Found along some Rio Grande lines is the Fish Hook tie plate, patented by Louis Hoerr of St. Louis, Missouri. Unlike conventional tieplates, which have a flat bottom surface, the Hoerr plates have a particularly nasty looking set of hooked ridges and spikes for binding them tightly to the tie below. While the plates claim a patent date of 1901, I cannot find a patent matching their design during that year. The most obviously relevant patent is #746028, filed 8-Dec-1903.