Patent ID: 6862822

Claim:
A mobile railway track repair apparatus for undercutting and removing ballast from a rail bed which supports rail ties that in turn support parallel rails wherein, the repair apparatus comprisesU; a mobile unit including a motorized track traversing member that includes an undercarriage that supports a rotating cab; a boom unit including an articulated boom member operatively associated with the rotating cab of the track traversing member wherein, the boom member includes a boom support column and a boom arm having an upper end pivotally connected to said boom column and having a lower end; a universal connector unit including a universal connector member having one portion pivotally associated with the lower end of the boom arm and a track repair assembly selected from among an excavator assembly, an undercutter assembly and a tamping/compacting assembly wherein, the track repair assembly being operatively associated with the universal connector member; and, first means for moving the boom column relative to the track traversing member, second means for moving the boom arm relative to the boom column, and third means for moving the undercutter assembly relative to the universal connector member and the boom arm for positioning the selected track repair assembly parallel to at a selected variable angle and beneath the rail ties from a selected side of a railroad track.