Spike.

Application filed November 18,1916. Serial No. 132,050.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Karl L. Aase, a subject of the King of Norway, residing at Seward, in the county of Kenai and Terri5 tory of Alaska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spikes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in 1) the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in spikes of that type designed to be locked with a key when driven home in a rail tie 15 or bed, and an object of the invention is to so construct the spike and the key that convenient access can be had to the latter when it is desired to remove the same from operative position.

Other objects will appear and be better understood from that embodiment of my invention of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof, 25 in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the spike removed from operative position and the Locking key detached,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken through 30 a portion of a rail tie, showing the spike and locking key in operative position, and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the. locking key detached from operative position.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the 35 numeral 1 designates a spike having one end of the shank reduced to a penetrating point 2, and having the opposite end of the shank provided with a head 3. One side of the shank has the end adjacent the head 40 3 cut away, as shown at 4, and is also provided with a longitudinally extending recess 5, which has one end opening into the cut away portion 4 and the other end terminating at a point short of a medial point 45 of the shank, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The cut away portion 4 and the longitudinally extending recess 5 define a pair of opposed ribs 6. That side of the spike which is provided with the longitu50 dinally extending recess 5 is also provided with a pair of upwardly converging recesses 7 which extend through the ribs 6 and have their upper or inner ends communicating with the lower end of the recess 5 and 55 their lower ends opening, into opposite sides of the shank, as shown in Fig. 1. The recesses 7 define an inverted V-shaped anvil, having the apex portion, designated 8, disposed at a point in line with the center of the recess 5. The locking key is shown 60 in Fig. 3 of the drawings and has a shank designated by the numeral 9. One end of the shank is slitted longitudinally to provide a pair of deflecting prongs 10. The shank of the key is adapted to be. received by 65 a recess 5 in the spike, and during the insertion of the key within the recess, the deflecting prongs 10 will be deflected in opposite directions by means of the apex portion 8 of the V shaped deflecting anvil, and di- 70 rected through the recesses 7 to the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The upper end of the shank of the key is provided with a head 11 which is adapted to engage the cut-out portion 4 on the upper end of 75 the spike, and a pair of shoulders 12 are located below the head 11 and formed integral with the point of juncture between the shank 9 of the key and the head 11 and are adapted to rest upon the upper ends of the 80 ribs 6 when the key is in operative position. When the spike 1 is driven home in a tie or roadbed, as shown in Fig. 2, and the key inserted in operative position, the deflecting prongs 10 will engage in the body of the 85 tie or roadbed and lock the spike against accidental withdrawal. By virtue of the provision of the shoulders 12, the head 11 of the key will be so located, when the key is in operative position, that any suitable tool, ⁹⁰not shown, can be inserted beneath the head 11 to admit of upward force being directed on the head 11 so as to withdraw the deflecting prongs 10 from engagement with the body of the tie or roadbed and into the ⁹⁵recess 5, the upward movement of the key resulting in the prongs 10 being bent to their normal position, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to admit of the key 9 being withdrawn from the recess 5, after which operation the spike ¹⁰⁰1 can be readily withdrawn from operative position.