Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
BIDIRECTION~LLY OPER~TI~E TIF
EXCHANGING ~PP~R~TUS
BAC~GROUND OF TH~ E~T~ON
The present in~ention ~elates to a rail bed maln-
tenance apparatus and, ~ore ~pecifically, to an appara~us fo~
removing and replacing railw~y cross ties from a rall bed.
Various machines are known for remo~ing and replacing
railway cross tles from a rall bed for maintenance purposes.
These machines have included apparatus for sawing or otherwise
severing the tie ln its mid-section and for withdrawing the
so-severed h~lves, for connecting f~exible cables to the tie
to pull it from the track~ and more sophisticated machines
that include hydraulically operated booms for engagin~ an
end of the tie to apply a thrust force that pushes the tie
laterally outward from the one side of -the rail bed, and
various pulling machines for manuall~ gripping the end of the
tie and pulling the so-gripped tie from the rail bed. In
general, the known machines provide acceptable levels of
performanae although these ~achines possess certain dis-
advantages or drawbacks that are related to their structuralarrangements or their method of ope~ation. For those machines
that sever the tie prior to its withdrawal, it i5 necessary to
manipulate a se~erin~ de~ice, such as a saw blade or opposed
cutting blades, to e~fect the severing operation. In the course
of the operation of these se~ering machines, the cutting blades
must be re~sharpened or replaced periodlcally which, of course,
adds -to the expense of the tie remo~al and replacement operation.
Those machines which push or pull the tie from the rai~ bed
are generally quite large and some are also restricted to
-1- .~;,
~ ~33~
removing and replacing rail ties from one ~ide of ~he ~ail
bed or the other. In those cases whe~e it is deslred to pull
or push a tie from either side of the rall bed, it is of~en
necessary in some machines to reVerse the orientation of all
or a major portion of the machi~e components~
~ n genexal, known tie exchanging machines ~re Inost
e~ective for removing and replacing ties that are optlmaliy
positioned, that is, ties ~hat are ~enerally perpendicular
to the direction of the rails and generally parallel to the
rail bed. There are situations, however, in which the
ties may not be op-timally positioned lncluding those ties~
for example, that support the rails in a switch arrangement
where some of the ties may be at an angle relatlve the supported
rail, that angle dependlng upon the angle of the turnout. In
this situation, the efflciency of some known machine may be
impaired since they may not be able to c~pply a force along the
axis of the tie.
SU~M~RY OF TH~ I~ENTION
In view of the above, it is a primary object of the
present invention, among others, to provlde a cross tie removing
machine that is compact in size and which is simple to operate.
It is another object of the present invention to
provide a cross tie exchanging apparatus that can remove rail-
way cross ties with equal facility f~om either side of the rail
bed ~ithout the need for re~ersin~ the orientation of Inaior
apparatu~ components.
It is also an obiect of the p~esent inventlon to
provide a cross tie remo~al c~nd ~eplacing machine that can
insert c~oss ties into a rail bed for either side of a railway
--2--
"
vehicle.
It is still another object of the p~ese~t in~ention
to pro~ide a cross -tie removal and xeplacing machine that can
remove or replace ties from either side of ~he xail bed
includin~ ties that lie at an an~le .relative the dixection of
the rails and/or the plane of the ~ail bed~
In accordance ~i-th~these obj~cts and others, the
present invention provides a cxoss tie removal and replacement
machine for removing and inseXting cxoss ties from either side
of a rail bed. In one embodiment, the machine i.ncludes a
support cradle or Erame that is connected to the chassis of a
suitable railway vehicle and which supports a telescopin~
beam assembly in a position dixectly above and paxallel to
the tie to be removed. The telescopin~ beam assembly includes
an inner beam telescopically received w~thin an outer beam
wlth hydraulically actuated tie clamping assemblies mounted
on the outward ends of the beams. A push-pull fluid cylinder
is connected to the inner and outer beams so that the fluid
cylinder, when extended, causes the inner and outer beam to
telescope outwardly relative to one anothex and, when retracted,
causes the beams to retract to a nested position. Fluid actuated
lock pins are mounted on the support cradle and are selectively
actuated to lock the inner beam to its support cradle or, in
the alternative, lock the outer beam to its support cradle.
When the inner beam lock pin is actuated to lock the inner
beam to its support cxadle and the fluid cylinder is actuated,
the outer beam is operati~e to telescopically extend and
xetract latexally out~ard fxo~ o~e side of the xail bed;
con~ersely, when the outex be~m lock pin is actuated to lock
the outer beam to its suppo~t c~dle and the flu~d cylindex
similarlY actuated, the inner beam is operative to telescopically
extend and retract laterally outward fxom -the othex side o~ the
rail vehicle. Accordingly, by selective actuatiorl of the lock
pins and actuation of th~ fluid c~linder, it is possi~le to
effect tie re~oval fro~ either side of the rail vehicle as
contrasted to priox desi~ns Whic~ Xemove the ties from a
preferred side or in which maior machine components must be
re-oriented to effect removal from the opposite side of the
vehicle. The support cradle is connected to the rail vehicle
by individually controlled fluid actuators which permit control
of the elevatlon and angle of inclination of the beam assembly
relative the -tie to be remo~ed so that forces can be applied
along the axis of ties that lie at an lnclined angle relative
to the rail bed. In another embodiment of the present invention,
the beam assembly is mounted on a turret that permits rotation
about the vertical axis so that the beam assembly can be aligned
with ties that lie at an angle relative to the direction of the
rails, for example, when removing and replacing ties on the
turn-out side of a switch. The cross ti.e exchange apparatus
in accordance wlth the present invention is compact, very
sturdy, and can be fabricated at lower cost compared -to p~ior
designs~
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRA~INGS
The above descxiption, as well as the objects,
features, and advantages of the present invention will be more
fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed
description of presently p~ef~rxe~ but nonetheless illustrative
embodlmçnts in accordance With ~he pres~nt inYention when taken
in conjunction ~ith the ~ccompanylng drawings whereln:
Fi~. 1 is a perspective ~iew of the cross tie
exchanging apparatus in accordanc~ ~ith the present inVention
showing tie clamping assemblies at opposite ends of
telescoping beam assemblY;
Fig. 2 is a perspec~i~e ~iew o~ one side o~ ~ rail
vehicle e~uipped with a cross tie exchanging appara~u~ of
the type shown in Fig. 1 illu~txating a portlon (phantom
line illustration~ of the appa~tu,s e~tendin~ la~exally
outward from one side of the vehlcle;
Fig. 3 is a plan view of a segment of a xail bed
including tracks and ~sociated cross ~ies with a rail~ay
vehicle located on the tracks;
Fig. 4 is an exploded pexspective view of the
cross tie exchanging apparatus shown in Fi~. l;
Flg. 5 is an end elevational view of a tie clamp
assembly showing the assembly in a clamped position (solid line
illustration) and an unclamped or retracted position (broken
line illustration);
Fig~ 6 is an exploded perspective view of one of the
clamping arms of the clamping assembly ~shown in Fig. 5i
~ Fig. 7 is a plan view, in partial cross section, of
the cross tie exchange apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 4 with the
inner and outer telescoped beams shown in a fullY retracted
po~ition with the tie clamping assemblies of Fi~. 5 omitted for
reasons of clarity;
Fig. 8 is a plan view, in partial cross section and
similar to that shown in Fig. 7, showing the inner bea~ locked
to its support cradle and ~he outer beam extended to the right;
Fi~. 9 is a p~an View, ~n p~xtial cross Section and
sim~lar to that shown in Fi~. 7 and Fig. 8, showln$ the Quter
~am locked to i~s support cr~dle and the inner beam e~ended
to the left;
Fig. 10~ illustrates a h~draulic fluid circuit suitable
--5--
35~
for eEfec-ting operation of the hydraulic cylinder that extends and
retracts the inner and outer beams;
Figs. 10B and 10C illustrate hydraulic circuits for
effecting bidirectional operation of the lock pins for selectlvely
locking the inner or outer beams to their respective support cradles;
Figs. 10D and 10E illus-trate hydraulic circuits for
hydraulically raising and lowering the cross tie exchanger
relative to the tie to be replaced;
Fig. 11 illustrates a further embodiment of the present
invention in which the beam assembly is mounted to a turret assembly
to permit selective bidirectional rotation about the vertical axis;
and
Fig. :L2 illustrates a hydraulic circuit for controlling
the degree of rotation of the beam assembly of the turretted
embodiment of Fig. 11.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
-
A first embodiment of a cross tie exchanging apparatus
in accordance with the present invention is shown in an assembled
perspective ln Fig. 1 and exploded perspective in Fig. 4 and
referred to generally herein by the reference character 20. The
cross tie exchanger 20 includes tie clamping assemblies 100 and 100'
attached to opposite ends of a telescoping beam assembly 200 that
extends between the clamping assemblies. As shown in Fig. 2, the
cross tie exchanger 20 is attached to the underside of the carriage
or chassis of a railway car: 22 between the trucks by vertically
aligned hydraulic cylinders 24 and 24' located on each side of the
car as explained more fully below. The cross tie exchanger 20 can
be raised or lowered relative to the rail bed 26 by appropriate
control of the cylinders 24 and 241 to control the
6 --
atti-tude of the cross tie exchanger over a tie T to be removed.
Once the cross tie exchanger 20 is posi-tioned over a selected tie
T by movement of -the rail car 22 along the track 28, the exchanger
is raised or lowered to a preferred attitude to permit the tie
clamping assembly 100 to clamp the end of -the tie T. Thereafter,
the beam assembly 200 is caused to operate, as explained more fully
below, to pull the tie T laterally outward from the rail bed 26
as shown in phantom line illustration in Fig. 2. The cross tie
exchanger 20 may also be used to insert the tie T into the rail
bed 26 by clamping the end of a replacement tie in the clamping
assembly 100 and then retracting the beam assembly 200 to insert
the tie into position. As shown in Fig. 3, the cross tie exchanger
20 is effective for pulling ties T from the rail bed 26 in either
lateral direction and is equally effective for inserting new ties
T into the rail bed 26 from either direction.
The clamp assemblies 100 and 100' are identically
constructed; a description of the clamp assembly 100 being sufficient
to describe both the clamp assembly 100 as well as the clamp
assembly 100'. As shown in Figs. 1, 4, 5, and 6, the clamp assembly
100 includes opposed clamping arms 102a and 102b, each fabricated
as a structural steel weldment, with the clamplng arm 102b including
as shown in the exploded perspective view of Fig. 6, a clamping bar
104b, a reinforcing spine 106b that is welded to the back face of
the clamping bar 104b, an outwardly and upwardly extending connecting
lug 108b welded to the upper portion of the reinforcing spine, an
apertured lug 110 welded to the front face of the clamping bar,
and a detachable clamping plate 112b secured to the lower end of
~ - 7a-
~93~
the clamping bar 104b by threaded fas-teners 114b extending through
suitable clearance bores in the lower end of the clamping bar 104b
lnto threaded
/''~
,~
- 7b -
bores (no-t shown) in the clamping plate 112. It can be
appreciated from Fig. 4 that a similar clamping bar, reenforcing
spine, connecting lug, detachable clamping plate and threaded
fasteners are associated with clamping arm 102a. The clamping
arms 102a and 102b are mounted symmetrically relative -to the
vertical on a mounting plate 116 with hinge pins 118a and 118b
passing through appropria-tely sized bores 120a and 120b,
respectively, formed in the lugs llOa and llOb. A
bidirec-tionally operative hydraulic cylinder 122 that includes a
cylinder portion 124 and a ram 126 is connected between the lugs
108a and 108b (by conventional clevis-and-pin connections) of the
two clamping arms 102a and 102b. As shown in Fig. 5, the
hydraulic cylinder 122 is opera-tive (solid line illustration) to
cause the clamping arms 102a and 102b to pivot towards one
another to grip a tie T between their respective clamping plates
112a and 112b and, conversely, opera-tive (phantom line
illustration) to cause the clamping arms 102a and 102b to pivot
to release the so-gripped tie T. A stop limit unit 128 (Fig. 5)
is secured to the mounting plate 116 between the clamping arms
102a and 102b -to establish -the maximum open position of the
clamping arms. The stop limit unit 128 includes adjustable
threaded fasteners 130 having head portions that are positioned
to contact and halt movement of the clamping arms 102a and 102b
to establish the maximum open position.
The beam assemhly 200, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4,
includes first and second cradles 202 and 202' fabricated as
hollow, rectangular box weldments and interconnected by a hollow,
box-like support tube 204. Each cradle 202 and 202' includes a
lock pin entry opening 206 and 206', respectively, and beam guide
plates 208 and 208'. ~he cradles 202 and 202' and the support
tube 204 are connected, as by welding, to the underside of a
horizon-tally disposed support plate 210 that has a guide plate
212 secured there-to in a direction generally parallel -to -the axis
of the support plate 210 and generally perpendicular there-to.
The guide plate 212 is received within two guide rails
~;~ - 8 -
214 and 214' that are secured to appropriate structur~l portions
(not shown) of the rail car 22 under chassis. The guide ~ils
214 and 214' restxain the guide ~l~te 212 ~oX ~uided moti~n in
the vextical directlon alt~ough suf~icient side-to-side clea~-
ance is provided between the side edgeS of the guide pl~te 212
and the guide rail~ 214 and 214' to permit adjust~ent of the
attltude or angular alignment of the beam assembly 200 by
approprlate control o~ the hydraullc cyllnders 24 and 24'.
Two lock-up lu~s 216 and 216' axe secured to the top of the
support plate 210 and lnclude holes 218 and 213', respecti~ely,
for cooperation with lock-up Pins 220 and 22Q' and mating
apertured lugs (not shown) on the rail car 22 to secuxe the
cross tie exchanger 20 to the xail car in a stowed position.
The hydraullc cylinders 24 and 24' that are used to change the
elevation and relative attltude of the cross tie exchanger 20
each include a cylinder 24a and downwaxdly extending ram 24b.
The lower end of the ram 24b includes a lug 24c that connects
to a pair of sp~ced apart apexture tabs 222 through a
cooperating pln 224. The hydraulic cylinders 24 and 24' are
operative, as described more fully below, to elevate and lower
the cross tie exchanger 20 relative to the rail bed 26.
The cradles 202 and 202', the support tube 204, and
the support plate 210 de~ine a frame for supporting an outer
beam 230 and an inner beam 230'. The outer and inner beams 230
and 230' are formed as elongated hollow box members and may be
fabricated as ~eldments. The outer beam 230 includes a lock pin
hole 234 and an apertured tab 236. In a similar manner, the
inner be~m 23~' includes a lo~k p~n 234' and a set of apertu~ed
lugs 236'. The clampin~ a~semblies 100 and lQ0', as descxlbed
aboye, are ~ecured to ~he remo~e e~ds of ~heix respec~ive beams
230 and 230' by, fo~ example, bolting, weIding, or othexwlse
_g _
securing the locking plates 116 and 116' of the respectiVe
clamp assemblies 100 and lOQ' to the distal ends of thç bçam5.
The inner beams 230' has a smaller hei~ht and width
relative to the outer beam 230 so ~h~t the inner bea~ 230' is
telescopically received ~ithin the outer beam 230. The
outside sur~ace dimensions o~ the inner beam 230' and the inner
sur~ace dimensions of the outer beam 23Q are s~lected so that a
clearance fit exists the~ebet~een to permit relative slidin~
movement. The outer beam 230 and the inner beam 230' are both
received with the cradles 202 and 2Q2' and the support tube 204.
While not specifically shown in the fi~ures, load bearing pads
or plates fabricated rom a suitable bearing ~aterial such as
brasc, bronze, or the like, are posltl~ned ~etween the various
moving parts to ~acilitate guided relative sliding therebetween.
In addition, shims of varying thickness may be provided to ef~ect
adjustment of the bearing cle~rance between the various parts.
Lock pin cylinders 238 and 288' are secured to each of
the cradles 202 and 202', respectively. The lock pin cylinders
238 and 238' are bidirectionally operative actuators ~for
example, electromagnetic, pneumatic, or hydraulic actuators)
that ~nclude a cylinder 238a and a ram 238b. The lock pin
cylinders 238 and 238' are mounted in registration with their
respective lock pin holes 206 and 206' on the cradles 202 and
202' and can be selectively actuated as described below, to
permit their rams 238a and/ox 238a' to pass through the lock
pin holes 234 and/or 234' on thç remote ends of the outer and
inne~ beams 230 and 230', respectively.
A main push~pull fluid ~tuator 240 (e~. hyd~aulic)
is provided to extend and ret~act the outer and inner beams 230
and 230' ~s desc~ibed moxe ~ull~ below. The main actuato~ 240
includes a cylinder 240a and a ram 240b that is connected to
--10--
3 ~
an internally located piston 240c and fluid couplings 240 and 240e for
in-troducing and/or removing hydraulic fluid under pressure into
the cylinder 240a -to effec-t operation. The actuator 240 includes
an apertured lug 242 that is connected to the apertured tabs 236'
of the outer beam 230' with a pin 244'. In a similar manner, the
ram 240b includes a clevis 246 that connects to the aperture tab
236 of the outer beam 230 through a pin 244.
An understanding of the manner by which the cross tie
exchanger 20 operates to extract railroad ties T may be had by a
consideration of Figs. 7-9 in which the cradles 202 and 202' and
the outer beam 230 have been shown in cross section, and in which
the support tube 204, the clamping assemblies 100 and 100', and
other parts have been omitted for reasons of clarity. In Fig. 7,
both the outer beam 230 and the inner beam 230' are shown in their
fully retracted positions in which the lock pin holes 206 and 206'
of the cradles 202 and 202' and the lock pin holes 234 and 234' of
the outer and inner beams 230 and 230', respectively, are in
registration. The position shown in Fig. 7 represents the nested
or fully retracted position of the cross tie exchanger 20. It is
from this nested position that the cross tie exchanger 20 can be
used to clamp and extract ties T from either direction, that is,
the left or the right in Figs. 7-9.
In order for the outer beam 230 to extend to the right
in Fig. 7, pressurized hydraulic fluid is introduced into the port
238c' of the lock pin cylinder 238' (the left~hand cylinder in Fig.
7) to cause the lock pin 238b' to advance through the registered
lock pin holes 206' of the cradle 202' and the lock pin hole 234'
of the inner beam 230' to thereby secure the inner beam 230' to i-ts
support cradle 202'. Thereafter, pressurized hydraulic fluid is
introduced into the port 240e of the main
-- 11 --
actua-tor 240 to cause it to extend. Since the inner 230' is
secured by its lock pin 238b' to its cradle 202', theouter beam 230
will be forced to the righ-t as shown in Fig. 8 with the degree of
extension depending upon the amount of hydraulic fluid introduced
into the main actuator 240. In order to retract the so-extended
outer beam 230, pressurized hydraulic fluid is introduced into the
port 240d of the main actuator 240 -to cause the partially or fully
extended ou-ter beam 230 to retract to its fully retracted or
nested position.
In order to extend the inner beam 230', pressurized
hydraulic fluid is introduced into the port 238c of the lock pin
cylinder 238' (the righ-t-hand cylinder in Fig. 9) to cause the lock
pin 238b to pass through -the registered lock pin holes 206 of the
cradle 202 and :lock pin hole 234 of the outer beam 230 to thereby
lock the outer beam to its suppo-t cradle. Thereafter, pressurized
hydraulic fluid is introduced into the main actuator 240 through
port 240e to cause the main actuator to expand. Since the outer
beam 230 is locked to its support cradle 202, the inner beam 230'
wlll extend outwardly toward the left as shown in Fig. 9. In order
to cause the inner beam 230' to retract from its extended position,
pressurized hydraulic fluid is introduced through port 240d to
cause the main actuator 240 to retract along with the inner beam 230'.
Hydraulic circuitry for effecting functional control of
the cross tie exchanger 20 is shown in Figs. lOA-lOE. In Fig. lOA,
a three position, four way hydraulic valve 300 is connected between
the main actuator 240, a source of pressurized hydraulic fluid P
and a hydraulic fluid reservoir of sump S. The valve 300 is
normally biased to an intermediate position as shown in Fig. lOA
in which no hydraulic fluid is introduced into or removed from the
actuator 240. Actuation of the valve 300 to
- 12
3~
the right causes the main actuatox 24Q to extend, and, çonversely,
actuation of the valve 300 to the left causes the main actuator
to retract. Hydraulic cixcuitr~ ~ox ef~ecting control o~ the
lock pin cylinders 238 and 238l is shown in F~gs. lOB and lOC.
In Fig. lQB, a three posltion, ~our ~ay hydraulic valve 3Q2 is
connected between the lock pin cylinder 238 and the a~oxe-
mentioned souxce o~ pressu~ized ~luid P and the h~draulic
reservoir S. Operation of ~he valve 302 to the right causes
the lock pin to actuate and opexation o~ the valve towards the
lQ left causes it to unlock. A resilient spring biaslng means
(not shown) may be pro~ided to bias the valve 302 to the unlocked
positlon. The lock pin cylinder 238' shown ln Fig. lOC is
similarly operated throu~h its associated valve 302'. As shown
in Flgs. lQD and 10E, the cxoss tle exchanger 20 elevation
control cylinders 24 and 24' are also controlled through three
position, four way hydraullc valves 304 and 304' in a manner
slm:ilar to -the valvlng prevlously described. Hydraullc circultry
~or operating the cyllnders 124 and 124l of the clamping assembly
lOQ and 100', while not speclficaliy shown, is essentially the
same as shown in Figs. lOB-lOE as explained above.
In order to remoVe a cross tie T fxom a road bed, the
railway vehicle 22 upon which the cross tle exchanger 20 ls
mounted is moved along the track 28 until the cross tie exchanger
2Q is positioned oyer the tie T to be exchanged. There~fter, the
elevation control cylinders 24 and 24' on either side of the rail
vehicle 22 are opexated through appropriate manipulation of the
bidirectional v~lves 3Q4 and 304' (Figs. lOD ~nd lOE) so that the
cross tie exchan~ex 20 is PositiQned directl~ ovex the tie T
to be exchan~ed and has ~n ~lignment attitude appxoximatel~
3~ parallel to the tie T. ~ providin~ independentl~ controllable
ele~ation c~lind~rs 24 and 24', it is possible to closely match
-13
the angle of inclinatlon of the cross tie exchange~ 20 with
that of the tie T to be removed. This feature is part.içular~y
u~eful when ties from detex~orated ~ail beds a~e to ~e re~oved
where the ties have an~ulaxly shi~ted from their as-installed
positionS. Thereafter, the appropri~te lock Pin cylinde~ 238 or
238' is actuated to lock the beam that is not -to be extended
230 or 230' to its respecti~e cradle 202 or 202'. ~fter the
beam locking iS co~pleted, the appxoprlate clamping a~sembly 100
or 100' is operated throu~h ~çtuation of the respective cylinder
124 or 124' to cause the clamping axms 102a and 102b or 102a'
and 102b' to grip the end of the tie T in the rail bed. Once
the tie to be replaced is gxipped, the main actuator 240 is
operated through appropriate manipula-tlon of the valve 300 to
cause the unlocked bea.m to extend laterally outward from the
road bed carrying the tie T with it. In the preferred embodiment,
the inner and outer beams are each approximately 7' long and are
efective for removing a tie T in a single stroke. However,
as can be appreciated b~ tho~e ski.lled in the art, a railway
cross tie may be "~alked" out of its position in the xoad bed by
clamping the end of the tie, partiall~ extending the respective
beam, releasing the clamp on the tie, retractin~ the partially
extended beam, regripping the tie adjacent the rail bed, and then
further extending the beam to incremently remove the tie from the
road bed. Once the tie has been removed, a new tie may be gripped
on end and inserted into the posi~lon le~t by the ~emoved tie.
The new tie can be inserted from the sa~e side that the old tie
was xemoved ox, i~ preferxed, ~xom the. opposite side, takin~
ad~a~tage o~ the ~idixectiona~ly ope~tive nature of the cxoss
tie e~changer 20.
~ is known in the art, ~ hoisting or li~tlng appa~atu~
(not sho~n~ may be provided for connection to the xails 28 to
-14-
relieve the loading on the: tle to he ~emoved -to facilitate the
operation of the cross tie exchangex.
A second embodiment of the present in~ention that
incorporates a turreted support -to p~ovide relati~e rotation
about -the ~rextical axis is shown in F~g. 11 and is referred to
therein generally by the reference characte.r 5Q0. The tie
exchanger 500 includes ~ -turxet assembly 50.2 to which a modiied
tie exchanyer 20' is attached. The turret ass~embly 502 includes
a turret support plate 5Q4 that includes upwardly extendln~
and outwardly incllned cran~ axms S06 and 506' at the opposite
ends thereof. The upper distal ends of the crane arms 506 and
506' are apertured for connection ~y conventional clevis and
pin connectors 508 and 508' to the upper ends o~ the elevation
control cyllnders 24 and 24' described above. ~ turret support
member 510 includes a structural support mean 512 that extends
laterally across the width of thç rall vehlcie and is secured
to the ~ehicle frame (not shown). ~ turret support extension
514 is connected, as by welding, to the laterally extending
structural support beam 512 at a point intermediate its ends.
An upwardly extending pintle 516 is secured to the turret
support extension 514. The turret support plate 504 includes a
centrally located bore 518 throu~h whlch the pintle 516 extends
to permit relative rotation therebetween. A turret cap 520 is
secured to the upper end o~ the pintle 516 to prevent uninten-
tional disengagement o~ the turxet support plate 504 from the
pintle 506. The organization o~ the turret structure permits
the turret assembly 502 and its connected tie exchanger 20'
to rotate e~ther clockwi.se ox counter clockwise about the
ve~tic~l ~xis 522 a~d to a ~elected maximum ~alue (e.g. plus
or ~inUs 20). The beam a~sem~ly 2Q0' dif~ers fro~ that
described abo~e in that the ~uide plate 212 and the guide rails
214 and 214' (Fig. 4) are not utilized. Instead, a guide
surface set 524 and 526 (.only one ~uide rom each s~t being
shown~ is secured to the turxe-t support plate 504 to constrain
the beam assembly 200' from movement ln the fore and aft
direction. ~dditional constraining members (not shown) are
provided to limit side-to-side mo~ement of thq beam assembly
20Q' relative to the turret support plate 504. A h~draulic
actuator 528 is pxovided to control rotatio~ of the turret
assembly 502 about the pin~le 516 and ~ncludes a cyllnder portion
528a connected to the lateral support beam 512 and a ram 528b
connected to the turret suppor-t plate 504 vla a clevis and pin
connection 530. A hydraulic circuit for operating the hydraulic
actuator is shown in Fig. 12 and includes a three position,
four way hydraulic valve 532 connected between the rotation
control cylinder 528 and the a~orementioned source of pressurized
fluid P and the hydxaulic reservoir S. Operation of the valve
532 to the right causes the rotation actuator 528 to extend
and rotate the turret assembly 502 clockwise ~bout the vertical
axis 522. Conversely, operation of the valve 532 to the left
causes the rotation cyllnder 528 to retxact and cause the turret
assembly 502 to rotate counter clockwise about the vertical
axls 522. As can be appxeciatedl selected control of the valve
532 peXmits the turret assembly to be rotated about the vertical
axis 522 so as to pro~ide precise all~nment between the beam
assembly 200' and the -tie to be xe~oved. This ~eatuxe is
particularly valuable when remoVing cross tles from the turn
out poxtion of a switch where the ties may lie at an angle
relative to the di~ec ti~n o~ the X~ils.
In orde~ to remo~e a cross tie from a xoad bed using the
croSs tie exchange~ 5Q~ sho~n in ~ig. 12, the xailwa~ vehicle 22
upon ~hich the cross tle exchangex 500 is mounted is moved along
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33l~
the track 28 until the cross tie exchan~er S00 is positioned
over the tie T to be exchan~ed. Thereafter, the ~urret
rotation control cyllnder 528 is ope~ated so ~hat the beam
assembl~ 200' is aliyned precisely with the ali~n~ent o~ -the
tie to be exchan~ed. Thexeaftex, the elev~tion control
cylindexs 24 and 24' on either slde o~ the rail vehicle 22
are operated through appropriate manipulatlon of the bidi~ec-
tional valves 304 and 304' (Fi~s. 10D and lQE) so that the
cross tie exchan~er 20' is positioned dlxectly over the tie
to be exchan~ed and has an ali~nment or attitude approximately
paxallel to the tie to be exchanged. Thereafter, the appropriate
lock pin cylinder 238 or 238' is actu~ted to lock the beam
that is not to be extended 230 or 230' to its respective
cradle 202 or 202'. The appropxiate clampin~ assembly 100
or 110' ls then operated throu~h actuation of the respective
cylinder 124 or 124' to cause the clamping arms 102a and
102b or 102a' and 102b' to ~rip the end of the tie in the
rail bed. Once the tie to be exchanged is gripped, the main
actuator ~40 ls operated as described above to ef~ect
removal of the tie.
As can be appreciated from the above, the cross
tie exchanger 20 is well suited ~or removing and replacing
railway cross ties T from one side of the road bed or the
other. The independent elevation control cylinders and the
turret design provide substantial operational freedom for
removin~ ties that are not optimally poSitioned for xemoval.
This latter featu~e is a dist~nc~ advan~a~e when removin~
and replalcn~ rail tieS at switches, fro~s, or the like.
In the disclosed embod~ment, the various actuators
have heen shown as hydx~ulic cylinders~ Other t~pes of actu~tors,
includin~ electrical, pneumatic, and even ~anual are suita~le~
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Likewise, while the cross -tie exchanger ls shown with outer
and inner beams having a square or rectangulax cross se~tion,
bea~s having other cross sections axe equally suitable.
As can be appreciated by those skilled in the aXt,
vaxious changes and modiflcations may be made to the disclosed
embodiments Q~ the cross tie exchanger without departing from
the spirit and scope o~ the lnv~nt.ion as de~ined in the appended
claims and their legal equi~alent~
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