1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tamping tool unit for tamping ballast under a respective one of successive ties of a railroad track, which comprises a frame extending in a frame extending in a longitudinal direction, a pair of tamping tool levers mounted on the frame for pivoting about a pivot axis in a plane extending in the longitudinal direction, a reciprocating drive connected to each tamping tool lever for pivoting the tamping tool lever, and a tamping pick at a lower end of each tamping tool lever.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Such tamping tool units are well known, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,095 discloses such a tamping tool unit wherein the opening width of a pair of reciprocating tamping tool levers may be selectively varied, which may be necessary, for example, if a double tie is to be tamped by the pair of reciprocating tamping tool levers. For this purpose, a stop pivotal into engagement with the piston rod of the reciprocating drive may be actuated to change the reciprocating path. In this way, the tamping tool unit may be adapted to different crib widths.
In the tamping of ballast under successive ties of a railroad track, the crib width, i.e. the distance of the ties from each other, is of essential importance. If, for instance, a track to be tamped changes from wooden to concrete ties, the resultant change in the crib width causes considerable problems in a continuous track tamping operation. Normally, this has required a different tamping unit whose tamping picks are adapted to the changed crib width.
It is the primary object of this invention to provide a tamping tool unit of the first-indicated type which simplifies the tamping of track sections having different crib widths.
This and other objects are accomplished according to the invention with a tamping tool unit of the first-described structure, which has a guide on at least one of the tamping tool levers for displacing the tamping pick in a direction extending perpendicularly to the pivot axis, and a fixing device for fixing the tamping pick on the lower tamping tool lever end. A tamping pick carrier may be provided on at least one of the tamping tool levers, which is displaceable along a guide relative to the at least one tamping tool lever in a direction extending perpendicularly to the pivot axis.
This enables the tamping tool unit to be retrofitted simply and in a minimum of time by displacing the tamping pick or its carrier in the longitudinal direction of the tamping tool unit frame along the guide, and then fixing it on the tamping tool lever in the displaced position. This enables the reciprocation of the pair of tamping tool levers to be readily adapted to a changed crib width. Accordingly, track sections having different crib widths may be readily tamped in a continuous tamping operation with the same tamping tool unit.
The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of certain now preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying, somewhat schematic drawing wherein
As shown in
In the embodiments shown in
The preferred fixing device comprises screws 14 extending in the direction of pivot axis 6, as shown in
In the embodiment illustrated in
As shown in
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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GM114/2003 | Feb 2003 | AT | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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3396671 | Roseberry | Aug 1968 | A |
4576095 | Theurer | Mar 1986 | A |
4598645 | Ganz | Jul 1986 | A |
4773333 | Theurer | Sep 1988 | A |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20040163566 A1 | Aug 2004 | US |