US2568156A

US2568156A - Ballast remover

Info

Publication number: US2568156A
Application number: US676136A
Authority: US
Inventors: Kershaw Royce
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1946-06-12
Filing date: 1946-06-12
Publication date: 1951-09-18
Anticipated expiration: 1968-09-18

Description

Sept. 18, 1951 .B. KERSHAW 2,568,156

- BALLAST REMOVER Filed June 12, 1946 s Shets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

P 13, 1951 B. KERSHAW 2,568,156

BALLAST REMOVER Filed June 12, 1946 5 sheets s e IN VEN TOR.

B. KERSHAW BALLAST REMOVER Sept. 18, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 12, 1946 Patented Sept. 18, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BALLAST RisMovER Royce Kershaw, Montgomery, Ala. Application'June 12, 1946, Serial No. 676,136

This invention is a ballast remover for use in reconstruction of railway track bed, the primary object of which is to provide means of comparatively simple construction and operation for quickly and withlittle effort removing the ballast from between cross ties preparator to the removal and replacement of ties.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tie bed cleaner .or ballast remover which is capable of being easily and quickly applied to or removed from the trackway, which embodies a power unit for carrying out the ballast removing operation, which is featured by feed and adjusting mechanism for determining the depth of removal of ballast as well as to determine the length of movement of the ballast clearing mechf anism. j A further object of the invention is to provide a tie bed cleaner or ballastremover involving a unit supported by a carrier to run upon the trackway, and involvingmechanism capable of 'being moved from side to side of the track in order that the ballast may be clearedfrom the center to both sides of the track.

' With the foregoing objects in view, together with others which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts,

all as will bedescribed more fully hereinafter,

illustrated in the drawings, and particularly pointed out intlie claims;

In the drawings: Fig. '1 is a cross sectional view through a conventional railway track and -"illus'trating in end view a ballast remover constructed in accordance withthe invention,

Fig. 215 a top plan view of the. ballast remover, and fi- ,Fig. 3 isca side elevation of the track andillustrating, also in side elevation, theballast remover of my invention.

The invention consists generally in a light .portable'carriage adaptedfor movement along iandupon the rails of a railroad track andhaving mounted thereon power-operated, mechanism for clearing away or throwing aside the ballast between ties of the railroad track. {The ballast clearer as a unit is of comparatively light weight 'so that it may be applied to and removed from thetracks of the road bed easily and with little difficulty. 'The clearer is. featured by simple :means for advancing the'clearer mechanism as well as for determining the-depth of operation of such mechanism'upon the'. ballast, and als ii volves' astructure whereby the clearer mecha 4 Claims. (01'. 37-104) described more fully hereinafter.

"nism may be revolved or rotated upon the supporting carriage so as to operate in either direction laterally of the trackway.

V More particularly, the supporting vehicle includes a body 4 of light construction yet possess- This erally disposed axles 5 upon the ends of which are secured flanged wheels 6 to engage and travel upon the rails! of the track.

Mounted upon the vehicle frame 4 and for horizontal rotation thereon is a skeleton platform represented generally at 8. This platform may consist of relatively light angle or channel bars secured together in rigid relationship by strut members or braces, and including a central channel member 9 pivoted as at I0 centrally of the vehicle frame 4. The platform in the present .instance is of substantially equal length with'the vehicle frame 4 and may be slightly wider than 'the said frame, and includes end bars, in the form of channel members, I l.

These bars are parallel with one another and are disposed laterally of the vehicle frame and constitute spaced rails of a trackway, the purpose of which willbe Superimposed upon the skeleton platform and :supported thereby is a carriage represented generally at l2. vThis carriage includes spaced :parallel bars I2 disposed longitudinally of the skeleton platform, which bars have mounted ,thereon rollers or wheels [3 to travel upon the .members I of the skeleton frame trackway. The .bars [2 project at one end beyond the skeleton platform 8 and rigidly secured to the projecting ends of said bars and extending laterall therefrom is a ballast clearer frame I4. This frame ,includes-spaced parallel bars M at the extreme ;ends of which and depending therefrom is a .gballast clearer frame. bars I4 and disposed laterally thereof is an axle 'or shaft l8, secured to the ends of which are drive wheels orpulleys l9.

ballast clearer wheel or drum l5 mounted for .rotation upon a shaft l 6 adjustably supported in the depending arms I! constituting a part of the Mounted also upon the The shaft l8 also carries a sprocket or sheave 2 I, over which passes a chain or clearer band 22 having ballast clearer 'cleats 23 arranged thereon in spaced relation; the

band or sprocket 22 passing over the drum l5.

"The power wheels or pulleys l9 are driven by belts 24 extending inwardly of the frame and passing around drive pulleys 25 secured to a shaft 26 supported by and parallel with the bars l2 of the carriage frame. A power source 2'1, such as an internal combustion engine or other type of motor, is supported also upon the bars l2 of the carriage frame, which motor drives the shaft 26. This shaft is equipped with a conventional clutch 28 operated by the hand lever 29 in order that the power connection between the motor 21. and the clearer mechanism may be made or broken as desired or required.

The clearer frame is equipped with means whereby the clearer mechanism at the end-thereof may be raised or lowered in carrying out the ballast removing operation. The means for bringing about and accurately governing this,

raising or lowering movement includes a supplementary roller frame 38 comprising spaced pal: allel arms as shown in Fig. 2 straddling the adjacent rail or bar I l constituting a track element of the carriage. The inner ends of the arms 38 are pivoted as at 3| to the carriage frame structure, while a roller or wheel 32 is rotatably mounted at the free ends of these arms and rests upon the track element H of the carriage. Pivoted between the arms 3% and above the horizontal plane of the pivot 3| and roller 32 is a trunnion block 33, through which extends a threaded shaft 34 mounted at its opposite end in a suitable bearing 35 on the carriage frame and equipped at its inner end with a hand-operated control wheel 36. From this construction it is obvious that rotation of the hand wheel 35 causes the shaft 34 to rotate in the internally threaded trunnion block 33 to cause the clearer frame to move up or down depending upon the direction of rotation of the hand wheel.

The means for moving the carriage upon the trackway l l includes a pair of sprocket chains 37, one disposed at each end of the carriage frame. These chains are secured at their ends as at 38 to the extremities of the rails ll of the carriage trackway. The carriage at each end rotatably supports a pair of sprockets 39, the teeth of which are engaged with the links of the sprocket chain 31. From these sprockets the chain lengths project upwardly and pass over a sprocket 41] also carried by the carriage frame above the horizontal plane of the sprockets 39. The shaft 4! which,

supports the sprocket 4e has secured thereto a larger sprocket wheel 42 over which passes a chain 43 in turn passing over a smaller sprocket 44 secured upon shaft 45. The shaft 45 has secured to one end thereof an operating wheel 46. It is obvious, therefore, that rotation of the handoperated wheel 46 will cause the larger sprocket 42 to rotate, carrying with it sprocket 49 over which passes the feed chaindl. Inasmuch as the ends of this chain are permanently secured to ends of the rails H of the carriage trackway, the entire clearer frame will be caused to move along the trackway H in a direction governed by the direction of rotation of the hand wheel 46. This particular chain and sprocket arrangement also assists in maintaining the traveling carriage securely upon its trackway.

In operation, the vehicle is placed upon the rails of the trackway to be operated upon, and is positioned so that the clearer wheel will be disposed above the ballast to be removed between ties. The clearer frame is moved inwardly of the vehicle preferably to the limit of its travel on the trackway ll, whereupon the depth determining hand wheel is rotated to accurately place the wheel l of the clearer mechanism. The motor road-bed. As the clearer wheel approaches the adjacent rail 1, the carriage frame is operated to lift the clearer wheel so as to clear the said rail, whereupon it is dropped so as to operate upon and remove the ballast from the rail to the ends of the ties. When all ballast has been cleared in this manner, the platform may be rotated upon I the vehicle so as to position the clearer mechanism reversely, and when the clearer wheel has been properly positioned between the desired ties, it is lowered and the operation proceeds to clear away the ballast from the opposite side of the road-bed.

It may be found desirable wherea considerable length of trackway is to be treated preparatory to tie replacement, to maintain the clearer mechanism so as to operate upon one side of the trackway between successive pairs of ties throughout the length of trackway to be treated,

after which the platform is rotated through degrees so as to operate upon the ballast at the opposite side of the road-bed, as will be understood. It may also be found desirable to maintain the track clearer mechanism to operate without revolving the platform. This maybe done by bodily lifting the car with its supporting mechanism and reversing its position upon the road-bed. It is desired that the proportions of the clearing mechanism and the supporting frame therefor be such that when the clearer frame is retracted, that is moved to its limit inwardly of the trackway, the clearer wheel will be disposed substantially midway between the rails of the road-bed. In this way, the clearer 'wheel will be insured of reaching all ballast between rails, and what little ballast remains directly beneath and in the vicinity of the rail 1 may be easily cleared away by hand.

From the foregoing it is obvious that I have constructed a ballast clearer mechanism fully capable of accomplishing the various objects sought, which involves relatively few simple and readily assembled parts, which has its parts so constructed and arranged as to minimize the opportunity for wear, breakage or derangement, which does not require the exercise of extraordinary skill or ability in its proper operation, which minimize manual labor in ballast clearing operations, and which will prove highly practical and efficient in use. i

I claim:

1. In a ballast remover, a vehicle, a trackway on said vehicle, a carriage movable on said trackway, a clearer frame secured to and projecting laterally from said carriage, a roller resting upon said trackway and supporting said carriage, and means for rocking said carriage and the clearer frame on said roller.

2. In a ballast remover, a vehicle, a trackway on said vehicle, a carriage movable on said trackway, a clearer frame secured to and projecting laterally from said carriage, a roller resting upon said trackway and supporting said carriage,

means for rocking said carriage and clearer frame on said roller, clearer mechanism carried the latter upon its supporting roller.

by said frame, and means for operating said mechanism.

3. In a ballast remover, a. vehicle, a, trackway on said vehicle, a carriage, a clearer frame secured to said carriage and projectingf'aterally therefrom, a, roller supporting one en of said carriage, a second roller mounted on plates pivotally connected to said carriage suppo ng said clearer frame and spaced from said firs named 'roller, both of said rollers resting 153 11 said trackway. and means on said carriage fo' ocking ge and resting upon said traokway, a plate pi oted at one end to said carriage and having 1 DPOsite end disposed beneath said frame, a roller carried by said plate and resting upon said trackway, a trunnion block carried by said plate, a screw shaft anchored in said carriage and threadedly engaged in said trunnion block, and clearer mechanism carried by said frame.

' ROYCE KERSHAW.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS