Do fish plates help prevent derailments?

Rail fishplate, which is bolted to the ends of two railroad tracks to join them together, is widely used in light rail, heavy rail and crane rail. So if the quality of the railway fish plate is poor, the caused consequence would be unimaginable. As to the fastening system, fish bolt is the other important part and always firstly chosen in the part of fastening. In general, the rail fastening system is consisting of fish bolt, flat washer and spring washer. Every two fishplates mostly need four or six suits of fish bolt.

 

 

What is the function of the rail joint angle bar?

 

Rail joint angle bars (or fishplates, splice bars) are metal plates bolted to the sides of two adjacent rail ends to connect, align, and secure them, providing stability, distributing train loads, preventing rail separation, allowing for thermal expansion, and maintaining track continuity for safe, smooth train movement.

Key Functions:

 

 

• Connect & Secure Rails: They hold the ends of two rails firmly together, preventing them from pulling apart or shifting sideways under heavy loads.

 

• Maintain Alignment: They keep the rail ends aligned vertically and horizontally (maintaining gauge), ensuring a smooth surface for wheels.

 

• Distribute Load: Angle bars help spread the weight of passing trains across both rail ends, reducing stress and wear at the joint.

 

 

• Allow Expansion: Their bolted design provides slight longitudinal movement for rails to expand and contract with temperature changes, preventing buckling.

 

• Ensure Continuity: They maintain the electrical connection between rail sections, which is crucial for track signaling systems.

 

• Facilitate Repair: They allow for easier maintenance and replacement of individual rail sections compared to continuous welded rail.

 

Do fish plates help prevent derailments?

 

Yes, fish plates are crucial for preventing derailments by connecting rail sections, maintaining alignment, distributing train loads, and preventing rails from spreading apart, ensuring track stability and safety under heavy dynamic forces. Without them, gaps or misalignment at rail joints would quickly lead to dangerous derailments.

How Fish Plates Prevent Derailments:

 

 

• Maintains Continuity: They join two rail ends, creating a continuous track for smooth train passage.

 

• Load Distribution: They spread the massive weight of trains evenly across the track, preventing stress concentration at joints.

 

 

• Ensures Alignment: Fish plates keep the rails parallel and at the correct gauge (spacing), preventing wheels from catching on misaligned ends.

 

• Prevents Separation: They resist the forces that try to push rail ends apart, which is a major cause of derailments.

 

• Provides Stiffness: They add vertical and lateral stiffness to the joint, improving track stability and ride quality.

 

GNEE RAIL can provide you with different rail joints such as GB, AREMA, BS, UIC, AS, African standard, South American standard, and different types such as common rail joint, compromise rail joint, bulge rail joint, insulated rail joint and glued insulated rail joint, etc. Our products have been exported to more than 20 countries and areas and more than 50 types of rail joints of standard and nonstandard are available for global customers.

 

 

Rail Joint For Light Rail
Rail Size(kg/m)	Main dimension(mm)				Theoretical Weight(kg/piece)
	Legth	Width	Holt Diameter	Holt Count
9	385	43.13	14	4	0.81
12	409	46.5	14	4	1.39
15	409	53.54	18	4	2.2
22	510	61.73	22	4	3.8
30	561	71.48	22	4	5.54

 

Rail Joint For Heavy Rail
Rail Size(kg/m)	Main dimension(mm)				Theoretical Weight(kg/piece)
	Legth	Width	Holt Diameter	Holt Count
38,43	790	94.03	40	6	15.57
50	820	104.22	46	6	18.72

 

Standard	Type	Length/Diameter	Weight/Material
AREMA	115RE	4 holes-24″	17.04kg
	115RE	6 holes-36″	25.56kg
	132RE-136RE	4 holes-24″	17.75kg
	132RE-136RE	6 holes-36″	26.63kg

 

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