Fastening rail in railway slide chair assembly

A rail fastening apparatus fastens an inner stock rail in a railway slide chair assembly. The apparatus includes a base plate. The base plate has on one face a rail seat region on which the inner stock rail sits when the slide chair assembly is in use. A resilient rail fastening clip restrains the inner stock rail. A locating means locates the rail fastening clip in a first position. A loading means vertically deflects the clip so as to produce a load in a toe portion of the clip. A second locating means holds the rail fastening clip in a second position different from the first position such that the toe portion of the clip sits on a ramp of the loading means in a preload condition in which the clip does not bear on the rail