GB2369144A

GB2369144A - Location of point control means in a railway track installation

Info

Publication number: GB2369144A
Application number: GB0127521A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Karl-Heinz Schwiede
Original assignee: Schwihag Gesellschaft fuer Eisenbahnoberbau mbH; Schwihag GmbH
Current assignee: Schwihag Gesellschaft fuer Eisenbahnoberbau mbH; Schwihag GmbH
Priority date: 2000-11-21
Filing date: 2001-11-16
Publication date: 2002-05-22
Anticipated expiration: 2021-11-16
Also published as: DE10057882A1; US20020060273A1; GB0127521D0; GB2369144B

Abstract

The installation comprises two adjacent hollow box sleepers (24, 25) in the drive region of a set of points, wherein the box sleepers are provided with locks for the points blades (7a, 7b), which are adjustable by way of a drive rod (9), and with blade check rods (10, 11). One of the box sleepers (2b) accommodates the drive rod (9) and the other one of the sleepers (2a) accommodates the check rods (10, 11). The sleepers are laid at the usual sleeper pitch spacing and are so constructed that while providing sufficient space for accommodation of the respective rods they have, at least in the lower region, a width dimension like a normal points sleeper. The other sleeper (2a) also contains a lock rod (12), all rods extending from a common motor (13). The point blades (7a, 7b) are coupled by respective flat strip coupling members (17), one associated with the drive rod (9) and the other associated with the check and lock rods (10-12), this member being located in a higher place than the rods in the sleeper (2a).

Description

23691 44

LOCATION OF POINT CONTROL MEANS IN A RAILWAY TRACK INSTALLATION

The present invention relates to a railway track installation and has particular reference to the location of control means for a set of points.

It is known from DE 43 15 200 A1 to integrate drive rods and check rods, which serve for monitoring the two blades of a set of points, of a points drive in a trough sleeper or box sleeper. This is frequently connected with problems of space, since the box sleepers have to be constructed to be correspondingly large or wide in order to embrace two sleeper gaps inclusive of the intermediately disposed sleeper. In the region of points and, in fact, particularly in the region of the drives and the associated locks for points blades adjustable by way of push rods, sleeper gaps were therefore formed in which all functional elements for the drive of the points and clamping of the blades as well as means for preventing self-

actuated adjustment thereof are accommodated.

The accommodation of these functional elements in the sleeper gaps usually presupposes that the metalling has to be removed as far as possible, which leads to unstable positions of the sleepers on both sides of the sleeper gap. The consequences are a pronounced vertical movement - so-called "pumping" - of the entire track grid in the region of these sleeper gaps largely freed of metalling. This pumping of the track causes increased loading of all material in this region, such as metalling, rails, sleepers and, above all, points locks. There is therefore a need, in the case of a railway track installation incorporating a set of points, for a mode of construction by which, in particular, the disadvantages attributable to accommodation of components can be avoided or at least reduced.

According to the present invention there is provided a railway track installation with hollow box sleepers in the drive region of a set of points, wherein the box sleepers are provided with locks for the points blades, which are adjustable by way of drive rods, and with blade monitoring or checking rods, wherein of two adjacent box sleepers the drive rod is arranged in one box sleeper and the check rods - and preferably also a locking rod - are arranged in the other box sleeper, the sleepers being laid at the usual sleeper spacing from centre to centre and constructed so that with a sufficient cavity for accommodation of the rods they have at least in the lower region a dimension like a normal points sleeper.

It can thus be achieved that, as in the case of successive sleeper gaps and thus drive and check rods disposed far apart from one another, a common drive motor can still be provided, because the spacing of the two box sleepers can correspond, unchanged, with the normal sleeper spacing of, for example, 600 mm. The otherwise negative effects of deleted metalling in the case of accommodation in the sleeper gaps are at the same time eliminated and, due to the mutual spacing of the two box sleepers which is sufficient and unchanged relative to the usual disposition, the necessary free space is present to allow introduction of tamping picks of tamping machines in problem-free manner into the

metalling. Preferably, the drive and check rods connected with the points blades have a shaping with a course in the hollow region of the box sleepers. In a preferred embodiment, therefore, starting from the motor side or drive side the first check rod reaches up to the rear points blade, the second check rod preferably reaches up to the front points blade, and the locking rod ends approximately centrally between the blade rails and runs by its free rod end in a slide bearing, which is arranged in a coupling member connecting the two points blades together to be dependent in terms of movement, wherein the check rods and the locking rod are arranged adjacent to one another in the box sleeper substantially in a horizontal plane and the coupling member is disposed in a higher plane. An optimised accommodation of the rods in the relevant box sleeper is thereby achieved, since a parallel arrangement of rods extending adjacent to one another is present only over part of the length of the box sleeper. This is achieved, moreover, in an installation space which, by virtue of the higher disposed arrangement of the coupling member extending - like the first check rod, up to the rear points blade - is uninfluenced by that.

For preference, the drive rod accommodated in the other box sleeper engages by its free end at a coupling member which connects the two points blades together to be dependent in terms of movement and which extends in a high plane together with the coupling member in the other box sleeper. Notwithstanding the drive rod spaced from the check rods and the locking rod, which secures the respectively set position of the points blades, a synchronism of adjustment of the points blades resting on the two box sleepers is guaranteed by way of the coupling members.

If the coupling member of the check rods box sleeper and the coupling member of the

drive rod box sleeper are constructed as flat strips or girders with fastening straps folded over at the ends and the coupling members are installed turned through 90 relative to one another in their installation position, the force transmission and force introduction as well

as synchronization are further assisted.

Preferably, the fastening straps of the coupling members are connected with angle webs screw-connected to the points blades. The requisite direct flow of force in the case of adjustment of the points blades is, however, also ensured if the coupling members are, in the alternative, directly clamped or screw-connected to the feet of the blades.

For preference, the box sleepers are constructed at their upper side with widened supports. This means that although the box sleepers are dimensioned in their lower region in like manner to normal points sleepers, a larger support area is provided at the top for slide plates, for the blades, to be advantageously arranged on the supports.

Alternatively, a maintenance-free and lubrication-free resetting of the points blades by roller plates, which better enable low setting forces, can be provided.

With advantage, the box sleepers are covered at their free upper sides, i. e. have covers not projecting between the stock rails or in each case outside the track width beyond the sleeper upper edge, so that the functional elements arranged in the interiors of the box sleepers are protected against unnecessary contamination.

The described arrangement of the rods makes it possible in advantageous manner for the box sleeper base to be provided with fastening means for supply connections, for example cables or heating rods.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described by way of example with reference to the accompany drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a points drive in a railway track installation embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view, to enlarged scale, of the installation of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a cross-section along the line lil-lil of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section along the line IV-IV of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a cross-section along the line V-V of Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a cross-section along the line VI-VI of Fig. 2; Fig. 7 is a cross-section along the line VII-VII of Fig. 2; Fig. 8 is a cross-section along the line Vl11-VIII of Fig. 2; and Fig. 9 is a cross-section along the line IX-IX of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 a detail of a points drive 1 of a railway track installation which is not further illustrated, in which two box sleepers 2a, 2b are arranged at a mutual spacing which corresponds to a usual sleeper centre-to-

centre spacing. Stock rails 4a, 4b are fastened on the box sleepers 2a, 2b by suitable fastening devices 3 and points blades 7a, 7b adjustable in slide plates 5 carried by supports 6 of the sleepers 2a, 2b are provided on the sleepers. The points blades are secured by pawl locks 8 or the like to the slide plates 5. The functional elements of the drive 1 are separately arranged and, in particular, a drive rod 9 is disposed in the box sleeper 2b and two check rods 10 and 11 and a lock rod 12 are disposed in the box sleeper 2a. The rods 10 to 12 and 9 separately arranged in the box sleepers 2a, 2b are connected at the drive side to a common motor 13, which is arranged on a support device 14 fastened to special slide plates 15 prolonged at the drive side.

As is to be inferred from Figs. 3 to 9, the drive rod 9 and, in particular, the check rods 10, 11 as well as the lock rod 12 are so shaped and arranged that they can be accommodated in the interior of the respective box sleepers 2a and 2b. The check rod 10 extends continuously up to the rear points blade 7a, with which it is connected by way of an angle web 16a screw-connected thereto (of also Fig. 9). At the drive side it is guided in an angle web 16b which, like the angle web 16a, is fastened by screws to a points blade, here, however, the front blade 7b. The check rod 11 associated with the front points blade 7b ends in the angle web 16b. In the illustrated embodiment, the front points blade 7b and the rear points blade 7a are connected together by way of a coupling member 17, which is

screw-connected with the angle webs 1 6a, 1 fib, to be interdependent in terms of movement (of Fig. 4). The coupling member 17 is constructed as a flat strip with fastening straps 18 bent over or folded over at the ends and is screw-connected, in edge-high position (of Fig. 2), with the angle webs 16, 16b.

The lock rod 12 is, as shown in Fig. 5, extends by its free end 19 up to about the centre of the box sleeper 2a and guided there in a slide bearing 20 of the coupling member 17. The check rods 10, 11 and the lock rod 12 extend adjacent to one another in a substantially horizontal plane in the interior of the box sleeper 2a (of Fig. 7), whilst the coupling member 17 thereagainst is arranged in a higher plane (cf. in Fig. 7 in conjunction with Fig. 8, the disposition of a fastening screw 21 for the coupling member 17).

As illustrated in Fig. 6, the drive rod 9, which is cranked at its end at the drive side, extends to somewhat beyond the front points blade 7b out into the sleeper interior and is fixed to a web 22 arranged at a coupling member 23, which is comparable with the afore-

described coupling member 17 and which in this case interconnects angle webs 24a and 24b, which are similarly screw-connected with the points blades 7a, 7b, and thus connects the points blades 7a, 7b to be interdependent in terms of movement.

The separate arrangement of the rod 9 on the one hand and rods 10 to 13 on the other hand not only enables maintenance of a normal sleeper spacing in the laying of the box sleepers 2a, 2b and makes coupling thereof to a common motor 13 possible, but the shaping and physical arrangement of the three rods 10 to 12 extending in the box sleeper 2a additionally permits provision at the box sleeper base 25 of fastening means 26 for, for example, cables and heating rods. Moreover, a sufficiently large free space is present for use of a tamping machine between the box sleepers 2a, 2b. The width of each sleeper at its base can correspond with the usual width of a conventional sleeper and, insofar as it may be necessary or desirable, the sleeper can widen towards its upper side to provide appropriate bearing area for the track and points mounts.

Claims

1. A railway track installation comprising a set of points co-operable with rails of the track, control means for blades of the points and two adjacent hollow box sleepers for the rails, the control means comprising a blades drive rod accommodated in the interior of one of the sleepers and blades check rods accommodated in the interior of the other one of the sleepers and the sleepers being disposed substantially at a predetermined conventional pitch spacing and each being dimensioned at least in the lower region thereof substantially in correspondence with the dimensions of a given conventional points sleeper.

2. An installation as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control means comprises a common drive motor connected to the rods.

3. An installation as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the rods are shaped to enable extension thereof in the sleeper interiors.

4. An installation as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control means comprises a blades locking rod accommodated in the interior of said other one of the sleepers.

5. An installation as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of the check rods extends to a respective one of the blades and the locking rod extends to a point substantially centrally between the blades and is connected with coupling means coupling the blades for interdependent movement, the check and locking rods being disposed adjacent to one another in said other one of the sleepers in a substantially horizontal plane and the coupling means being disposed in a plane above that plane.

6. An installation as claimed in claim 5, wherein the locking rod is connected at a free end thereof to the coupling means by way of a slide bearing

7. An installation as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the drive rod is connected with further coupling means coupling the blades for interdependent movement, the first-

mentioned and further coupling means being disposed in substantially the same plane.

8. An installation as claimed in claim 7, wherein the coupling means are each formed

from a flat strip bent over at opposite end portions thereof to provide fastening straps and are installed turned through substantially 90 relative to one another about longitudinal axes of the strips.

9. An installation according to claim 8, wherein the strips are fastened to angle brackets secured to the blades.

10. An installation as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of the sleepers has widened support faces at an upper side thereof.

11. An installation as claimed in claim 10, comprising slide plates arranged on the support faces and slidably guiding the blades.

12. An installation as claimed in claim 10, comprising roller plates arranged on the support faces and rollably guiding the blades.

13. An installation as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sleepers are covered at upper sides thereof.

14. An installation as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the sleepers is provided at a base thereof with fixing means for supply means.