RAIL PLATE RETAINER WITH STABILIZED GRIPPING JAWS FOR USE WITH RAIL TIE EXCHANGER

• US 20200131716A1
• Filed: 10/22/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nordco, Inc. (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nordco, Inc. (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: PRITZL, Patrick Joseph, NEUBAUER, Kyle Matthew, LONG, Gregory John, HOLSCHBACH, Ryan Matthew, BOYD, James W.
• Granted Patent: US 11,453,981 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: E01B 29/10 for inserting or removing sleepers
• CPC Class Codes: E01B 29/32 Installing or removing track components, not covered by the preceding groups, e.g. sole-plates, rail anchors E01B31/26 takes precedence

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.

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.

2. The rail tie plate retaining workhead of claim 1, further including 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.

3. The rail tie plate retaining workhead of claim 2, 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.

4. The rail tie plate retaining workhead of claim 1, further including a ballast scraper assembly mounted to said workhead frame between said plate retaining frames.

5. The rail tie plate retaining workhead of claim 4, wherein said ballast scraper includes vertically reciprocating scraper blades for engaging an upper surface of a tie being replaced.

6. The rail tie plate retaining workhead of claim 4, wherein said ballast scraper is oriented transversely to said plate retaining frames.

7. The rail tie plate retaining workhead of claim 5, wherein said ballast scraper includes two pair of independently operating scraper blades.

8. The rail tie plate retaining workhead of claim 5, wherein said scraper blades are provided with an LVDT for adjusting a height of the blades relative to a bottom surface of a tie plate grasped in said gripping jaws.

9. The rail tie plate retaining workhead of claim 1 further including a rail clamp associated with each said plate retainer frame.

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.

11. The rail plate retaining workhead of claim 10, wherein each said plate retaining frame has 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.

12. The rail tie plate retaining workhead of claim 10, further including a ballast scraper assembly mounted to said workhead frame between said plate retaining frames.

13. The rail tie plate retaining workhead of claim 12, wherein said ballast scraper includes vertically reciprocating scraper blades for engaging an upper surface of a tie being replaced.

14. The rail tie plate retaining workhead of claim 12, wherein said ballast scraper is oriented transversely to said plate retaining frames.

15. The rail tie plate retaining workhead of claim 13, wherein said ballast scraper includes two pair of independently operating scraper blades.

16. The rail tie plate retaining workhead of claim 13, wherein said scraper blades are provided with an LVDT for adjusting a height of the blades relative to a bottom surface of a tie plate grasped in said gripping jaws.

17. The rail tie plate retaining workhead of claim 10 further including a rail clamp associated with each said plate retainer frame.

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.

19. The machine of claim 18, further including an operator controller connected to a fluid power cylinder connected to reciprocating arm for moving said arm relative to said beam between said extended position and said retracted position, and upon said operator actuating said controller, said fluid power cylinder is constructed and arranged for retracting said arm, and said tie clamps, until said contact closes said proximity switch, for pushing the tie into the proper position.