 10 has a bent rear portion 13, a substantially flat intermediate portion 14 and a bent front portion forming the upper limb portion 12. The free end of the upper limb portion 12 forms a toe portion 15 of the clip 10 for bearing on the foot 65 of the rail 60 and

the legs 16,17 of the lower limb portion 11 form a base portion 19 of the clip 10 for engaging the slot 31 in the rib 30 of the K-plate 40. As shown in Figures 4 and 6, the legs 16,17 may have slightly rounded outer top edges so as to avoid damage to the slot 31 on installation of the clip. The toe portion 15 is not bifurcated and its width is narrower than the width of an upper part 31a of the slot 31. The width of the lower limb portion 11 is broader than the upper part 31a of the slot 31. With reference to the dimensions shown in Figures 4 to 6, in one embodiment of the clip typically a=58mm, b=42mm, c=2mm, d=23mm, e=22mm, R1=l0mm, R2=20mm, R3=6mm and a=10°, but of course these dimensions may vary. In addition, although the base portion 19 of the clip 10 is shown as having constant width this need not be the case.

A device 20 is shown in more detail in Figures 7 and 8. The device 20 comprises a plate portion 21, which is substantially rectangular, and a ramp portion 25 extending therefrom. The plate portion 21 has a centrally-located toe receiving region 22 extending lengthwise of the rectangular plate member 21, bordered on one long side by a ridge 23 extending the length of the plate member 21 and on the other long side by a downwardly tapering region 24. The ramp portion 25 extends from the ridge side of the plate member 21 but does not extend along the entire length of that side; instead it is shaped so as to fit within the gap 18 between the legs 16 and 17 of the clip 10 when it is fully installed in the slot 31.

Ramp portion 25 provides a ramp up which the toe portion 15 of the clip 10 rides as the clip is driven into the slot 31. When the toe portion 15 of the clip 10 reaches the top of the ramp 25 it rides over the top of the ridge 23 and comes to rest on the toe receiving region 22 on the other side of the ridge 23, the ridge

23 providing an abutment surface 23'against which the toe portion 15 of the clip 10 will abut if the clip 10 is drawn away from the rail, thereby preventing unintentional withdrawal of the clip 10 from, the slot 31.

As shown in Figure 9, at the onset of installation the free end of the ramp portion 15 rests on the floor of the slot 31 so as to receive the toe portion 15 of the clip 10 as it is introduced into the slot 31.

However, as the toe portion 15 of the clip 10 rides up the ramp portion 25 and over the ridge 23 it exerts pressure on first the ramp portion 25 and then the plate portion 21 of the device 20 and the device 20 tilts so that the underside of the plate portion 21 of the device 20 lies flat against the rail foot 65.

In an alternative embodiment of the device 20 the ridge 23 may not extend the entire length of the plate member 21; for example, it might extend only the length of the toe portion 15 of the clip 10. In another alternative embodiment, the ramp 25 may be omitted and the clip pulled up and over the ridge 23.

Figure 10 shows the shape of a slot 31 in a typical K-plate 40. The angle ß of the surface contacted by the legs 16,17 of the clip 10, when it is fully installed in the slot 31, is typically 30°. If the legs 16, 17 of the clip 10 have substantially square edges, those edges will dig into the walls of the slot 31 on installation of the clip 10. However, this can be avoided by rounding the profile of the legs 16,17, so as to more closely approximate the profile of the slot 31, for example as shown in Figures 4 and 6.