PREFABRICATED RAIL PANEL FOR USE IN MINE SHAFT RAILWAY SYSTEMS

摘要

A prefabricated rail panel for use in mine shaft railways includes a pair of conventional steel rails, a number of wooden sleepers and a series of rail mounting assemblies for coupling the rails to the sleepers. The rails are characterized by an upper rail surface and an enlarged laterally extending lower flange. Within the panel, the sleepers are arranged parallel to each other and transverse to the direction of longitudinal elongation of the rails. A rail mounting assembly is used to secure each selected one of the rails to an associated sleeper. The mounting plate assembly includes a rail fastening plate formed having a metal base plate portion and a pair of anchoring flanges. The anchoring flanges extend upwardly from an upper surfa ce of the base plate in a generally mirror arrangement and define a longitudinally extendin g aperture extending between the flange and the upper surface of the base plate. Anchor clips are insertable in each longitudinal aperture to secure a selected rail to the rail fastening plate. A series of bore holes are formed through the base plate at spaced locations. Threaded fasteners ar e inserted through the bore holes and into threaded engagement with the sleeper, to thus secure the base plate in place. The threaded fasteners have a size selected to provide the rail panel with sufficient longitudinal stability, whereby the rails do not significantly deflect longitudinally and/or laterally relative to each other if the panel is suspended vertically as it is lowered down a mine shaft.