US1351106A

US1351106A - Tamping-machine

Info

Publication number: US1351106A
Application number: US245021A
Authority: US
Inventors: Cornelius G Hastings
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1918-07-15
Filing date: 1918-07-15
Publication date: 1920-08-31
Anticipated expiration: 1937-08-31

Description

0. G. HASTiNGS.

TAMPING MACHINE.

Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

5 SHEETS- H T I.

C. G. HASTINGS.

'TAMPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY15, I918. RENEWED JUNE 5, HQ.

Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

5 SHEETSSHEET 2.

llillllillllllllllllll'lll/lllf'illllll'fi I 0 a AWN c. e. HASTINGS.

TAMPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY I5, 1918. RENEWED JUNE 5,1920. 1,35 1 1 O6. Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

C. G. HASTINGS.

TAMPING MACHINE. APPLICATIONFILED 1u1v15, 1918. RENEWED JUNE 5.1920.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 41 Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

E U 1% E 1 5 1 BMW 6 5 C. G. HASTINGS.

TAMPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULYI5. l9l8. RENEWED JUNE 5, 1920.

Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

5 SHEETSSHEET 5.

UNITED STATES P'lENT Fl lCE.

TAMPING-MACHINE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

Application filed July 15, 1913, Serial No. 245,021. Renewed .Tune 5, 1920. Serial No. 386,922.

To all whom it may (BO/worn Be it known that LConNEmUs G. 'IIAST- INGS, a citizen of the United StatesQand a resident of the city. of Glendale, in the county of Los Angeles and State of (lalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tamping-Machines; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the numerals oi? reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has reference more particularly to a machine for tamping ballast around the ties oi. a railroad track.

In railroad construction the ties to which the rails are spiked are embedded. in ballast such as crushed rock gravel or other suitable material which is packed firmly against the tie to hold it securely in the proper position so that eachtie carries its portion of the load and provides a uniform support for the rails throughout their length. Owing to the severe use to which they are subjected, unusual careis required in packing the ballast material to insure a firm foundation which will securely hold the ties so that they will not be pounded down or otherwise dislocated or loosened. by the weight, vibration and other forces due to heavily laden trains moving rapidly thereover, and it is also frequently necessary to repack the ballast around the ties to readjust same for the purpose of leveling or straightening the track. Heretotore it has been customary to tamp the ballast by hand tampers or by the use of mechanical tamping devices carried by the operator, but this is objectionable as it is a slow and tedious process and does not insure uniformity oi tainping as the operator may tamp the ballast to a greater extent at one place than at another.

It is the object therefore of myinvention to provide a portable tamping machine which is movable along the railway for tamping the ballast around the ties, and which insu uniform and thorough tamping.

lt is a further object of my invention to provide a portable tamping machine having power operated tamping devices which may be readily adjusted and controlled. to insure a thorough and uniform tamping of the ballast around the ties.

Another object oi? my invention is to provide a truck mounted on the track and having a carriage thereon movable transversely of the track or lengthwise ot' the ties, and a plurality of power operated tamping devices on the carria e whereby the uniform tamping of the ballast is rapidly accomplished.

dinother objectof my invention is to provide portable device having a frame there- 'on which is automatically reciprocated transversely of the track or lengthwise of the ties and is provided with power operated tamping means thereon, which by reason of the reciprocation of the frame t amp the material the entire length of the tie.

Another object of my invention is to provide a portable device having a plurality of power operated tamping members thereon which operate progressii 'ely along the sides of the tie and are adjustable to and from and lengthwise of the tie and may also be elevated and depressed to permit the required adjustment to enable the device to be universally used for packing the ballast in any railroad construction.

My invention also has other important objects which will appear from the following specification and the accompanying drawings, in which I have described and shown my invention in a preferred form.

911 the drawings:

l ignre l is a top plan view of the tamping device.

2 is a side view of the tamping device looking at the'lower end of Fig. 1.

Fig. is a transverse sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. is an enlarged top view of the intermediate portion of the machine comprising the tamping mechanism.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 55 of Fi Fig. is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. l.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged view partly in section on the line 77 of Fig.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 8-8 of Fig.

Fig. 9 is a TiICIlfiVlGW oi. one of the tamping members showing the lateral angular adustment thereof.

F 10 is a fragmentary view partly in section showing the mechanism for reciproeating the tamper frame.

W an enlarged fragmentary view ed thereon illustrating the vertical adjustment of the tamper.

Fig. 15' is a similar view showing the pivotal adjustment of the tamper to and from the tie.

As shown on the drawings: 7

lily device comprises a truck or small flat car which may be of any suitable construction which is capable of properly supportingthe mechanism and being moved along the rails. In the form illustrated it consists of a frame having a sill 1 at each side there of which'ha's a depressed intermediate portion 2, for supporting the tamping mechanism, and there are wheels 3, mounted under the elevated end portions, which said wheels are suitably spaced and of the usual flanged I construction so as to engage the ra1ls,4t,'of a railroad track, and support the tamping device for movement along the track. A pair of spaced channel irons 5, are set on edge and connect the sills 1 at each end of the depressed portion 2, of the sill and affords a space therebetween for the tamping -mechanism, and there is a platform 6, at

each end of the truck on opposite sides of the space intermediate of the channel irons 5, to accommodate the operator or operators of the machine and also the machinery for actuating the tamping mechanism. The ties 7, extend transversely of the rails which are spiked thereon and the tamping mechanism ismounted on the truck so as to reciprocate transversely of the rails and parallel with. the ties. I

For supporting the tamping mechanism there is a way or track consisting of a pair of spaced parallel channel irons 8, which are set on edge and extend from side to side of the truck with the flanges 9 thereof facing outwardly, said channel irons being secured V in separated relation by means of rivets or bolts 10, which have spacing sleeves 11, thereon, intermediate of the channel irons. The ends of the lower flanges 9 of these channel irons are secured to the depressed portion 2 of the sills of the truck and spaced substantially midway between the channel irons 5, so as to leave a space at each side thereof to accommodate the tamping members. A deep channeled longitudinal plate or carriage 12, straddles the channel irons 8, and the side flanges 13 thereof have plurality of beveled rollers 14 pivotally mounted on pins 15, on the inner faces of the flanges 13, and engaging the upper and lower flanges 9, of the channel irons 8, so that the carriage 12 may be easily moved transversely of the truck and railroad track on the channel irons 8 as a track. The carriage 12 is also provided at a plurality of places throughout its length with internal lugs 16, which have rollers 17 mounted thereon by means of pins 18, which are threaded into the lugs 16, so as to hold the rollers 17 for lateral engagement with the outer face of the channel irons 8. V

For reciprocating the carriage 12, there is a plate 19, adjacent one side of the truck extending between and secured to the opposite platforms 6, and provided with upstanding bearings20 and 21 in which is journaled a shaft 22, which eiitends beyond the end of the plate 19, over the platform 6,

and is journaled at the outer end in a bearing 23, on the platform. .The bearings 20, are placed close together directly above the carriage 12, and the shaft 22, has a double crank 24, intermediate of the bearings and approximately midway of the width of the carriage 12, which crank is connected by means ofthe pitman 25, with a pivot pin 26, mounted between lugs 27, on the upper face of the carriage 12. The shaft 22 is rotated during the operation of the tamping devices by mechanism which will be herein after described, and serves to impart areciprocating movement to. the carriage 12, upon which the tamping devices are mounted, and moves the tampi ng devices lengthwise .of the ties to enable them to firmly pack the ballast along the entire length of the ties.

This tamping machine may be constructed to tamp only at one side of the tie at a time, but I prefer to construct it so that tempers operate simultaneously at both sides of the tie, as this will enable the workto be more quickly performed and also enables the tamping members on each side of the tie to, in a measure, work against the tempers on the opposite side to force the ballast compactly under the tie, and I therefore pro vide a plurality of properly spaced pairs of vertical. guides 28, on the outer face of each flange 13, of the carriage 12, eachpair of which said guides is detachably secured to the flange '13, and engages the edges of a sliding block 29, located therebetween. This block has a disk 30, adjacent the lower end thereof, faced from the flange'l and disposed. at an angle somewhat, as shown in Fig. 5, and has the disk 31 of the swivel block 32, which supports the tamping members, clamped thereto so that the normal position of the tamping member is at an angle to the side surface of the tie, and tends to pack the ballast material against the side and under the tie. The number of tamping members employed depends upon the length of stroke of the crank 24:, or the distance that the carriage l2 reciprocates, the tamping members being arranged apart a distance somewhat less than the length of such reciprocation so that the space tamped by each member will connect with or overlap the space tamped by the adjoining members and insure tamping the material along the entire length of the tie.

in the present embodiment there are four equally spaced tamping members at each side of the carriage l2 inside the rails, and atamping member at each side of the carriage 12, at each end thereof which are spaced a greater distance than the intervening tamping members for tamping the ballast .iaterial at the end of the tie outside of the rails. Obviously the outer tamping members and the ones next thereto are so spaced that the reciprocation of the carriage 12 will enable thenito operate up to the rail, but will leave an intermediate space occupied by the rail not traversed by the tamping ineinbe and the brace 19, which supports the bearings 20 of the shaft 32, is mounted directly above the rail so as to occupy the space which is not traversed by the tamping members.

The tamping members are not illustrated in detail and may consist of any suitable devices having a reciprocating hammer capable of tamoing the ballast in place, an air hammer being preferable for this purpose as it is well adapted for the work and permits adjustable mounting which cannot readily be employed with other types of tamping devices. The tamping devices shown comprise a cylinder 33, having a reinforcing band 34;, intermediate ot the ends, with trunnions 35 projecting therefrom tor pivotally mounting the tamping device, and there is a plun er in the cylinder which has the stem 36 projecting from the lower end of: the cylinder, the lower end of said stem is .tlattened as at 87, or otherwise provided with a tamper head suitable for packing the ballast around the tie. There is a connection 238 at the upper end of each cylinder 33, which 's connected by means oi a hose 39, with the air supply pipe &0, which is mounted in an elevated position on the carriage l). by means of the brackets ll, and has a valve 42, connected with each hose 39, whereby the tamping devices may be independontly controlled;

Compressed air is supplied to the pipe id, and to the air hammers from a tank through a hose 41 5i, leading from the tank to the pipe ant. connecting therewith through a FL ve which serves to control the simultaneous operation of all the tr devices. lt will be observed that the 'l the hose rennet tion lielnveei'i the tank 4?). a the pipe 4H), permits reciprocation of the inatter described.

carriage 12, without interference, and also that the use of the hose connection 39, from the pipe lO to the tamping cylinders 33, permits a wide range of adjustment of each tamping member, which will be hereinafter more particularly noted, the hose connection in each case being made sufliciently long to permit the required adjustment or move ment without endangering the security of the connection.

For reciprocating the carriage 12, and also operating the tamping members, I have provided on the platform 6, upon which the air tank 43 is mounted, an electric motor a6, which may be used when electric current is available, and also a gasolene engine 47, which may be used when electric current cannot be had, both of which motors are arranged to furnish power for operating the tamping mechanism and are capable of being cut out by clutch mechanism as here- The shaft 22, which reciprocates the carriage 12, projects across the top of the platform 6, upon which the motors are mounted, and the motors are arranged in position to connect with said shaft for operating same. The gasolene motor 4:7, is placed at right angles to and adjacent the outer end of the shaft 22 and has a beveled'gear ll) on the end of the crankshaft which meshes with a bevel gear 50 on the outer end of the shaft 22, which latter is adapted to be engaged with and disengaged from the shalt by means i the clutch 5i, operated. by the lever The electric motor 4-6 is likewise arranged at: cert one side of the shaft 22 and at a right angle thereto and has a. bevel. gear 53 on the arniature shaft which meshes with a companion bevel gear 5%, fast on the shaft 22. A clutch 55, operated by the lever 56, cooperates with the bevel gear Silto enable same to be engaged with or disengaged from the armature shaft so thatavhen the shaft 22 is co; eted by means of the clutch 51., for operation by the gasolcne motor at, the gear 53, may be dis ngaged from the armature shaft to permit such operation without running the motor, and alsothat the clutch 51, may be disengaged from the gear 50, and the clutch engaged with the gear 53, to permit operation of the shaft .22 by means of the electric motor and to enable the gasolene engine t? to be disconnected from the shaft 22 at such time. i

An air compressor indicated generally at 57, is mounted for direct connection with the motor l6, and has apipe 58 connected therewith and with the tank 43 for providing the compressed air for operating the tamping devices. This compressor is likewise adapted tebe operated by either the gasolene engine or the electric motor and has a clutch 59 interposed between the electric motor and the compressor and operated by the I ;.tended and: provided with a loose sprocket 61 thereon which is connected by means of the drive chain 62, with a drive sprocket 63, on the crank-shaft of the gasolenemotor 47, or the driving connection may be made with a belt and pulley or any other suitable power transmission devices, and there is a clutch 64 on the compressor shaft operated by the hand lever 65, whereby the compressor shaft may be engaged with or disengaged from the sprocket 61, to cause operation of the compressor by means of the gasolene engine 47,

or permit the compressor to be operated independently of the gasolene motor. Thus it will be observed that a control is provided wherebythe compressor and the reciprocating mechanism for the carriage 12, may be operated by either the gasolene engine or the electric motor and it is also possible if it should be desired at any time and the current" is available, that the reciprocating.

mechanism may be operated by one motor and the compressor may be operated by' the other motor. Such operation however is not ordinarily contemplated and may be made use of only in case of an emergency where an unusual load was imposed upon the operating mechanism which required power additional to that normally supplied by either motor.

The tamping members are arranged for vertical adjustment, the preferred arrange ment being such that all the tamping devices at one side of the carriage 12, may be raised or lowered simultaneously, and to this end each sliding block 29, which supports the tamping device, is provided on the inner face thereof with a vertical row of gear teeth 66 forming a rack intermediate of and parallel with the side flanges 67, and there is ashaft 68, at the innerside of each flange 13 of the carriage 12, which is mounted in bearings 69 provided on the inner face of the flanges 13, which'said shaft extends from end to end of the carriage 12, and has a gear wheel 70 fixed thereon opposite each rack 66 and meshing therewith through an opening orfslot 71, in the flange 13, so that operation of either shaft 68 operates all the gears 70 thereon and by engagement thereof with the racks 66, raises or lowers all the sliding blocks 29 at that side of the carriage 12. At one end of the carriage 12, is a bearing plate 73, which is elongated so as to project inwardly toward the channel iron 8 beyond the edge of the ratchet wheel 74, which is fixed on the outer end of the shaft 68 at the outer side of the bearing 73, and

- there is an adjusting lever 75, pivoted at 'ening the cap screws 81.

swinging of the lower end of the tamper an pawl has a finger lever78, whereby it may be set for engagement with the ratchet gear 74. The hand lever extends from the shaft 78 away from the channel iron 8, so

as to permitrreciprocation' of the saddle member 12, without intereference of the handle 75 with the channel iron 8, and also to permit convenient manipulation thereof by an operator on the platform 6. This device enables the ratchet wheel 74 to be rotated by means of a lever 7 5, so as to operate the shaft 68 and gear wheels 70 thereon to elevate the tamping members to a position above the ties and they may be held in this position by means of the pawl 77 when the truck is moved along the rails, or the gear 74 may be operated by the lever '75 to: cause the tamping members to bear against the ballast material between the ties and may be held in the depressed position by means of the pawl 77, so as to insure holding the tamping members down against the work.

The disk 3O on the sliding block 29 has a socket or bearing 79 arranged centrally in the outer face within which is seated a nipple or stub shaft 80, which projects centrally from the outer face of the disk 31 of the swivel block 32, so that when the

disks

30 and 31 are engaged together the nipple 80 and socket 79 provide a pivotal engagement or axis to confine the movement of the disk 31 to a rotary movement around the nipple as an axle. 'The

disks

31 and 30 are held together by a pair of diametrically opposite cap screws 81, which are inserted through arcuate slots 82, upon opposite sides of the disk 31, adjacent the periphery thereof, which said cap screws are threaded into the disk 30 so that they may be released slightly and the swivel block 32 rotated on the nipple 80 as a pivot and may be clamped in any position of such adjustment by tight-- gularly as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 9, and lengthwise of the tie so as to tend to work the ballast material endwise of the tie if desired, or permit adjustment of the tampers-at each side of the rail so as to operate under the rail and insure packing of the ballast material at that point as well as elsewhere along the length of the tie.

Adjustment is also provided for swinging the lower end of each tamping device to This permits and from the tie to accommodate ties of varying width and also to enable the tamping devices to work around irregularities in the side faces ofthe tie, such adjustment being provided for by the pivotal engagement of the trunnions or pivot pins 35, of the band 34:, with the arms 84, of the yoke, with which the swivel block 32 is provided. The pivot pin 35, at one side of the tamping device projects entirely through the arm 8d of the yoke and has an arcuate rack 85, secured thereon by means of the key 86, so as to turn or swing with the cylinder 33 of the tamping device. For engaging the teeth of the rack 85.to hold the tamping device in the various positions of adjustment, there is a lug 87, on the arm 84, extending over the top of the gear face of the rack and having a perforation 88, through which is passed a pin 89, for engagement with'th'e teeth of the rack 85. An arm 90, is formed at one side of the lug 87 and has a hand lever 91 pivoted at the outer end thereof and the upper end of the pin 89, is pivotally connected as at 92 with the inner end of the lever 91 so as to beoperated thereby and there is a spring 93 engaging the inner end of the lever 91, so as to hold the same normally depressed and the pin 89 in engagement with the teeth of thearcuate rack 85. Each of the tamping devices is provided with this adjusting mechanism and each can therefore be adjusted so that the lower end thereof operates at a greater or less distance from the side face of the tie by depressing the lever 91, and swinging the cylinder 33 to the desired position and releasing the lever 91, to permit the pin 89 to seat in the rack 85 so as to hold the cylinder in such position of adjustment.

The operation is as follows:

The tamping devices having been elevated and locked in the elevated position so as to clear the surface of the ties, the truck is moved along the rails so that the tamping devices straddle the tie which is to have the ballast material packed therearound. The tie having been jacked or blocked up or being otherwise held in the position in which it is desired to have it embedded in the ballast, the tamping mechanism at each side of the carriage 12 is depressed by op erating the lever 75 and held in the depressed position by means of the pawl 77 so as to hold the tamping devices from climbing or bouncing when thehammers are set in operation. The hammers are then ad justed by means of the levers 91 if the ad justment of the previous operation is not suitable to the width of the present tie, so as to swing the lower end of the tamping devices closer to or farther away from the tie, and such adjustment enables one or more of the tamping devices to be adjusted in case of an irregularity in the tie to accommodate such irregularity without the balance of the tamping devices being required to operate at an improper distance from the tie, which might be occasioned if all the tampmg devices were connected for adjustment together. The lower end of the tamping devices may also be swung lengthwise of the tie by loosening the cap screws 81 and shifting the swivel block 32 so as to provide the required angle of impact against the ballast material, or to permit packing of the material directly under the rail. This latter adjustment, however, will ordinarily re main the same after once being properly adjusted for the particular stretch of the track and ballast material to be operated upon and also the adjustment by means of the levers 91 for swinging the lower end of the tamping devices to and from the ties will remain substantially the same unless there should be a considerable difference in the width of the ties or considerable unevenness in the lateral faces thereof.

The gasolene engine at? or the electric motor 16, depending upon the power available, having been previously set in operation and the clutch or having been engaged the compressor 57 will fill the tank 13 with compressed air, which is held therein by means of the valve &5 which controls communication of the air to the pipe 10. The valve e15 is then opened which admits air to the pipe 10 and communicates same through the hose connections 39 to the tampers, which are rapidly reciprocated thereby and pack the material down around the sides and force it under the bottom of the tie, and at the same time that the valve to is opened the lever 56 or 52, as the case may be, is thrown into engagement with its re spective gear wheel so as to operate the shaft and reciprocate the carriage 12, so that the tamping devices as they operate are moved lengthwise of the tie so that the ballast mater'al is packed along the entire side surfaces of the tie.

Certain tamping devices may be withheld from operation, if for any reason it is desired, by closing the valve 922 which controls the supply of air thereto, and it is also' possible to elevate all of the tamping devices at one side of the carriage 12 by means of the lever '15 and hold same in the elevated position by means of the pawl 77 and they may be prevented from operation by closing the valves 12 thereof so that the tamping devices only at one side of the tie may be employed if desired. From the foregoing it will be noted that T have provided a tamping device which is capable of adjustment which enables it to meet all conditions of practical use and which is entirely under control of the operator, and the operation of which is clearly within the view of the operator or operators on the platform the ties are thoroughly i'nc'ased or packed and securely h'eld'in the ballast material. After, the material has been thoroughly packed around the tie thetamping devices are elevated by means of the lever 75 so as to clearthe'ties and tlie'truck is moved forward to the next position of operation.

I have shown my device in connection with a simple "truck which is adapted to be pushed or pulled to the position of operation as this appears to be the most convenient form for use. However, it may be constructed so as to be capable of traveling under its own power if desired. There are also many other changes and modifications that may be made without departing from the principles of my invention and Itherefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the priora'rt. I a i V .I claim as my invention; 7 V

1'. In a device of thejclass described the combinationof a portable frame,ja reciprocal carriage mounted thereon, a vertically adjustable support on the carriage, and tampiiig means h aving a universally adjust able connection with the vertically movable support. 1

'2. In a device of the class described the combination of a portable frame, a, reciprocal carriage transversely movable thereon, a crank connected with the carriage for automatically reciprocating the same, and adjustable tampi'ng means mounted on the carriage. V

In a device of the class described the combination'of a portable frame, a reciprocal carriage mounted thereon, 'means for automatically reciprocating the carriage, a plurality of tamping devices mountedon the carriage, means for simultaneously adjusting the tamping devices for uniformly varying the elevation thereof, means for independently adjusting each tamping device in any position of elevation. i

a 4. In: a device of the class described the combination of a frame having flanged wheels adapted to engage a track, a guide way mounted transversely on the frame, a carriage on the guideway movable 'trans versely 'of. the frame, means for automaticall'y reciprocating the carriage, a series of tamping devices mounted on and arranged lengthwise of the carriage, means for simultaneously and independently ad usting the tamping devices, and means for simultaneously and independently operatingthe tamping devices.

5; In a deviceofthe class described the combination of a portable frame, a'carriage longitudinally ofthecarr'iage; V V

10; In a device oft'he class described the mounted to reciprocate transversely thereon, a vertically adjustable support on the carriage, a tamping device on the support, and means for pivotally adjusting the tamping device laterally and lengthwise of the carriage, f r

6. In a device of the class described the combination of a portable frame, a carriage mounted to reciprocate transversely thereon, a plurality of tamping devices mounted'on the carriage, means for adjusting thetampi'n'g devices relatively to the carriage, and flexible power transmission means for communicating power from the carriage to the adjustable tainping devices.

"7. In a device 'of the classjdescribed the combination of a portable frame, a transversely reciprocal carriage mounted on the frame, a plurality of air hammers mounted on the carriage, s li'din'g means for adjusting the air hammers vertically on the carriage, pivotal means for adjusting the air hammers transversely and leiigth'vvise of the c"arria'ge,"and hose connections for commiinicatin'g power to the adjustable air hammers.

8. In a device of the class described the V ombination-with the rails and supporting ties of a portable frame provided with flangedfwheel engaging the rails, a carriage mounted on the framers reciprocate in a direction parallel with th'e'ties, plurality of tampin devicesinounted on the carriage and provided with tamping means operable below the "surface of,the tie, means for elevating and depressing the tamping de vices, and means for adjusting the lower end of the tainping devices to and from and longitudinally ofthe tie.

9. In a device of the "class described the combination of'a portable frame having a transverse g uideway, a carriage mounted for movement on the guideway, means for automatically reciprocating the carriage, a plurality of vertical guides on the carriage, taniping device's mounted in the vertical guides, a shaft extending lengthwise of the carriage, and provided with means thereon connected with the tamping "devices for elevating and lowering said devices, 'operat-' ing mechanism for said shaft forholdin'g the cam ing devices in positionsof adjustment, and supporting means for" adjusting the tamping devices sotha'tthe lower ends 7 thereof are" adjustable transversely combination of a portable frame, a transverse guide thereon, a carriage mounted on and of are movable transversely and longitudinally of the carriage.

11. In a device of the class described the combination of a frame, having track wheels thereon adapted to operate on a railroad track, a transverse guide adjustably supported on the frame, and an upri ht tamping device mounted on the guideway and means for raising and lowering the tamping device, and adjusting the lower end of the tamping' device transversely and longitudinally of the frame.

12. In a device of the class described a transverse guideway on the frame, a tamping device movable along said guideway, means for adjusting the tamping device angularly in a longitudinal direction with respect to said guideway and means for adjusting the tamping device vertically with respect to said guideway.

18. In a device of the class described a transverse guideway on the frame, a tamping device movable along said guideway, means for adjusting the tamping device angularly in a longitudinal direction with respect to said guideway.

14:. In a device of the class described a wheeled supporting frame and a tamping device carried thereby and adjustable thereto in a longitudinal direction, a vertical direction, and a transverse direction.

15. In a device of the class described, a wheeled supporting frame, a pair of tamp-i ing devices carried thereby adapted to operate on opposite sides of a tie, each of said devices being independently adjustably relatively to the frame in a longitudinal direction, a vertical direction and in a direction perpendicular to said longitudinal direction.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CORNELIUS G. HASTINGS.

lVitnesses CHARLES IV. HILLS, Jr., FRED E. PAESLER.