IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY TRACK MAINTENANCE MACHINERY

Abstract: A railway track maintenance machine is provided with rail lifting apparatus (26) and ballast insertion apparatus (22) which are mounted on a common saddle structure (36), for simultaneous movement longitudinally of a railway track (14) on which the machine runs. The arrangement is such that the movement is relative to the machine.

Description: IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY TRACK MAINTENANCE MACHINERY This invention relates to railway line lifting and ballast applying machinery. Such machinery is well known. Essentially, it comprises at least one rail mounted chassis which carries driver and operator stations, a ballast reservoir, ballast conveying means, rail lifting means, and ballast insertion tubes. Ballast tamping means are sometimes included. A control system is incorporated in the operators station. It is common practice to arrange the apparatus listed hereinbefore, in a line along the chassis, so that each is separated from the next i.e. each has its own station. The present invention seeks to provide an improved arrangement of apparatus. According to the present invention, a railway track maintenance machine comprises a bed fixable to the chassis of a said machine, a saddle slidably mounted thereon for reciprocatory movement longitudinally of a railway track upon which for operation a said machine runs, rail lifting means and ballast insertion means mounted on said saddle, the former being capable of vertical reciprocatory movement and the latter being capable of reciprocatory movement which has at least a substantial vertical component. Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a railway line lifting and ballast applying machine incorporating an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is an enlarged part view of the embodiment of Figure 1. Figure 3 is an enlarged view on line 3-3 of Figure 2. Figure 4 is a part view in the direction of arrow 4 in Figure 2 Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view on line 5-5 of Figure 2. Figures 6 to 8 inclusive are alternative arrangements embodying the invention. Referring to Figure 1. A railway track maintenance machine 10 is located on a railway track 14 via bogies 12 in known manner. The machine 10 includes a ballast conveyor system 16, which conveys ballast from a store (not shown) to hoppers 18. The ballast is then passed by conduits 20, to respective ballast insertion tubes 22 which, prior to receipt of the ballast, have been inserted in the ballast bed 24 upon 5 which the track 14 lies. The track 14 is lifted from the ballast bed 24 by rail lifters 26, along with associared sleepers 28, so as ro enable the insertion of ballast via the ballast tubes 22, to raise the level of the track 14. 10 The functions just described are conventional. However, the constructional combination of certain of the devices described hereinbefore is not, as is described hereafter. A pair of elongate beds 30 only one of which is shovr., are rigidly suspended from respective main chassis beams 32 15 of the machine 10, by legs 34 at each end of each bed. The beds 30 lie parallel with each other, each being positioned over and in line with a respective rail of the track 14. In the example, each bed 30 supports a pair of saddles 20 36 which are arranged in tandem, and can be seen in Figure 2, to which reference is now made. The saddles 36 are slidable along their respective beds 30, which movement is achieved by rams 38 which are anchored to respective brackets 35 affixed ro beds 30. 25 Each saddle carries a fixed post 40, and a rail lifter 26 is supported on each post 40 via vertical guides 42, for vertical sliding movement into and out of a position wherein pairs of lifting rollers 43 at their lower ends, can engage the undersides of the flanges cf respective rails of τ_he 0 track 14. The rail lifter also includes flanged lining rollers 45 which are lifted and lowered with the rollers 43, on to the track 14 in known manner. Each saddle 36 also supports an inverted 'L' shaped frame 44 via a pivotal connection 46 between the saddle 40 5 and the lower end of the frame 44, and via a ram rod 48 which is connected to the frame 44 at a point 49 spaced from The pivot 46, and an associated ram 53 (Figure 3) which is anchored to the post 40, between the guides 42. Each frame 44 supports a pair of ballast insertion tube carriers 22 for sliding movement relative to the frame 44, in actual or near parallelism therewith. The tube carriers 22 are spaced laterally of their respective saddles 36 so that for operation, they straddle a rail of the track 14, as is seen in Figure 5. The tube carriers 22 each of which carries a tube 23 are 0 supported via an inverted 'U' shaped member 50 (Figure 4) through the upper, closed end of which a guide spindle 52 passes from the upper end of the 'L' shaped frame 44 to a platform 45 which projects from the lower end thereof (Figure 4). 5 The lower ends of the tube carriers 22 are pivotally attached to the extreme ends of the 'U' member 50 fcr small oscillatory movements about an axis 54 which is ar right angles to the sleeper 28. The oscillations are effected by linking the tube carriers 22 at points near their upper ends 0 to an eccentric pin 56 which is rotatably mounted in the top dead centre of the inverted 'U' member 50 and is seen in Figure 3. Oscillations of this kind in track maintenance machines is known, and is mentioned so as to illustrate that adoption of the combination mounting of the present 5 invention, does not obviate the ability to use such a step, which ensures an easy penetration of the tubes 23 into the ballast 24. Similarly, the combination also enables retention of the feature wherein each frame 44 and its associated pair of tubes 22 can be tilted into alignment with G the plane of the sides cf the sleepers 28 as is seen in Figure 2, prior to insertion of the tubes 23 into the ballast 24 under the sleepers 28. The 'U' member 50 can also pivot about the spindle 52, so as to ensure that tubes 23 at each end of a sleeper 28 5 abut the side of the sleeper prior to their insertion into the ballast 24. A line contact member 60 is positioned between those rail lifters 26 which are arranged in tandem, and provides the moving part of a potentiometer (not shown) which is mounted in the control system (not shown). Thus, when the track is lifted, the member 60 moves upwards and causes the potentiometer (not shown) to emit a signal which is representative of the magnitude of the lift. This, as a function and effect, is known. Further, the concept of straddling the line contact 60 with rail lifters 26 which can operate in unison, and are sufficiently spaced, ensures that the rail portion so lifted is straighter than is achieved by known arrangements, and consequently, a more accurate magnitude of lift is enabled. A further advantage which the construction herein described provides, is the compact co-siting of two devices which perform different functions, namely the rail lifters 26 and the insertion tubes 23. Another advantage which the inventive construction provides, is that appropriate actuation of the rams 38 enables final positioning of the saddles 36 and therefore, the rail lifters 26 and tubes 22, with respect to the sleepers 28. The need to move the machine 10 in its entirely to achieve the same result, is thus avoided. Further, individual or synchronous actuation of the tubes 23 and lifters 26 in known manner, is still possible. Whilst by way of example the invention is described as having two pairs of saddles 36 and associated equipment, arranged in tandem, it also embraces the provision of only one pair, spaced laterally of the track 14. In the latter arrangement, the beds 30 may be shortened as appropriate. Another alternative arrangement consists of obviating the member 44 and extending the cap 62 of the post 40. By this means the guide spindle 52 can be affixed between the cap 62 and the saddle 36 as in Figure 6. A drawback is loss of the ability to pivot the ballast insertion tubes 23 to take account of any slope in the sides of the sleepers 28. If it is-essential that the tubes 22 should parallel the sides of the sleepers 28, the arrangement of Figure 6 can only be used in association with truly rectangular sleepers, or on sleepers with a common magnitude of slope. The pivotal function could be retained however, if the 5 guide spindle 52 is pivotally connected to the saddle at 46, a slot 64 provided in the extended cap 62, and the guide spindle 52 is made a length sufficient to protrude through the slot, as depicted in Figure 7. The slot 64 should be long enough to allow both the .0 spindle 52 and the associated ram 66 by means of which the tubes 22 are moved up and down the spindle 52, to move through a desired small arc within the slot 64. The arcuate movement is achieved by fixing the ram 53 (Figure 3) on top of the extended cap 62 and connecting its 15 rod 48 (Figure 2) to the spindle 52. The spindle in turn is fixed to the cylinder of the ram 66. In the example the beds 30 have been described as lying in longitudinal alignment with the railway track 14 being maintained. However, as depicted in Figure 8, the beds 30 20 may be orientated so as to span the railway track 14, and slides 68 fitted on each projecting end. The slides 68 will be aligned with track 14, so that saddles 36 (not shown in Figure 8) when located on them, will still be movable in the required directions. 25 Figure 8 further illustrates the arrangement of a bed 30 with respect to the main chassis 32 of the machine 10. Provided sufficient bracing is used in connecting the beds 30 to the chassis 32, so as to withstand the forces exerted thereon during the lifting of the rails of the track 30 14, it may be possible to obviate the central portion 70 of each bed.

Claims: Claims:- 1. A railway track maintenance machine (10) characterised by a bed (30) fixable to the chassis (32) of a said machine, a saddle (36) slidably mounted thereon for movement longitudinally of a railway track (14) upon which for operation a said machine (10) runs, rail lifting means (26) and ballast insertion means (22) mounted on said saddle, the former being capable of vertical reciprocatory movement and the latter being capable of reciprocatory movement which has at least a substantial vertical component. 2. A railway track maintenance machine (10) as clairr.ed in cla 1 wherein said saddle (36. includes a post (40) which has guide means (42) for guiding said track lifting means (26) along a fixed, vertical, reciprocatory path. 3. A railway track maintenance machine as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 including a ballast insertion means support comprising an elongate er±ier (44) pivotally connected via one end to said saddle (36) so as to project upwardly therefrom and including guide means (52) for guiding said ballast insertion means (22) on a reciprocatory path parallel therewith and means for pivoting the member (44), and therefor, the guide means (52) and ballast insertion means (22), through a small oscillatory arc from the vertical, in a direction longitudinally of a said railway track (14). 4. A railway track maintenance machine (10) as claimed in claim 3 wherein the means for effecting said arcuate movement comprises a ram mechanism (53) connected between the post (40) and the elongate member (44). 5. A railway track maintenance machine (10) as claimed in claim 3 wherein the means for effecting said arcuate movement comprises a ram mechanism (53) connected between the saddle (36) and the elongate member (44). 6. A railway track maintenance machine (10) as claimed in claim 2 wherein the guide means (52) comprises rigid spindles (42) fixed via respective ends in the post (40) and in the saddle (36). 7. A railway track 'maintenance machine (10) as claimed in claim 1 including guide means (52) for guiding said ballast insertion means in said reciprocatory manner, in sliding engagement therewith, said guide means being pivotally connected by a lower end to the saddle (36) and projecting upwardly, the upper end thereof being connected directly or indirectly to the saddle (36) via a ram (53) for oscillatory movement between the vertical and an attitude which has a substantial vertical component, in a direction which during operation, is longitudinally of a said railway track (14). 8. A railway track maintenance machine (IC) as claimed in claim 7 and wherein the saddle (36) has a pest fixed thereto, which includes guide means for guiding said track lifting means along said fixed, vertical reciprocatory path and further includes an upper portion (62) which is slotted (64), through which slot the ballast insertion means guide means (52) projects in close sliding relationship with the slot walls, and said ram mechanism (53) connects the ballast insertion means guide means (52) to the saddle (36) via the post (40), for effecting said oscillatory movement within the confines of the slot (64). 9. A railway track maintenance machine (10) including at least one bed (30) and associated saddle (36) as claimed in any previous claim. 10. A railway track maintenance machine (10) including a pair of beds (30) each with an associated saddle (36) as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9, said beds (30) being positioned on said machine (10) so as to lie during operation, one over and aligned with, a respective rail of a railway track (14) to be maintained.

Inventors: FARMER GEOFFREY, TAYLOR RICHARD, FARMER, GEOFFREY, TAYLOR, RICHARD
Applicants: NORTHERN ENG IND, NORTHERN ENGINEERING INDUSTRIES PLC
Application year: 1992
Main classification: E01B27
IPC codes: E01B27