Railroad switch lubricator

Abstract

This invention is an electro-hydraulic system to automatically lubricate railroad switches and enhance their performance. The lubrication covers switch plates, switch rods, switch points, the base of stock rail adjacent to switch rail and the top of both switch and stock rails. Wear and tear of the switch rail and lateral creep force impact are thus reduced and the switch operates smoothly. Switch related derailments, rail fractures and maintenance labor will be reduced significantly. A pressurized tank with a microprocessor controller, placed on the wayside, supplies an environmentally acceptable smooth-flowing lubricant via hoses or pipes to two nozzle holders with check valves mounted with special brackets a short distance from the switch point on both rails. Lubricant is sprayed with one or more nozzles on each rail switch to cover all or part of the switch length. One or two solenoid valves in the flow lines control the quantity of lubricant applied in each shot and the frequency of application. The solenoid valves are controlled by the programmed microprocessor. An air bubble eliminator trap is placed at a high point in the flow line to remove air trapped in the flow line and enable development of nozzle pressures comparable to the tank pressure. Thus an automatic and efficient new method of enhancing the performance of rail switches is achieved.