US2598048A

US2598048A - Tie cutter

Info

Publication number: US2598048A
Application number: US16690A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lloyd J Gilmore
Original assignee: WOOLERY MACHINE Co
Current assignee: WOOLERY MACHINE Co
Priority date: 1948-03-24
Filing date: 1948-03-24
Publication date: 1952-05-27
Anticipated expiration: 1969-05-27

Description

L. J. GILMORE May 27, 1952 TIE CUTTER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1' Filed March 24, 1948 alorb J. GI/LMORE y 1952 L. J. GILMORE 2,598,048

TIE CUTTER Filed March 24, 1948 I 3 SheetsSheet 2 LLOYD J: GILMORE FIE 5' L. J. GILMORE TIE CUTTER May 27, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 24, 1948 3mm LLOYD G/LMO/PE Patented May 27, 1952 OFFICE TIE CUTTER Lloyd J. Gilmore, Spokane, Wash, assignor to Woolery Machine Company, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application March 24, 1948, Serial No. 16,690 1 I 4 Claims.

. This invention relates to improvements in machines for cutting railway track ties to facilitate the removal of worn ties and replacement with new, with the minimum disturbance of the ballast material.

The present invention is similar in some respects to, and has the same purpose as, the machine disclosed in the Horace E. Woolery Patent No. 2,207,883 issued July 16,1949.- In that machine there is shown a frame supported for travel movement along the track rails and carrying a power operated, swinging saw which may be lowered by hand down into engagement with the tie to sever it inside the rail. The purpose of so cutting the tie is, as set out in the Woolery patent, to permit the severed end to be pulled out from beneath the rail without disturbing the tie bed in the ballast any more than necessary. To complete the removal of the tie its other end must, of course, be cut inside the other rail so that this end-can be removed, and then the center of the tie lifted out of its bed. In the Woolery machine this requires that the machine be periodically reversed on the track so that both ends of the ties may be severed and in a practice it has been the custom to run the machine down the track, ahead of the tie laying crew, for some distance while cutting each bad tie near one rail, and then to reverse the machine, running it back toward the crew to cut the ties near the other rail. This I operation has some disadvantages, one being that the cutter many times is far ahead of the crew and its removal from the track to clear the way of a train, and to reverse it for travel back toward the crew is often difficult. There are other disadvantages in this mode of operation which will be apparent to those skilled in track maintenance work but need no description herein.

It is the primary object of my invention to provide a machine having a frame for travel movement along the rails and a carriage, having the cutting mechanism supported for movements along the frame transversely to the rails. Thus it is possible to position the cutter for operation inside each rail and in practice as soon as one, or at most a few, of the ties are cut off at one end the carriage is shifted to cut off the opposite end. Thus, the machine works immediately ahead of the tie laying crew overcoming the disadvantages previously mentioned.

A further object is to provide a machine of this character which has numerous other advantageous features among which are a convenient meansfor locking the carriage in adjusted position, a separable carriage and frame arrangement facilitating handling and storage, and an overall reduction in weight and complication of" the machine to reduce its cost and increase its convenience in operation.

These and other more details and specific objects will be disclosed in the course of the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved machine in use on a track.

Fig. 2 is a plan view.

Fig. 3 is an end view, the track rails being shown in cross section, along the line 3-3 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional and elevational view along the line 44 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail side elevational view of the cutter carriage lock or brake.

My machine is designed for use upon a railway track having the usual rails A and B supported by ties C and the machine is for the purpose of forming transverse cuts D down through the ties inside the rails so that the severed ends and centers of the ties may be removed with minimum disturbance of the ballast.

The machine comprises a first or main frame, designated generally at I!) havingidentical side members consisting of parallel angles ll between the ends of which are journaled rollers or the grooved wheels [2 adapted to travel along the rails A and B. This frame is completed by transversely extending tracks or carriage supports l3 in the form of pipes welded to the angles l I, one adjacent each end thereof.

The machine further includes a second frame or carriage, designated generally at [4, and this carriage, as it will be hereinafter termed, comprises a pair of parallel side bars [5 and I6 suitably connected together and braced as designated at I 1. At one end of this frame there is removably mounted a bracket or bracket frame I8 terminating in transversely extending bars l9 between which are journaled a pair of peripherally grooved rollers 20 adapted to travel upon one of the tracks I3. Near the opposite end of the carriage at each side thereof there is removably mounted a bracket 2| in which is journaled another grooved roller 22 positioned to travel upon the other track I 3. It will be readily understood that this arrangement thus permits the carriage M to move back and forth on the tracks [3 in directions transverse to the rails A and B and parallel to and over the ties C. The purpose of removably mounting the brackets l 8 and 2| is to permit the substitution of wheels (not here shown) in the carriage for travel along the track rails so that the machine may be set up for use, without the frame [5, like that of the Woolery machine previously mentioned.

Suitably mounted on the carriage 14 adjacent one end thereof is a power plant 23 in the form of a small internal combustion engine upon the power shaft 24 of which is a grooved pulley 25 over which run belts 25 to a larger pulley or flywheel 27. This flywheel is mounted upon the end of a countershaft 28 journaled in bearings 29 secured to the carriage side bars 15 and 16. An upright standard 30 is secured to the side bar l and a bracket 3! thereon aids in supporting a pin 32 upon which is pivoted one end of the cutter feed arm 33 having a handle extension 34 out over one end of the carriage. A saw carrier 35 is pivoted at its upper end at 36 to the arm 33 and at its lower end the carrier has removably mounted a saw blade 3'! like that of the Woolery patent. A pitman 38 is pivoted at 39 to the lower part of the carrier 35 and at its opposite end is pivoted on an eccentric pin 40 on the flywheel 21, the arrangement being obviously thus such that the power rotation of the flywheel will be translated to an oscillating motion of the saw carrier and blade in an upright plane transversely of the ties C. The saw blade may be lowered into engagement with the tie and fed to its work by a workman grasping the handle 34 and standing at that end of the machine, the work being facilitated by a short hand grip M for his left hand.

The saw blade swings in a space alongside the carriage side bar l5 and within a guard plate 42 supported parallel with the side bar and from the side bar and guard plate there arises vertically slotted guide 43 through which the pitman 38 works, holding the saw against displacement lengthwise of the tie.

Arms 44 extend upwardly and angularly from the ends of the carriage l4 and they are joined by transverse parts 45 to which are pivoted handle bars 45. Then handle bars 45, of which there are two at each end of the carriage, may be readily grasped by workmen to lift the carriage from the track whenever required. At one end there is a mount for an abrasive wheel 41 (Fig. 1 only) which may be run from the power plant used to sharpen the saw blade 31 as will be readily understood.

While a tie is being cut it is, of course, necessary that the carriage be locked in position and for this purpose, I provide a lock or brake mechanism best shown in Fig. 5 which comprises arms 48 and 49 fulcrumed at 53 and El upon opposite sides of the bars l9 and depending therefrom to opposite sides of the adjacent track l3. Brake shoes 52 are secured at the lower ends of the arms 48-49 and the mounting of these arms is such that they may be swung together or apart on the pivots 5B5| to move the shoes against the track or away therefrom. Pivoted at the upper end of the arm 48 at 53 is a hand lever 54 and a loop 55 thereon loosely embraces the upper end of the other arm 49. A link 56 is pivoted at 51 to the lever 54 and at 58 to the arm 49 and the operation is obviously such that up and down movements of the hand lever 54 will swing the arms 4849 to engage and disengage the shoes 52 with the track B. The link 56 is in two parts, slotted to accommodate bolts 59 by which its length may be adjusted, and the pivot 58 may be located in any one of a series of openings 55 in the arm 49, all for the purpose of spacing and ad- 4 justing the arms to properly and tightly engage the shoes 52 with the track when the hand lever is operated.

The carriage may thus be locked in any position on the frame ID to position the saw along the length of the tie. Additionally it will be noted that the carriage may be lifted from the frame It to facilitate handling and storage, but upward displacement of the carriage as the saw is forced to its work is prevented by the fact that the brake shoes 52 engage the underside of the track l3, or engage it below its maximum diameter. This also permits the entire machine to be lifted from the track as a unit when desired.

In operation the saw is positioned to make a out near one rail and the carriage looked as the work proceeds. When a cut is completed the carriage is unlocked and moved across toward the other rail to make a cut thereat, being again locked as the cutting goes on. Stops 6| are secured to one of the tracks [3 to stop the movement of the carriage in both directions when the saw has reached the same point inside the rails. As will be noted in Fig. 3 the tracks l3 extend at one end beyond the adjacent rail some distance to accommodate the width of the carriage as it moves up against the stop in this direction. These stops may, of course, be adjustable as they are shown in Fig. l.

The saw feed arm 33 is yieldably urged in an upward direction by retractile coil springs 62 (Figs. 1, 3 and 4) which are connected at 63 to the opposite upper and lower ends of a pair of slide bars 6465. These bars are located one along the other and the bar 64 is slotted at 66 to accommodate a bolt 61 on the arms 33 while the other bar is slotted at 58 to pass a bolt 69 on a bracket attached to the carriage. Thus as the saw feed arm is depressed, to feed the saw to the work, the bars 64-65 slide endwise with respect to each other and stretch the springs, and vice versa.

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:

I claim:

1. A machine for cutting railway ties, comprising a first frame having wheels for travel along the rails, tracks on the first frame at front and rear ends thereof and extending crosswise with respect to the rails, a second frame having wheels at its front and rear ends supporting it upon the tracks for travel crosswise of the rails, and tie cutting means on the second frame, the said tracks having rounded upper portions and the wheels on the second frame being peripherally grooved to travel on said rounded portions, and means on the second frame for engaging one of the tracks and holding the frame downward on the first frame.

2. A machine for cutting railway ties, comprising a first frame having wheels for travel along the rails, tracks on the first frame at front and rear ends thereof and extending crosswise with respect to the rails, a second frame havin wheels at its front and rear ends supporting it upon the tracks for travel crosswise of the rails, a tie cutting means on the second frame adjacent one of said tracks, and means on the second frame for engaging the same track for securing 5 the second frame against displacement relative to the first frame.

3. A machine of the character described tor cutting railway ties, comprising a frame having wheels for travel movement along the railway and having transversely extending tracks at front and rear, a carriage having wheels supported on the tracks for movement transversely of the frame, tie cutting means on the carriage and including an operating handle member at one end of the carriage, and means on the same end of the carriage for locking the carriage against displacement on the tracks.

4. A machine of the character described for cutting railway ties, comprising a frame having wheels for travel movement along the railway and having transversely extending tracks at front and rear, a carriage having wheels supported on the tracks for movement transversely of the iframe, tie cutting means on the carriage, and means on the carriage for engaging the sides 6 and underside of one of said tracks to lock the carriage in the frame.

LLOYD J. GILMORE.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 Number Name Date 1,688,439 Smout Oct. 23, 1928 1,815,037 DeWalt July 21, 1931 1,830,977 Banfer Nov. 10, 1931 1,865,759 Hughes July 5, 1932 2,097,430 Brown Nov. 2, 1937 2,207,883 Woolery July 16, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS .0 Number Country Date 679,094 France Jan. 5, 1930