Method and apparatus for setting railroad tie plates

• US 3,882,785 A
• Filed: 02/28/1974
• Issued: 05/13/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Delton James Rowe
• Original Assignee: Delton James Rowe
• Inventors: Rowe, Delton James
• Primary Examiner(s): Wood, Jr., M. Henson
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bertsch, Richard A.
• Application Number:
  US05/446,603
• Time in Patent Office: 439 Days
• Field of Search: 294/15,55.5 254/131 104/17,1R,16 294/58 238/287
• US Class Current: 104/16
• 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

To remove a tie plate from ballast near a railroad tie and place it on the tie in the proper location to hold a rail, the gripping head of a tie plate setter includes two parallel spaced-apart railroad spikes mounted to the shank portion of a handle by two parallel spaced-apart cross-braces which are welded at right angles to the two railroad spikes and the handle, with the handle having a lower gripping portion bent at a 45* angle to the shank portion adapted to be held in the right or left hand and an upper gripping portion welded to and extending from the lower gripping portion where it joins the shank portion having a grip extending orthogonally thereto and adapted to be held in the other hand. To use the railroad tie plate setting tool, a worker inserts the two spikes of the gripping head into two apertures of the railroad tie plate, while the railroad tie plate is on the ballast near the tie and lifts the plate into the proper position on the tie by rotating the plate setting tool.

Claims

1. A method of setting railroad tie plates onto ties of a railroad track comprising the steps of:

placing railroad tie plates on ballast material near railroad ties;

inserting at least one elongated pointed member through at least one aperture in the tie plate and into said ballast material;

lifting said elongated member and said tie plate;

positioning said tie plate over a railroad tie with said pointed, elongated member; and

permitting said tie plate to slide from said elongated member.

2. A method according to claim 1 in which:

the step of inserting at least one elongated member includes the step of inserting at least two pointed, elongated members into two apertures in said tie plate and into said ballast beneath the tie plates; and

the step of lifting said tie plate includes the step of pivoting said members about a point to pivot said tie plate about said point.

3. A method according to claim 1 in which the step of inserting at least one pointed, elongated members includes the step of inserting at least two elongated members having a length of at least one-half inch through said apertures and into said ballast at least one-eighth inch.

4. A method according to claim 3 in which the step of inserting at least two of said pointed members includes the step of inserting at least two pointed members having a longest cross-sectional dimension less than 1 1/8 inches through two apertures into said tie plate.