A METHOD OF PLACING RAIL SECTIONS AND A MEANS THEREFORE

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of placing, positioning and fastening railroad rail sections on railroad rail sections (1) on a number of mutually adjacent and mutually spaced, loose railroad sleepers (2a, 2b), with the aid of a pulling vehicle (7) which functions to pull a rail section (1) from a first railroad wagon (4) into abutment with said sleepers, via a second railroad wagon (5). Rail sections (1) pulled from the wagon by said vehicle (7) are moved linearly at a distance (a) above the sleepers (2a, 2b) with the aid of a number of devices (10, 10a, 10b). This linear movement is adapted so that the trailing end-surface (1') of the pulled rail section will be positioned adjacent a leading end-surface (1'') of an earlier laid rail section. In this position of the rail section, one or more of said devices (10, 10a, 10b) is/are activated to lower the rail section (1) onto rail-adapted, sleeper-associated fastener elements (81-84). The invention also relates to a method of creating conditions whereby tensile forces acting in railroad rails that are fastened to railroad sleepers can be adapted or neutralized. The invention also relates to a device for use to this end.

Description: TITLE OF INVENTION: A Me t hod of Plac ing Ra iJ Cer e ions and a Means herefore FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates primarily to a method of successively placing, positioning and thereafter fastening rail sections on and to a number of mutually adjacent and mutually spaced railroad sleepers, where each sleeper is placed loosely on a prepared railroad bed. The method utilizes a first railroad wagon adapted to carry a plurality of rail sections, a second railroad wagon or like vehicle adapted to guide rail sections taken successively from said plurality of rail sections on said first wagon onto said loosely resting sleepers with the aid of a pulling vehicle, such as a tractor, that functions to pull one rail section at a time from said first wagon and into abutment with said sleepers, via said second wagon The present invention also relates to a method of lifting and moving a previously positioned rail relative to a railroad sleeper and lowering the rail onto the sleeper, therewith providing conditions for adapting or neutralizing tension forces acting in a rail that is fastened to railroad sleepers. Such a method comprises the following steps, although not necessarily in a consecutive order: a) cutting away an end part of the rail, b) loosening fastener elements between sleepers and rail along an adapted rail section, c) lifting said rail section slightly above said loosened sleepers; d) applying a pre-determined force to the loosened rail section in direction of its longitudinal axis, e) fastening the end surface of the rail section to an exposed end-surface of an adjacent rail section that is fastened to railroad sieepers, under the action of a force; and f) fastening the loose rail section acted upon by said force to underlying railroad sleepers with the aid of fastener elements The present invention also relates to a device for use in the inventive method, such as to facilitate linear movement of rail sections along the sleepers The device is also adapted to provide the possibility to lift and move a rail relative to a railroad sleeper and to lower the rail onto said sleeper, which can be used when practicing the inventive method BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A number of different methods of placing, positioning and thereafter permanently fastening rail sections on rail sections on a number of mutually adjacent and mutually spaced, loose railroad sleepers each of which rests loosely on a railroad bed are known to the art. By "loosely placed" is meant that a rail section is not fastened to underlying sleepers with the aid of fastener devices and that the sleepers are able to move relative to the underlying surface, preferably a prepared railroad bed, in response to a small force The method that can be considered to he closest to the invention is the method that requires the use of a first railroad wagon which is adapted to carry a store of railroad rail sections, a second railroad wagon or like vehicle adapted to guide the successively withdrawn and linearly displaced rail sections from said first wagon onto said railroad sleepers It is also known in conjunction with this method to draw a rail section from the store of rail sections on the first wagon over loose sleepers via said second wagon, and to bring said rail section into abutment with said sleepers with the aid of a pulling vehicle, such as a tractor, having gripping devices and means adapted for coaction with the end-part of the withdrawn rail section The earlier known method requires both the first wagon and the second wagon or like vehicle to run along provisionally placed and secured rail sections that are separate from the permanent rail sections to be placed on and permanently secured to the sleepers at a distance apart corresponding to the gauge or track of the normal railroad traffic This earlier known method allows rail sections intended to be permanently positioned by the pulling vehicle to extend on the loose railroad sleepers The different forces acting on the sleepers as the rail sections slide therealong are liable to cause the earlier established spacing between the sleepers to be disturbed Beaπng in mind that a rail section of the kind to which the invention refers may have a length of about 100 m or more, it will be understood that the sleepers are subjected to very high pressure forces and that the sleepers are very liable to tilt or tip as a result of these forces The method recited in the introduction for creating conditions whereby a previously positioned rail can be lifted and moved relative to a railroad sleeper and the rail lowered onto the sleeper and therewith create conditions for adapting or neutralizing tension forces acting in rails that are fastened to sleepers is known to the art The rail section has earlier been lifted from the loosened sleepers with the aid of hand-operated lever, a crowbar or some like device It has also been proposed to place rollers between the raised rail section and the sleeper, and to permit the entire rail section to rest on a number of such rollers This method is laborious, however, while application of rollers on the sleepers is made complicated by virtue of needing to place in the close proximity of the sleeper fastening elements. The present invention also relates to a device that can be used beneficially when practicing the inventive method With regard to the prior standpoint of techniques it should be mentioned that it is known within other technical fields and other applications to rotatably mount a support surface or roller on mutually opposing end-wall parts with the aid of suitable bearing means It is also known to rotatably or pivotally mount one or more end-wall part on a supportive structure The patent publication DT-B2-18 08 696 discloses a plant whereby new railroad sections are distributed and arranged along the railroad bed simultaneously as old railroad sections are taken away By the publication AT-B-337 749 it is previously known a device to lift or lower loose railroad sections by the use of leverarm system using an excentric disc causing to lift and to lower a turnable plate, its free end portions having spheres supporting the railroad sections SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION TECHNICAL PROBLEMS When taking into consideration the technical deliverations that a person skilled in this particular art must make in order to provide a solution to one or more technical problems that he/she encounters, it will be seen that on the one hand it is necessary initially to realize the measures and/or the sequence of measures that must be undertaken to this end, and on the other hand to realize which means is/are required to solve one or more of said problems On this basis, it will be evident that the technical problems listed below are highly relevant to the development of the present invention When consideπng the earlier standpoint of techniques as descπbed above it will be obvious that a technical problem is one of providing a method of placing rail sections successively onto a number of aligned railroad sleepers with no risk, or only a slight πsk, of this alignment being disturbed and loosely placed sleepers being shifted and/or being moved out of alignment It will also be seen that another technical problem is one of providing a method in which rail sections can be aligned with sleeper-associated fastener elements both simply and quickly Another technical problem is one of realizing the significance of allowing the wagons required for laying-out rail sections to move along rail sections that have been fastened provisionally to the sleepers pπor to fastening said rail sections permanently to each railroad sleeper with the aid of equipment that follows the rail laying operation When consideπng the present state of the art, as described above, it will be evident that a technical problem exists in providing a modified method for creating conditions which enable a rail to be lifted and moved relative to a railroad sleeper and lowered onto said sleeper while adapting or neutralizing tension forces acting in rails that are fastened to sleepers, where raising of the rail section slightly above the loosened sleepers can be effected in a simple fashion Another technical problem resides in the provision of a device that will enable rail section after rail section to pass over loose sleepers in the absence of friction, or with only very little friction and therewith small tilting forces acting on a few positioned sleepers, and therewith enable in practice rail sections to be laid successively without the πsk of said loose sleepers, or at least the majority of the sleepers, being moved to a position that deviates from a pre-determined position It will also be seen that another technical problem is one of realizing the significance of providing a separate device to this end and of realizing the form that such a device should take and also the advantage that is afforded by placing a plurality of such devices sequentially along loose railroad sleepers and along an anticipated path of a rail section Another technical problem is one of realizing the significance of positioning said devices are positioned so that the withdrawn rail section will extend along a path which conforms with the orientation of similarly positioned sleeper-associated and rail-adapted fastener elements, and realizing advantages that are afforded hereby Another technical problem is one of providing conditions with the aid of simple means which will enable a rail section that is pulled, or withdrawn, from said store of rail sections and placed along the sleepers and rests against a number of devices and therewith placed over the sleepers to be moved linearly or pressed back to achieve end-to-end contact with an adjacent rail section that has already been provisionally secured Still another technical problem is one of realizing the measures that are required in order to enable railroad wagons to pass along rail sections that have been provisionally secured to a few railroad sleepers By provisionally secured rail sections is meant sections that are not secured permanently to a few underlying sleepers, and that this provisional fastening is released immediately before each sleeper is fastened permanently to said rail section It will also be seen that another technical problem is one of providing a device of such construction as to enable it to be activated easily by hand, through the medium of a lever system, so as to be able to lower a part of the withdrawn rail section from a raised position down onto said fastener elements When using a plurality of such individual devices that can be fastened to and readily released from pairs of loosely laid sleepers, a technical problem resides in realizing the significance of and the advantages that are associated with the sequence in which said devices shall be activated in order to lower parts of the rail section onto said fastener elements in a pre-determined fashion Another technical problem is one of realizing the significance of and the advantage that are afforded by allowing said devices to be fastenable to adjacent sleepers and distributed along said sleepers in a pre-determined spaced relationship With regard to the actual design of said device, it will be seen that a technical problem resides in realizing the significance of allowing a rail-section support roller to be rotatably attached to mutually parallel end-wall parts, and to rotatably mount said end-wall parts on a sleeper- adapted frame structure It will also be seen that a technical problem resides in realizing the advantages that are afforded by mounting the shaft about which the roller rotates and the shaft about which the end-wall parts rotate side-by-side, so that when the roller is in a first fixed position, a lower position, said shafts will be horizontal or at least generally horizontal, whereas in a second fixed position of the roller, an upper position, the shafts will be positioned generally vertically. It will also be seen that in the case of a device of this kind a technical problem is one of realizing the significance of and the simplifications that are afforded by causing said end-wall parts to extend beyond the suppoπ roller to an extent such as to form mutually opposing guide surfaces for guiding a rail section that is pulled past the sleepers and the requisite fastener elements Another technical problem is one of realizing the significance of and the advantages that are afforded by forming and arranging said end-wall pans such that a first edge surface thereof will be able to lie against a frame structure and therewith take a first fixed position, while a second angle-related edge surface is able to lie against said frame structure and therewith take second fixed position Another technical problem is one of creating conditions whereby said device will be able to turn the support roller from an upper fixed position to a lower fixed position through the medium of a separate manually operated lever device, and whereby the device can be readily removed from the sleepers with the support roller in this latter position. Another technical problem is one of realizing the advantages that are afforded when said lever arm has the form of a rod that includes a pincer-like, end-related arrangement where one jaw is adapted to co-act with one end-wall while the other jaw is adapted to co-act with one of the cross-beams connecting said side-parts. Another technical problem is one of realizing the significance of and the advantages that are afforded by constructing the sleeper-adapted fastener elements in the form of four frame- mounted pins or like elements that can move reciprocatingly in a respective sleeve attached to the frame structure. It will also be seen that a technical problem resides in realizing the significance of and the advantages that are associated with allowing the distance between mutually opposing ends of two sleeves to be equal to or slightly shorter than the distance between adjacent sleepers, and to enable the pins housed in said sleeves to move linearly away from each other and into coaction with a respective sleeper-associated, rail-adapted fastener element or like means. Another technical problem resides in realizing the significance of lifting or raising rail sections with the aid of specially constructed devices and to distribute a few of these devices along the full length of the previously positioned rail section, where each of said devices is adapted to extend between and rest against adjacent sleepers. Still another technical problem is one of realizing the significance of and the advantages afforded by spacing the devices relatively far apart, e.g. at a distance of from 5 to 20 meters, normally about from 10 to 15 meters apart. When the roller-equipped device adapted for use with the inventive method and including a frame structure having side-parts on which a roller is rotatably mounted it will be seen that a technical problem is one of providing a device construction in which the side-parts have a length that is equal to or slightly smaller than the distance between two adjacent sleepers, and to construct the device so that it can be moved in beneath the rails, even in the case of a pre- prepared railroad bed, and whose side-parts are provided with support means adapted to rest on the upper surfaces of said adjacent sleepers A particular technical problem in the present context is one of realizing the significance of and the advantages that are afforded by fastening two support elements belonging to a first side- part in relation to a (respective) side-part so that the distance between the outer surfaces of the two support elements will exceed the distance between said two adjacent sleepers. Another technical problem is one of realizing the significance of and the advantages afforded by fixing two support elements belonging to a second side-part in relation to but displaceably coordinated with its respective side-part It is particularly proposed that said two support elements, in a inwardly moved position applicable to both elements, shall take a position in which the side-part of said device can be pushed freely between adjacent sleepers and beneath a rail section that extends over and is fastened to said sleepers SOLUTION With the intention of solving one or more of the above technical problems, the present invention provides on the basis of method defined in the introduction a method in which a rail section withdrawn by a pulling vehicle is moved at a short distance above the loose sleepers and along a number of devices and through a path that conforms to the orientation of a number of sleeper-associated, rail-adapted fastener elements, wherewith linear movement of the rail section is adapted so that the trailing end-surface of the withdrawn rail section will be positioned adjacent a leading end-surface of an earlier lane and provisionally fastened rail section, and in which said devices are activated in this position such as to lower at least a part of said rail section onto said fastener elements. According to proposed embodiments that lie within the scope of the inventive concept, the rail section is withdrawn by said pulling vehicle to an extent at which the trailing end-surface of said section passes beyond an opposing end surface of a provisionally fastened rail section, and the thus mutually opposing end-surfaces are caused to coact with one another through the medium of a pressure force It is proposed that a mobile unit for securing the rail section permanently to each underlying sleeper moves along rail sections behind the first wagon It is also suggested in accordance with the invention that a first device nearest a trailing end- surface will be activated before the other devices are activated. It is also proposed that said devices shall be activatable in a consecutive order from said first agent According to the invention, respective devices are used in a raisable and lowerable support roller with side-related guide means. The invention also enables said devices to be distributed along the sleepers at a mutual spacing of 1-10 meters, preferably 4-6 meters The present invention also teaches a method of creating conditions whereby a rail can be lifted and moved relative to a railroad sleeper and lowered onto said sleeper, therewith creating conditions for adapting or neutralizing tension forces acting in railroad rails that are fastened to railroad sleepers, in which the aforedescribed sequence of steps is applied. In accordance with the present invention, a rail section is lifted or raised with the aid of a number, a few, devices dispersed along the rail section and resting on two adjacent railroad sleepers, wherein said device is constructed to enable it to be readily moved in beneath a rail section that has been fastened to the sleepers, despite the fact that each of said devices includes a raisable and lowerable support surface which is active in respect of a part of a rail section positioned between the sleepers, and wherein the rail section with the support surfaces in a raised position is orientated slightly above the sleepers so that with the support surfaces in a lowered position said rail section will rest against the sleepers and special fastener elements belonging to said sleepers According to proposed embodiments of this method, the support surface has the form of a roller and a force is applied to said rail section so as to move said section over said rollers Each of the devices may be constructed to enable them to be raised and lowered by means of a hand-operated lever It is also proposed in accordance with the invention that the devices will be spaced far apart, such as at a distance of 5-20 meters, normally about 10-15 meters The invention also relates to a device that can be used in the inventive method and that includes a support roller which is rotatably and pivotally mounted on a frame structure, and also to sleeper-adapted fastener elements mounted m the frame structure It is also proposed in accordance with the present invention that the support roller is rotatably mounted on mutually parallel end-wall parts and that said end-wall parts are pivotally or rotatably attached to said frame structure, and that the shaft about which the support roller rotates and the shaft about which the end-wall parts rotate are located side-by-side In proposed embodiments that e within the scope of the invention, when the roller is in a first fixed position, a lower position, the aforesaid shafts will be hoπzontal or at least generally hoπzontal in relation to each other It also proposed that the shafts will be essentially vertical in relation to each other in a second fixed position of the support roller, an upper position A hand-operated lever is adapted to rotate the roller to an upper position or to a lower position while the rail section exert a load on said roller It is particularly proposed that the lever has the form of a rod which includes a pincer-like, end-related arrangement, where one jaw is adapted to co-act with one end-wall, while the other jaw is adapted to co-act with one of the crossbeams that connect the side-parts It is also proposed that the end-wall parts extend beyond the support roller and therewith form mutually opposing guide surfaces for guiding a rail section that is drawn past and between said end-wall parts It is also proposed that the end-wall parts will be mutually identical and both arranged so that a first edge surface thereon can abut the frame structure so as to take said first fixed position, and to abut said stand structure with another edge surface such as to take said second fixed position According to one proposed embodiment, the sleeper-adapted fastener elements are of simple construction and consist of four frame-mounted shafts or like elements that are reciprocatingly movable in respective sleeves mounted on the frame structure It is particularly proposed that the distance between the mutually opposing ends of two sleeves is equal to or slightly less than the distance between mutually adjacent sleepers, and that the shafts are movable away from each other for coaction with a respective sleeper-associated, rail-adapted fastener device or the like According to one embodiment, the frame structure embodies four comer-related, sleeper- adapted fastener elements As an alternative embodiment the present invention proposes that the length of the side-parts belonging to the frame structure are equal to or slightly shorter than the distance between two adjacent sleepers, and that two side-parts are provided with mutually opposite support elements, which support elements constitute said fastener elements, and which are adapted to support and rest against the upper surfaces of said two adjacent sleepers. According to further embodiments that lie within the scope of the inventive context, two support elements belonging to a first side-part are fixed in relation to a respective side-part In addition, two support elements belonging to a second side-part are fixed in relation to a respective side-part but displaceably coordinated therewith. Particularly in respect of these latter support elements, it is proposed that when said elements are in an inwardly moved, close position, they will take a position in which one of the side- parts of said device can be moved between two sleepers and beneath a rail section resting on said sleepers. ADVANTAGES Those advantages that are primarily afforded by the inventive method reside in the provision of conditions whereby railroad rail sections and parts thereof can be drawn over loosely positioned railroad sleepers placed on a prepared railroad bed, without the positions of the sleepers being changed by the rail section as it is drawn over and beyond said sleepers The present invention further provides a method through which conditions are created that enable a rail to be lifted and moved relative to a railroad sleeper and to be lowered onto said sleeper in a quicker and simpler fashion than is possible with known methods, and therewith provide conditions for adapting or neutralizing tension forces acting in rail sections that are secured, fastened, to underlying sleepers The advantages primarily afforded by the inventive device reside in the provision of conditions whereby the devices can be fastened to mutually adjacent, loose railroad sleepers by coaction with sleeper-associated, rail-adapted fastener elements or the like, and therewith conditions whereby the device can be fixedly positioned satisfactorily and with which a support roller belonging to said device can take a first fixed position, a lower position, in which parts of the rail section are out of contact with said device and rest against sleeper-associated, rail-adapted fastener elements, or a second fixed position, an upper position, where parts of the rail section can be moved linearly over and beyond said sleepers via roller friction. The primary characteristic features of the inventive methods are set forth in the characterizing clause of the following Claims 1 and 8, while the primary characteristic features of an inventive device are set forth in the characterizing clause of the following Claim 1 1. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A preferred embodiment of the inventive methods and an inventive device for use herewith will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view of a first railroad wagon which carries a store of rail sections, and a second railroad carriage having an associated ramp for moving rail sections linearly from said first wagon and into abutment with loose railroad sleepers placed along and resting loosely on a railroad bed, Figure 2 is a continuation of Figure 1 and shows inventive devices disposed between pairs of railroad sleepers for supporting parts of the rail section; Figure 3 is a horizontal view of part of the arrangement shown in Figure 1 ; Figure 4 is a side view of an inventive device, with the support roller located in a lower position; Figure 5 is a perspective view of part of a railroad track, showing two mutually parallel rails supported by a number of railroad sleepers, Figure 6 is an end view of the device shown in Figure 4, Figure 7 is a horizontal view of the device shown in Figure 4, Figure 8 is an enlarged side view of part of the device shown in Figure 4, with the support roller in an upper position; Figure 9 is a perspective view that illustrates the positioning and fastening of a device between two adjacent sleepers, with a first embodiment of a fastener element, Figure 10 is a perspective view illustrating the positioning and fastening of a device between two adjacent sleepers, with a second embodiment of fastener elements; Figure 1 1 is a perspective view of an inventive roller-equipped device, and shows the device inserted between two sleepers and beneath a loosened rail section, shown in broken lines, Figure 12 is a perspective view of one of two associated support elements, with the elements in a fully inserted position. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the support element shown in Figure 12, with the support element in an outwardly withdrawn position adapted for co-action with the upper surface of the sleeper, Figure 14 is a more detailed side view of the support roller belonging to the second railroad wagon, Figure 15 is a side view illustrating the supporting and aligning device belonging to the second wagon in more detail, Figure 16 is a side view of a ramp arrangement, Figure 17 is a side view of a shute that terminates the ramp arrangement, Figure 18 is a side view of a railroad sleeper with which the device in Figures 4, 6 and 7 can be used, Figure 19 is a side view of a railroad sleeper with which the fastener elements shown in Figure 10 can be used, Figure 20 is a sectional view of a sleeper with which the device shown in Figures 4, 6 and 7 or the device shown in Figure 10 can be used; and Figure 21 is a perspective view of the roller-equipped device with the device in co-action with a hand-operated lever that comprises a rod and a pincer-like, end-related arrangement. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS AT PRESENT PREFERRED Described below with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3 is a method of placing, positioning, provisionally fastening and permanently fastening railroad rail sections 1 on railroad sections on a number of mutually adjacent and mutually spaced loose railroad sleepers 2, where some of the adjacent sleepers have been referenced 2a, 2b and 2c, 2d respectively and which will be described in more detail below. Each of the sleepers 2 is placed loosely on a prepared railroad bed 3 and, for the sake of simplicity, it is assumed that the sleepers 2 are placed equidistantly, although they will be spaced at different distances apart in practice. The method illustrated in Figures 1-3 utilizes a first railroad wagon 4 which is adapted to carry a number of rail sections 1,, a second wagon 5 with associated ramp 6 or like device which is adapted to guide rail sections 1 from the rail sections 1, on the first wagon 4 onto the sleepers 2, and a pulling vehicle 7, shown schematically in Figure 2, which functions to draw a rail section 1 from the first wagon 4 into abutment with said sleepers 2, via said second wagon 5 and the ramp 6. The second wagon 5 carries a number of hydraulically raisable and lowerable support rollers and other means for facilitating axial movement of the rail sections, as described in more detail below with reference to Figures 14-17. When the rail section 1 has been drawn by the vehicle 7 to an extent at which the opposite end 1' of said rail section is able to fall down into a shute 131 and against a device 10b, said end 1' will be located at a distance from the front or adjacent end 1" of a rail resting on the sleepers The rail section 1 is displaced or pushed back so that the endsurface 1' will make contact with the previously provisionally fastened rail section with the endsurface 1" 5 The mutually facing end surfaces of the two rail sections will be joined together between two sleepers with the aid of special means herefor The rail section 1 is lowered down onto the sleepers with the aid of a number of devices (10, 10 10a, 10b) and manually fastened provisionally to selected sleepers, for instance every twenty meters, as descnbed in more detail below This enables laid rail sections 1 to serve as tracks for the wagons 4 and 5 and the ramp 6 15 The wagon 4 is followed by a mobile unit which travels along pairs of laid and provisionally fastened rails and which fastens parallel rail sections permanently to each underlying sleeper, by applying selected fasteners to sleeper-associated fastener devices or to rail-adapted surfaces or the like The earlier provisional fastening can be removed 0 A mobile un t that can be used beneficially for this part of the method of permanently secunng raii sections to railroad sleepers is illustrated and descnbed in more detail in European Patent Application 95900971 3 (Conesponding to International Patent Application PCT/SE94/01042) 5 The mobile unit illustrated and described in Swedish Patent Application 9601965-8 can also be used in this respect For the sake of simplicity, the mobile unit has not been shown in the drawings, since its positioning and function are obvious 0 A significant feature of the present invention is that the rail section, such as the section 1, pulled from the rail storage wagon by the vehicle 7 shall be moved axially and with small friction at a distance "a" above the sleepers 2 This is achieved in accordance with the invention with the aid of a number of devices, three of which are shown in Figure 2 and referenced 10, 10a and 10b The devices 10, 10a and 10b each incorporate a support roller for supporting at least a part of the rail section 1. The devices 10, 10a are positioned sequentially at an adapted distance apart (e.g. six to fifteen, normally eight or nine loose sleepers between each device) and giving said rail section a direction 8 conforming to the direction of sleeper-associated, rail-adapted fastener devices, so that the rail section will always be located adjacent to and above said fastener devices. The extent to which a rail section is moved axially is adapted so that the rear end surface 1' of the rail section 1 drawn from the wagon will pass beyond the end of the rail section 1" through a limited distance, and such that the terminating part of said rail section 1 will fall into a shute 131 and down into abutment with the device 10b When necessary, the device 10b is lowered so that the terminating part of the rail section 1 will rest against the sleeper 2e, whereafter the whole of the rail section is pushed back The end surface 1' will then be positioned adjacent a front end surface 1" of an earlier laid rail section With the rail sections in this position, the devices 10, 10a are activated so as to lower at least a part of the rail section 1 onto said fastener devices in the sleepers 2a, 2b and 2c, 2d respectively These end surfaces can now be welded together or fastened in some other known manner According to the present invention, a first device 10b located nearest the rear end surface 1' is activated first before the remaining devices 10 and 10a are activated. It will be particularly noted that the devices 10, 10a can be activated in a consecutive order from the first device 10b to a last device. The number of devices used will depend on the length of the rail section and is much greater than the illustrated number of three devices. The devices 10 may be compnsed of manually raisable and lowerable support rollers which have side-related guide means and which are raised and lowered manually by means of a lever (not shown) The devices 10, 10a, 10b may be distributed along the railroad sleepers 2 with a distance between mutually adjacent devices of 1-10 meters, preferably 4-6 meters, said distance being referenced "b" in Figure 2 It is proposed that each device 10, 10a is separated by six-twelve sleepers The present invention also relates to an improvement in a method of creating conditions which enable a rail to be lifted and moved in relation to a railroad sleeper and lowered onto said sleeper, therewith having created conditions for adapting or neutralizing tension forces acting in a rail that has been fastened to railroad sleepers Shown in Figure 5 are two mutually parallel rail sections 1 and l p resting on a number of railroad sleepers in a known manner The sleepers 2 rest on a prepared railroad bed 3 and two mutually adjacent sleepers have been referenced 2a and 2b, this number of sleepers being sufficient to explain the invention The rails 1 and l p are held in place by means of fastener devices that coact with sleeper mounted fastener elements Vaπous different fastener devices, e g in the form of spnng units, and vanous different fastener elements are known to the art, and the invention is not dependent on either the choice of fastener device or the choice of fastener element Since the inventive method can be applied in respect of both rails 1 and l p , the method will be described in the following solely with reference to the rail 1, for the sake of simplicity The rail 1 is "jointless", meaning that rail sections are welded to rail sections, end to end In the case of such an application, the rail 1 will have been tensioned to an adapted tensile force when it is to be fastened to the railroad sleepers. This tension force is necessary in order for the rail to withstand the forces exerted by heavy railroad traffic and to compensate for length changes caused by temperature variations In order to clarify the features of the present invention, it is assumed that the rail 2 is comprised of three rail sections la, lb and l c having a length (say 100 to 200 meters) that exceeds the length given in Figure 5 The rail section l a is shown furthest away from the viewer, the section lb is shown centrally of the figure and merges with a section l c (not shown), with the intermediate rail section lb having a length "L" The tension acting in the rail section l b shall now be adapted or neutralized, i.e. any over- tensioning or under-tensioning of the rail section shall be adjusted to an adapted or "nominal" tension force. The present invention is based on a method that comprises cutting-away the end-part lab of the rail 1 at the point reference lb This end-part l ab may represent solely a cutting groove or a short rail section The method is also based on the procedure of loosening all fastener devices between sleepers 2 and rail 1 along an adapted rail section lb, the length of which is referenced "L". Subsequent to completely removing the fastener devices, the raii section lb shall be raised or lifted above the loosened sleepers 2. A pre-determined force F is then applied to the end-surface V" of the rail section lb in the longitudinal direction of the rail, this force being applied with the aid of known devices which will not be described in this document. Subsequent to applying the force F, an end-surface 1'" of the rail section lb is fastened to an end-surface 1", an exposed end-surface, of an adjacent rail section la that has been fastened to the sleeper 2, under the influence of said force. The loose rail section lb that is acted upon by said force can then be fastened to underlying sleepers 2 with the aid of known fastener elements. It will be obvious that the tensile forces F acting on the rail section lb shall occur with small friction against the sleepers, and consequently the rail section lb may not rest directly on the sleeper fastener elements 2. According to the present invention, the rail section lb is raised or lifted as desired with the aid of a number (a few) devices 10 that are distributed along the rail section lb and that rest on two adjacent sleepers 2a, 2b. Each device 10, 10a used is thus positioned between pairs of adjacent sleepers. It will be noted here that the number of devices 10 used in practice and the distance "L" may be more and longer than that shown in Figure 1. The devices 10, 10a might be mutually identical. Each of the devices 10 can be raised and lowered with the aid of a hand-operated lever which is shown in more detail in Figure 21. It is also proposed in accordance with the invention that the devices 10, 10a shall be spaced apart at distances of 5-20 meters, normally about 10-15 meters. The present invention also relates to a device which is adapted for use in the any of the aforedescribed methods. This device 10 includes a support roller 11 which is rotatably mounted in a frame arrangement 12 which carries diametrically positioned, sleepers-adapted fastener elements, of which two such fastener elements 13, 13' are shown in Figure 4. It will be noted that the illustrated fastener elements 13, 13' are adapted to sleeper-associated, rail-adapted fastener devices that include holes Naturally, other fastener elements (13, 13') are required for other fastener devices The support rollers 1 1 are rotatably attached to parallel end-wall parts 14, 14' in a known manner, said end- wall parts being, in turn, rotatably attached to said frame arrangement 12 at 15 The shaft 16 about which the roller 1 1 rotates and the shaft 17 about which the end-wall parts 14, 14' rotate are arranged side-by-side As evident from Figure 4, in a first fixed position of the support roller 1 1 , a lower position, the shafts 16, 17 are horizontal in relation to each other, or at least generally hoπzontal, and the support surface, or peripheral surface, 1 l a of the support roller 1 1 is located at a short distance beneath an overlying part of the rail section 1 , which then rests in sleeper-associated fastener devices In this position and with the fastener elements 13, 13' out of engagement with the fastener devices, the element can be easily removed Figure 8 illustrates a second fixed position of the support roller 1 1. an upper position, in which the shafts 16, 17 are generally vertically positioned in relation to each other with the shaft 16 lying in a vertical plane through the shaft 17 in the pulling direction By pulling in the direction "P" in Figure 8, the support roller 1 1 is caused to take the fixed position shown in Figure 8 As will be evident from Figures 4 and 8, the end-wall parts 14, 14' are so formed in said two fixed positions that they both form together with the device coacting with fastener devices in the sleepers, mutually opposed guide surfaces which function to guide the pulled or adapted rail section such that said rail section will always be located above the fastener devices The end-wall parts 14, 14' have a first edge surface 71 intended for abutment with an edge surface 172 on the frame anangement 12 such as to take said first fixed position, and a second edge surface 173 intended for abutment with an edge surface 174 on the frame anangement 12 so as to take said second fixed position (Figure 8) 5 The sleeper-adapted fastener elements 13, 13' might be mutually identical, and consequently only an alternative embodiment of a possible fastener element 13 will be described hereinafter The fastener element is comprised of a frame-mounted shaft 13a which can be move reciprocatingly in a sleeve 13b attached to the frame structure 12 in a known manner The shaft 10 13a is shown in its withdrawn position in Figure 4, and when moved to a position (not shown) to the left in Figure 2, the shaft 13a is able to coact with a sleeper-adapted fastener device in the form of a fastener lug or hole The distance between mutually opposing ends 13c, 13c' of two coordinated fastener devices 15 13, 13' is the same as or slightly shorter than the distance between adjacent sleepers 2a, 2b The shafts 13a, 13a' can be moved away from one another for coaction with a respective sleeper fastener device 2a, 2b. Figure 7 shows a frame structure 12 having a sleeper fastener element 13, 13' and 23, 23' in 0 respective corners of the structure The frame structure 12 has two mutually parallel parts or side parts 12a, 12b which are joined mutually by two parallel transverse parts 12c and 12d 5 As will be seen from the respective view shown in Figure 9, a device 10 is placed inbetween adjacent sleepers 2a, 2b It will also be seen from Figure 9 that said device can be removed, by deactivating the fastener elements 13, 13' and fastener devices 81, 82 and dropping said device down between the sleepers 0 Figure 9 shows the fastener elements 13, 13' and the parallel fastener elements 13", 13'" in a position of coaction with sleeper-associated fastener devices 81. 82 and 83, 84 respectively adapted for E-clips Figure 10 illustrates in perspective the positioning and attachment of a device 10' between two adjacent sleepers 2a, 2b. In the case of this embodiment, the sleepers are fastened with devices 91-94 that are adapted for coaction with screws or like means. The fastener elements 13 a, 13 a' of the device 10' rest loosely against the upper surface of respective sleepers. One further possible embodiment of a fastener element 13 is described with reference to Figure 1 1 , where the inventive roller-equipped device 10" includes a frame anangement 12' (see Figure 21) that has mutually parallel side-parts 121, 122. The side parts 121, 122 have a length "a" which is equal to or slightly shorter than the distance "b" between two mutually adjacent sleepers 2a, 2b, said side-parts 121, 122 being provided with double support elements that are intended to rest on the upper surfaces of said sleepers 2a, 2b. It will be noted in particular that two support elements 121a, 121b belonging to a first side- part 121 are fixedly related to the side-part 121 and constitute more and less an extension of said side-part 121 beyond the distance "c" and the distance "d". Although two support elements 122a, 122b belonging to a second side 122 are fixedly related in relation to said side-part, said support elements can be displaceably coordinated with said side-part 121 in a manner described in more detail hereinafter. The support elements 122a and 122b are mutually identical, and hence only the support element 122a will be described hereinafter. As will be seen from Figure 12, the support elements 122a are comprised of a sleeve 122c which can be moved along a pin 122d and which there co-acts with a plate 122e. Figure 12, and also Figure 1 1, show the support element 122a in an inwardly moved position. The support element 122a, 122b shall be inactive as the support surface is inserted in the direction of anow P. The frame anangement 12' shall have a thickness of about 2-5 cm (about 3 cm) so as to enable it to be moved under a rail section lb fastened to sleepers 2a, 2b, a distance of 5-7 cm being available to this end. This enables practically the entire frame anangement 12', and at least the side-part 122 and the roller 1 1 of said device, to be moved freely between two sleepers 2a, 2b (in the direction of arrow P), and beneath a rail section to the position shown in Figure 1 1. When the device 10" is located in a centered position beneath the rail section lb, the fixed support element 121a and 122b will be able to rest on the support surfaces 2a' and 2b'. When the device 10" and the support elements 122a, 122b are located in the position shown in Figure 1 1, each support-element plate 122e shall be turned from the position in Figures 1 1 and 12 to a position conesponding to that shown in Figure 13, whereafter the sleeve 122c and the plate 122e are moved outwards, so that the surface 122e' of the plate 122e is able to co-act supportively with the support surfaces 2b" of the sleeper concerned. The support element 122a can be caused to co-act with the support surface 2a" in a conesponding manner. The pin 122d is comprised of a part of a rod 122d that extends along the side-part 122. Figure 14 is a side view which illustrates a support roller 51 belonging to the second wagon 5 in more detail. The support roller 51 can be raised and lowered by an hydraulic piston-cylinder device 52 that acts on a lever 53. Figure 15 is a side view which illustrates in more detail the supporting and aligning device belonging to the second wagon 5 This device includes four rollers 54 which guide the rail section 1 vertically and laterally, via the piston-cylinder device Figure 16 is a side view of a ramp arrangement that includes a carnage 61, the front part of which carnes a support roller 62 and the rear part of which has a shute 131, in accordance with Figure 17 Figure 18 is a side view of a railroad sleeper with which the device 10 according to Figures 4, 6 and 7 can be used, since the fastener devices 81 and 83 have holes 81a, 83a into which the pins (13a) can be inserted Figure 19 is a side view of a railroad sleeper with which the device 10' shown in Figure 10 can be used In this respect, it is necessary for the sleeper 2a to have a surface section 151 and 152 against which the fastener elements can rest Figure 20 is a sectional view of a railroad sleeper with which the device 10 or the device 10' can be used It will be noted that the pins ( 13a) shall be capable of coacting with the respective recesses 161 and 162 Figure 20 illustrates a number of railroad sleepers 2a, 2b with alternative fastener devices 91, 92 and 93, 94 respectively and therewith a corresponding, simple adaptation of the device 10' Figure 21 illustrates a hand-operated lever 70 is intended for rotating the support roller 1 1 to its upper position (shown in Figure 8) or to its lower position (shown in Figure 4) while the roller is subjected to the load of the rail section lb The lever 70 has the form of a rod 71 that has a pincer-like, end-related anangement 72, where one jaw 72a is able to co-act with one end-part 14' through the medium of hook 72a' , whereas the other jaw 72b is able to co-act through the medium of a hook 72b' with one of two crossbars 76, 77 that interconnect the side-pans 121, 122 It will understood that the invention is not restricted to the aforedescribed and illustrated embodiments thereof and that modifications can be made within the scope of the following claims

Claims: CLAIMS 1 A method of placing, positioning and fastening railroad rail sections 1) on railroad rail sections on a number of mutually adjacent and mutually spaced loose railroad sleepers (2) each resting on a railroad bed (3) and with the aid of a first railroad wagon (4) adapted to carry a store of rail sections (1), a second railroad wagon (5) or the like adapted to guide rail sections ( 1 ) on rail sections from said first wagon (4) onto said sleepers (2), and a pulling vehicle (7) adapted to pull a rail section (1) from said first wagon (4) into abutment with said sleepers (2), via said second wagon (5), characterized in that the rail sections (1) pulled by said vehicle are moved linearly at a distance (a) above said sleepers (2) and along a number of devices (10, 10a, 10b) and through a path (8) conforming to the oπentation of sleeper- associated, rail-adapted fastener devices, in that said linear movement is adapted so that a rear en surface (1') of the pulled rail section ( 1 ) will be positioned adjacent a front end surface (1 ") of an earlier pulled rail section, and in that one or more of said devices (10,10a, 10b) is/are activated in this position of said rails so as to lower said rail section (I) onto said rail-adapted fastener devices 2 A method according to Claim 1, characterized in that said vehicle pulls the rail section through a distance such that the end surface of said rail distal from said vehicle passes an opposing end surface of a rail section provisionally fastened to a number of railroad sleepers, and in that the opposing end surfaces of said rails are caused to coact with one another 3 A method according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a mobile unit follows behind the first wagon (4) along plane rail sections and fastens said rail section permanently to each underlying sleeper. 4 A method according to Claim 1, characterized by activating a first device located nearest the rear or opposing end-surface before activating other devices 5 A method according to Claim 4, characterized by activating said devices in a consecutive order from said first device 6 A method according to Claim 4 or 5, characterized by using a raisable and lowerable support roller with side-related guide means as said device 7 A method according to Claim 4, 5 or 6, characterized in that said devices are distnbuted along the railroad sleepers at a mutual distance apart of 1-10 meters 8 A method of lifting and moving a rail relative to a railroad sleeper and loweπng the rail onto the sleeper, therewith providing conditions for adapting or neutralizing tension forces acting in a rail that is fastened to railroad sieepers, said method compπsing the steps of a) cutting away an end part of the rail, b) loosening fastener elements between sleepers and rail along an adapted rail section, c) lifting said rail section slightly, according to "b" above, said loosened sleepers, d) applying a pre-determined force to the end of said rail section in the direction of its longitudinal axis, e) fastening the end surface of the rail section to an exposed end-surface of an adjacent rail section that is fastened to railroad sleepers, under the action of a force, and f) fastening the loose rail section acted upon by said force to underlying railroad sleepers with the aid of fastener elements, characterized by raising said rail section with the aid of a number of devices distributed along said rail section and resting on mutually adjacent sleepers, wherein each device includes a raisable and lowerable support surface active against a part of said rail section, such that when raised on said support surfaces the rail element will be orientated slightly above the sleepers, to enable the rail-section to rest on the sleepers in the lowered position of said support surfaces, and that each support surface is comprised of a roller, and in that a force is applied to said rail section so as to move said rail section on said rollers 9 A method according to Claim 8, characterized in that each of said devices can be raised and lowered with the aid of an hand-operated lever 10 A method according to Claim 8, characterized by spacing the devices at a distance of 5-20 5 meters, normally about 10-15 meters apart 1 1 A device ( 10) adapted for use in a method according to any one of the preceding claims, said device including a support roller (1 1) which is pivotally mounted in a frame structure (12) with side parts (121, 122), and sleeper-adapted fastener devices (13, 13') mounted on the frame 10 structure, characterized in said roller (1 1) is rotatably mounted on parallel end-wall parts ( 14, 14'), in that said end-wall parts ( 14, 14') are pivotally attached (15) to said frame structure ( 12), and in that the shaft (16) about which the roller ( 1 1 ) rotates and the shaft (17) about which the end-walls rotate are ananged side-by-side 15 12 A device according to Claim 1 1 , characterized in that in a first fixed roller position, a lower position, said shafts are horizontal, or at least generally honzontal, in relation to each other 13 A device according to Claim 1 1 , characterized in that in a second fixed roller position, an 20 upper position, said shafts are generally vertical in relation to each other 14 A device according to Claim 1 1 , characterized in that said end-wall parts function to form guide surfaces for parts of a rail section 25 15 A device according to Claim 12 or Claim 13, characterized in that said end-wall parts are both ananged such that a first edge surface of said parts is able to lie against the frame structure and therewith take said first fixed position, while a second edge surface of said parts can abut with said frame structure so as to take said second fixed position 30 16 A device according to Claim 1 1, characterized in that said sleeper-adapted fastener elements are comprised of four shafts or like means that can move reciprocatingly in respective sleeves attached to the frame structure 17. A device according to Claim 1 1 or 16, characterized in that the distance between mutually opposite end-parts of two sleeves is equal to or slightly shorter than the distance between adjacent sleepers, and in that the shafts housed in said sleeves can be moved away from one another for coaction with a respective sleeper-associated, rail-adapted fastener element. 5 18. A device according to Claim 1 1 or Claim 17, characterized in that the frame structure embodies four corner-related, sleeper-adapted fastener elements. 19. A device according to Claim 1 1, characterized in that said side-parts (121,122) have a 10 length which is equal to or slightly shorter than the distance between two mutually adjacent railroad sleepers (2); and in that said side-parts are provided with said fastening elements, which are constituted by two fixed and two movable support elements that are able to rest on the top surfaces of said sleepers. 15 20. A device according to Claim 19, characterized in that two support elements associated with a first side-part are fixedly related with a respective side-part. 21. A device according to Claim 19, characterized in that two support elements associated with a second side-part are fixedly related to but displaceably coordinated with a respective 20 side-part. 22. A device according to Claim 21, characterized in that when in an inserted position the support elements take a position in which one of the side-parts of said device can be inserted in between railroad sleepers and beneath a rail section. 25 23. A device according to Claim 1 1 and 13, characterized by a hand-operated lever by means of which the roller can be turned to an upper position or to a lower position while the roller is subjected to load from the rail section. 30 24. A device according to Claim 23, characterized in that said lever has the form of a rod which includes a pincer-like, end-related anangement where one jaw is adapted for co-action with one end-wall while the other jaw is adapted for co-action with one of the cross-bars interconnecting said side-parts.

Inventors: HOLMBERG ERNE, OHLSSON PER OLOF, ROSENQVIST KARL ANDERS, HOLMBERG, ERNE, OHLSSON, PER, OLOF, ROSENQVIST, KARL, ANDERS
Applicants: HOLMBERG ERNE, OHLSSON PER OLOF, ROSENQVIST KARL ANDERS, HOLMBERG, ERNE, OHLSSON, PER, OLOF, ROSENQVIST, KARL, ANDERS
Application year: 1997
Main classification: E01B29
IPC codes: E01B29