Patent ID: 8522688
Filing Date: 2013-09-03
Classification: E01B

Abstract:
1. A rail maintenance anchor spreader/squeezer work head for use on a railroad track including a pair of spaced parallel rails extending along a rail axis, comprising: a work head frame; a pair of sliding brackets laterally reciprocating on said frame along an operational axis parallel to the rail axis, each said bracket having an anchor engaging end; and a pair of opposed fluid power cylinders secured to said frame, each said cylinder connected to a respective one of said sliding brackets for laterally reciprocating said sliding brackets along said operational axis and relative to said workhead frame and selectively controlled for any one of anchor squeezing, when both cylinders are extended and said brackets move closer together along said operational axis for moving adjacent anchors along the rail to be closer together, and anchor spreading when at least one of said cylinders is retracted and said brackets move apart along said operational axis for spreading the anchors away from each other along the rail.