676 



REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1889 



men ted with, but generally without satisfaction, judging from the fact 

 that none have survived. 



The difficulty in making good joints with the pear-headed rail was 

 overcome, by some of the engineers, by planing away a portion of the 

 head of the rail for a foot or 18 inches from each end. In Fig. 52 is 



Fig. 52. 

 Erik Rail with ends stamped fou Adams' Cast-Iron Bracket Splice, 1857. 



From u drawing in the U S. National Museum. 



shown a section of the pear-headed rail, fitted for splice bar, used on 

 the Erie Railroad. On this rail a cast-iron angle splice, containing four 

 bolts and measuring 9 inches in length, was used as early as 1857. 



On the Pennsylvania Railroad and on the Belvidere-Delaware Rail- 

 road, as will be seen in Fig. 53, the rails in some cases were planed with 



Fig. 51!. 



73-pound Kail, Pennsylvania Railroad, Mountain Division. Under Head 



Planed for Splice, 1857. 



(From a drawingin the U.S. National Museum.) 



special reference to the use of a splice bar almost square at the rail 

 head and base, as early as 1857. 



In 1853 an interesting experiment was tried on the Boston and Low- 

 ell Railroad. After running for some time on the head (pear-shaped) 



