Canron, Inc.

Canron Railgroup

Raymond R Lund

George R Newman

Hung C Ho

A system for orientating a railway spike of the type having a head provided with a lip which projects at one location from the head. It is important to ensure that the lip is aligned in a predetermined angular position so that when the spike is driven in a tie by means of an automatic spike driver the lip will overlie the rail flange. The system involves a holding device, such as an electromagnet for holding a spike and a drive motor rotating the holding device and spike until a light path defined between a stationary source and detector is interrupted by the lip of the spike and at which point the drive motor is deenergized, in addition, a switch indicating a complete 90.degree. rotation of the spike is also activated so that one of the flat faces of the square section shank will face the rail.

Spike orienter

An electromechanical device for sensing the center line of a track is disclosed. The track center line is previously marked out by a line of nails protruding upwardly from the ties and the center line follower is moved by engagement with the rails to right or left to derive an appropriate electrical signal causing operation of a ram carrying the center line follower in a direction to cancel the signal. A track operating device, such as a magnetic wheel for picking up tie plates from track that is being renewed, is disposed over each rail location and the top track operating devices are moved laterally conjointly with the center line follower thus to maintain the track operating devices at the correct lateral locations.

Center line follower

A machine for removing old rails and replacing them with new rails is constituted by an adzing station where the surfaces of the old ties are adzed after removing the old rails and tie plates. The adzing station has two adzers spaced laterally on either side of the center of the machine for adzing laterally spaced locations at which new tie plates and rails have to be laid. The adzers are mounted, respectively, on two frames which can move together laterally with respect to a third frame in response to a center line follower so that the adzers are always located at the correct lateral position even on curved track. The third frame is attached to the main frame of the machine and it can be pivoted selectively about two spaced lateral locations adjacent to where the adzers are mounted in response to control signals from an inclinometer mounted on the pivotal frame and control signals from a superelevation device measuring the superelevation of the track. Thus the adzers are maintained substantially perpendicular to the ties for all conditions of cross-level including superelevation on curves.

Machine for changing rails

In a rail changing machine which removes old rails, prepares the surfaces of the old ties and lays down new rail, a tie plate pick-up device is arranged to pick up the old tie plates and convey them selectively to a trailing car or to a tie plate positioning and dropping device where they are re-laid on the prepared ties. In the event that the old tie plates are not recycled new tie plates are conveyed to the tie plate dropping device. Permanent magnetic pick-up wheels are used and an electromagnetic tie plate holder is used at the dropping station. Problems of lateral alignment at both the pick-up and drop stations and tie plate orientation and longitudinal alignment with the ties at the drop station are overcome using novel mechanisms.

Tie plate handling means for rail changing machine

A reference mechanism for a spike driving machine is disclosed. The spike driving machine has a hole sensing device followed by a spike setter and drive head all of which sweep along a rail tie in a direction parallel to the rail. When the sensing device senses a hole it signals to the reference mechanism which references the hole to the setter and drive head which are following. The sweep continues until the setter and drive head are located over the hole at which point the sweep is stopped by the reference mechanism.

Reference mechanism for spike driver

A spike driving machine is disclosed in which a hole sensing device and spike holder are driven in toward a rail under the action of a fixed stroke piston and cylinder until a stop engages the rail. The stop has been previously adjusted to line up the hole sensing device and spike holder the correct lateral distance for engagement with the tie plate holes. Excess travel of the piston and cylinder is taken up by providing a flexible connection between an X-frame carrying the hole sensing device, the spike holder and a drive head and a Y-frame which is fixed in the lateral direction. The stroke is chosen to align the spike holder under the drive head. Thus, the arrangement can be used for rails of differing thickness simply by adjusting the stop appropriately.

Growing community of inventors

West Columbia, SC, United States of America

Raymond R Lund