Claims
- 1. In a railway track maintenance apparatus comprising a railway vehicle having a pair of front railway wheels and a pair of rear railway wheels and adapted for movement along the rails of a railway, and tie replacement means mounted on said vehicle between said pairs of railway wheels for removing and replacing cross ties in the roadbed from beneath the rails of said railway, the improvement comprising rail locking means mounted on said vehicle between said pairs of railway wheels adjacent to said tie replacement means, for locking said rails while removing and replacing cross ties and including rail clamping means operable to engage the opposite sides of each rail of said railway between said pairs of rail wheels adjacent to said means for removing and replacing cross ties; and means on said vehicle for holding each rail in a fixed position laterally relative to said vehicle and to each other with sufficient force to prevent movement of such rail in either lateral direction when said rail would otherwise flex laterally out of alignment upon being released from a tie in said roadbed adjacent to said clamping means; and means for lifting said rails relative to said vehicle sufficiently to clear said cross ties to be replaced while said holding means continue to hold said rails in a substantially fixed lateral position relative to said vehicle, said holding means being continuously laterally adjustable independent of the position of said vehicle relative to said rails as determined by said pairs of wheels relative to said rails while said railway vehicle moves along said rails, said holding means thus laterally fixing the relative position of said rails while lifted from said cross tie so that said rails will be refunded to said cross tie at their original position.
- 2. A track maintenance apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said lifting means selectively raises and lowers support means mounted on said vehicle supporting said rail clamping means, whereby said rail may be raised clear of the cross tie to be removed by means of said rail clamping means when said rail clamping means are pivoted to their rail engaging position, while stabilized against lateral displacement by said lateral stabilizing means.
- 3. A track maintenance apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said lifting means selectively raises and lowers, support means mounted on said vehicle supporting said rail clamping means, whereby said rail may be raised clear of the cross tie to be removed by means of said rail clamping means when said rail clamping means grips said rail, while stabilized against lateral displacement by said lateral stabilizing means.
- 4. A railway track maintenance apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rail clamping means is supported on a beam mounted on said vehicle and said holding means is operable to hold said beam in a fixed lateral position relative to said railway vehicle.
- 5. A railway track maintenance apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherien said holding means to fix the lateral position of said beam is operable to permit said beam to move laterally with respect to said vehicle and wherein said rail clamping means includes means to support said beam to maintain said rail clamping means aligned with said rails as said vehicle moves along said railway.
- 6. A method of replacing a cross tie in the roadbed of a railway comprising the steps of: (a) longitudinally positioning a railway vehicle having a pair of front railway wheels and a pair of rear railway wheels to straddle the cross tie to be replaced, (b) continuoously laterally adjusting, while said vehicle is moving along rails in said railway during said positioning step, the position of rail gripping members supported by a laterally adjustable support member relative to said rails intermediate said front and said real railway wheels in response to a guide member engaging a rail; (c) fixing the position of said vehicle and engaging the opposite sides of each of the rails of the railway with said rail gripping members supported on said support member between said pairs of railway wheels, thus to grip the rails adjacent to the cross tie to be replaced between said front pair of wheels and said rear pair of wheels, (d) lifting the rails while secured to said rail gripping member while continuing to stabilize said rails laterally relative to each other, (e) then pulling the cross tie to be replaced laterally from beneath the rails of said railway without releasing said holding step by means for removing said ties, said means also being located between said front and rear wheels of said railway vehicle, (f) pushing a new cross tie into the position from which the cross tie to be replaced was removed, and (g) lowering said rails to thus original position and releasing the grip upon the rails.
- 7. In a railway track maintenance apparatus comprising a railway vehicle having a pair of front railway wheels and a pair of rear railway wheels and adapted for movement along the raiIs of a railway and means mounted on said vehicle between said pairs of railway wheels for removing and replacing ties from beneath the rails of said railway, the improvement comprising the combination of:
- means supported by a beam member extending laterally relative to said rails for clamping the rails beneath said vehicle between said front railway wheels and sair rear railways wheels;
- means supported by said vehicle for lifting said beam member to lift said clamped rails relative to said vehicle to a positiong clear of a tie for removal and insertion of ties beneath said rails; and
- lateral stabilizing means supported by said vehicle including said beam member for laterally stabilizing said rails, when lifted, against lateral displacement, and for continuously laterally positioning said beam member relative to said rails in response to a guide member engaging said rails when said clamping means is free from engagement with said rail and said lateral positioning being independent of lateral movement of said vehicle determined by said pairs of wheels engaging said rails.
- 8. The combination as set forth in claim 7, wherein said lateral stabilizing means includes a lateral stability cylinder secured to said beam member which is hydraulically locked when said rails are lifted to prevent lateral displacement of said rails.
- 9. The combination as set forth in claim 7, wherein said clamping means includes said beam member supporting rail clamps for gripping said rails and extending laterally relative to rails beneath said vehicle and means for raising or lowering said beam member on command, said lateral stability means connecting said beam member and said vehicle and coacting therewith to adjust the lateral position of said beam member relative to the paired rails of said railway.
- 10. The combination as set forth in claim 9, wherein said lateral stabilizing means is a lateral stability cylinder.
- 11. The combination as set forth in claim 10, wherein said lateral stability cylinder is hydraulically locked to maintain the lateral position of said clamping means and said beam member during lifting of said clamped rails.
- 12. The apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein said vehicle includes a bridge member, said lifting means comprises hydraulic cylinders secured to said bridge member and to said beam member, said clamping means being secured to said beam member.
- 13. The apparatus as set forth in claim 12, wherein said lateral stabilizing cylinder is secured to an adjustable support suspended from said bridge member, and further including an end plate fixed at each end of said beam member, and a pair of stabilizing bars respectively connected at one end of said end plates and pivotally connected at the other to a second support member.
- 14. A railway track maintenance apparatus comprising:
- a railway vehicle having a pair of front railway wheels and a pair of rear railway wheels and adapted for longitudinal movement along the rails of a railway, said wheels engaging said rails for proving all of the support for said vehicle while lifting rails from beneath said vehicle between said pairs of railway wheels, thus to avoid disturbing ballast for said rails, and tie replacing means mounted on said vehicle between said pairs of railway wheels for removing and replacing ties from beneath the rails of said railway;
- rail clamping means including a rail clamp and a guide portion, for clamping said rails beneath said vehicle and for lifting said rails free from engagement with ties for said rails to permit ties beneath said rails to be exchanged; and
- clamp positioning means located intermediate said pairs of railway wheels beneath said vehicle, said clamp positioning means being transversely movable relative to said vehicle and to a rail for continuously transversely positioning said clamping means and said clamp along said rail while said vehicle is longitudinally indexing along said rail, such transverse movement being in response to said guide portion of said clamping means engaging said rails and independent of the positioning of said vehicle determined by said pairs of wheels, said clamp positioning means being fixed relative to said rail when said vehicle is stationary to exchange a tie, so that said clamping means engages said rail at an original rail position, lifts said rail to exchange a tie beneath said rail, and returns said rail to its original position.
- 15. In a railway track maintenance apparatus comprsing a railway vehicle having a pair of fron railway wheels and a pair of rear railway wheels and adapted for movement along the rails of a railway, and tie replacement means mounted on said vehicle between said pairs of railway wheels for removing and replacing cross ties in the roadbed from beneath the rails of said railway, the improvement comprising tail locking means, mounted on said vehicle between said pairs of railway wheels adjacent to said tie replacement means, for locking said rails while removing and replacing cross ties and including rail clamping means operable to engage the opposite sides of each rail of said railway between said pairs of rail wheels adjacent to said means for removing and replacing cross ties and means for holding each rail in a fixed position laterally relative to said vehicle and to each other with sufficient force to prevent movement of such rail in either lateral direction when such tail would otherwise flex laterally out of alignment upon being released from a tie in said roadbed adjacent to said clamping means; and means for lifting said rails relative to said vehicle sufficiently to clear said cross ties to be replaced while said holding means continues to hold said rails in a substantially fixed lateral position relative to said vehicle, said holding means being laterally adjustable relative to said rail, said holding means thus laterally stabilizing the relative position of said rails while lifted from said cross tie, wherein said rail locking means including support means is mounted on said vehicle, said rail clamping means is mounted on said support means, and said holding means is operable to hold said support means in a fixed lateral position relative to said vehicle, or permits said support means to move laterally with respect to said vehicle, said holding means including lateral stabilizing means to guide the lateral movement of said support means relative to said vehicle to maintain said rail clamping means freely aligned with said rails as said vehicle moves along said railway.
- 16. A track maintenance apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein said lateral stabilizing means to guide said support means comprises rollers mounted on said support means adapted to engage said track and a lateral stabilizing cylinder for laterally guiding said support means to position said support means relative to said rails.
- 17. A track maintenance apparatus as recited in claim 16, wherein said rollers are adapted to be positioned to engage the inner side edges of the rail heads of said rails.
- 18. A track maintenance apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein said rail clamping means comprises means to pinch said rails against said rollers.
- 19. A track maintenance apparatus as recited in claim 18, wherein said means to pinch said rails comprises arms pivotally mounted on said support means to move between a retracted position and a rail engaging position, said arms having rail engaging members shaped to lip under the rail heads of said rails when said arms are pivoted to their rail engaging positions.
- 20. A track maintenance apparatus as recited in claim 19, wherein said lifting means selectively raises and lowers said support means whereby said rail may be raised clear of the cross tie to be removed by means of said rail clamping means when said arms are pivoted to their rail engaging position, while stabilized against lateral displacement by said lateral stabilizing means.
- 21. A track maintenance apparatus as recited in claim 19, wherein said lifting means selectively raises and lowers said support means whereby said rail may be raised clear of the cross tie to be removed by means of said rail clamping means when said rail clamping means grips said rail, while stabilzed against lateral displacement by said lateral displacement means.
- 22. A railway track maintenance apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein said rail clamping means is supported on a beam mounted on said vehicle, and includes means operable to engage opposite sides of one of said rails between said pairs of railway wheels operating to hold said rail in a fixed position relative to said beam, and holding means is operable to hold said beam in a substantially fixed lateral position relative to said railway vehicle.
- 23. A railway track maintenance apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein said holding means to fix the lateral position of said beam is operable to permit said beam to move laterally with respect to said vehicle and wherein said rail engaging means includes engaging means to guide said beam to maintain said rail clamping means aligned with said rails as said vehicle moves along said railway.
- 24. A track maintenance apparatus as recited in claim 23, wherein said means to guide said beam comprises rollers mounted on said beam adapted to engage the sides of said rails.
- 25. A track maintenance apparatus as recited in claim 24, wherein said rail engaging means comprises means to pinch said rails against said rollers.
- 26. A track maintenance apparatus as recited in claim 25, wherein said means to engage said rails abuts against opposite vertical side surfaces of said rail.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No 465,592, filed Feb. 10, 1983, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
964117 |
Mar 1975 |
CAX |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
Brochure entitled, "Portec's RMC TKO Machine, Bulletin TKO-200. |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
465592 |
Feb 1983 |
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