EP0004985B1 - Train for the renewal of a railway track - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a train for renewing a railway track, consisting of at least one train of work wagons and wagons for the transport of new and old materials, allowing at one time, by replacement and recovery materials, to renew railway tracks made up of rails and sleepers with the possibility of carrying out simultaneously and continuously all the phases ensuring the substitution of the materials constituting the railway tracks, the ream of work wagons comprising a drop wagon, a wagon stripping, a laying wagon, a wagon, and transporters of spent ballast to a screening machine installed on a wagon placed outside the renewal area, transporters bringing the screened ballast to a storage and distribution silo comprising regulating means for the distribution of the screened ballast on the new track, as well as transporters of the sleepers, or the old spans and t new sleepers arranged above at least one of the ballast carriers.

The renewal of a railroad includes, in addition to the replacement of rails and sleepers, the renewal of the ballast, because an old ballast, soiled with detritus and clogged no longer has the required elasticity and permeability properties. On the other hand, the successive additions of gravel during the operations of rectification and stuffing of the sleepers have the effect of raising the track, which has serious drawbacks mainly when passing engineering structures.

Currently, stripping-screening of ballast is normally done before or after laying the new track. The duration of this operation is therefore added to that of the other renewal operations. On the other hand, defamation-screening requires the lifting of the whole track by means of powerful machines, at the risk of deforming the new rails. Since the machines for stripping and screening the ballast are very large machines, their implementation is accompanied by long and complicated operations, both as regards their starting up and as regards their stopping.

The same applicant is the holder of patent CH - A - 583 822 which relates to a process for the complete renewal of a railway track, in which the course of the operations of removing the old track, stripping the screening of the ballast and laying the new track operates in a single pass of the complete renewal train, provided for this purpose. The same patent also includes a train for the complete renewal of a railway track, comprising, in addition to the wagons for transporting the rails, sleepers and fasteners, at least one laying and removal train equipped with gantries, and frame wagons, as known from patents CH - A - 549,692 and CH - A - 585,814 of the same holder. In said renewal train are incorporated bodies for stripping and transporting the ballast to a screen installed on a wagon placed outside the renewal area.

The disadvantage of the train described by patent CH - A - 583 822 is that, although it allows the renewal of a railway track in a single pass of the renewal train, that at each work cycle the train must be stopped to allow the removal of a section of the old track. The train therefore advances intermittently, which implies constraints both from the point of view of personnel, machines and energy consumption.

Other documents describe the prior art: the patent FR - A - 1 303 437 describes a device for laying and / or removing railway tracks, which essentially comprises a machine equipped with a door arrow -overhang to lift the rails and a monorail for the installation and removal of sleepers. The machine runs on the part of the track not yet disassembled, when it comes to removing a track, or on the part of track already mounted, when it comes to laying a track.

This very rudimentary machine which works in overhang is incapable of carrying out the various simultaneous operations of the renewal of the track. The monorail for laying and removing crosspieces is placed in the axis of the machine and makes it possible to take or deposit crosspieces on a longitudinal conveyor, but since the monorail is placed in the axis of the track, there is no there is no room at its sides for the passage of means of transport of the ballast.

Patent DE-A-2 023 931 describes a track renewal train which works continuously, but in which the screening installation is placed in the area of the stripping itself. As a result, the length of the track replacement zone is extended by a length equal to the length of the screening plant. This is very unfavorable especially in hilly countries where the length of the site must be limited as much as possible. This machine evacuates the old material to the front, while the new material is brought in from behind the train. The screen is located in the middle of the machine, the trash can only be removed on the sides of the track which is a big drawback.

The document FR - A - 1 602 279 describes a train consisting of a train of wagons for the transport of new and old materials, making it possible at one time, by replacement and recovery of materials, to renew railway tracks made up of rails and of sleepers with the possibility of carrying out simultaneously and continuously all the phases ensuring the subs titution of materials constituting the railways. This train comprises means of transporting the sleepers which are arranged above at least one of the means of transporting the ballast. During the removal operations, the old track is lifted with its cross members assembled. Then it is necessary to dismantle the sleepers before being able to evacuate them, from which it follows that the working rhythm is determined by the dismantling speed of the sleepers, which is a drawback. Another major drawback results from the fact that on this machine the spent ballast is transported by means of conveyor belts arranged outside the track to be dismantled to be brought by a chain to the screen placed towards the center of the machine. The recovered ballast is brought to the track by conveyors also placed outside the track, which implies a large working width and makes it almost impossible to work in double track or in hilly countries.

In summary, the prior state of the art hardly meets the increasingly tight requirements imposed by an ever increasing traffic, which prohibits the use of the second track for the works, these having to be carried out with the maximum speed without encroaching on the sides or on the authorized clearance gauge.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks which have just been listed, while retaining the advantage of transporting the excavated ballast to a screen installed on a wagon placed outside the work area, and to propose a renewal train improved in such a way that the removal operations of the old sleepers and the old rails or old spans, the excavation of the worn ballast, its screening, the laying of the new ballast, the new sleepers and the new rails are carried out continuously and simultaneously during the uninterrupted advance of the train.

The main problem that had to be solved was how to superimpose the transport of the excavated ballast, the recovered ballast, and the old sleepers alone or mounted on rail spans, so as not to encroach on the authorized gauge.

The present invention, as characterized by the claims, provides a renewal train which achieves the aim stated by the fact that to allow continuous renewal during the advance of the train, a train of working wagons, known per se, comprising a deposit wagon, a stripping wagon and a laying wagon, fitted with transporters for the old sleepers or spans, arranged above at least one of the ballast transporters, the deposit wagon comprising an elevating system which allows either to lift the old sleepers by pivoting them around a vertical axis in order to orient them in the longitudinal direction of the train to pass them at least next to the spent ballast transporter and place them transversely to the train on the old sleepers transporter located at - above this worn ballast transporter, either to lift and turn the old sleepers or a full span on a curved plane trajectory whose axis is parallel to the track, the axis of the sleepers remaining in a plane substantially perpendicular to the direction of the train, during rotation to place said sleepers or said span on a means of transport of the old sleepers or spans, located at least above the conveyor of spent ballast.

The main advantage obtained thanks to this invention resides in the reduction of the length of the site because the screening is done outside the work area, the trash can be easily removed without involving the sides of the track, and that it is possible to lift the spans or crosspieces previously dismantled, to pass them next to the ballast transporters to place them on the transporters of sleepers or spans for their evacuation, without encroaching on the width of the template authorized. These advantages are particularly striking in mountainous countries.

• La figure 1 représente schématiquement la disposition d'un train de renouvellement de la voie selon l'invention.
• La figure 2 est une vue en élévation du wagon de dépose avec un système élévateur, la figure 3 en est une coupe transversale selon les lignes III-III de la figure 2 qui montre la trajectoire des traverses, et la figure 4 en montre la rotation.
• La figure 5 est une vue en élévation d'une variante du wagon de dépose, pour la dépose de travées entières, et la figure 6 en est la coupe transversale selon les lignes VI-VI de la figure 5 montrant la trajectoire des travées.
• La figure 7 représente la liaison entre les transporteurs de ballast criblé et usé.
• La figure 8 représente en variante et en coupe transversale, le wagon de dépose avec un système élévateur rotatif pour des traverses.

In what follows the invention is explained in more detail with the help of drawings representing only a few embodiments.

• Figure 1 schematically shows the arrangement of a track renewal train according to the invention.
• Figure 2 is an elevational view of the delivery wagon with a lifting system, Figure 3 is a cross section along the lines III-III of Figure 2 which shows the trajectory of the sleepers, and Figure 4 shows the rotation .
• Figure 5 is an elevational view of a variant of the deposit wagon, for the removal of entire spans, and Figure 6 is a cross section along the lines VI-VI of Figure 5 showing the trajectory of the spans.
• Figure 7 shows the connection between the screened and spent ballast carriers.
• FIG. 8 shows, as a variant and in cross section, the deposit wagon with a rotary lifting system for sleepers.

• - primo, pour déposer et charger uniquement les anciennes traverses (fig. 2, 3, 4, 8). Les anciens rails 1 sont écartés et sont posés derrière la machine, soit sur l'épaulement, soit dans l'axe de la voie. Ils sont évacués à la fin du travail de renouvellement;
• - secundo, pour déposer des travées complètes, à l'aide d'un système élévateur rotatif 26 qui lève et tourne les travées sens dessus dessous, les pose sur des lorrys 41 qui roulent sur un chemin de roulement 40, pour être évacuées au moyens de portiques (fig. 5 et 6).

The train according to the invention can be built for two systems for removing old sleepers and old rails:

• - firstly, to deposit and load only the old sleepers (fig. 2, 3, 4, 8). The old rails 1 are separated and are placed behind the machine, either on the shoulder or in the axis of the track. They are evacuated at the end of the renewal work;
• - secondly, to deposit complete spans, using a rotary lifting system 26 which lifts and turns the spans upside down, places them on lorrys 41 which roll on a raceway 40, to be evacuated by means gantry cranes (fig. 5 and 6).

The renewal train consists of six main elements, shown schematically in the figure 1, or a screener, not shown, a deposit wagon 5, a stripping wagon 6, a laying wagon 7, a wagon of drawing and a gantry with transport beam, not shown.

The screening machine and the wagon, not described here, are normal wagons with two bogies. The deposit wagon 5, the stripping wagon 6 and the laying wagon 7 constitute an articulated train fitted with six bogies 12 to 17 and two tracked chassis 11 and 11 '.

During work, the screening machine and the first bogie 12 of the deposit wagon 5 roll on the old track 1. The central part of the train rests on the two track chassis 11 and 11 'which roll respectively on the ballast and on the excavated bench, or on the screened ballast. The rear bogie 17 of the laying wagon 7 as well as the dowelling wagon roll on the new track 4.

The deposit wagon 5, FIGS. 1 and 2, is supported at the front on a bogie 12 and at the rear on a tracked chassis 11. In the wagon are mounted the conveyors 18 for the excavated material consisting essentially of the spent ballast and, above, the conveyors 19 for the recovered and screened ballast. The removal and transport of the old sleepers is carried out using a hydraulic picker 20, chain conveyors 21, and a lifting system 22.

Behind the bogie 12, roller clamps, known per se and not shown, lift and move aside the old rails 1 which are then routed along the machine to be deposited at the rear on the bench or in the axis of the way.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4 the hydraulic picker 20 takes out the old sleepers 32 one after the other from the ballast and places them on a chain conveyor 21 which brings them on a conveyor storage 21 '. The lifting system 22, equipped with a pivoting arm 36 and a rotating gripper head 37, takes three cross members 32 on the storage conveyor 21 ', lifts them, pivots them with the arm 36 backwards by turning them 90 ° on a vertical axis, therefore parallel to the track plane, by means of the clamp head 37. The lifting system 22 then lifts the turned sleepers 33 next to the spent ballast transporter 18 above the level of the sleeper transporter 23 The sleepers are then pivoted and turned forward 90 ° always parallel to the plane of the track, and they are then placed on the sleeper conveyor 23 to be routed to the transport gantries, not shown. After which the lifting system returns by the same path to its starting position.

All movements of the work cycle can be controlled automatically or manually.

As a variant, the lifting system 22 may be arranged to lift and pivot, parallel to the plane of the track, the sleepers both around the spent ballast carriers 18 and the screened ballast carriers 19.

In another embodiment, represented by FIG. 8, a rotary lifting system 43 provided with hydraulic grippers 44 mounted on a lifting system takes three sleepers on the storage conveyor and raises them against the lifting system. The lifting system rotates the sleepers 180 ° on an axis parallel to the axis of the track around the spent ballast carriers 18 and screened ballast 19 and places them upside down on a transporter of the old sleepers, from where they are seized by a mobile conveyor 45 to be transported to the gantry cranes. After which the rotary lifting system 43 returns to its starting position. All cycle movements are controlled automatically or manually.

As a variant, in this last embodiment, the rotary lifting system 43 can be provided for turning the sleepers only around the spent ballast conveyors 18 as in FIG. 3.

In another particular embodiment provided by the invention for the removal of complete spans 35, represented by FIGS. 5 and 6, the deposition wagon 5 comprises a central beam 24 in which is housed one of the conveyors 18 for the spent ballast and at above, one of the transporters 19 for the screened and recovered ballast. A rotary lifting system 26, equipped with a lifting system and a raceway 40 for lorrys 41 is suspended by means of rollers 27 on a central beam 24. The lifting system consists of two pairs of rolling clamps 28 fixed on articulated frames 29, and jacks for lifting and lateral movement of the clamps. The spans are rotated 180 ° on an axis parallel to the axis of the track and placed upside down on lorrys 41 which roll on the raceway 40.

As a variant of this embodiment, the deposit wagon can be provided with a rotary lifting system 26 arranged to lift and rotate the spans both around the spent ballast 18 and screened ballast conveyors 19.

The dismantling of the spans can be carried out without interrupting the advance of the renewal train. While the next span is being taken, the one stored on the stripping wagon is advanced by another train of lorrys to the laying wagon where it is taken by gantry cranes and transported on loading wagons.

The stripping wagon 6 (fig. 1) is equipped with two bogies 14 and 15, an excavator 30, a ballast metering device and transport elements for the ballast, the sleepers or the spans. This wagon is connected at the head to the laying wagon 5 and at the tail to the laying wagon 7. During work, the stripper relies on the two tracked chassis 11 and 11 'which run on the old ballast and the excavated bench, or on the screened ballast.

The excavator 30 (fig. 7) consists of an excavation chain, and a leveling blade 25. The excavator is articulated to the chassis and suspended by hydraulic cylinders which allow the working depth to be adjusted the tilt of the platform. The blade 25 is provided with adjustable side flaps during work using the hydraulic cylinders. Behind the leveling blade can be placed groomers to compact the platform.

The excavated material is brought by the excavation chains on the conveyors 18 to be conveyed to the screener. The recovered and screened ballast is then brought back by the transporters 19 to the rear of the train in the metered ballast doser which consists of a fixed silo and a metering element adjustable in height according to the layers of ballast required. From the silo, the ballast is brought to the doser to form the first layer of ballast and the surplus is put on an intermediate conveyor to be evacuated to the ballast distributor on the laying wagon. Behind the dispenser a tamper is placed to compact the ballast before the installation of the sleepers.

The relatively long transport path of spent ballast and screened ballast on the machine is a disadvantage when the train stops for any reason during work. All carriers of excavated and screened material should be stopped to avoid uneven ballast distribution under the laying car. Starting all transporters under load requires a great deal of electrical power and represents a delay in resuming work. To avoid these drawbacks, the present invention proposes a transport link established at will but, preferably automatically at each stop of the train. For this, is placed between the carriers of the screened ballast 19 and the spent ballast 18, a funnel 31 placed as close as possible to the excavator. The transport link which creates a closed circuit between the screened and spent ballast is carried out by moving one of the screened ballast transporters 19 'using a hydraulic cylinder 39 when the machine stops (fig. 7 ).

The laying wagon 7 provided with two bogies 16 and 17 is equipped with members for laying sleepers with the transport elements, members for laying the rails and the ballast distributor. During work, the wagon leans forward on the tracked chassis 11 'and back on the bogie 17 which rolls on the new track 4. In the rear part of the laying wagon are mounted the new rail laying members comprising roller clamps. The new sleepers, stored on transport wagons, are transported by gantry cranes to the storage transporter of the hauling wagon. The intermediate transporter spreads the crosspieces and brings them to tweezers at the end of the laying wagon. The clamps lift and turn two crosspieces at the same time, place them on the longitudinal conveyor divided into several sections for intermediate storage. The longitudinal conveyor routes the sleepers to the laying device where they are centered, positioned and then laid on the ballast.

The installation distance is regulated by a measuring system which allows the distance to be varied from cm to cm. The lateral positioning of the sleepers is carried out either by means of a probe which controls the distance between the axis of the sleepers and the parallel track, or by the measurement and control system on the work wagons.

The train also includes a drawing wagon, not shown, equipped with a storage transporter for the new sleepers, and with drawing wrenches for mounting the fastenings of the new rails. In addition, it is used as a transport wagon for gantry cranes. The wagon is dimensioned in such a way that, inside, the staff can mount the rail fasteners.

The train also includes two self-propelled gantry cranes, according to patent CH - A - 549,692 which transport the old and new sleepers between the work wagons and the transport wagons. The two gantries are connected to each other by a central beam to which is suspended, by means of cables and hydraulic jacks, a beam for transporting the sleepers. It is fitted with hydraulically operated clamps for picking up sleepers or spans.

• 1 - démontage des anciennes traverses et des rails.
  Variante la
• - démonter les fixations des anciens rails devant la machine;
• - écarter les anciens rails derrière le boggie avant du wagon de dépose à l'aide des pinces roulantes;
• -déposer les anciennes traverses avec la piocheuse hydraulique et les amener à l'aide des transporteurs à chaînes et d'un système élévateur, au transporteur de stockage du wagon de pose.
  Variante Ib
• -déposer les anciennes travées avec le système élévateur rotatif, les poser sur les lorrys et les transporter en deux étapes vers le wagon de pose;
• Il - excaver le ballast, régler et compacter la banquette;
• III - cribler le ballast à l'aide d'un tamis vibrant et d'un tamis rotatif; le ballast récupère et criblé est tranporté au doseur derrière la chaîne d'excavation et au distributeur à ballast en queue du wagon de pose; les détritus sont remis soit à côté de la banquette, soit chargés sur un wagon:
• IV - poser les traverses neuves avec l'appareil de pose de traverses;
• V-poser les nouveaux rails sur les traverses avec des pinces roulantes devant le boggie arrière du wagon de pose;
• VI - transporter les anciennes traverses ou en variante les anciennes travées, à l'aide des portiques au wagon de transport et amener de nouvelles traverses avec les portiques du wagon de transport au wagon de pose.
• VII - monter les fixations des rails.

The complete renewal of the track includes the following operations:

• 1 - disassembly of the old sleepers and rails.
  Variant la
• - remove the fasteners from the old rails in front of the machine;
• - spread the old rails behind the front bogie of the removal wagon using the rolling pliers;
• - remove the old sleepers with the hydraulic picker and bring them using the chain conveyors and an elevating system to the storage transporter of the laying wagon.
  Variant Ib
• - remove the old spans with the rotary lifting system, place them on the lorrys and transport them in two stages to the laying wagon;
• It - excavate the ballast, adjust and compact the bench;
• III - screen the ballast using a vibrating screen and a rotary screen; the ballast recovers and screened is transported to the metering device behind the excavation chain and to the ballast distributor at the tail of the laying wagon; trash is placed either next to the seat, or loaded onto a wagon:
• IV - install the new sleepers with the sleeper installation device;
• V-lay the new rails on the sleepers with rolling pliers in front of the rear bogie of the laying wagon;
• VI - transport the old sleepers or alternatively the old spans, using the gantries to the transport wagon and bring new sleepers with the gantries from the transport wagon to the laying wagon.
• VII - mount the rail fasteners.

Claims (4)

1. Railways track renewal train, consisting of at least one train of operating wagons and open wagons for transporting new and old materials, permitting at one go, by replacing and regenerating the materials, of renewing railway tracks consisting of rails and sleepers with the possibility of achieving simultaneously and continuously all the steps for substituting the materials constituting the railway tracks, the train of operating wagons comprising a removing wagon (5), a ballast pick-up wagon (6), a rail laying wagon (7), a spiking wagon, and conveyors (18) transferring the used ballast to a sifter installed on a wagon located outside the renewal area, conveyors (19) bringing the sifted ballast to a storage and distributor silo comprising regulation means for distributing the sifted ballast onto the new track, as well as conveyors (23, 40, 41, 45) for the old sleepers (32) or complete track sections (35) and new sleepers disposed over at least one of the ballast conveyor (18, 19), characterized by the fact that the removing wagon (5) comprises an elevator system (22, 36, 37; 26 to 29: 43, 44) permitting of either lifting the old sleepers (32) by causing them to pivot about a vertical axis so as to orient them in the longitudinal direction of the train for passing them at least alongside the use ballast conveyor (18) and placing them across the train on the old sleepers conveyor (23) disposed over said used ballast conveyor (18), or lifting and pivoting the old sleepers (32) or a complete track section (35) on a flat curved path of which the axis is parallel to the track. the sleeper axis remaining in a plane substantially perpendicular to the train direction, during the rotation for placing said sleepers or said complete track section on a conveyor (40, 41 ; 45) for the old sleepers or complete track sections, located at least over the use ballast conveyor.

2. Renewal train according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the elevator system (22) for the old sleepers (32) comprises a pivoting arm (36) provided with a rotary nipper head (37) permitting of gripping at least one sleeper (32), lifting and pivoting same in a plane parallel to the track for subsequently passing same in a vertical plane parallel to the track alongside and over at least one of the ballast conveyors (18, 19), rotating same again in a plane parallel to the track and positioning same in a direction perpendicular to the track on the old-sleepers conveyor (23).

3. Renewing train according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the elevator system (26 to 29; 43, 44) for the old sleepers (32) or complete track sections (35), pivoted to a frame (29), permit of lifting at least one sleeper (32) or one complete track section (35) by rotating same through 180° about an axis parallel to the longitudinal track axis and to lay it upside down upon the conveyor (40, 41; 45) for the old sleepers or complete track sections.

4. Renewing train according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that a transport connection is established between one of the lifted ballast conveyors (11) and one of the used ballast conveyors (18), this connection comprising a funnel (31) located between an excavator (39) and the sifter.

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