Herzog Railroad Services, Inc.

Jacob P DiVilbiss

Daniel L Wilcoxson

Matthew L Combs

Alex Jensen

A method for singulating, orientating and distributing tie plates along a section of a track of a railroad is disclosed using a vehicle adapted to travel on rails including a tie plate singulating assembly, a tie plate flipping assembly, a tie plate quarter turn assembly, and a distribution assembly. The tie plate flipping assembly flips shoulder-side down tie plates into a shoulder-side up orientation while maintaining shoulder-side up tie plates in the shoulder-side up orientation. A diverter of the tie plate quarter turn assembly advances tie plates into a rotation inducing abutment resulting in the tie plates turning toward a desired orientation. The distribution assembly distributes tie plates to accumulation slides, controlling distribution with a dealer assembly and orienting discharge assembly to distribute the tie plates in a desired spacing and orientation along the track of a railroad.

Rail tie plate orienting and distribution system and method

A system for orienting and distributing tie plates along a section of railroad track includes a tie plate flipping assembly. The tie plate flipping assembly flips shoulder-side down tie plates into a shoulder-side up orientation while maintaining shoulder-side up tie plates in the shoulder-side up orientation. One embodiment of the tie plate flipping assembly includes a launch conveyor for launching tie plates against a dampening slide spaced apart from the launch conveyor at a spacing which results in shoulder-side down tie plates flipping over while shoulder-side up tie plates remain shoulder-side up. An alternative tie plate flipping assembly advances tie plates on a longitudinal edge through a vertical guide and past a centered wedge which engages a shoulder side surface of the tie plates conveyed past the wedge causing the tie plates to tip outward and onto a bottom surface.

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Kansas City, MO, United States of America

Jacob P DiVilbiss