This article is about the connection bar used in railways. For the type of Greek pottery, see fish plate. Fishplate on the Bluebell Railway In rail terminology, a fishplate, splice bar or joint bar is a metal bar that is bolted to the ends of two rails to join them together in a track. The name is derived from fish, a wooden bar with a curved profile used to strengthen a ship's mast.[1] The top and bottom edges are tapered inwards so the device wedges itself between the top and bottom of the rail when it is bolted into place.[2] In rail transport modelling, a fishplate is often a small copper or nickel silver plate that slips onto both rails to provide the functions of maintaining alignment and electrical continuity.