GB1587042A

GB1587042A - Railway track crossing

Info

Publication number: GB1587042A
Application number: GB925778A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: ABBAYE ATEL CONST; De Dietrich et Cie SA
Current assignee: ABBAYE ATEL CONST; De Dietrich et Cie SA
Priority date: 1977-03-08
Filing date: 1978-03-08
Publication date: 1981-03-25
Also published as: FR2383265A1; FR2383265B1; PT67751A; DE2809459A1; ES468036A1; JPS5417209A

Description

(54) RAILWAY TRACK CROSSING (71) We, ATELIERS DE CON STRUCTION DE L'ABBAYE, a French Body Corporate, of 140 Bd, Maurice Berteaux, Livry-Gargan (Seine-St-Denis), France; DE DIETRICH, a French Body Corporate, of 67110 Niederbronn-Les-Bains (Bas-Rhin), France; and ACIERIES DE HAINE-SAINT-PIERRE ET LESQUIN, a Belgian Body Corporate, of Chaussee 459 B 7160, Haine-Saint-Pierre, Belgium, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention concerns a track crossing railway line.

It is known to make railway track crossings of manganese steel or forged steel, or of assembled rails, which have a nose and two blades or wing rails. Each blade is spaced from the nose in order to delimit a groove which allows the passage of the flanges of the traffic wheel flanges. A wheel travelling towards the nose of a crossing on one or other rail is guided into the desired groove by means of a counter-rail acting on the lower part of the tyre flange of the other wheel of the same axle. However, before engaging itself in one of the grooves, the wheel must first of all cross a gap formed by the other groove between the nose of the crossing and one of the wing rails.

Crossing this gap causes shocks which are sources of noise and which in addition give rise in the long-term to a wearing of the track crossing due ,to the impact of the wheel on the nose of the crossing. It has already been suggested that these drawbacks may be remedied by using self-changing crossings which by mechanical means change to close one or other gap depending on which rail is being used. However, these moving parts and their mechanical actuating means are at the same time troublesome and fragile.

Moreover, they do not take account of the fact that, generally, track crossings are! not traversed by equal densities of ! traffic dn the main line and on the local line. In àddition, the local line is often traversed by traffic moving at a slower speed so that the presence of a gap would 'not present the same disadvantages as on the main line.

The present 'invention aims to, palliate these drawbacks and in particular to elimin ate the crossing gaps on the line which carries the largest amount of faster traffic, while at the same time allowing engagement at the tip and the base of the nose of the crossing by wheel rims of traffic using the local line.

According to the present invention there is provided a railway track crossing compris- ing a fixed crossing nose arid two wing rails adjacent thereto on either side thereof; one of said wing rails being fixed relative to the crossing nose and the other wing rail comprising a flexible rail having one of its ends fixed with respect to the track bed and a part which is adjacent the crossing nose tip and is movable between (a) a closed position in contact with the tip of the crossing nose to form therewith a substantially continuous rolling surface for traffic in a first direction and (b) an open position in which said movable part is spaced from the nose tip to form a gap allowing the passage of a wheel flange along a second direction inclined to the first direction, the said flexible wing rail being arranged so that in the absence of any lateral force applied thereto it occupies its closed position but is yieldably movable from its closed position to its open position by passage of a wheel flange along said second direction.

The flexible wing rail is used on the main line; in this way a wheel of traffic using the main line does not encounter any gaps.

By contrast the wheels of traffic using the local line themselves ensure, by simple contact of their tyre flange with the flexible wing rail, opening of the corresponding groove which avoids the need for separate track switching means.

Prefe;rably, the mobile part of the flexible wing Fall is provided with a shock-absorber which slows'drown its passage from the open position to the closed position.

This allows repeated jolts to be avoided, aS a succession of wheels of traffic on the local line passes over the crossing. Indeed, given the time of response of the shock 4absorbing device, the first wheel should entirely open the gap to an extent such that the subsequent wheels encounter a gap which is already partially open; on the one hand this reduces the jolts and, on the other hand, it reduces fatigue on the flexible wing rail.

In order that this invention may more readily be understood the 'following deserip- tion is given; merely by way of example, of one embodiment of the invention with reference to the accompanying yawing in which: - Figure 1 is a top plan view of a crossing point according to the invention; Figure 2 is a cross-section alòng the line 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a cross-section along line 3-3 of Figure 1; and Figure4 is a cross-sectio,n along the line 4-4 'of' Figure 1.

Figure 1 shows a crossing 1 for a main line 2 a'n'd a local line 3. The crossing includes a nose 4 and à catch'blade or wing rail 5 of'the main line, these being manufactured' of a since s'teel casting. The steel us'ed'inay,, for exainple, have a manganese content of from 12-14% (already well-known in the manu facture of railway track crossings and po,ints)'. T-he same casting further comprises á false wing rail 6 connected to a fixed wing rail S and to the nose 4 by a base 7.

Qn the false wing rail 6 is fixed a flexible wing rail or catch blade 8, for example by means of bolts, by the intermediary of tie-bars 9.

The flexible wing rail 8 is here formed from a length of rail with the base flange cut down, for example by filing away, to give it the required flexibility. In the area at which the section of Figure 2 is taken, constituting the mounting area of the wing rail 8, the length of rail has its full normal section. In the area where the section of Figure '4 is taken, where a certain rigidity is necessary, the base flange of the rail is only partially filed. By coritrast, in the area where the section of Figure 3 is taken, where fiexibility should be at a maximum, practically all of the base flange of - the rail has been re moved.

'As Figure 1 shows, the device comprises an abutment stop 10. which limits lateral movement of the flexible wing rail 8 away from the nose 4. Finally, a shock-absorbing device 11 has been provided to slow down the rate at which the. flexible wing rail 8 springs back from the position in which it is held against the stop 10 by the action of traffic wheel flanges on the local line 3 to the Position where it is in contact with the nose 4 ready for high speed traffic on the main line rail 2.

As a wheel moves along the main line rail 2 in either direction, it passes from the nose 4 to the flexible wing rail 8 or vice verso without encountering any gaps since the resilience of the steel rail 8 forming the flexible wing rail causes it to adopt naturally a "closed" position which is preferential to main line traffic. When a wheel 12 moves along the local line rail 3 along the nose towards the tip, the interior flank of its wheel flange (i.e. the right hand flank of wheel 12 in Figure 1) opens the flexible wing raii 8. The same occurs as a wheel 13 moves along this same local line rail 2 along the nose away from the tip.In the latter case, the lateral force exerted on the wheel by the flexible wing rail 8 cannot drive the wheel tyre onto the nose 4 to give rise to jolts between this wheel and the nose 4 since the other wheel of the same axle will be in contact with and guided by the conventional counter-rail: Figure 4 shows in broken lines the position of the flexible wing rail 8 when it has been moved away from the nose 4 of the crossing to an "open" position where it opens à groove to allow the flange of wheel 13 or of wheel 12. to, pass.

Similarly Figures 1, 2'and 3, and the solid line cross-section shown in Figure 4 illustrate the position to which the flexible wing rail 8 will spring of its own accord (subject to damping from the damper 11) after the last wheel of localline traffic has passed by.

At the point of maximum flexibility of the flexible wing rail 8, namely the area where the plane of section of Figure 3 arises, the base 7 of the crossing is cut away to eliminate friction between on the one hand the base flange of the rail section of the flexible wing rail 8 and on the other hand the base 7, thereby allowing substantially unimpeded flexing of the rail.

It will of course be appreciated, from the above description, that the intersection of a main line and a local line will require two crossings of the type illustrated in Figure 1, each provided with a flexible wing rail.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A railway track crossing comprising a fixed crossing nose and two wing rails adjacent thereto on either side thereof; one of said wing rails being fixed relative to the crossing nose and the other wing rail comprising a flexible rail' having one of its ends

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **.

contact of their tyre flange with the flexible wing rail, opening of the corresponding groove which avoids the need for separate track switching means.

Prefe;rably, the mobile part of the flexible wing Fall is provided with a shock-absorber which slows'drown its passage from the open position to the closed position.

This allows repeated jolts to be avoided, aS a succession of wheels of traffic on the local line passes over the crossing. Indeed, given the time of response of the shock 4absorbing device, the first wheel should entirely open the gap to an extent such that the subsequent wheels encounter a gap which is already partially open; on the one hand this reduces the jolts and, on the other hand, it reduces fatigue on the flexible wing rail.

In order that this invention may more readily be understood the 'following deserip- tion is given; merely by way of example, of one embodiment of the invention with reference to the accompanying yawing in which: - Figure 1 is a top plan view of a crossing point according to the invention; Figure 2 is a cross-section alòng the line

2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a cross-section along line 3-3 of Figure 1; and Figure4 is a cross-sectio,n along the line

4-4 'of' Figure 1.

Figure 1 shows a crossing 1 for a main line 2 a'n'd a local line 3. The crossing includes a nose 4 and à catch'blade or wing rail 5 of'the main line, these being manufactured' of a since s'teel casting. The steel us'ed'inay,, for exainple, have a manganese content of from 12-14% (already well-known in the manu facture of railway track crossings and po,ints)'. T-he same casting further comprises á false wing rail 6 connected to a fixed wing rail S and to the nose 4 by a base 7.

Qn the false wing rail 6 is fixed a flexible wing rail or catch blade 8, for example by means of bolts, by the intermediary of tie-bars 9.

The flexible wing rail 8 is here formed from a length of rail with the base flange cut down, for example by filing away, to give it the required flexibility. In the area at which the section of Figure 2 is taken, constituting the mounting area of the wing rail 8, the length of rail has its full normal section. In the area where the section of Figure '4 is taken, where a certain rigidity is necessary, the base flange of the rail is only partially filed. By coritrast, in the area where the section of Figure 3 is taken, where fiexibility should be at a maximum, practically all of the base flange of - the rail has been re moved.

'As Figure 1 shows, the device comprises an abutment stop 10. which limits lateral movement of the flexible wing rail 8 away from the nose 4. Finally, a shock-absorbing device 11 has been provided to slow down the rate at which the. flexible wing rail 8 springs back from the position in which it is held against the stop 10 by the action of traffic wheel flanges on the local line 3 to the Position where it is in contact with the nose 4 ready for high speed traffic on the main line rail 2.

As a wheel moves along the main line rail 2 in either direction, it passes from the nose 4 to the flexible wing rail 8 or vice verso without encountering any gaps since the resilience of the steel rail 8 forming the flexible wing rail causes it to adopt naturally a "closed" position which is preferential to main line traffic. When a wheel 12 moves along the local line rail 3 along the nose towards the tip, the interior flank of its wheel flange (i.e. the right hand flank of wheel 12 in Figure 1) opens the flexible wing raii 8. The same occurs as a wheel 13 moves along this same local line rail 2 along the nose away from the tip.In the latter case, the lateral force exerted on the wheel by the flexible wing rail 8 cannot drive the wheel tyre onto the nose 4 to give rise to jolts between this wheel and the nose 4 since the other wheel of the same axle will be in contact with and guided by the conventional counter-rail: Figure 4 shows in broken lines the position of the flexible wing rail 8 when it has been moved away from the nose 4 of the crossing to an "open" position where it opens à groove to allow the flange of wheel 13 or of wheel 12. to, pass.

Similarly Figures 1, 2'and 3, and the solid line cross-section shown in Figure 4 illustrate the position to which the flexible wing rail 8 will spring of its own accord (subject to damping from the damper 11) after the last wheel of localline traffic has passed by.

At the point of maximum flexibility of the flexible wing rail 8, namely the area where the plane of section of Figure 3 arises, the base 7 of the crossing is cut away to eliminate friction between on the one hand the base flange of the rail section of the flexible wing rail 8 and on the other hand the base 7, thereby allowing substantially unimpeded flexing of the rail.

It will of course be appreciated, from the above description, that the intersection of a main line and a local line will require two crossings of the type illustrated in Figure 1, each provided with a flexible wing rail.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A railway track crossing comprising a fixed crossing nose and two wing rails adjacent thereto on either side thereof; one of said wing rails being fixed relative to the crossing nose and the other wing rail comprising a flexible rail' having one of its ends

fixed with respect to the track bed and a part which is adjacent the crossing nose tip and is movable between (a) a closed position in contact with the tip of the crossing nose to form therewith a substantially continuous rolling surface for traffic in a first direction and (b) an open position in which said movable part is spaced from the nose tip to form a gap allowing the passage of a wheel flange along a second direction inclined to the first direction, the said flexible wing rail being arranged so that in the absence of any lateral force applied thereto it occupies its closed position but is yieldably movable from its closed position to its open position by passage of a wheel flange along said second direction.
2. A crossing according to claim 1 wherein the mobile part of said flexible wing rail is provided with a shock-absorber to retard its movement from said open position towards said closed position.
3. A crossing according to claim 1 or 2, and including a stop to limit the movement of said movable part of the flexible wing rail away from the nose tip.
4. A crossing according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said flexible wing rail has one of its ends fixed to a false wing rail integrally formed together with and fixed relative to the nose of the crossing.
5. A crossing according to claim 4, wherein said false wing rail and the nose of the crossing are manufactured in manganese steel.
6. A crossing according to claim 5, wherein said manganese steel has a manganese content of from 12 to 14% by weight.
7. A crossing according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the flexible wing rail is manufactured from a length of rail having a part of the flange thereof removed to impart flexibility to the rail.
8. A railway track crossing substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.