Patent ID: 7587981

Claim:
A method for cleaning ballast of a track, comprising rails extending in a longitudinal direction and connected to ties resting on the ballast, by means of a ballast cleaning machine having a machine frame supported on on-track undercarriages and including a cleaning chain with a chain cross member extending perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction, wherein, at the start of the cleaning process, a) an on-track undercarriage situated immediately ahead of the cleaning chain, with regard to a working direction of the ballast cleaning machine, is lifted off the track; b) the rails of the track are cut; c) one end of the cut rails, including the ties connected thereto, ahead of the cleaning chain in the working direction is lifted; d) the chain cross member of the cleaning chain is positioned underneath the lifted ties; e) the cut rails are reconnected, and the on-track undercarriage is set down upon the track again.