Patent ID: 6865991

Claim:
A machine for tamping a track composed of rails fastened to ties resting on ballast, the rails extending in a longitudinal direction and having a field side and a gauge side, respectively, and the ballast forming tie supports on the field side and tie supports on the gauge side, the machine comprising: a machine frame supported by undercarriages for moving on the track and having a centerline extending in the longitudinal direction; and tamping units mounted to said machine frame opposite one another transversely to the longitudinal direction, each tamping unit having: four tamping tine pairs for simultaneously tamping four successive ties and each comprising two tamping tines and squeeze drives for squeezing said tamping tines together, said tamping tine pairs being disposed one after another in the longitudinal direction and being positioned, in alternation in the longitudinal direction, at a shorter distance from the centerline for tamping the tie supports on the gauge side of the rail, and at a longer distance from the centerline for tamping the tie supports on the field side of the rail.