CA1081192A - Liquid collection system for railroad roadbeds - Google Patents

Abstract

LIQUID COLLECTION SYSTEM FOR RAILROAD ROADBEDS

Abstract A liquid collection system for a railroad roadbed com-prising a suitable number of central collector pan sections and of pairs of lateral collector pan sections, all preformed of plastic. The central sections are configured for insertion between the rails, to be retained there by their own resilience, and the lateral sections are secured by back filling or by fastening to mud sills. The pans cooperate at their ends to define cross apertures through which liquid collected in them may be discharged into a suitable number of plastic cross drains connected by suitable conduits to a storage area. The upper surfaces of the sections may be made anti-skid in molding them, and longitudinal and transverse curbs are provided to prevent liquid once collected from escaping, and to prevent inflex of undesired liquid. Gridwork is provided to cover the cross apertures, and a walkway of the same material may also be provided to extend the full length of the system.

Description

1~3181192 Background of the Invention This invention relates to the field of railroad trans-portation, and more especially to apparatus for use in connec-tion with a railroad roadbed for collecting liquids such as spilled or dripping fuel or lubricating oil, detergents, water, liquids being transferred, and the like, for subsequent retrie-val of values or transportation to a disposal area where it will not endanger the environment.
There are numerous fixed sites in a railroad operation where liquids are handled in such a way that some may fall to the roadbed. When the liquid is simply water, no pollution problem arises, but many of the liquids are such as to have an adverse effect on the environment if set free. At car wash sites, for example, there may be a very considerable quantity of detergent in the escaping liquid. There is some inevitable spillage at filling and lubrication stations for diesel engines.
Sites where tank cars are filled from or emptied into industrial tanks, or where liquid is transferred between tank cars and other transport containers such as barges, are also subject to spillage and runover of the liquid. Areas where diesel loco-motives are habitually parked idling for significant intervalsare also subject to considerable drippage: an amount of liquid ; loss which is imperceptible, when distributed over a run of several hundred miles of roadbed, is very perceptible when the locomotive is stationary for the same interval of time, and may amount to several gallons.
It is possible to arrange stretches of track to run over concrete tanks into which the liquids can be discharged for later disposition as is appropriate. These structures are expensive and immovable, and require maintenance, and moreover are subject to weather damage and eventual leakage: such leakage ordinarily occurs as seepage into the subsoil surround-ing the tank, and may not be perceived at all until a large volume of earth has become impregnated with the offending fluid, and hence must be replaced.
It has also been proposed to construct metallic track collecting pans, theoretically installable at any desirable location along a roadbed, to collect liquid discharged from vehicles and conduct it to a storage area, for later reclama-tion or permanent disposal. One such arrangement is taught in U. S. Patent No. 3,773,255 to Schoulties ~nd Schluter. Their arrangement is complex and made up of many separate parts, and moreover must be mechanically connected to the rails themselves, with the consequent necessity of elaborate electrical insulation of the metal parts to avo~d disabl~ng the railroad signalling system.
- We have invented a simple track collection system made up of nonconductive plastic sections, designed so that no mech-anical connection to rails ;s necessary, and constructed in a way to enhance the safety of workmen in the neighborhood. Our system is built up of components which are themselves of large size and so require minimum assembly in the field. ~ major component is, in effect, self-installing between the railroad ra;ls, engaging therewith and holding itself in ~lace by its own resilience. Our impxoved collection system can be extended to be of any desired practical length, and to deliver all liquids falling on it at one or more particular locations for appropriate subsequent handling. It may be installed, moreover, without complex special tools, and if des;red can be removed from one site and installed at another as occasion may require.
Our inYention includes a liquid collection system for a railroad roadbed of the type compxising a plurality of crossties supporting a pair of ra;ls extending parallel to ~ .

~, each other at a known distance apart, each rail comprising a flange, a web, and a head overhanging sa;d web on both sides, the system comprising, in combination: a central portion for resting on the crossties and extending longitudinally between the rails, edged on two opposed sides by flanks curving convexly upward and outward to downturned lips for resiliently engaging - the inner surfaces of said webs below the heads thereof; two lateral portions for resting at least in part on the crossties outside the rails, edged by inner flanks curving convexly upward to a downturned lip for resiliently engaging the outer surface of each rail below the head thereof; means at the ends of the centxal and lateral portions for preventing the flow of liquid endwi.se with respect thereto; at least one cross drain for location between a pai.r of the crossties beneath the -~
collection system; apertures i.n the central and lateral portions over the location of each cross dra~n; me.ans for securing said lateral porti.ons relative to the crossties so that as installed the upwardly curved portion of the pan engages the outer web ~..... .-surfa~e resiliently; and liquid disposal means for connection to each cross drain to receive liquids falling on the collection system and pàssing downward through the apertures.
Our invention also ;ncludes a liquid collection system in which the central portion and lateral portions comprise a plurality of longitudinally related central sections and lateral sections, and further comprise means interconnecting the ends --~
of said central and lateral sections in lapping relation so that liquid falling any~here along any one of said sections may leave such sections only at the associated ~perture thereof. -~ :
Various advantages and features of novelty which characteri.ze our invention are pointed out with particularity ~`

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in the claims annexed hereto and forming a part hereof. How-ever, for a better understanding of the invention, its advan-tages, and objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the subjoined drawing which forms a further part hereof, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there are illus-trated and described certain preferred embodiments of the in-vention.
Brief Description of the Drawings In the drawing, FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a collection system of moderate length according to our invention, installed in a railroad roadbed, parts being broken away or shown in dotted lines for clarity of illustration;
FIGURE 2 is a plan view of a center pan section con-structed according to the invention;
FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;
FIGURE 4, sheet 4, is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE l;
FIGURES 5 and 6 are fragmentary plan views illustrating :
an assembly procedure pertinent to our invention;
FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view along the line 7-7 of FIGURE 6;
FIGURE 8, sheet 2, is a plan view of a lateral pan section to the same general scale as FIGURE 2;
FIGURE 9 is a sectional view taken along the line 9-9 of FIGURE 8;
FIGURE 10, sheet 4, is a fragmentary exploded plan view like FIGURE 5 but illustrating an assembly procedure pertin--- ent to an end pan section of our invention;
FIGURE 11, sheet 3, is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 11-11 of FIGURE l;

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FIGURE 12 is a fragmentary view like FIGURE 6 of a different portion of the invention;
FIGURE 13 is an enlarged transverse section taken along the line 13-13 of FIGURE 1, portions being broken away; and FIGURE 14, sheet 4, is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 14-14 of FIGURE 1, but to a somewhat larger scale.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment In FIGURE 1 a railroad roadbed is shown to comprise a pair of rails 20, 21 carried in tie plates 22 on sleepers or ; cross ties 23, the whole being secured by appropriate ballast 24.
Conventionally each rail has a head, a web, and a flange. The invention is shown as comprising a collection system including a central portion and two lateral portions, together with one or more cross drains as will be described below. In the area of the system, the ballast is preferably back filled to the level of the tops of the cross ties, except at the cross drains.
Each portion of the system is made up of a plurality of sections of standard length arranged in end-to-end overlapping relations. The number of sections is determined by the desired overall length of the functional system. Longitudinal curbs and end curb sections are provided to complete the pan, so that liquid falling thereon is contained there for delivery to the -cross drains. The various components are preferably made as large moldings of fiberglass reinforced plastic.
As shown in FIGURE 1, the system comprises central sections 30 and 31, central curb sections 32 and 33, lateral sections 34, 35 and 36, 37, and lateral curb sections 40, 41, 42, 43. Cross drains 44, 45 and 46 are also shown. Sections 30 and 31, sections 34 and 35, and sections 36 and 37 overlap at cross drain 45. Cross drain 44 is located where sections 30, -: - : . ::
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34, and 36 overlap sections 32, 40 and 42, and cxoss drain 46 is located where sections 31, 35 and 37 overlap sections 33, 41 and 43, all respectively. Since sections 30 and 31 are preferably identical, as are sections 32 and 33, and sections 34, 35, 36 and 37, only one of each of these sections will be described individually in detail.
Central section 30 is made up of a pair of spaced flat surfaces 50 and 51 which are to rest on the cross ties and ballast, preferably joined by a central upwardly projecting flexure portion 52, and edged by rail contacting portions or flanks 53 and 54 curving upwardly and outwardly to end in lips 55 and 56 extending downwardly of the rails, as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. In a typical example, for a one hundred pound rail, the tops of the rail contacting portions 53, 54 are four and one half inches above the cross tie surface, and the lips extend downwardly therefrom for three and one half inches.
When the structures are to be used in a roadbed where the rails are joined by bolted plates rather than by , J

: , ' ~ " ' welding, the lips are cut away at the time of installation to clear these plates, whlch requires no more elaborate tooling than a saber saw. See FIGURE 4, where the cutout 57 is carried through lip 55 and into rail contacting portion 53 to totally clear a joint plate 58. For some relative sizes of rails, joint plates and pan section, it may only be necessary to cut lip 55. In practice, it has been found that the relatively narrow space between the pan section and the joint plate is in large measure protected by the overhanging head of the rail, and in any case is located where the liquid falling thereon is principally rain, whose passage through the space is not objectionable: the col-lected liquid level in the pans never rises along the flanks to a height where it can overflow into the joint plate cutout.

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Flexure portion 52 is provided to facilitate inserting the central section between the rails, since the distance between lips 55 and 56 is greater than that between the inner surfaces of the rail heads. It has been determined that the pan thickness should not be less than 3/32 of an inch, and flat sheets of the plastic of this thickness and of convenient lengths such as 20 feet may not be sufficiently flexible to be conveniently sprung into place. The provision of flexure portion 52 affords a plurality of what may be called pivot areas running the length of the pan, about which it is comparatively easy to spring the pan for temporarily decreasing its width to pass the heads of the rails. Portion 52 has a further virtue of increasing the longitudinal rigidity of the pan, and does not significantly weaken the structure. It is found that when the central sections are sprung into place they are held very securely by the engage-ment of lips 55, 56 with the rail webs, and no fastening of the sections to the cross ties for example is necessary. This minimizes the problems to be solved in constructions of consid-erable length due to thermal expansion and contraction.
The joints between the various sections are of a common pattern to afford interchangeability at assembly. As shown in FIGURE 2, the ends of section 30 are not simply cut off square.
At each end the medial portion of the pan is notched or cut away, as at 61 and 62, leaving four corners 63, 64, 65 and 66 extending longitudinally. This arrangement is to allow for providing a liq-uid-tight overlap joint between the rail contacting portions of the adjoining sections, while maintaining a medial aperture be-tween the sections through which liquid collected in the pans may be discharged to a cross drain below. For that purpose the cut ends of the sections are provided with downward lips 67 and 68.

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1~18~9~' As shown in FIGURE 5, at corner 64 a short inter-mediate portion 70 of flank 53 and lip 55 is made of reduced dimensions, terminating in a bead 69, and the same is true at corner 66. At corner 63 the ends of portions 53 and 55 are in-turned, and then out-turned to form a flange 71, and the same is true at corner 65. This arrangement permits adjacent sections to be overlapped as shown in FIGURES 6 and 7 so that flange 71 of one section rides on reduced portion 70 of the adjoining section, and bead 69 engages the inner surface of the overlying section. This gives the sections mutual support, and some mutual longitudinal adjustability, while leaving a medial aperture 72 nearly as long as the space between the rails, and of width determined by the degree of overlapping.
It has not been found necessary to install packing in the space 73 between the two overlapping corners. I refer to the construction of corner 63 as an overlap and that of corner 64 as an underlap.
As shown in FIGURE 2, corners 65 and 63 are overlaps and corners 64 and 66 are underlaps. It will be understood that if complete, end-for-end interchangeability of the central sections is desired, the constructions at diagonally opposite corners may be interchanged.
Lateral section 36 is shown in FIGURES 8 and 9 to include a flat medial surface 77 which is to rest on the cross ties and ballast, joined to an outward curb portion 80 having a vertical edge 81 and a flange 82, and to an inward rail con-tacting portion or flank 83 curving upwardly to end in a downward-ly turned lip 84. The configuration of portions 83 and 84 is - preferably the same as in central section 30. The ends of section 36 are not cut off s~uare, but are cut away medially 1~)81~92 at 85 and 86, leaving corners 87, 90, 91 and 92 extending longitudinally. This arrangement is to allow for providing a liquid-tight overlapped joint between the rail contacting portions and the curb portions, while providing a medial aperture 93 between the sections through which collected liquid may be discharged to the cross drain below: as with the central sections, these cut-out portions are provided with downward lips 94.
The joints between the rail contacting portions of 10 adjacent lateral sections are as described in connection with Figures 5-7: corner 87 is configured as an overlap like corner 63 of the center section 30, and corner 90 is configured as an underlap like corner 64. The junction between the curb portions of adjacent lateral members is less complex. An overlap corner 91 of the curb portion is unmodified: an underlap corner 92 is of reduced dimensions to fit snugly within the first end, for a distance of generally the same length as the reduced portions 70, 69 at corner 90.
An installation procedure that has been found satis-factory is to secure the lateral sections in place simply by back filling ballast against surfaces 81, 82. However, the flanges 82 can be secured by suitable fasteners to a mud sill, not shown, separate from.:the.. cross ties 23, if this is desired. -:. .
It is particularly to be noted that the construction ::
just described permits adequate termperature responsive : longitudinal relative motion between the central sections, . --and between the lateral sections, while maintaining a suf~
ficiently liquid-tight relation between them for liquid collected to flow to one of the apertures 72, 93 and thence to a cross drain. The cross drains are spaced at intervals 1~)8119;i:

corresponding to the lengths of the central and lateral sections, so that there is a cross drain at each lap joint, and a cross drain at each end. The arrangement may thus be used not only in level track sections, but on sections of reasonable grade as well.
On advantage of our plastic material for use in this application is that it is posslble at the time of forming to add material to the plastic or the mold which gives the resulting sections a non-slip characteristic, thus increasing the safety of the arrangement to user even if the fluid being conducted away is lubricating oil, for example. Also the curved tops of the curbs offering minimum interference to the feet of workmen who have occasion to walk in the area. Apertures 72, 93 would be to some extend a hazard to foot travelers, and are also subject to stoppage by wind blown paper, leaves and so forth.
Accordingly, we provide grid work gratings to cover the aper-tures, and fasten them to the pans, as will now be described.
FIGURE 2 shows that the flat surfaces 50, 51 of central section 30 are extended at the corners of cutout 62, to provide tabs 95, bored at 96 to receive hold-down bolts 97 as shown in FIGURE 5. A metal grating 100 is fabricated to lie across - -sections 30-31 over each aperture 72: it is recessed beneath to accomodate flexure member 52, and its upper surface is configured to give it non-slip characteristics. At one or more appropriate locations, there is provided hold-down means in the form of a bored lug 101 positioned to pass over a hold-down ; bolt 97, being held in place by a hairpin clip 102. The gratings are of considerable mass and are not likely to be moved by the air currents accompanying a passing train, so that fasteners 97, 102 are provided principally to prevent displacement or loss by " .

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vandalism. If a second fastener is provided for any grating, both fasteners should preferably be located in the same pan section, to maximize freedom for e~pansion.
Similar gratings lO0 can be provided over apertures 93, between lateral sections 34, 35 being secured to the lateral sections in the same manner, as shown by tabs 103. It is very frequently the case, however, that much walking along beside the track is necessary at a collection locations, as for example where cars are washed. When this is the case, the gratings may be divided into inner portions 104, of lengths sufficient to bridge apertures 95, and somewhat longer outer portions 105, both secured to the lateral sections 36, 37 as described above.
Suitable further sections of grid work 106 are secured to and - between portions 105 in end-to-end relation to provide a con- tinuous walkway of whatever length may be desired.
Center curb section 32 comprises a cross member llO
of plastic formed at its ends lll and 112 to interconnect with corners 63 and 65 of the adjacent central sections, as is shown in FIGURES l and lO. Ends lll and 112 are configured like corners 64 and 66 of FIGURE 2, for ready interengagement with a central section 30 at its left end. The end curb sections are resilient enough and short enough that no flexure member is required, flat contact surfaces 114 being supplied. Tabs ; 115 like tabs 95 of FIGURE 2 are preferably provided.
A pair of ribs 116, 117 are molded to rise from cross member llO, at its ends extending from the curb near its top.
An overlying curb member 120 extends between ribs 116 and 117 and is secured to them by fasteners 121. A sealing or packing member 122 may be clamped between member 120 and ribs 116, 117 if additional water tightness is desired, as shown in FIGURE ll. ---10-- :

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The medial portion of curb section 32 is centrally cut away at 123, and is provided with a lip 124, so that liquid may be discharged to another aperture 72 defined between sections 32 and 30.
Curb section 33 is like curb section 32, except that its ends are configured like ends 63 and 65 of FIGURE 2 to interengage with a center section at its right end and to be fastened thereto in similar fashion.
The same principles apply to the lateral curb sections 40-43, except that each is adapted to interengage with an end of a lateral section. Thus curb section 40 has end portions to engage with inner corner 87 and outer corner 91, section 41 has end portions to interengage with inner corner 90 and - with corner 92, section 42 has end portions to interengage with inner corner 87 and outer corner 91, and section 43 has end portions to interengage with inner corner 90 and outer corner 92. The central protions of the lateral end sections are cut away and lipped, like sections 32 and 33, to direct liquid into a cross drain below. Curb sections 40 and 42 are of opposite "handedness", as are sections 41 and 43.
Since the lateral sections do not have to be sprung ~-into a confined space between rails, they may be provided with continuous ribs 47 extending between portions 80 and 83 to contain collected liquids. FIGURE 13 is an enlarged transverse sectional view showing the relation between the denter and lateral sections, the curb sections, and the grid work to a rail and cross tie.
Turning now to FIGURES 1, 11 and 14, the cross drain comprises a single plastic unit sized to fit between adjacent cross ties and extend transversely the full length thereof.

Cross drain 45 is shown in Figure 1~ to have an outlet 130 connected by suitable conduit means 131, which may include a catch basin 132, to a conduit 133 which leads to a collection pond, holding tank, or other liquid storage arrangement from which liquid may be extracted at appropriate intervals for suitable disposition.
It should be pointed out that the apparatus as described cannot distinquish between liquids: conduit means 131, 133 must therefore be of large enough diameter to conduct away the amount of water which may fall on pans 30-36 in the course of a sudden heavy rain storm, and the same limitation exists on the storage volume available. Where the collector pans are long, it is desirable to provide more than one cross drain to permit the liquid to be led away more expeditiously, perhaps even to separate holding containers.
From the foregoing, it will be evident that we have invented a new liquid collection arrangement which conducts liquid falling on it to a central area or areas for later disposition, and which is rugged, versatile, easy to use, ; 20 safe, and reusable at other locations when desired.
Numerous characteristics and advantages of our inven-tion have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, and the novel features thereof are pointed out in the appended claims. The disclosure, however, is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts, within the principle of the invention, to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

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Claims (2)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A liquid collection system for a railroad roadbed of the type comprising a plurality of crossties supporting a pair of rails extending parallel to each other at a known distance apart, each rail comprising a flange, a web, and a head over-hanging said web on both sides, the system comprising, in combination:
a central portion for resting on the crossties and extending longitudinally between the rails, edged on two opposed sides by flanks curving convexly upward and outward to downturned lips for resiliently engaging the inner surfaces of said webs below the heads thereof;
two lateral portions for resting at least in part on the crossties outside the rails, edged by inner flanks curving convexly upward to a downturned lip for resiliently engaging the outer surface of each rail below the head thereof;
means at the ends of the central and lateral portions for preventing the flow of liquid endwise with respect thereto;
at least one cross drain for location between a pair of the crossties beneath the collection system;
apertures in the central and lateral portions over the location of each cross drain;
means for securing said lateral portions relative to the crossties so that as installed the upwardly curved portion of the pan engages the outer web surface resiliently; and liquid disposal means for connection to each cross drain to receive liquids falling on the collection system and passing downward through the apertures.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which the central portion and lateral portions comprise a plurality of longitudinally related central sections and lateral sections, and further comprise means interconnecting the ends of said central and lateral sections in lapping relation so that liquid falling anywhere along any one of said sections may leave such sections only at the associated aperture thereof.