US2990787A

US2990787A - Tie handling equipment for use in conjunction with ballast handling devices used under railroad tracks

Info

Publication number: US2990787A
Application number: US850793A
Authority: US
Inventors: James W Christoff; Richard A Peppin
Original assignee: Mannix Co Ltd
Current assignee: Mannix Co Ltd
Priority date: 1959-11-04
Filing date: 1959-11-04
Publication date: 1961-07-04
Anticipated expiration: 1978-07-04

Description

J y 1961 J. w. CHRISTOFF ET AL 2,990,787

TIE HANDLING EQUIPMENT FOR USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH BALLAST HANDLING DEVICES USED UNDER RAILROAD TRACKS Filed Nov. 4, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Wm, www

y 1961 J. w. CHRISTOFF ETAL 2,990,787

TIE HANDLING EQUIPMENT FOR USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH BALLAST HANDLING DEVICES USED UNDER RAILROAD TRACKS Filed Nov. 4, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 4, 1961 J. w. CHRISTOFF ET AL 2, 9

TIE HANDLING EQUIPMENT FOR USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH BALLAST HANDLING DEVICES USED UNDER RAILROAD TRACKS Filed Nov. 4, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 n EE l/ INVEA/ TOPS wwmww ATTORNEY-5' J ly 4, 1 61 J. w. CHRISTOFF ETAL 2,990,787

TIE HANDLING EQUIPMENT FOR USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH BALLAST HANDLING DEVICES USED UNDER RAILROAD TRACKS Filed Nov. 4, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 July 4, 1961 J. w. CHRISTOFF ET AL 2,990,787

TIE HANDLING EQUIPMENT FOR USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH BALLAST HANDLING DEVICES USED UNDER RAILROAD TRACKS Filed NOV- 4, 1959 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 V w W m MM m M #4. W

United StawSP Cm 9 F James W. Christoft, Minneapolis, and Richard A. 'Peppin,

Hopkins, Minn., assignors to Mannix Co. Ltd.-, Calgary Alberta, Canada I Filed Nov. 4, 1959, Ser. No. 850,793 v 11 Claims. (Cl.-1ll47) "This invention relates totie handling equipment-for use ballast plow types.

Ballast plows are employed for removing fouled ballast from a railroad roadbed. A plow is inserted between the roadbed and the ties to which the track rails are secured and is then towed along the track in thisposition by a locomotive. As the plow progresses, it raises the ties from the roadbedahead of it, supports the ties and the rails secured thereto, as the device passes underneath, and

2,990,787 Patented July 4, 1961 track devices of both the ballast plow and ballast sled type designed to pick up such loose ties and carry themalong the upper runners of the under-track device together with the remainder of the ties which are properly secured to the rails. Such under-track devices deal with the problem of handling loose ties in advance of the under-track device and normally avoid any need to stop the under-track device for removal of a loose tie in advance of the undertra ckdevice. However, they serve only to move the loose tie up 'onto the top of theunder-track device, with the rema-inder of the track. It will normally be desirable to re with under-track devices of the vso-called ballast sled and place such loose tie (the timber of which will likely. have deteriorated) by a new tie, for which purpose it is first necessary to remove the loose tie to the side of the track.

The present invention is primarily concerned with the provision of a tie ejector mechanism for accomplishing finally allows the ties and rails .to settle back onto the roadbed or sub-gradeibeneath the device. The weight of the ties and rails supported by the plow is considerable and the plow is therefore pressed firmly down against the ballast. By providing the plow with one or more scraper blades it is possible to separate a layer of ballast of chosen depth anddisp-lace this ballast to the side or sides of the track beyondthe ends of the ties; so that when the ties re-settle, this displaced ballast can be readily removed. Ballast sled devices are similar to ballast plows in that they'are insertedbetween the roadbed and the ties and are towed along in this position by a locomotive. Sleds, however, are used either during the laying down of new tracks or to perform a reballasting operation following the pulling of a ballast plow in the manner just described. After the plow has removed the fouled ballast, or, in the case of a new track laid directly on the sub-grade, after the track has been so laid, fresh clean ballast is dumped onto the track to lie on top of the ties and rails. The function of the sled is to raise the ties up to their desired level and distribute theballast evenly beneath them. Subsequently additional ballast will normally be dumped on the track between each pair of adjacent ties, this latter operation usually being carried out manually, since it does not require raising of the track.

There is much in common between the basic structure of a ballast plow and a ballast sled, the difierence being that the ballast handling means of the plow is at least one scraper blade for deflecting ballast, whereas that of the sled is at least one levelling blade for smoothing out ballast. In other respects these two devices function in a very similar manner, each being required to move along the roadbed while lifting and supporting a sectionof track. Both devices consist of a generally flat framework of rigid construction, this framework including upper runner means for slidingly and supportingly engaging the ties,

this end.

M The invention is also concerned with a tie removal mechanism for mounting on an under-track device to travel, therewith, such mechanism comprising a power operated hammer positioned to engage a tie of the elevated section of track rearwardly of the under-track device to force such tie out of engagement with one or both rails. Such a tie removal mechanism is adapted for, use with a tie ejector mechanism and may be used either to complete the separation from the track of a partly loose tie, or to initiate separation of a tie that is not loose but which requires replacement for another reason, such as damage or deterioration. The tie removal mechanism is preferably positioned so that the tie which it separates from the track will fall down onto the tie ejector mechanism for and either scraper blades (in the case of a plow) or underrunners and levelling blades (in the case of the sled).

One of the problems encountered in operating undertrack devices is the handling of partially and wholly loose ties, that is to say ties from which some or all of the rail spikes have become displaced or loosened sufliciently to be no longer effective. Sometimes the spikes become ineffectual at only one end of the tie; sometimes at both ends of the tie. 1

The picking up of such partly or wholly loose ties as the under-track device proceeds along the track presents a problem, because, as the rails are raised, a partly loose tie will hang down at one end and a wholly loose tie will lie on the ballast or sub-grade detached from the rails.

United States patent application Serial No. 749,740 of James W. Christofi, filed July 21, 1958, describes underdisplacement to the side of the track. I

'The various other features of the invention will become apparent from consideration of the apparatus illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, and from the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 shows a front elevation view of a tie ejector mechanism that forms part of the present apparatus;

FIGURE 2 is a section taken on the line II-II in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG- URES 1 and 2 showing the same in position under a track and connected to an under-track device of the ballast plow type;

FIGURE 4 is a view taken on the line IV-IV in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a view on a reduced scale taken on the line V-V in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary view similar to the rear part of FIGURE 4, and taken on the line VI-VI in FIGURE 5, demonstrating a first stage in the operation of the tie ejector mechanism;

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 6, showing a later stage in the ejection of a tie;

FIGURE 8 is' a further view similar to FIGURES 6 and7 showing a still later stage in such operation;

FIGURE 9 is a View on the line IX-IX in FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 but showing the addition of tie removal mechanisms secured to the rear of the ballast plow;

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary view of the tie removal mechanisms seen on the line XI-XI in FIGURE 10;

FIGURE 12 is a fragmentary plan View of a modified tie ejector mechanism and the rear portion of a ballast plow, showing a different manner of carrying the invention into practice; and

I base 10 having an upturned rim 11 extending around its 3 base the tie ejector mechanism can slide along on the ballast or sub-grade of a railroad track. Mounted on the base 10 by means of legs 12 is the main frame 13 of the tie ejector mechanism, this frame supporting a conveyor system consisting of an upper plate 14 through which at spaced intervals project the upper peripheral surfaces of rollers 15 that are mounted on the frame 13 to turn freely. This plate 14 and the upper peripheries of the rollers 15 that project slightly thereabove serve to support an upper span of a conveyor belt 16 that extends in an endless loop along the top of the plate 14 and around a free running end roller 17 mounted on the frame 13, to return along the under side of the frame 13 on rollers 18 and to pass over

idling rollers

19 and 20 and driven roller 21 the latter being connected by chain 21a to a power plant 22, such as a small gasoline engine shown diagrammatically in FIGURES 1 and 2, such power plant 22 being mounted on the fixed frame 13.

The power plant 22 will include a suitable clutch whereby the roller 21 may be driven at will to cause the belt 16 to travel in a continuous loop with its operative span moving from left to right as seen in FIGURE 1, that is towards the end of the mechanism remote'from the power plant 22 where no apparatus obscures the free discharge of ties from the belt 16 beyond the equipment.

Pivotally secured to the frame 13 by means of brackets 23 are a pair of towing arms 24. These arms 24 are shown in raised position in FIGURES 1 and 2 to assist illustration, although they would in reality fall under their own weight to rest on the ground until connected to an under-track device in the manner that will later be described. Each of the towing arms 24 has a hole 25 in its'free end for purposes of establishing this connection, and each arm 24 is shaped so as to have a first portion 26 which, in the operative position shown in entire periphery, on which 7 FIGURE 2, slopes gently downwardly from the hole 25 towards the belt 16, and a second break-away portion 27, lying between the first portion 26 and the brackets 23 and sloping down towards the belt 16 more steeply.

" On the side of the tie ejector mechanism remote from the towing arms 24 (i.e. the rear) there is mounted an upstanding plate 28 that extends along substantially the full operative length of the conveyor belt 16. As will appear better from the views of the mechanism in use, this plate 28 serves to prevent ties moving beyond the belt 16 at the rear of the mechanism. At the front of the mechanism

flat plates

29 and 30 are provided. These plates are supported on arms 31 and 32 from the frame 13 and are arranged each at one end of the mechanism outwardly of an arm 24 so as to lie generally horizontally in a plane slightly above that of the belt 16 and so as somewhat to overlie the front edge of the belt, as perhaps best appreciated from the view ofFIGURE 3. These

plates

29 and 30 serve to minimize the entry of small particles of ballast into the mechanism.

The manner in which the tie ejector mechanism shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 may be connected to an undertrack device is illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4 which show an under-track device 33 of the single track ballast plow type. This plow 33 is similar to the plow shown in FIGURES 16-20 of said prior application and comprises a main plate 34 of rigid steel, to the underside of which there is secured a centrally located spine in the form of a downwardly projecting bar 35 extending rearwardly from the centre of the front edge of the plate 34. Also secured to the underside of the plate 34 to extend rearwardly and to each side of the plow 33 from the spine 35 are

curved steel moleboards

36, 37, 38 and 39. A similar pair of moleboards 40 and 41 extend rearwardly and to the lateral edges of the plow 33 from points situated at the front edge of the plate 34 and displaced respectively one to each side of the spine 35. Each moleboard serves to mount a scraper blade,

blades

42, 43 and 44-being visible in FIGURE 4. Each scraper If desired, wheels or rollers blade is mounted on its supporting moleboard by means of a number of bolt and nut assemblies which pass through holes in the blades and slots in the moleboards to permit adjustment of relative position.

In addition,

wing members

45, 46, 47 and 48 are fitted into slots 49, 50, 51 and 52 at the lateral edges of the plow 33, such wings 4548 forming outwardly projecting extensions of the respective blades.

Projecting forwardly from approximately the leading points on the plow at which the moleboards 40 and 41 commence, are beams 53 and 54, the respective lower flanges of which serve to define the leading underneath surface of the plow. The beams 53 and 54 serve to support the leading nose portions 55 and 56 of a pair of spaced-apart upper-

runners

57 and 58 which extend the full length of the plow from one end to the other and, in operation, serve to support the under surfaces of the ties 60 secured to rails 61.

Convention towing cars 62 and 63 are secured to the forward side edges of the plate 34 of the plow 33, these ears serving to connect towing cables 64 and 65 to the plow. The plate 34 is provided with weep holes 66 and one or more keel devices such as disclosed in said prior application will be used, although these are not visible in the present drawings. Further details of the structure of the plow and of its operation are fully described in said prior application, and will not be repeated fully here. Sufiice to say that the nose portions 55 and S6 lie su-fiiciently far forward of the remainder of the plow normally to pick up loose ties and cause these to be carried rearwardly relatively to the plow (in fact it is the plow that moves under the ties) along the

upper runners

57 and 58. The ballast 66 encountered on the track is deflected to both sides of the track by the plow blades and finally by the wings 4548, in the manner shown diagrammatically in FIGURE 3.

The towing arms 24 on the tie ejector mechanism are secured to the rearmost ends of the

upper runners

57 and 58 so as to define a direction of tow for such mechanism, this connection being established by means of nut and bolt assemblies 67 that pass through the holes 25 in the towing arms 24 and through similar holes in the rear ends of

runners

57 and 58. Thus, as the plow 33 is towed along by cables 64 and 65, the tie ejector mechanism follows behind'the plow beneath the section of elevated track with its base 10 sliding on the subgrade 68 or whatever ballast may be on the sub-grade. can be arranged on the underside of the base '10 but these are not normally found necessary. The more elevated portion of the tie ejector mechanism represented by the power plant 22 is sufiiciently to one side of the track to avoid any contact with the ends of the ties 60.

Attention is now directed towards FIGURES 5-9 which illustrate the operation of the tie ejector mechanism. FIGURE 6 shows a loose tie 60' that has been picked up by the nose portions 55 and 56 of the plow and conveyed on

runners

57 and 58 along the top of the plow 33 by the forward movement of the latter, tie 60 being prevented from travelling with the plow by the next adjacent tie 60".

As is shown by FIGURE 7, the tie 60' will fall down onto the comparatively gently inclined portions 26 of the towing arms 24, as soon as it passes beyond the ends of the

runners

57 and 58. Then, the plow and tie ejector mechanism continue to travel forwardly under the track, such tie 60 will encounter the sharply inclined portions 27 of the towing arms 24 and will quickly fall away from its contact with the adjacent tie 60". Up until this time, it has been maintained in its position by the presence of the tie 60", but now it drops away under gravity and slides quickly onto the conveyor belt 16 which is travelling at high speed in the direction away from its power plant 22, as demonstrated in FIGURE 9. In this position, the fixed tie 60" can pass freely over the tie 60' and thus permit the latter to have free passage out to the side of the track. The sharply sloping break away portions 27 of the towing arms 24 are desirable at all times to prevent jamming but are especially important should there be two loose ties together on the track, because it will then be necessary for the first such tie to be cleared from under the track rapidly before the second loose tie falls down onto the tie ejector mechanism. The shape of the towing arms 24 encourages this effect, since the first tie falls quickly down the portions 27 onto the belt 16 while the next tie is still travelling comparatively slowly along the gently sloping portions 26 of the arms 24, this latter speed being determined by. the speed'of towing, which may vary anywhere from /2 a mile per hour for deep plowing to 2 miles per hour for sledding The towing arms 24 thus, in addition to defining the towing means, also constitute guide means for directing a loose tie onto the upper span of the conveyor belt, although clearly, if preferred, these two functions'could be performed by separate means. Moreover, the sharply sloping portions 27 provide means for effecting rapid travel of the loose tie onto the conveyor belt over the latter part of its movement. In this connection the term rapid travel means rapid in relation to the speed of towing. The rate of towing determines the rate of travel of the tie relative to the under-track device (in reality the tie stays still, at least. in the horizontal direction, and the under-track device moves).until these rapid travel or break-away portionsare encountered. As stated above, this feature ensures separation of the ties sufficiently to enable the conveyor to dispose or substantially dispose of one tie before being called upon to handle another.

The manner of obtaining-the rapid travel feature may not necessarily be by means of steep portions of guide bars, as in the specific embodiment described above. Alternatively, mechanically powered devices may force the tie rearwardly onto'the conveyor belt once it has reached a certain point. For example, a rearwardly travelling, comparatively fast moving conveyor could engage the tie to accelerate the latter part of its travel onto the main conveyor. There would then be no need to have differently inclined portions to the guide means.

FIGURE is a further plan view showing the plow 33 as before connected to the tie ejector mechanism, but this 'view also illustrates tie removal mechanism 70 secured to each side of the rear of the plow 33 in position to knock a tie down onto the belt 16 of the tie ejector mechanism, or onto the towing arms 24 thereof for subsequent travel onto the belt 16. These tie removal mechanisms 70 are employed to remove ties that have become detached from the rails at only one end, or which require replacement for some reason, such as excessive deterioration of the timber, but still remain spiked to the rails.

Details of such a tie removal mechanism 70 are shown in FIGURE 11 which demonstrates the mounting of this mechanism on a hollow post 71 that engages a short vertical stud 72- mounted on a projecting portion 73 at the rear on each side of the plate 34 of the plow 33 (see FIGURE 3 for a view of the stud).

Each post 71 is free to pivot about its pin 72 unless locked in positon thereon by a bolt 74 which is only tightened when the device is to be inoperative, but is partially tightened when the device is operative in order to take up any slack while permitting post 71 freedom to swivel about its own longitudinal vertical axis. At the top of the post 71 there is mounted a sleeve 75 that is fixed to the post in a required one of a number of possible positions by means of bolts 76 that engage holes 77. The sleeve 75 has secured to it a beam 78 on the remote end of which there is provided a pair of brackets 79 serving to mount an hydraulically operated doubleacting cylinder 80, fed through fluid lines 81 and82 from a source of hydraulic pressure (not shown). The supply of fluid is manually controllable by control valve 83. Cylinder has a piston 84 terminating in a hammer head 85 and the cylinder is such as to cause the piston 84 to oscillate continuously when actuated by valve 83,. so as to strike a number of quick successive blows against the tie 60 immediately below it. Very few such-blows will normally force the tie away from its railfspikes and down on to the conveyor belt 16 of the tie ejector mechanism. The freedom of the posts 71 to pivot about a vertical axis and the freedom of the cylinder 80 to pivot about the-horizontal axis defined by the brackets 79 enables the operator to place the hammer head 85 against the end of 'a tie that 'is to be removed and to continue to maintain contact with the tie should thelatter be stubborn in becoming disengaged from the rails and require continued action by the hammer head 85, travel of the apparatus continuing during this operation. The. operator will normally orient the hammer head 85 and operate the' cylinder 80 while the tie in question is still above the towing arms 24. See the broken line position in FIGURE 10. He can then afford to take a little time to disengage the tie' before the conveyor belt 16 will have passed beyond the area immediately below the tie.

Two modifications are shown as adopted simultane ouslyby the construction of FIGURES l2 and 13, although these modifications may be employed individually. Firstly, the tie ejector mechanism has been simplified. The conveyor belt 16 has been replaced by a series of power-driven rollers the peripheries of which include comparatively sharp, projecting splines 91 for gripping and propelling a tie deposited on the conveyor means which this series of rollers constitutes. At the rear the rollers 90 are journalled in a trailing frame member 92 and at their front ends they enter a housing 93 which contains a conventional hydraulic motor and gearing connecting such motor to each of the rollers 90 to drive them in the same direction and at the same speed as each other. Power is supplied to the hydraulic motor through hose connection 94 from a source of hydraulic pressure mounted on equipment (not shown) that travels along the track with the ballast plow. This tie ejector mechanism operates to convey a tie 95 to the side of the track in essentially the same manner as has already been described in connection with the form of tie ejector shown in FIGURES 1 to 11. If found desirable a lower plate may be provided joining frame member 92 to housing 93 beneath rollers 90.

The second modification illustrated in FIGURES 12 and 13 has to do with the manner of towing the tie ejector mechanism and the manner of transference of ties from the rear ends of

runners

57 and 58 of the plow 33 to the tie ejector mechanism. Towing is now accomplished by means of cables 96 which extended to the housing 93 from points on the rear of the plow 33. Towing arms 24 have been dispensed with, and, in their place, the

runners

57 and 58 have been provided with rearward extensions 97 and 98 which terminate in sharply downwardly projecting tip portions 99 and 100 which correspond in function to the break-away portions 27 of towing arms 24, that is, they will provide a final portion of the tie guiding means constituted by extension 97 and 98 that will increase the rate of travel of a tie towards the tie ejector conveyor. The advantages of this manner of operation have already been'explained. The criterion for the degree of downward inclination that it is necessary to impart to the tip portions 99 and 100 is, of course, one of friction. The slope should be at least as great as the critical angle at which, having regard to the coefiicients of friction of the ties and of the material from which the tip, portions themselves are made, a tie will just fall under its own weight along tip portions 99 and 100. The same criterion will apply to determination of the slope of portions 27 of the arms 24. In practice it will usually be preferred to use an angle rather greater than the thoretical critical angle, in order to obtain certainty and speed of operation.

This application is continuation-in-part of application Serial No. 780,451 (now abandoned).

We claim:

1. Apparatus for use with a railroad ballast handling under-track device, comprising a frame, towing means for coupling said frame to a said under-track device to trail therefrom beneath an elevated section of track, said towing means defining a direction of tow, conveyor means mounted to extend horizontally on said frame, power operated means in driving connection with said conveyormeans for moving a tie deposited on said conveyor means rapidly transversely of said direction of tow to convey said tie to one side of said track, and guide means for directing a loose tie rearwardly from the rear of said under-track device to said conveyor means, said guide means including means for increasing the rate of rearward travel relative to said device of said loose tie onto said conveyor means at least over the latter'part of such travel.

2. Apparatus for use with a railroad ballast handling under-track device, comprising a frame, towing means for coupling said'frame to a said under-track device to trail therefrom beneath an elevated section of track, said towing means defining a direction of tow, conveyor means mounted to extend horizontally on said frame, power operated means in driving connection with said conveyor means for moving a tie deposited on saidv conveyor means rapidly transversely of said direction of tow to convey said tie to one side of said track, and guide means for directing a loose tie rearwardly from the rear of said undertrack device to said conveyor means, said guide means comprising at least one inclined surface extending downwardly and rearwardly from the rear of said under-track device to said conveyor means, said surface including a steeply downwardly inclined portion adjacent said conveyor means for increasing the rate of rearward travel relative to said device of said loose tie onto said conveyor means over the latter part of such travel.

3. The combination of an under-track device and a tie ejector mechanism, said under-track device comprising a framework having upper runners mounted on its upper surface and beingconstructed and arranged for drawing along between the roadbed and the ties under a railroad track while supporting an elevated section of said track on said upper runners, said tie ejector. mechanism comprising a frame, towing means extending between said frame and said under-track device to couple the same thereto to trail therefrom beneath said elevated section of track, conveyor means mounted to extend horizontally on said frame, power operated means in driving connection with said conveyor means for moving a tie deposited on said conveyor means rapidly transversely of said track to convey said tie to one side of said track, and said combination including guide means for directing a loose tie rearwardly from the rear of said under-track device to said conveyor means, said guide means including means for increasing the rate of rearward travel relative to said device of said loose tie onto said conveyor means at least over the latter part of such travel.

4. The combination of an under-track device and a tie ejector mechanism, said under-track device comprising a framework having upper runners mounted on its upper surface and being constructed and arranged for drawing along between the roadbed and the ties under a railroad track while supporting an elevated section of said track on said upper'runners, said tie ejector mechanism comprising a frame, towing means extending between said frame and said under-track device to couple the same thereto to trail therefrom beneath said elevated section of track, conveyor means mounted to extend horizontally on said frame, power operated means in driving connection with said conveyor means for moving a tie deposited on said conveyor means rapidly transversely of said track to convey said tie to one side of said track, and said combination including guide means for directing a loose tie rearwardly from the rear of said under-track device to said conveyor means, said guide means comprising at least one inclined surface extending downwardly and rearwardly from the rear of said under-track device to said conveyor means, said surface including a steeply downwardly-inclined portion adjacent said conveyor means for increasing the rate of rearward travel relative to said device of said loose tie onto said conveyor means over the latter part of such travel.

5. The combination of claim 3, further including a power operated hammer and means mounting said hammer to travel with said under-track device in position to strike a fixed tie of said elevated section of track above the area occupied by said tie ejector mechanism and said guide means to disengage said tie from said elevated section, said hammer mounting means mounting said hammer with a limited freedom of horizontal movement relative to said device whereby, as the device travels relative to the track, the hammer may be aligned in striking position with a given tie for a longer period than would be possible if said hammer were fixedly mounted on said device.

6. The combination of an under-track device and a tie ejector mechanism; said under-track device comprising a framework having upper runners mounted on its upper surface, depending ballast handling means, and forwardly projecting nose portions, and being constructed and arranged for drawing along between the roadbed and the ties under a railroad track while supporting an elevated section of saidrtrack on said upper runners, said nose portion being constmcted for picking up a loose tie encountered on said track and for delivering said tie to said upper runners to be carried rearwardly on said upper runners by forward movement of said under-track device and the abutment of said tie against an adjacent fixed tie; said tie ejector mechanism comprising a frame, towing means extending between said frame and said under-track device to couple the same thereto to trail therefrom beneath said elevated section of track, conveyor means mounted to extend horizontally on said frame, power operated means in driving connection with said conveyor means for moving a tie deposited on said conveyor means rapidly transversely of said track to convey said tie to one side of said track, and said combination including guide means for directing a loose tie rearwardly from the rear of said under-track.device to said conveyor means, said guide means including means for increasing the rate of rearward travel relative to said device of said loose tie onto said conveyor means at least over the latter part of such travel.

7.- {The combination of an under-track device and a tie ejector mechanism; saidfiunder-track device comprising a framework having upper runners mounted on its upper surface, depending ballast-handling means, and forwardly projecting nose portions, and being constructed and arranged for drawingalong' between the roadbed and the ties under a railroad track while supporting an elevated section of said track on said upper runners, said nose portion being constructed for picking up a loose tie encountered onsaid track andfor deliveringjsaid tie to said upper runners tov becarried rearwardly. on said upper runners by forward movement of said under-track device and the abutment of. said tie against an adjacent fixed tie; said tie ejector mechanism comprising a frame, towing means extending between saidframe and said under-track device to couple the same thereto to trail therefrom beneath said elevated section of track, conveyor means mounted to extend horizontally on said frame, power operated means in driving connection with said conveyor means for moving a tie deposited on said conveyor means rapidly transversely of said track to convey said tie to one side Of Said track, and said combination including guide 9 means for directing a loose tie rearwardly from the rear of said under-track device to said conveyor means, said guide means comprising at least one inclined surface extending downwardly and rearwardly from the rear of said under-track device to said conveyor means, said surface including a steeply downwardly inclined portion adjacent said conveyor means for increasing the rate of rearward travel relative to said device of said loose tie onto said conveyor means over the latter part of such travel.

8. The combination of claim 6, further including a power operated hammer and means mounting said hammer to travel with said under-track device in position to strike a fixed tie of said elevated section of track above the area occupied by said tie ejector mechanism and said guide means to disengage said tie from said elevated section, said hammer mounting means mounting said hammer with a limited freedom of horizontal movement relative to said device whereby, as the device travels relative to the track, the hammer may be aligned in striking position with a given tie for a longer period than would be possible if said hammer were fixedly mounted on said device.

9. An under-track device comprising a framework having downwardly projecting blade members and upper runners mounted on its upper surface, said device being constructed and arranged for drawing along between the roadbed and the ties under a railroad track while supporting an elevated section of said track on said upper runners and while said blade members carry out a ballast handling operation, said upper runners having extensions projecting rearwardly beyond the rearmost portions of said blade members to support and convey a loose tie above and rearwardly beyond said blade members, said extensions terminating in tip portions each downwardly inclined at an angle at least as great as the critical angle at which a tie placed on said portions will fall under its own weight.

10. An under-track device according to claim 9, further including a power operated hammer and means mounting said hammer on said undertrack device to travel therewith in position to strike a tie of said elevated section of track above the area occuplied by said extensions to disengage said tie from said elevated section to fall onto said extensions, said hammer mounting means mounting said hammer with a limited freedom of horizontal movement relative to said device whereby, as the device travels relative to the track, the hammer may be aligned in striking position with a given tie for a longer period than would be possible if said hammer were fixedly mounted on said device.

11. In the art of performing a ballasting operation on a section of railroad track by towing along the roadbed of said section an under-track ballast handling device of the type constructed to pass beneath the ties while resting on said roadbed, said device elevating a span of said track with a forward portion of said elevated span immediately in advance of said device sloping upwardly thereto from the unworked roadbed and a rearward portion of said elevated span immediately in the rear of said device sloping downwardly away therefrom towards the worked roadbed, the step of removing a loose tie from said track comprising causing said tie to travel relatively to said under-track device with the remainder of said track over the top of said device and subsequently rearwardly and downwardly from the rear of said device onto transversely travelling conveyor means for conveying said tie to a side of the track, and increasing the rate of rearward travel relative to said device of said tie onto said conveyor means at least over the latter part of such travel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,313,353 Tobin Aug. 19, 1919 2,737,901 Droward et a1 Mar. 13, 1956 2,769,172 Franco Oct. 30, 1956 2,828,699 Fox Apr. 1, 1958 2,908,228 Kershaw Oct. 13, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,122,989 France Mar. 28, 1956