Tie plate for railroad

Abstract

A railroad tie plate has a generally prismatic body including a field side flange and a gauge side flange connected by an intermediate portion. The intermediate portion includes a rail seat for positioning a railroad rail. The field side flange includes a first retaining device accommodating portion, such as a first hole, configured to receive a first retaining device, such as a spike configured to secure the railroad rail to the rail seat. The field side flange further includes a fixed retainer that is a monolithic part of the railroad tie plate. The fixed retainer extends in the thickness dimension away from the bottom surface of the railroad tie plate and toward the gauge side, and overhangs the rail seat. The fixed retainer is configured to prevent the railroad rail from moving in the thickness dimension.

1 . A railroad tie plate comprising:
 a generally prismatic body extending in a width dimension of the railroad tie plate between a field side and a gauge side;   a field side flange on the field side, the field side flange extending from a bottom surface of the railroad tie plate in a thickness dimension of the railroad tie plate;   a gauge side flange on the gauge side, the gauge side flange extending from the bottom surface of the railroad tie plate in the thickness dimension of the railroad tie plate;   an intermediate portion extending between the field side flange and the gauge side flange, the intermediate portion including a rail seat configured to receive a railroad rail;   wherein at least one of the field side flange and the gauge side flange comprises a fixing portion configured to receive a fixing device configured to secure the railroad tie plate to a railroad tie;   wherein the field side flange comprises a first retaining device accommodating portion configured to receive a first retaining device that secures the railroad rail to the rail seat;   wherein the field side flange comprises a fixed retainer that is a monolithic part of the railroad tie plate, the fixed retainer extending in the thickness dimension away from the bottom surface of the railroad tie plate and toward the gauge side, and the fixed retainer overhanging the rail seat; and   wherein the fixed retainer is configured to prevent the railroad rail from moving in the thickness dimension.   
     
     
         2 . The railroad tie plate of  claim 1 , wherein the fixed retainer is configured to prevent the railroad rail from moving toward the field side. 
     
     
         3 . The railroad tie plate of  claim 1 , wherein the fixed retainer is configured to engage a foot of the railroad rail. 
     
     
         4 . The railroad tie plate of  claim 1 , wherein the fixed retainer has a surface facing the rail seat and the surface conforms to a surface of a foot of the railroad rail. 
     
     
         5 . The railroad tie plate of  claim 1 , wherein the fixed retainer and the first retaining device accommodating portion are arranged along a length dimension of the railroad tie plate. 
     
     
         6 . The railroad tie plate of  claim 5 , wherein the fixed retainer and the first retaining device accommodating portion are spaced apart along the length dimension of the railroad tie plate. 
     
     
         7 . The railroad tie plate of  claim 1 , wherein a ratio of a length of the fixed retainer along a length dimension to a length of the railroad tie plate along the length dimension is in a range of 0.2 to 0.5. 
     
     
         8 . The railroad tie plate of  claim 1 , wherein the fixed retainer overhangs the rail seat by at least one tenth of a width of the rail seat along the width dimension. 
     
     
         9 . The railroad tie plate of  claim 1 , wherein the fixed retainer is not coextensive with either side of the railroad tie plate in a length dimension of the railroad tie plate. 
     
     
         10 . The railroad tie plate of  claim 1 , wherein the first retaining device is not a monolithic part of the railroad tie plate. 
     
     
         11 . The railroad tie plate of  claim 1 , wherein the first retaining device accommodating portion is a first hole extending through the railroad tie plate in the thickness dimension and the first retaining device is a rail spike. 
     
     
         12 . The railroad tie plate of  claim 1 , wherein the gauge side flange comprises a second retaining device accommodating portion configured to receive a second retaining device that secures the railroad rail to the rail seat. 
     
     
         13 . The railroad tie plate of  claim 1 , wherein the fixing portion comprises a hole extending through the railroad tie plate in the thickness dimension of the railroad tie plate. 
     
     
         14 . The railroad tie plate of  claim 1 , wherein the field side flange comprises a field side shoulder extending upward from the field side flange in the thickness dimension of the railroad tie plate;
 wherein the field side shoulder comprises a field side rib further extending in the thickness dimension from the field side shoulder;   wherein the field side rib comprises a lateral wall extending from the rail seat in the thickness dimension and extending in a length dimension of the railroad tie plate.   
     
     
         15 . The railroad tie plate of  claim 14 , wherein the fixed retainer extends from the field side rib. 
     
     
         16 . The railroad tie plate of  claim 14 , wherein the first retaining device accommodating portion is a first hole extending through the field side rib in the thickness dimension and the first retaining device is a rail spike. 
     
     
         17 . The railroad tie plate of  claim 14 , wherein the gauge side flange comprises a gauge side shoulder extending upward from the gauge side flange in the thickness dimension of the railroad tie plate;
 wherein the gauge side shoulder comprises a gauge side rib further extending in the thickness dimension from the gauge side shoulder;   wherein the gauge side rib comprises a lateral wall extending from the rail seat in the thickness dimension and extending in a length dimension of the railroad tie plate.   
     
     
         18 . The railroad tie plate of  claim 17 , wherein an inclination of an imaginary line between a pinnacle of the field side rib and a pinnacle of the gauge side rib is equal to an inclination of the rail seat. 
     
     
         19 . The railroad tie plate of  claim 1 , wherein the fixed retainer has a surface facing the rail seat and the surface has a higher inclination than an inclination of the rail seat.