RAIL PLATE RETAINER WITH STABILIZED GRIPPING JAWS FOR USE WITH RAIL TIE EXCHANGER
First Claim
1. A rail tie plate retaining workhead for use in conjunction with a rail tie exchanger moving along a railroad track having a pair of rails, said workhead comprising:
- a workhead frame configured for movement along the track relative to the rail tie replacement machine;
a pair of plate retaining frames, each said plate retaining frame associated with a respective one of the rails, and being connected to said workhead frame;
each said plate retaining frame having at least one rail guide wheel connected to said retaining frame using a fluid powered cylinder, said wheels vertically reciprocating between an extended position, in which said workhead is raised to a travel position, and a retracted position, in which said workhead is lowered to a working position in operational relationship with at least one targeted rail tie plate.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A rail tie plate retaining workhead is provided for use in conjunction with a rail tie replacement machine moving along a railroad track having a pair of rails. The workhead includes a workhead frame configured for movement along the track relative to the rail tie replacement machine, and a pair of plate retaining frames, each frame associated with a respective one of the rails, and being connected to the workhead frame. Each plate retaining frame has at least one rail guide wheel connected to the retaining frame using a fluid powered cylinder, the wheels vertically reciprocating between an extended position, in which the workhead is raised to a travel position, and a retracted position, in which the workhead is lowered to a working position in operational relationship with at least one targeted rail tie plate.
-
Citations
19 Claims
-
1. A rail tie plate retaining workhead for use in conjunction with a rail tie exchanger moving along a railroad track having a pair of rails, said workhead comprising:
-
a workhead frame configured for movement along the track relative to the rail tie replacement machine; a pair of plate retaining frames, each said plate retaining frame associated with a respective one of the rails, and being connected to said workhead frame; each said plate retaining frame having at least one rail guide wheel connected to said retaining frame using a fluid powered cylinder, said wheels vertically reciprocating between an extended position, in which said workhead is raised to a travel position, and a retracted position, in which said workhead is lowered to a working position in operational relationship with at least one targeted rail tie plate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. A rail tie plate retaining workhead for use in conjunction with a rail tie replacement machine moving along a railroad track having a pair of rails, said workhead comprising:
-
a workhead frame configured for movement along the track relative to the rail tie replacement machine; a pair of plate retaining frames, each said plate retaining frame associated with a respective one of the rails, and being connected to said workhead frame; and a pair of opposed rail tie plate gripping jaws connected to each said plate retaining frame, said jaws being configured for reciprocating along a direction parallel to the rails between a plate release position and a plate grabbing position, wherein each said plate retaining frame has a pair of spaced, parallel guide shafts, and a pair of said jaws are slidable along said guide shafts between a plate release position and a plate grabbing position. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. A rail tie exchanger configured for moving along a railroad track having a pair of rails, comprising:
-
a main frame having at least one wheel for engaging the rails; a hollow beam projecting transversely from said frame; a reciprocating arm telescoping within said beam and moving transversely relative to the rails between an extended position and a retracted position; a pair of opposed rail tie clamps located on a free end of said arm for engaging a rail tie, said tie clamps reciprocating between an open and a closed position under operator control; a proximity switch associated with an end of said beam closest to said arm; and a contact for said proximity switch located on said arm and dimensioned so that upon said tie clamps pushing a newly installed tie to a designated aligned position, said contact closes said proximity switch, alerting the operator that the new tie is in a proper position. - View Dependent Claims (19)
-
Specification