Patent AU-2018100214-A4 (AU)
Title: System for converting railways to bicycle paths.
Inventor: WILL BENJAMIN J
IPC: E01B9/00
Filed: 2018-02-19
Granted: 2018-03-22
Abstract: "A Plastic System (Rail Rider) for Conversion of Disused Railways to Cycling and Walking Paths" The conversion of disused railways to paths for popular use is a growing conversation but nonetheless an intact opportunity - namely because standard conversion techniques involve the physical removal of the railway and subsequent major works (concrete, tarmacadam etc.), making for an exorbitantly expensive and difficult operation. The described invention, however, counterpoints cynicism with an economical and time-saving alternative; one that not only allows for the preservation of existing infrastructure but employs it to technical advantage. The spirit of the patent employs strong, flexible, reusable and quick-to-install made-to-measure polyethylene plastic clips which offer a starting point upon which new and customised pre-fabricated plastic track is attached. Clip dimensions are speculative and hence compliant to any size track and rails required to fit upon. With interest too, owing to the use of plastic, paths can be built sympathetic to their environs and, dependent on the imagination and adventure of the developer, boast almost unlimited artistic appeal. In online searches it was found that there have been several attempts to utilise existing rail in a conversion system. None of these, however, were seen to exploit plastic and take advantage of its pliable or diverse and accessible effects. A German patent application had designs using concrete while some others explored the conversion of bicycles so they could be ridden on the rails, but to the applicants' knowledge plastic has been - as yet disregarded. At the time of writing there are no further references pertaining to specific problems regarding the history of rail conversion known to the applicants, nor is there any existing familiarity with prior art or states of technology that this invention might be drawn toward. An example of novel engineering then, Rail Rider presents a commercially useful manner of manufacture, one which involves an inventive solution that evidently has not been obvious to persons with the knowledge and experience within the invention's technological field. While disused railways have steadily become an identifiable means of creating cycling and pedestrian thoroughfares, owing to railways often linking suburbs to central business areas, or traversing areas of natural beauty, this convenience is marred by the cost of converting the rail into usable paths. Costs are currently estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars per kilometre, depending on the nature of the conversion. A large part of the expense involves removing the disused railway, and the Rail Rider system aims to overcome this discouragement in two ways: firstly by making the cost of conversion much cheaper by utilising the rail infrastructure; and secondly, by making the owners of the railway more inclined to proceed with a conversion because the Rail Rider system preserves the rail infrastructure and allows it to be returned to rail for future use. The reviewed clip is naturally contiguous to a pre-fabricated polyethylene board as the ambition of the invention cannot work without the both the clip and the board being united in some manner - it is assumed that producing the clip attached to a board is both the most expedient means of production and installation. Natural inspiration for the invention came from the applicants' active lifestyles, like mindedness for the outdoors and a transitory discussion of Tasmanian rail routes and their stunning access to otherwise unappreciated forest and wilderness. Fig3