Patent Application
20160355991
Railroads use switches to change railcars from one set of rails to another set of rails while the railcars are moving along the rails. A switch has stationary rails and movable rails that are located between the stationary rails. The movable rails are “point rails.” The stationary rails are “stock rails.” The point rails direct a railcar through the switch onto one set of rails or the other set of rails. In a switch, the point rails are tapered rails that move laterally in plane with the stock rails. The point rails may move between two, or in some cases more, positions to direct a railcar onto a set of rails. The switch may have a straight “through” track (i.e., the main line) and a diverging track. The diverging track may be a left-hand diverging track or a right-hand diverging track. The approach track (i.e., the set of rails before the switch) has a left rail and a right rail. The left rail and right rail of the approach track may both be continuous through the switch and may be the stock rail for both the through track and the diverging track. For example, in a right-hand diverging switch, the left rail of the approach track may continue straight and may be the stock rail for the through track. The right rail of the approach track may diverge to the right and be the stock rail for the right-hand diverging track.
The left point rail and right point rail may be mechanically locked relative to one another such that the point rails move simultaneously and maintain a consistent distance from one another. The point rails may move together such that only one of the point rails may be adjacent or “connected” to one of the stock rails at a time. The wheels of a railcar follow the connected point rail and the stock rail that is disconnected from the point rails. In the right-hand diverging switch example, the left point rail may be connected to the left or through stock rail while the right point rail may be disconnected from the right or diverging stock rail. The wheels may follow the diverging track. Conversely, if the point rails are moved such that the left point rail is disconnected from the through stock rail and the right point rail is connected to the diverging stock rail, the wheels of a railcar truck may follow the through track.
The switch may be operated by a switchstand or a switch machine. The switchstand or switch machine may be located on the left side or the right side of the switch. The switchstand or switch machine may be located on the through side of the switch or on the diverging side of the switch. The switchstand or switch machine may be connected to the switch mechanically to move the point rails. The location of the switchstand or switch machine may change due to the location and/or orientation of the switch relative to other structures or natural features. For example, a station may contain many rail lines that may interconnect or simply cross in a multitude of directions.
The rails, both stock and point, are supported by a railroad tie that distributes the weight of the rail and the cars across a larger area and into the ground. The tie may have a rail plate affixed thereto to allow the securement of the rail to the tie. Construction or repairs at a station may result in modifications to planned or existing designs for a switch direction or a switchstand or switch machine location. Alteration of the switch direction or switchstand or switch machine location in a conventional switch may require replacement of the tie and/or the rail-plate with a new tie and/or new rail plate specific to the new configuration.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify specific features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.
In a first non-limiting embodiment, a device for supporting a rail includes a body, a drop-in shoulder member, and a first retaining member. The body has a top surface, a first end, a second end, a bottom surface, a forward surface and a rearward surface. The body also has a first shoulder connected to the top surface and a first connection member affixed to the bottom surface proximate the first end of the body. The body has a slide surface and a stock surface on the top surface. The drop-in shoulder member has a second connection member and is configured to abut the body. The first retaining member is configured to connect to the drop-in shoulder member and contact the top surface proximate the second end.
In a second non-limiting embodiment, a system for supporting a rail includes a rail platform, a slide-plate having a body and a drop-in shoulder member, and a retaining member. The rail platform has a top plate. The top plate has a plurality of openings. The slide-plate has a body with a top surface configured to support a point rail and a bottom surface with a first connection member configured to mate with at least two of the plurality of openings. The drop-in shoulder member has a second connection member configured to mate with at least two of the plurality of openings and the drop-in shoulder member is configured to abut the body. The retaining member is configured to connect to the drop-in shoulder member and contact the top surface proximate the second end. In some embodiments, the rail platform is fixed to a steel tie.
In a third non-limiting embodiment, a kit includes a first straight slide-plate, a second straight slide-plate, a first diverging slide-plate, and a second diverging slide-plate. The slide-plates may include a body, a drop-in shoulder member, and a first retaining member. The body has a top surface, a first end, a second end, a bottom surface, a forward surface and a rearward surface. The body also has a first shoulder connected to the top surface and a first connection member affixed to the bottom surface proximate the first end of the body. The body has a slide surface and a stock surface on the top surface. The drop-in shoulder member has a second connection member and is configured to abut the body. The first retaining member is configured to connect to the drop-in shoulder member and contact the top surface proximate the second end.
Additional features of embodiments of the disclosure will be set forth in the description which follows. The features of such embodiments may be realized by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and other features will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of such exemplary implementations as set forth hereinafter.
In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and other features of the disclosure can be obtained, a more particular description will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. For better understanding, the like elements have been designated by like reference numbers throughout the various accompanying figures. While some of the drawings may be schematic or exaggerated representations of concepts, at least some of the drawings may be drawn to scale. Understanding that the drawings depict some example embodiments, the embodiments will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, some features of an actual embodiment may be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, as in any engineering or design project, numerous embodiment-specific decisions will be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one embodiment to another. It should further be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.
One or more embodiments of the present disclosure may generally relate to constructing and installing a railroad switch. A switch may include one or more slide-plates configured to support a point rail or other movable rail member. The point rail may move between a connected configuration and a disconnected configuration. The slide-plate may support the point rail as the point rail moves across a slide surface of the slide-plate. The slide plate may also include a stock surface that is configured to receive a stock rail. The slide-plate may be connectable to a rail platform with a plurality of openings that allow a single slide-plate to be connected thereto in a plurality of configurations, and may allow a variety of slide-plates having different configurations to be connected thereto. In at least one embodiment, an interchangeable and/or universal slide-plate system may reduce costs and construction time for railroad operations.
The plurality of universal slide-plates 102, rail platforms 104, and tie 106 may support a diverging stock rail 108 and a through stock rail 110. The diverging stock rail 108 may be a left diverging stock rail or a right diverging stock rail. While the switch 100 is depicted as having a diverging right rail, a switch 100 including universal slide-plates 102 according to the present disclosure may also be a triple switch an equilateral switch, or other switch, including a movable rail. The switch 100 may have one or more movable rails, such as right point rail 112 and left point rail 114 depicted in
A switchstand 116 and/or switch machine (not shown) may at least partially control the actuation of the right point rail 112 and left point rail 114 between a connected state and a disconnected state. In some embodiments, the switchstand 116 and/or switch machine may be located in a substantially transverse position relative to a direction of the diverging stock rail 108 and/or the through stock rail 110. The switchstand 116 and/or switch machine may be located on a side of the switch 100 closer to the through stock rail 110, as shown in
The body 218 may include or be made of various materials including, but not limited to, metals, metal alloys, composites, fiber-reinforced plastics, ceramics, or other materials. In some embodiments, the body 218 may include or be made of a metal alloy including any of iron, aluminum, titanium, tungsten, chromium, vanadium, manganese, magnesium, nickel, boron, molybdenum, carbon, sulfur, bismuth, copper, lead, silicon, and other alloying elements. For example, the body 218 may include steel. The body 218 may be cast or machined to provide the slide surface 230 and/or the stock surface 232. The first shoulder 236 may be cast with the body 218, machined from the body 218, or may be connected to the body 218 by welding, brazing, adhesives, drop-in (hook-in), one or more mechanical fasteners, or combinations thereof.
The universal slide-plate 202 may also include a retaining member 238 that is configured to connect to the drop-in shoulder member 220. The retaining member 238 may be a resilient clip, such as shown in
The drop-in shoulder member 320 may have a connection member 342 located on a bottom surface of the drop-in shoulder member 320. In some embodiments, the connection member 342 may be a hook configured to engage with a tie laterally. A connection member 342 including a hook may be oriented such that the connection member 342 may move in a lateral direction relative to a tie. In other embodiments, the connection member 342 may be a vertical post without a hook configuration. In yet other embodiments, the connection member 342 may include a mechanical fastener to allow selective engagement with a tie or other fixed structure. For example, a mechanical fastener may include a threaded nut and a threaded portion of the connection member 342. In another example, the connection member 342 may include a movable portion such that the connection member 342 may selectively engage with a tie or other fixed structure. The connection member 342 may be configured to be selectively removable from a tie or other fixed structure to allow the universal slide-plate 302 to be positioned in a plurality of orientations relative to a tie or other fixed structure.
The connection member 342 (e.g., a hook) may limit the movement of the drop-in shoulder member 320 to the lateral direction relative to the body 318. The body 318 may have one or more connection members and/or extensions that limit or prevent the movement of the body 318 in a lateral and/or longitudinal direction. For example, the body 318 may include one or more connection members (not shown) positioned on a bottom surface 328. The one or more connection members on the body 318 may include a hook oriented in an opposing lateral direction to the connection member 342 located on the drop-in shoulder member 320. A user may engage the body 318 with a tie or other fixed structure by engaging at least a portion of the one or more connection members on the body 318 and rotating the body 318 through an arc in plane with the lateral axis 344 until the body 318 is substantially aligned with the lateral axis 344 as shown in
The body 318 may rotate through an arc in plane with the lateral direction to disengage with the drop-in shoulder member 320 and/or a tie or other fixed structure. A retaining member 338 may limit or prevent the movement of the body 318 through such an arc. The retaining member 338 may have a portion that engages with a second shoulder 348. The second shoulder 348 may be cast with the drop-in shoulder member 320, machined from the drop-in shoulder member 320, or may be connected to the drop-in shoulder member 320 by welding, brazing, adhesives, one or more mechanical fasteners, or combinations thereof. The retaining member 338 may be a resilient clip that applies an upward force on the second shoulder 348 while applying a downward force at least on the body 318. The retaining member 338 may, therefore, be configured to limit the upward movement (rotation) of at least part of the body 318. The retaining clip 338 may, thereby, limit or prevent the only degree of freedom of either the body 318 or the drop-in shoulder member 320 when the retaining member 338 is engaged with the second shoulder 348 and at least part of the body 318.
The tie 406 may include or be made of a metal alloy including any of iron, aluminum, titanium, tungsten, chromium, vanadium, manganese, magnesium, nickel, boron, molybdenum, carbon, sulfur, bismuth, copper, lead, silicon, and other alloying elements. For example, the tie 406 may include steel. In some embodiments, the rail platform 404 and the tie 406 may be steel and the rail platform 404 and the tie 406 may be welded together. The tie 406 may have a base 450 and one or more sidewalls 452. In some embodiments, the rail platform 404 may be at least partially supported by and/or in contact with the base 450. In other embodiments, the rail platform 404 may be at least partially supported by and/or in contract with one or more sidewalls 452. In yet other embodiments, the rail platform 404 may be partially supported by and/or in contact with both the base 450 and one or more sidewalls 452. For example,
The rail platform 404 may have one or more openings 454 therein that may receive a connection member, such as connection member 342 described in relation to
The rail platform 504 may have one or more openings 554 therethrough. The openings 554 may be in the top plate 558 of the rail platform 504. In some embodiments, one of the one or more openings 554 may have the same dimensions as another opening 554, or the one or more openings 554 may have different dimensions. For example, the one or more openings may all be the same shape, such as circular, elliptical, square, rectangular, octagonal, irregular, or other shapes. In another example, at least one of the one or more openings 554 may have a different shape from the other openings 554, such as a circular opening and a square opening. In other embodiments, the one or more openings 554 may have different widths, lengths, areas, or combinations thereof; and some of the one or more openings 554 may have the same widths, lengths, areas, or combinations thereof. For example, one of the one or more openings 554 may have a first area and another of the one or more openings 554 may have a second area that is greater than, less than, or the same as the first area. In at least one embodiment, at least one of the one or more openings 554 in the top plate 558 may be configured to receive a connection member, such as connection member 342 described in relation to
After the drop-in shoulder member 620 is in engaged with the rail platform 604, a body of the universal slide-plate may be connected to the rail platform, as shown in
In some embodiments, the plurality of slide surfaces 1130 may support a point rail that may be selectively moved adjacent to or away from the stock rail 1110. The point rail may, thereby, allow for the direction of a rail system to change. As shown in
The universal slide-plates 1202 are connected to the rail platforms 1204 by one or more retaining members 1238 engaged with a drop-in shoulder member 1220 of the universal slide-plate 1202 and the diverging stock rail 1208 and the through stock rail 1210 are connected to the universal slide-plates 1202 by one or more retaining members 1238 engaged with a first shoulder 1236 on a body 1218 of the universal slide-plate 1202. In some embodiments, the one or more retaining members 1238 may be identical and may be interchangeable between restraining the universal slide-plates 1202 and the diverging stock rail 1208 and the through stock rail 1210. In other embodiments, the one or more retaining members 1238 may be different. The restraining members 1238 of
The articles “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements in the preceding descriptions. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, it should be understood that references to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. Numbers, percentages, ratios, or other values stated herein are intended to include that value, and also other values that are “about” or “approximately” the stated value, as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art encompassed by embodiments of the present disclosure. A stated value should therefore be interpreted broadly enough to encompass values that are at least close enough to the stated value to perform a desired function or achieve a desired result. The stated values include at least the variation to be expected in a suitable manufacturing or production process, and may include values that are within 5%, within 1%, within 0.1%, or within 0.01% of a stated value.
A person having ordinary skill in the art should realize in view of the present disclosure that equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and that various changes, substitutions, and alterations may be made to embodiments disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Equivalent constructions, including functional “means-plus-function” clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function, including both structural equivalents that operate in the same manner, and equivalent structures that provide the same function. It is the express intention of the applicant not to invoke means-plus-function or other functional claiming for any claim except for those in which the words ‘means for’ appear together with an associated function. Each addition, deletion, and modification to the embodiments that falls within the meaning and scope of the claims is to be embraced by the claims.
The terms “approximately,” “about,” and “substantially” as used herein represent an amount close to the stated amount that still performs a desired function or achieves a desired result. For example, the terms “approximately,” “about,” and “substantially” may refer to an amount that is within less than 5% of, within less than 1% of, within less than 0.1% of, and within less than 0.01% of a stated amount. Further, it should be understood that any directions or reference frames in the preceding description are merely relative directions or movements. For example, any references to “up” and “down” or “above” or “below” are merely descriptive of the relative position or movement of the related elements.
The present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the disclosure is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. Changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
The present application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/163,249 entitled “UNIVERSAL SLIDE-PLATE” and filed May 18, 2015, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62163249 | May 2015 | US |
