Patent GB-808987-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to ballast cleaning machines for railway lines
Inventor: FRITSCHE KURT
IPC: E01B27/10
Filed: 1956-05-09
Abstract: 808,987. Rail track ballast cleaning machines. VEB. SCHWERMASCHINENBAU HEINRICH RAU WILDAU. May 9, 1956, No. 14465/56. Class 104 (2). A machine for cleaning ballast of a railway track has a vehicle frame 1 supporting a bucket excavating chain 5 which is vertically and laterally slidable, a bucket conveyer 31 is pivotally mounted on an inclined axis on each side of the vehicle and removes the ballast and feeds it to a hopper 36 and cleaning unit 37, the ballast being returned to the track through an adjustable delivery device 38, and tamping device 39 running on guides compacts the ballast, the refuse being passed from the cleaning unit to conveyers 60,62, 63 feeding to trucks. The bucket excavating chain 5 is guided on a guide frame 6 and passes through a lower guide 7 situated in the ballast below the sleepers and through an upper guide 10 and over a driving sprocket 9. The guide frame 6 is slidably mounted on a framework 13 and is moved transversely to the machine by a motor 19. The framework is moved vertically or tilted by two motors 27 driving four spindles 22 which each engage a nut on the frame 1. The framework has slide guides 26 which engage blocks 25 on the spindles. The tamping device 39 is movable along guides 40 by means of an endless rope 43 driven by a motor 44. The movement may be controlled manually by operating a switch 48 which disengages the motor 44 and by operating a valve 64 by a lever 50 to effect lowering, contraction and vibration of the tamping tools 47. At the completion of compacting the lever 50 is returned to its initial position and switch 48 and a rocker arm 52 are operated to engage the clutch and switch on the motor to advance the machine to the next sleeper section. When the distance between the sleepers is uniform the machine can be operated automatically. As the machine moves forward continuously the sleepers are tamped stepwise. At the completion of a tamping operation a stop 54 on the tool operates a contact 53 to switch on the motor and a lever 55 is operated by the tool to engage the clutch through the lever 50, causing the vibration to cease, the tamping tools to move apart and be raised and the tools to be moved to contact the lever 57 linked with the lever 50 to lower the tools and commence a new sequence of tamping operations. A stop 58 on the tools contacts a'contact 59 to disengage the clutch. Manual control of lever 50 and rocker arm 52 can interrupt automatic control. In the event of failure of automatic control an emergency switch 54a automatically stops the advance of the cleaning machine. At the commencement of ballast cleaning a channel is dug in the track for the chain guide 7 and part of the conveyer chain 5. The machine is driven to the site, together with trucks for refuse. The guide 7 is coupled by clamps 30 to pivoted levers 18 on the frame 6 and the sections of the bucket chains are joined. The lateral bucket conveyers 31 are unlocked, lowered, with the excavating mechanism running until the required depth in the ballast is attained. After completing the ballast cleaning operation the reverse sequence of operations takes place, the bottom chain guide is left at the site when the machine is driven away.