US2207883A - Railway tie cutting machine - Google Patents

Description

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July 16, 1940. H. E. wooLERY RAILWAY TIE CUTTING MACHINE Fiied Aug. s, 193e Julyvl, 1940- I H. E. wooLERY l 2,207,883

RAILWAY TIE CUTTING MACHINE Filed Aug. 8,- 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 July. 16, 1940. H. E. wooLERY.

RAILWAY TIE CUTTING MACHINE Filed Aug. 8, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 lub/e405 E Mouser July 16, 1940. H. E. wooLERY RAILWAY TIE CUTTING MACHINE 4 sheets-sheet 4 Filed Aug. 8. 1938 Patented July 16, 1940 UNITED STATES,-

PATENTy oFFlcE RAILWAY TIE CUTTING MACHINEA Horace E. Woolery, St. Paul, Minn.

Application August 8, 1938, Serial No. 223,653

9 Claims. (Cl. 143-69) I'his invention relates to improvements in machines for cutting railway ties.

Until quite recently it has been the practice in removing old and worn railway ties, to re- .,5 move rst a large quantity of the ballastk alongside the tie so that the tie could be moved later ally and dropped into the trench-like space thus formed, in order to clear the overlying rails. The tie was then drawn endwise from beneath the rails, after which the new tie was put in place and the ballast replaced and tamped down. However, this operation, in addition to consuming a needlessly great amount of time and labor in removing and replacing ballast, also resulted in a very imperfect footing for the new ties since it was a physical impossibility to tamp the disturbed ballast and restore it to the same density as it was at the outset. As a result, the new tie has had a tendency to settle or actually roll to.- 20 ward the disturbedportion of the ballast and cause an uneven roadbed to be formed.

To make possible the removal and replacement of old railway ties without disturbing; any substantial amount of the firmly packed ballast f there has recently been patented (April 12, 1938, Number 2,114,053) a machine by which the tie may be cut clear through at points just inside of each rail so that the tie is severed into three relatively short pieces. The en-d pieces may then 30 be withdrawn endwise from beneath the rails (after the spikes are removed of course), and the center piece lifted out and the entire tie is thus readily removed without digging out the ballast. The new tie is then put in place, and I what little new ballast is required is distributed and tamped down. The firm, undisturbed ballast along the sides and bottom of the new tie will then support it in proper position and prevent ysettling of the track at that point. The eicacy of this method of tie removal andv replacement cannot be questioned, but some fault has been found with `the patented machine in actual operation. This machine as now constructed embodies a pair of saw members supported upon a frame which has flanged Wheels at each side to run upon the railway track. This assembly, together with the correlated saw reciprocating means, saw feeding means, and tie gripping members for holding the machine over the tie being worked upon, is quite large and heavy, as Well as expensive, and the need for a lighter and more inexpensivel machine is apparent.v

f It has been found that there is no objection to cutting quite a number of ties near one rail and 'readily handled machine.

leaving the cut ends in place beneath the rail until the other ends can be cut and the tie removed and replaced. It is thus possible, in one stroke, to halve the number of parts required by providing amachine for cutting only one end of the tie at a time, and it is the primary object of my invention, therefore, to provide a tie cutting machine of relatively light and. inexpensive construction and which'embodies means for cutting one end of the tie at a time but which, due to its lightness, may be'readily reversed on the track to move back over the space of trackage just worked and cut free the other ends of the v ties.

Another object is to provide a machine of this kind in which the entire operating assembly is concentrated in a narrow unit over and adjacent one rail, and is supported by double flanged wheels thereon so as to provide a compact and The necessary lateral balance and stability is provided by a laterally extended outriggerarm Awhich carries at its end a small roller for Contact with the other rail. This Outrigger arm, however, is. arranged to swing back alongside the machine when not in use, so that the machine may be stored away in a small space,

Another object is to provide a machine for this purpose embodying a novel and eicient means for retaining it in place while cutting a tie and which means comprises a releasable clamp for engaging the head of the rail to prevent travel movement of the machine. This clamp arrangement is of advantage, relative to a tieengaging clamp, for the reason that the rail is a constant factor as regards width and very little range of operating adjustment, of theclamp jaws is required. On the contrary, the ties will vary a great deal in width, as well as in roundness and shape, and clamps for engaging the ties must necessarily have a 'wide range of adjustment and will require more manipulations to hold the machine. v

A further object is to provide a machine of this kind which includes a novel mechanism for varying the length of stroke of the cutting saw to thus adapt it to ties of any width and prevent the saw from swinging out into contact with the adjacent ballast. Associated with this stroke adjustment is a novel linkage system designed to prevent said adjustment from so changing the position of the saw that it will work off to one side of the tie as would otherwise be the case.

A further object is to provide a machine of this character embodying also a means for adzing the upper surface of the tie at both sides of the rail so that a smooth flat surface may be provided for the reception of a rail plate or chair. Rails very often sink into the tie some distance as time goes on, and to prevent this action the installation of rail plates may be desirable, especially where the tie itself is round. It has been the practice to adze the tie off at each side of the rail by han-d to permit the plate to be place-d beneath the rail, and it is to do away with this laborious and makeshift hand job that I provide the adzing attachment for my machine.

These and other more detailed and specific objects will be disclosed in the course of the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. l is a side elevation of my machine as in operation upon a section of railway track, the adjacent rail being removed in part and two ties shown in cross section in order better to illustrate the cutting operation.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine as shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the machine, viewing it from the opposite, or outer, side with respect to the view in Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary end elevation of the lower portion of the machine showing one supporting wheel and the frame adjusting means.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, vertical section along the line 5 5 in Fig. 1. p

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross section along the line 6--6 in Fig. 1.

Fig. '7 is an enlarged end view of the railclamp for locking the machine against travel movement.

Fig. 8 is a fragmental, vertical section similar to the lower portion of Fig. 6, but showing the tie adzing assembly and a tie adzed off by the machine.

Fig. 9 is a detail view showing a rail supported bya plate or chair after the tie has been adzed off as in Fig. 8.

Referring now more particularly and by reference characters to the drawings, A designates the main frame or base assembly of my machine, and which acts as a support for the power unit B, the saw C and its operating mechanism D and the stroke adjustment means E as well as the rail clamp F. 'Ihe frame A is supported at one side upon flanged wheels G and at the other by a single roller H in such manner as to run, as shown, upon the railway rails I which are supported upon the cross ties J. As stated hereinbefore, the saw C is arranged to cut downwardly through any of the ties J just inwardly of the adjacent rail I, and for this purpose the saw is arranged to have a pendulum like swinging or oscillating motion transversely of the tie to cut from side to side thereof. For then feeding the saw downwardly into the tie as the cutting proceeds, I provide the feed mechanism K.

Inasmuch as it is desirable in order to facilitate the removal of the severed end of the tie, to cut the tie as closely to the inner side of the rail as possible, I provide my framework A in the form of an elongated narrow assembly as shown and arrange it to ride immediately over the inner side of the rail adjacent which the cut is being made. The saw is thus properly supported in vertical alignment with the cut, and the weight of the parts is best distributed to aid in feeding the saw to its work. Of course, when one end of the tie is cut free, the other end may be similarly cut by simply reversing the machine on the track, a feat made readily possible by the relative simplicity, compactness, and lightness of my machine. It has been found, however, that there is no objection in working a considerable length of track by cutting the ties progressively at one end and leaving the severed ends in track supporting position with the spikes L and rail plates or chairs M (if used) still in place. The machine may then be reversed on the track at the end of its run in one direction and the other ends of the ties severed by running the machine back over the stretch previously covered. In this manner cuts N-N may be made adjacent each rail to divide the ties into the three sections J I J2, and J3.

When the tie is thus cut the various sections may be readily removed, and a new tie put in place, all without seriously disturbing the ballast and the density and firmness of the road bed. It is thought that further details as to the actual method of removing and replacing the ties will need no further description herein, and attention is directed to the previously identified Letters Patent No. 2,114,053, for a complete discussion of the method and its merits.

Describing my `machine now more in detail, the frame A comprises two angle iron base beams or members I0 and II which are secured in parallel kus spaced relation by rivets I2 to the mounting wings or lugs I3 of the bearing members I4 forming supports for the axles I5 of the wheels G. These beams I@ and I I are thus supported to run parallel with the rail I upon which the wheels G travel and to stand upwardly and inwardly from that rail. The projection inwardly from the rail I is adjustable by means of the screws Iii which run through end plates Ilia aixed to the inner ends (relative to the track) of the axles I5 and which have threaded engagement with lugs II cast in the bearings I4 so that, by turning cranks I8 on the inner ends of the screws, the bearing and the beams supported4 thereby may be adjusted horizontally to different positions relative to the rail. Inasmuch as the saw C operates in a vertical plane centrally located in the space between the beams It and II, this adjustment serves to vary the position along the length of the tie at which the cut will be made. It is, as stated, desirable to make the cut as closely as possible to the inner side of the rail, to facilitate removal of the severed ends of the tie, but where a rail chair M is used the cut must necessarily be moved inwardly ment with the rail I opposite the rail engaged by the wheels G. The Outrigger arm I9 is extended from a point adjacent what is hereinafter termed the frontal end of the machine and is braced inv position by a brace rod 2| releasably connected at 22 to a medial point of the arm and extended diagonally rearward to the beam II where it is pivoted at 23 thereto'. By releasing this rod from the arm at 22, the arm may be swung back alongside the beams to permit storage of the machine in a narrow space. The location of the arm toward the frontal end of the machine also leaves they space between the ties at the rear end of the machine clear for the convenience of the operator of the machine. I

Mounted vertically atop the beams l0 and H at.' the rear portions thereof is a frame made up of braced upwardly converging side `members 24 which arebolted at their lower ends 25 to the beams 4and at their upper ends are joined by a cross piece 26. -A feed lever 21 is pivotally connected in a transverse axis 28- to the center of said cross piece 25 and extends rearwardly to terminate in a handle 29,. The upper end of the saw carrier bar 35 is pivotally connected at Si between the diverging frontal end portion of the lever 21, and depends freely there-from down Wardly between the beams I 9 vand H adjacent their rear ends'.r At its lower end this carrier 35 is provided with a recess 32 and spacedbolts 33, by means of which the saw blade 34 may be secured' in place, and this blade is elongated in form, having saw teeth 35 along its lower cutting end', as shown. The length of `this cutting end of the'blade is considerably less than the width of the ties J. It will be readily apparent that, by raisingand lowering the feed lever 21 'the saw 34 may be adjusted vertically toward and away from the tie as required for feeding the saw into the tie as it is being cut. The saw may also be raised entirely into the clear when the machine is not in use or is traveling along the rails, and the usual toggle levers or links 36 are provided for releasably retaining the parts in this elevated position. A telescoping rod assembly 31 is pivotally connected at 38 to the feed lever and extends down-` wardly and rearwardlyto a bearing 39 aflixed on the beam lil, and this: rod assembly will extend or telescope as the lever is raised and lowered. A spring arm 40 secured to the outer tubular section of the rod bears frictionally at 4l on the inner section to frictionally retain the lever and saw in any adjusted position, as will be understood.

The saw operating mechanism D comprises a crankshaft 42 which is journaled transversely in bearings 43 adjacent the upper ends of the frame side members 24, and which is driven by the power'unit'B (which may be any self-contained unit or motor) by means of a. belt 44 trained over the power unit drive pulley 45 and another pulley 45a aixed to one end of the crankshaft. A connecting rod 45 is pivotally connected at one end 41 to the crank pin of the crankshaft and extends forwardly toward the substantially vertically disposed rock lever or operating lever 48 to which it is pivotally connected at 49. This lever 48 is fulcrumed at 5&2, and at its lower end is pivotally connected at 5l to a pitman 52 extended rearwardly and pivotally connected at 53 to the lower end of the saw carrier 3l?. This assembly is obviously such that rotation of the crankshaft 42 by the power unit B will cause a rocking or oscillating movement of both the operating leverl 48 and the saw carrier 30 in a vertical plane and transversely with respect to the ties J. This movement of the saw carrier will cause a sawing action of the saw teeth 355 upon a tie, when the saw is fed down toward the tie by manipulation of the feed lever 21, and the tie may thusbe sawed entirely through along a transverse line and at a point inwardly of .the adjacent rail I by a distance determined by the setting of the screws I6,

It is important in the operation of the saw that its stroke be controlled conformably with the Width of the tie in order to prevent the saw from moving outward into engagement with the ballast at each end of its stroke, and so becoming dulled or' broken. For this purpose I provide means for adjusting the fulcrumpoint of the operating lever 48 in a vertical plane so that, due to variation in the leverage thus attained, the stroke of the saw may be varied at will This fulcrum point 50, therefore,r is formed of pins which extend at opposite sides from a slidebearing boxing or case 54 slidably mounted on a faced off medial section of the lever. These pins are then pivotally mounted at 55 in the spaced, longitudinally extended and vertically movable rocker arms or members 55 and 51. These members. are pivotally mounted at their rear ends at 58 to the upper ends of links 59 which are in turn pivotally supported on the rear ends o-f the beams l0 and l I in the bearing 39, and another, 50, in axial alignment therewith, and at their frontal ends: the members are pivotally connected at 5l to a yoke E2. This yoke is threaded at 53 on a vertically axised adjusting screw 64, and an inverted' U-shaped stand 55 is bolted at 6G to the beams I0 and ll to support the screw in such manner that, by turning the handle 51, the screw may be operated to raise or lower the frontal end of the said rocker members. An upward movement of the rocker members will thus slide the bearing 54 upwardly on the operating lever 48 to lengthen the saw strokes while a downward movement will reverse this action and shorten the saw strokes.

To prevent the operating lever 48 from itself moving upwardly and downwardly during this operation, I provide links 68 at each side and which are pivotally mounted at their lower ends to bearings 69 secured on the beams I 0 and Il, and extended upwardly to a point substantially in alignment with the axis 50. Inasmuch as the majority of ties are of a similar width, this axis 50 will in most cases rest at a constant level, and

the upper ends of these links 58 are provided with bearings 10 at a point in alignment with this normal position of said axis 50. Hanger arms 1| are welded, or otherwise secured, at 12 to the operating lever 48 above the faced oif portionv thereof, and depend downwardly alongside the lever to a pivotal connection with the said bearings 10. The arms may thus rock back and forth freely on the bearings, and even when the axis 50 is shifted for varying the stroke the rocking action will not be interfered with. However, the operating lever 48 will be prevented from shifting as the slide bearing 54 is moved, as will be readily evident.

To avoid the possibility of the aforesaid stroke adjustment causing a shifting of the normal position of the saw carrier 30 by a fore and aft displacement of the position of the driving mechanism, I provide the lever arms 13 which are pivotally mounted in bearings 14 on the frame side members 24 and extend rearwardly th'ere- Y from to their pivotal connections at 15 with the rocker members 56 and 51. Thus, as the rocker members are moved upwardly or downwardly to vary the stroke of the saw, the operating lever will not be shifted forwardly or rearwardly, but instead will be retained in the same relative vertical position by the pull exerted by these lever arms 13 (which move at their rear ends with the rocker members) and which pull will counteract any shifting tendency of the assembly,

'I'he foregoing completes the construction of the machine insofar as the saw and various controls and supports therefor are concerned, and it is thought that the operationwill vbe apparent without further description herein. For convenience in handling lthe machine, a hand rail 16 may be provided along each side and at the front. That portion of the rocker members 56 and 51 be.- tween which the saw carrier 30 will swing may be lined by bearing strips or bars IUI of wood or the like to serve as bearings and guides for the saw carrier. These strips IDI may be secured in any suitable manner to the inner faces of the rocker members. The connecting rod 46 is partially enclosed by a protective guard or shield |92, shown only in Fig. 3, and which is removably supported between the frame 24 and stand 65. Spare saw blades may be carried by bolting them along one side of the beams, as shown in Fig. 3.

For the purpose of securing the machine against travel movement along the track while a tie is being cut, I provide the rail clamp now to be described. This device is arranged at the rear of the machine for convenience to the operator of the machine, and comprises an inverted, U-shaped yoke member 1'I which has its ends freely pivoted on the axle I5 at each side of the rear wheel G. Arms 'I8 extend rearwardly from the pivoted ends of this yoke member and at their rear ends carry a transversely axised bearing sleeve 'I9 through which a shaft 89 is slidably mounted. At the outer side of the rail a shoulder or jaw 8| is depended from the sleeve 19 and is adapted, in one position of the parts, to move downwardly alongside the rail head as shown in Fig. '7. This shoulder 8| carries set screws 82 to engage the outer side of the rail head. The shaft 8l) carries a jaw 83 radially extended to fit downward over the inner side of the rail head, and this jaw has a set screw 84 for engaging said head. 'Ihe shaft 89 is threaded and may be moved endwise through the bearing 19 by slightly turning the block 85, and for this purpose the elongated handle 86 is provided. Thus, by manipulating the handle 86 the shaft 80 may be moved .to draw the jaw 83 toward jaw 8| and clamp the rail head between the set screws 82 and 84, or, by reversing the movement, the jaws may be disengaged from the rail. The machine may in this manner be retained in any adjusted position along the track to properly center the saw over the tie being cut.

A retractile coil spring 8l is stretched between the yoke 'Il' and a bracket 88 secured forwardly to the beam I9, and serves to normally draw the yoke forwardly and swing the jaws upwardly out of engagement with the rail as shown in Fig. 3. However, by placing the foot on the extended pin 89 the yoke and jaws may be readily pushed down into rail engaging position. The amount of this movement of the parts is limited by a rod 90 which is pivoted at 9| to the yoke and extends rearwardly and slidably through an eye 92 on the bracket 88. Stops 93 are provided on the rod to contact the eye 92 and limit the motion.

It is frequently found that the rail, especially if it has not been initially supported on a rail plate or chair, has sunk or worn its way down into the tie a considerable distance. The tie, however, may still be perfectly sound and not require replacement. Under these circumstances it has been the custom to adze the tie off at each side of the rail down to a point level with the base of the rail to permit the rail to be raised slightly and rested upon a plate, placed upon the smoothed upper surface of the tie.k This operation has heretofore been carried out by hand, but by use of an adzing tool (Fig. 8) my machine may be employed for the purpose and will not only provide a smoother job, but will do the work in less time. 'I'his tool is, of course, used in lieu of the saw 34 which is removed and replaced by one tool head 94 which then is supported in position to work at the inner side of the rail. There is also provided a head 95 for working at the outer side of the rail, and this head is supported in spaced relation (horizontally) to the inner head by an arm or bracket 96 which is bolted at 91 to the carrier member 39 and straddles the rail and adjacent parts of the machine;A The tool heads 94 and 95 may be of any suitable construction, having teeth or blades 98 over a relatively wide working face in order to cut away transverse sections of the tie at each side of the rail when lowered into working engagement and operated by the saw operating mechanism herein described. The cut away portions of the tie are indicated at 99 in Fig. 8, and it will be noted that a long straight surface |00 is thus provided flush with the base of the rail so that a rail chair or plate M (Fig. 9) may be put in place to support the rail.

It is understood that suitable modifications may be made in the structure as disclosed, provided such modifications come within the spirit' and scope of the appended claims. Having now therefore fully illustrated and described my invention, what I claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A tie cutting device comprising a frame adapted to be supported .on 'the rails of a railway track,l a feed lever pivotally connected to the frame for vertical adjustment with respect thereto, a cutting device pivotally supported in a depended position from the lever for transverse oscillating movement with respect to a tie supporting the said rails, an operating lever pivotally supported in the frame upon a vertically adjustable bearing, a pitman connected between one end of the operating lever and a lower portionl of the cutting device, and power operated means connected to the other end of the operating lever for rocking the said lever and oscillating` the said cutting device.

2. A tie cutting device comprising a frame adapted to be supported on the rails of arailway track, a cutting device pivotally supported in the frame for transverse oscillating movement with respect to a tie under the rails, an operating lever fulcrumed with respect to a vertically adjustable bearing, a pitman connected between one end of the operating lever and a lower portion of the cutting device, rocker members pivote ally supported at one end from the frame and connected adjacent their opposite ends to the bearing forming the fulcrum for the operating lever, means for adjusting the rocker members for vertically adjusting the said pivotal support and varying the leverage between the operating lever andthe cutting device, and power operated means connected to the operating lever for rocking the said lever and oscillating the said cutting device. v

3. A tie cutting device comprising a frame adapted to be supported on the rails of a railway track, a cutting device pivotally supported in l a depended position in the frame for transverse oscillating movement with respect to a tie under the rails, an operating lever pivotally supported in the frame for movement about an adjustable fulcrum, a pitman connected between the oper; 65

supported for travel movement on the rails of a railway track, a cutting device supported from the frame for transverse cutting movement with respect to a tie supporting the rails,y means for operating the cutting device, a vertically adjustable and releasable clamp device on the frame for clamping engagement with one rail to thereby retain the machine in position with respect to the tie, and means normally urging the clamp device upwardly out of engagement with the rail.

5. A tie cutting device comprising, a frame adapted to be supported upon a railway track, a cutting device pivotally supported in the frame in a depending positionfor swinging movement transversely of a tie .of the tra-ck, a power actuated operating lever fulcrumed in the frame for swinging movement in a vertical plane and connected to the cutting device, a vertically adjustable bearing member forming the fulcrum for the operating lever, and means for vertically adjusting the said bearing member relative to the operating lever.

'6. A tie cutting device, comprising a frame adapted to be supported over a railway track, a cutting device pivotally and adjustably suspended in the frame for oscillating movement transversely with respect to a railway tie, a power actuated operating lever mounted for oscillation in a vertical 4plane in the frame and connected to the said cutting device, bearing means for the operating lever, and means supporting the said bea-ring means for adjusting the same lengthwise of the operating lever in such manner that the amplitude of movement of the cutting device may be regulated without shifting the device from vertical alignment with the tie. f

7. A tie cutting device comprising a frame supported for travel movement on a railway track, tie cutting mechanism in the frame, and means for locking the frame against travel movement during cutting operation of the mechanism, said means comprising a clamp device pivotally supported on the frame and yieldably urged upwardly with respect to the frame but capable of being moved downward to engagement with the rail, and lever actuated means for releasably clamping said clamp device on the rail.

8. In a tie cutting machine for operation upon a railway track, a narrow elongated frame comlnrising spaced side members, bearing means adjacent the ends of the frame, wheel axles journaled and slidably mounted through said bearing means and extended transversely with respect to the length of the frame, wheels on the said axles for operation upon one rail of the track and arranged to support the said frame inwardly of one track rail, means on theframe operative through the space between the frame side members for cutting a tie inwardly of the rail, and means for shifting the said axles in horizontal transverse planes to thereby shift the frame relative to the inner side of the rail.

9. A tie cutting device comprising, a frame adapted to be supported upon a railway track, a cutting device pivotally supported in the frame in a depending position for swinging movement transversely of a tie of the track, a power actuated operating lever fulcrumed in the frame for swinging movement in avvertical plane and connected to the cuttingdevice, means for adjusting the stroke of the operating lever and cutting device conformally to the width of the tie, links connected to the frame, hanger members connected to the operatinglever, and the said links and hanger members being pivotally connected to pivotally support the operating lever.

HORACE E. WOOLERY.

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