Patent Publication Number: US-8528484-B2

Title: Railroad tie plate apparatus and method

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/416,565, filed Apr. 1, 2009, which claims the benefit of U.S. patent application No. 61/157,364 filed Mar. 4, 2009. 
    
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The present application relates to railroad tracks, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for distributing railroad tie plates adjacent to the rails of railroad tracks. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The rails of a railroad track are usually secured to cross ties by spikes driven into tie plates, with the tie plates located between the rail and the tie, and the head of the spike overlapping the bottom of the rail. The tie plates block lateral movement of the rails. Anchors are attached to the rail on either side of the tie to secure the rail against longitudinal movement. 
     Railroad ties occasionally must be replaced due to wear. After a tie is replaced, tie plates must be provided between the rail and the tie so that the rail may be properly secured to the tie. 
     Several references propose various systems for use in replacing tie plates. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,613, issued to J. K. Stewart on Jul. 28, 1981, describes a tie plate conveying and orienting system. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,103, issued to F. Allmer on Sep. 13, 1988, describes a rail clamp. The rail clamp includes a pair of line-up wheels for engaging the inside edges of the rails. A pair of pivoting clamping arms, with each clamping arm having a disk rotatably mounted to its end, engages the outside edge of each rail, just below the rail&#39;s ball. Movement of the clamping arms is controlled by hydraulic cylinders. Additionally, a stabilizer cylinder connecting a bridge crossing the chassis to the rail lifting assembly may either permit the rail lifting assembly to float to correspond with the rails, or may be locked in position. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,614, issued to G. Mohr et al. on Mar. 29, 1988, describes a machine for repairing a railway track. The machine includes a main chassis having various devices for repairing a railway, mounted on a chain drive under a railway vehicle. A counter weight mounted to the chain drive, moving the opposite direction, counters the effects of inertia. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,822, issued to D. J. Cotic on Jul. 24, 1990, describes an apparatus and method for automatically setting rail tie plates. The apparatus includes a frame having a ramp thereon. The ramp stores the tie plates, and includes a control mechanism for releasing them one at a time into a plate pocket. A reciprocated pusher then moves the plate from the plate pocket to its position on the tie. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,412, issued to J. Theurer et al. on Nov. 26, 1991, describes a tie plate-inserting machine. The front of the machine includes a crane broom with a tie plate-collecting magnet. A funnel adjacent to the crane leads to a conveyer, which terminates above a sorting table. A roller conveyer conveys ties from the sorter to a magazine. The magazine moves between a level position for receiving tie plates from the sorting table, and a lower position for dispensing the tie. The machine includes a tie plate-inserting arm slidably supported by a guide rod, for pushing the—tie plates from the magazine to their position below the rail. A lifting roller pivots between a raised position and a lowered position for permitting tie plates to be pushed thereon from the magazine to their final position below the rail. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,461, issued to J. Theurer et al. on Mar. 16, 1993, describes a tie exchange means for both removing ties and inserting new ties. The tie exchange machine may move longitudinally along a guide track. A scarifier and track-lifting device are included. A mobile tie transporting crane may move towards or away from the tie exchange device, for transporting either new ties to be installed or old ties which have been removed. The tie-depositing device is a vertically adjustable forklift. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,692, issued to H. Madison et al. on Apr. 26, 1994, and assigned to Harsco Corporation, describes a tie exchanger mounted on a truck. The tie exchanger has a rail clamp table having rail clamps and a boom. The boom includes a tie clamp, and may pivot around the vertical axis to insert ties from either side of the tracks. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,331,899, issued to J. D. Holley on Jul. 26, 1994, describes a tie plate installer and remover using a magnetic wheel to insert or remove a tie plate. The tie plate installer includes a tie magazine from which tie plates are dropped into a shoot leading to the magnetic wheel, which then carries the tie plate to a position on the tie adjacent to its final location under the rail, and finally pushes it under the rail. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,259, issued to J. Theurer et al. on May 30, 1995, describes a ballast stabilizer. The ballast stabilizer has a rail clamp including a roller for engaging the rail&#39;s ball, mounted on an arm secured at its other end to a lever. The opposite arm of the lever is secured to a hydraulic cylinder, so that extending the cylinder pushes inward on the clamp arm. A pair of vertical inner wheels are pushed against the gauge side of the rail&#39;s ball by hydraulic cylinders. A shaking apparatus vibrates the machine parallel to the ties. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,325, issued to K. E. Glomski et al. on Mar. 3, 1998, describes a tie replacement apparatus including drip elements for holding a tie plate in place while the tie underneath is replaced. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,377, issued to D. M. Brenny et al. on Nov. 24, 1998, describes a machine for installing and removing elastic rail clips of the type used for fastening rails to concrete or wooden ties. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,401, issued to R. Miller et al. on Jan. 9, 2001, describes a rail vehicle for collection and distribution of railroad cross ties. 
     When replacing tie plates, it is useful to position the tie plates near the section of track where the plates will be used to secure the rail to the ties. More specifically, it would be helpful to be able to automatically or semi-automatically place a tie plate at the respective ends of a railroad tie to which a section of rail is going to be attached. Furthermore, it is desirable to be able to easily manipulate and move an apparatus which could automate the tie-placement system and to tie such an apparatus into an existing hi-rail truck or other rail-vehicle system. Accordingly, a railway tie placement apparatus and method incorporating these features is desired. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present application teaches an apparatus and method for depositing railroad tie plates adjacent both rails of a set of railroad tracks simultaneously or nearly simultaneously. The application teaches parallel cleated belt conveyors timed relative to the rate of rotation of one or more railroad engagement wheels under a frame between the conveyors to ensure proper spacing between the tie plates along the length of rail. Sliding members positioned above the upper end of the conveyors help transfer the tie plates from an optional infeed conveyor to the cleated belt conveyors. 
     In an alternative embodiment, the application teaches a single cleated belt conveyor positioned between a sliding member at its top end for receiving railroad tie plates from an infeed source, and one or more sets of rollers at its bottom end for depositing the tie plates along the rails of a railroad track. The optional rollers are used to prevent the tie plates from flipping over as they are falling to the ground and to assure the tie plates are distributed with the desired side up. Also, the rollers advantageously accommodate tie plates of different sizes, shapes, configurations, in contrast to tie plate distribution machines that pinch or grab the tie plates at the bottom of the conveyor prior to distribution. The cleats on the cleated belt conveyor are synced with one or more railroad engagement wheels and a drive member to rotate the cleated belt conveyor at a desired speed relative to the space between railroad ties and the desired number of tie plates to be distributed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
         FIG. 1  is a rear view showing most clearly the frame, lifting member, and conveyors in relation to a set of railroad tracks and a hi-rail truck; 
         FIG. 2  shows the frame, lifting member, and connecting members without the conveyor belts; 
         FIG. 3  shows the conveyor belts being placed on the connecting members of the apparatus from  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  shows a close-up view of a sliding member at the top of a conveyor belt; 
         FIG. 5  shows a close up of a guiding member adjustably positioned on the top surface of a sliding member; 
         FIG. 6  shows use of the lifting member to position the apparatus behind a hi-rail truck; 
         FIG. 7  shows an alternative embodiment of the invention with a single cleated belt conveyor for use in the middle of a set of railroad tracks; and 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of the alternative embodiment of  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     According to the present application, an apparatus is described which provides an automatic or semi-automatic conveyor belt system for placing railroad tie plates adjacent the parallel rails of a length of railroad track. 
     According to one aspect of the invention, the apparatus includes a generally rectangular frame having at least two rail engagement wheels positioned under the frame; two or more connecting members attached to each of the long sides of the frame; two cleated belt conveyors, one attached to each of the long sides of the frame by the connecting members; a towing member extending away from an end of the frame; a sliding member positioned above each of the cleated belt conveyors and having a tie plate guiding member adjustably connected to the sliding member; a drive member connected to and extending between at least one of the railroad engagement wheels and the cleated belt conveyors for controlling the speed at which the cleated belt conveyors operate; and a lifting member extending vertically from the frame, wherein the lifting member has a generally inverted U-shape and a first end of the lifting member is connected at about a mid-point of a first short side of the frame and a second end of the lifting member is connected at about a mid-point of a second short side of the frame. 
     A second aspect of the invention is an apparatus having first and second conveyors positioned along opposite sides of a frame positioned about centrally between the first and second conveyors; wherein the first and second conveyors are operably connected to a railroad engagement wheel positioned under the frame to coordinate movement of the first and second conveyors relative to the railroad engagement wheel. 
     A third aspect of the invention is a method of placing railroad tie plates alongside a rail by alternately feeding railroad tie plates to first and second sliding members, wherein a first sliding member is positioned above a first conveyor belt and a second sliding member is positioned above a second conveyor belt, further wherein the first and second conveyors are positioned along opposite sides of a frame positioned about centrally between the first and second conveyors and the first and second conveyors are operably connected to a railroad engagement wheel positioned under the frame to coordinate movement of the first and second conveyors relative to the railroad engagement wheel; and sliding the railroad tie plates along the sliding member and onto one of the conveyor belts. 
     A fourth aspect of the invention is an apparatus including a frame member positioned above and connected to two or more railroad engagement wheels; a cleated belt conveyor having a top and a bottom and being positioned on the frame and angled downwardly for depositing railroad tie plates along railroad ties on a railroad track; a set of rollers connected to the frame and positioned at the bottom of the cleated belt conveyor; a towing member connected to and extending away from an end of the frame; a sliding member positioned above the cleated belt conveyor, wherein the sliding member has a top surface; a drive means for mechanically linking at least one of the railroad engagement wheels and the cleated belt conveyor for controlling the speed at which the cleated belt conveyor rotates; and a lifting member extending vertically from the frame, wherein the lifting member has a generally inverted U-shape. 
     One specific application of this apparatus and system involves integration with a hi-rail truck or other similar rail vehicle adapted to feed railroad tie plates to the apparatus for automatic or semi-automatic placement of the tie plates alongside a length of railroad track and more specifically outside the respective parallel rails of the track and adjacent the ends of the railroad ties. The hi-rail truck can include an infeed conveyor for transporting the tie-plates from the bed of the truck to the cleated belt conveyors. 
     The preferred embodiment will be described with reference to  FIG. 1 , which shows an exemplary apparatus  100  of the present invention integrated with a hi-rail truck  102 . The apparatus  100  comprises a generally rectangular frame  104  having at least two rail engagement wheels  106   a ,  106   b  positioned under the frame  104 . Two or more connecting members  108   a - c  are attached to each of the long sides  110   a ,  110   b  of the frame  104 . Two cleated belt conveyors  112   a ,  112   b  are attached to the long sides  110   a ,  110   b  of the frame  104  by the connecting members  108   a - c . A towing member  202  extends away from an end  204  of the frame  104 . A sliding member  114   a ,  114   b  is positioned above each of the cleated belt conveyors  112   a ,  112   b  and having a tie plate guiding member  116  adjustably connected to the sliding member  114   a  or  114   b . A drive member  118  can be connected to and extend between at least one of the railroad engagement wheels  106   a  or  106   b  and the cleated belt conveyors  112   a ,  112   b  for controlling the speed at which the cleated belt conveyors  112   a ,  112   b  operate. A lifting member  120  can extend vertically from the frame  104 , wherein the lifting member  120  has a generally inverted U-shape and a first end  122  of the lifting member  120  is connected at about a mid-point of a first short side  126   a  of the frame  104  and a second end  124  of the lifting member  120  is connected at about a mid-point of a second short side  126   b  of the frame  104 . Conveyor belt  112   a,b  raising and lowering means  128   a ,  128   b  can be included to raise and lower the cleated belt conveyors  112   a ,  112   b.    
     As shown more clearly in  FIG. 2 , the frame  104  is generally rectangular in shape with two long sides  110   a ,  110   b  and two short sides  126   a ,  126   b . A lifting member  120  is in the shape of an inverted U with a first end  122  of the lifting member  120  connected at about a mid-point of a first short side  126   a  of the frame  104  and a second end  124  of the lifting member  120  connected at about a mid-point of a second short side  126   b  of the frame  104 . The apparatus  100  preferably includes three connecting members  108   a - c  connected to each of the long sides  110   a,b  of the frame  104 . The connecting members  108   a - c  can be trianglular-shaped with a short side of the triangles connected to the outside edge of the long sides  110   a,b  of the frame  104 . A towing member  202  extends from one of the short sides  126   a  or  126   b  of the frame  104 . The towing member  202  preferably is extendable and includes a means for extending and retracting the towing member. A preferred extending and retracting means is a cylinder  206  for extending and retracting the towing member  202 , which can be used to connect the frame  104  of the apparatus  100  to a hi-rail truck  102  or other vehicle for transporting the apparatus  100  along a railroad track. 
       FIG. 3  shows the frame  104  of  FIG. 2  with conveyor belt support members  302   a  and  302   b  attached to the connecting members  108   a - c . The connecting members  108   b  can extend through a first side of a conveyor belt support member  302   a,b  and cross underneath the width of the conveyor belt support members  302   a,b  and be secured to a second side of the conveyor belt support member  302   a,b . The connecting member  108   a  and  108   c  include additional bracketry for connecting the connecting members  108   a  and  108   c  to the conveyor belt support members  302   a,b.    
       FIG. 4  shows a sliding member  114  positioned above a cleated belt conveyor  112 . The sliding member  112  has a top surface  402  and includes a plurality of ball bearings  404  embedded in the sliding member  112  and projecting above the top surface  402  of the sliding member  112 . Each ball bearing  404  is contained within an opening  406  in the top surface  402  of the sliding member  112 , but the ball bearings  404  rotate freely within the openings  406  thereby creating a suface over which the tie plates can be slid with little manual effort. The sliding member  114  includes two guide troughs  408  for receiving a tie plate guiding member  116 . The position of the tie plate guiding member  116  on the sliding member  114  can be adjusted by moving the sliding member  114  along the guide troughs  408  and securing the guiding member  116  in place by inserting a screw through the guiding member  116  and the guide troughs  408  and locking it in place with a nut. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the position of the guiding member  116  on the sliding member  114  can be adjusted to accommodate different size tie plates and also can be adjusted depending on the desired placement of the tie plate on the conveyor belt  112 . For example, the width of conveyor belt  112  can be about two times the width of the tie plates and thus the tie plates can be positioned on the inside or outside half of the conveyor belt  112 . As a result, the tie plates can be dropped either closer to or further away from the railroad track rails depending on the placement of the tie plates on the conveyor belts  112 . The tie plates can be slid across the sliding member  114  up to and against the guiding member  116  which stops the lateral movement of the tie plates. The tie plates can then be re-directed perpendicularly by sliding the tie plates on the sliding member  114  towards the conveyor belts  112 . 
       FIG. 6  shows an apparatus  100  of the present invention being integrated with a hi-rail truck  102 . The lifting member  102  provides a means for moving the apparatus  100  and placing it in a desired position. For ease of transport, the apparatus  100  can include conveyor belt  112  raising and lowering means  128   a,b  for raising the conveyor belts  112   a,b  and rotating them inward to reduce the footprint of the apparatus  100 . Once in position on the track, the belts  112   a,b  can be rotated outward and down. The preferred raising and lowering means  128   a,b  is one or more hydraulic cylinders connected to the connecting members  108   b  that extend from the conveyor belts  112   a,b  to the frame  104 . 
     The hi-rail truck  102  can include an infeed conveyor which transports tie plates from the bed of the truck to a sliding member  114  positioned between the top end of the conveyors  112   a,b . The tie plates can be re-directed to either of the conveyor belts  112   a,b  by sliding the tie plate across the freely-rotating ball bearings  404  embedded in the sliding members  114 . The lateral movement of the tie plates is stopped when the tie plates come into contact with the guiding members  116  situated on the top surface  402  of the sliding members  114 , which are positioned above the top end of the conveyor belts  112   a,b . The tie plates are once again re-directed, this time toward the downwardly projecting conveyor belts  112   a,b , by sliding the tie plates perpendicularly on the sliding member  114 . 
     The tie plates are positioned on the cleated belt conveyors  112   a,b  either further inside toward the rail or further outside further away from the rail depending on the positioning of the guiding member  116  on the sliding member  114 . The cleated belt on the conveyor  112  keeps the tie plates in position and aligned and delivers the tie plates to the ground adjacent the rail. A drive member  118  is connected to the rail engagement wheels  106   a,b  and extends to a drive shaft on the conveyor belts  112   a,b . The drive member  118  times the movement of the conveyors  112   a,b  with the railroad engagement wheels  106   a,b  so the tie plates are dropped to the ground adjacent the rails at desired intervals. Alternate gearing can be used to adjust the timing of the conveyor belt  112  rotation relative to the rotation of the railroad engagement wheels  106   a,b  depending on the desired spacing between tie plates adjacent the rail. 
       FIGS. 7 and 8  show an alternative embodiment of the apparatus  100  having a single cleated belt conveyor  712 , which preferably is positioned in the middle of a set of rails during operation. As with the other embodiments, cleated belt conveyor  712  is adapted for use with a hi-rail truck  102 . A conveyor belt support member  730  is secured to a frame  704 , which in turn is positioned above and connected to two or more railroad engagement wheels  706   a,b . A towing member  702  can be connected to and extend away from an end of the frame  704  and towards the hi rail truck  102 . 
     The cleated belt conveyor  712  has a top and a bottom and is positioned atop the support member  730  on the frame  704 . The cleated belt conveyor  712  is angled downwardly for depositing railroad tie plates along railroad ties on a railroad track. One or more sets of rollers  724  can be connected to the frame  704  and positioned at the bottom of the cleated belt conveyor  712 . The rollers  724  allow for the free fall of the tie plates from the end of the cleated belt conveyor  712  onto the ground near the railroad ties. The tie plates are not constricted at the bottom of the cleated belt conveyor  712  by a wheel or other pinching device prior to distribution. As a result, the apparatus  100  of the present application can be used with tie plates of all sizes, shapes, and orientations regardless of whether the tie plates contain additional features of structure. The rollers  724  also prevent the tie plates from following the cleated belt conveyor  712  around the bottom of the transport loop and flipping over as the tie plates are distributed to the ground. Thus, the rollers  724  can be used or not used depending on whether the user desires for the tie plates to flip over at the bottom of cleated belt conveyor  712  or not. 
     A sliding member  714  having a top surface  740  can be positioned above the cleated belt conveyor  712 . The top surface  740  of the sliding member  714  preferably contains ball bearings  750  positioned in openings on the top surface  740  of the sliding member  740 . The sliding member  740  allows for railroad tie plates to be received into the apparatus  100  by means such as an infeed conveyor by simply sliding the tie plates along the top surface  740  of the sliding member  740  and onto the cleated belt conveyor  712 . 
     A drive means  718  mechanically links the one or more railroad engagement wheels  706   a,b  to the cleated belt conveyor  712  for controlling the speed at which the cleated belt  712  rotates relative to the distance between railroad ties. A lifting member  720  having a generally inverted U-shape can extend vertically from the frame  704  to provide an area for grasping the apparatus  100  and moving from job site to job site. 
     CONCLUSION 
     While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the breadth and scope of the invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.