Method for delivering replacement rail ties using GPS techniques

• US 7,437,997 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2008
• Issued: 10/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Herzog Contracting
• Original Assignee: Herzog Contracting
• Inventors: Bounds, Ivan E., Herzog, Stanley M., Laughlin, Daniel B., Beers, Timothy M., Bedingfield, Stephen L., Pete, Steve, Kneib, Joseph A., Schmitz, Ron
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Mark T
• Application Number:
  US12/051,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20080163782A1
• Time in Patent Office: 215 Days
• Field of Search: 104/2, 104/5, 104/6, 104/7.1, 104/9, 104/10, 104/15, 104/12, 104/17.7, 104/17.2
• US Class Current: 104/6
• CPC Class Codes: E01B 29/06 Transporting, laying, removing or renewing sleepers E01B29/05 takes precedence; carrying devices B65G7/12
• CPC Class Codes: E01B 35/00 Applications of measuring apparatus or devices for track-building purposes apparatus on locomotives or cars to indicate or record bad track sections B61K9/00; measuring angles, linear dimensions, or irregularities in general G01B, G01C

Abstract

A method of efficiently delivering replacement railway ties for use in replacing ties that have deteriorated. GPS technology is used to obtain the GPS location of each tie that needs to be replaced. A tie train carrying replacement ties has a GPS monitor so that one or more ties can be unloaded at or near the location of each tie that requires replacement. A tie replacement crew can use a GPS monitor to locate each tie that requires replacement, and the crew can remove those ties and install a nearby replacement tie.

Claims

1. A method of delivering replacement rail ties along a railway that includes defective ties to be replaced, said method comprising:

selecting a predetermined distance;

using a GPS device to determine a GPS location for each defective tie;

designating as an unloading zone each span along the railway that includes at least two defective ties having GPS locations within said predetermined distance of each other;

determining the distance between the two defective ties in each unloading zone that are farthest apart;

designating as an unloading location the GPS location that is midway between each pair of farthest apart ties in each unloading zone; and

unloading at each unloading location a number of replacement ties equal to the number of defective ties in the corresponding unloading zone.