US3114330A - Ballast handling devices for use under railroad tracks - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 17, 1963 J. w. CHRISTOFF 3,114,330

BALLAST HANDLING DEVICES FOR'USE UNDER RAILROAD TRACKS 9 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed July 21. 1958 Dec. 17, 1963 J. w. CHRISTOFF BALLAST HANDLING DEVICES FOR USE UNDER RAILROAD TRACKS 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed July 21, 1958 Dec.'l7, 1963 J. w. CHRISTOFF ,3

BALLAST HANDLING DEVICES FOR USE UNDER RAILROAD TRACKS Original Filed July 21, 1958 9 Sheets-Sheet 3 Dec. 17, 1963 J. w. CHRISTOFF 3,114,330

BALLAST HANDLING DEVICES FOR USE UNDER RAILROAD TRACKS 9 Sheets-Sheet 4 Original Filed July 21, 1958 Dec. 17, 1963 J. w. CHRISTOFF v 3,114,330

BALLAST HANDLING DEVICES FOR USE UNDER RAILROAD TRACKS 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 Original Filed July 21, 1958 Dec. 17, 1963 J. w. CHRISTOFF 3,11

BALLAST HANDLING DEVICES FOR USE UNDER RAILROAD TRACKS Original Filed July 21, 1958 9 Sheets-Sheet 7 Dec. 17, 1963 J. w. CHRISTOFF 3,

BALLAST HANDLING DEVICES FOR USE UNDER RAILROAD TRACKS Original Filed July 21, 1958 Dec. 17, 1963 J. w. CHRISTOFF BALLAST HANDLING DEVICES FOR USE UNDER RAILROAD TRACKS 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 Original Filed July 21, 1958 United States Patent This invention relates to under-track devices of the so-called bmlast sled and ballast plow types.

Ballast plo'ws 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 this position by alocomotive. As the plow progresses, it raises the ties from the roadbed ahead of it, supports the ties and the track secured thereto, as the device passes. underneath, and finally allows the ties and track to settle back onto the roadbed or sub-grade behind the device. The weight of the ties and track 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 and displace this ballast to the side of the track beyond the ends of the ties, so that when the ties resettle, this displaced ballast can be readily removed.

Ballast sled devices are similar to ballast plows in that they are inserted between the roadbed and the ties and re 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 the ballast 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 difference being that the plow uses scraper blades for deflecting ballast, whereas the sled uses levelling blades 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 span of track. Both devices consist of a generally flat framework of rigid construction, this framework including essentially a plate of metal, upper runner means for slidingly and supportingly engaging the ties, and either scraper blades (in the case of a plow) or under-runners and levelling blades (in the case of the sled).

The general object of the present invention is to improve the basic structure of these under-track devices generally, an improvement which is applicable to both sleds and plows.

In particular, the improvement envisaged in the present invention is directed towards a structure better suited to the speedy handling of loose ties encountered on the track. Sometimes rail spikes are displaced or become seriously loosened, so that as the track is elevated in advance of the sled or plow, one or both ends of a tie remain on the ground as the rail or rails to which such ends are supposed to be secured are elevated.

In its application to ballast sleds, the present invention is an improvement over the structure illustrated in James :5 W. Christoifs United States Patent No. 2,961,972 issued l=lovember 29, 1960, since a manner in which a tie loose at one end may be elevated by a ballast sled, without the need to arrest for-ward movement of the sled, is described in said other patent.

The specific object of the present invention is to provide an improved structure that is capable of even better handling of such a situation i.e. a tie loose at one end, and which is also capable of elevating a tie when both its ends have become loosened from the rails so that it lies wholly detached from the rails as the track is elevated in advance of the sled or plow.

The present invention may be defined as an undertrack device for handling ballast under railroad tracks and ties, said device comprising a generally flat framework constructed to be drawn along between the roadbed and the ties while supporting the weight of said ties and a span of track, said framework comprising a plate, means effective to space the plate above the bottom of the device so that a substantial portion of the ballast passes under said plate, a pair of parallel upper runners spaced apart transversely of the device for engagement with the undersurfaces of the ties, and a pair of nose portions spaced apart transversely of the device and projecting forwardly and downwardly of the leading edge of said plate to constitute the most forwardly situated portions of the device, the extent of forward projection of said nose portions being of such value as to ensure contact between said nose portions and a tie lying on said roadbed wholly detached from said track at a position sufficiently far forward of the main body of the device that the bottom of a tie attached to said track at such position is elevated by an extent less than the height of the ties so that continued movement of said detached tie as urged forwards by said nose portions will be prevented by engagement of said detached tie with the next attached tie.

The accompanying drawings illustrate by way of examplc a manner in which the invention may be applied to a ballast sled and to a ballast plow.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 shows a top plan view of a ballast sled with its rear flaps in raised posit-ion;

FIGURE 2 shows a side view of the sled seen in FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 shows an underside plan view of the sled in FEGURE l and 2;

FIGURE 4 is a section taken on the line IV-IV in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a front View of the sled taken on the line VV in FIGURE 1, but showing the flaps in low ered position;

FEGURE 6 is a diagrammatic side view of the sled in operation on a length of track;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of the sled in operation on a length of track from which a .tie is hanging loosely at one end;

FIGURE 8 is a view from approximately ground level looking towards the front of the oncoming sled in operation in FIGURE 7 and further showing the tie hanging loosely at one end;

FIGURE 9 is a view similar to FIGURE 7 showing the position of the parts a moment later after the sled has advanced a short distance;

FIGURE 10 is a view similar to FIGURE 7 showing the sled approaching a tie which has become wholly detached from the track;

FIGURE 11 is a further front view similar to FIGURE 8 but showing the conditions of FIGURE 10;

FIGURE 12 is a View similar to FIGURE 10 showing the parts a moment later after the sled has advanced a short distance;

FIGURE 13 is another view similar to FIGURE 12 showing the position of the parts at a still later stage after the sled has further advanced;

FIGURES 14a and 14]; form an exploded diagrammatic illustration of the conditions pertaining to a span of track in the vicinity of the sled device illustrated in the foregoing figures;

FIGURES 15a and 1512 form a similar exploded diagrammatic illustration with a different design of sled;

FIGURE 16 is a plan view of a ballast plow incorporating the invention;

FIGURE 17 is a side view of the ballast plow seen in FIGURE 16;

FIGURE 18 is an underside plan view of the plow seen in FIGURES 16 and 17;

FIGURE 19 is a diagrammatic side view of the plow in operation on a length of track; and

FIGURE 20 is an enlarged portion of FIGURE 19 showing operation of the plow with a loose tie.

The invention in its application to a ballast sled will first be described with reference to FIGURES 1 to 15, reference being first directed to FIGURES l to illustrating a sled alone.

The sled 10 consists of a framework structure of welded, bolted or riveted construction comprising a main plate 11 of steel, to the underside of which there are secured five parallel spaced beams 12, 13, 14, and 16, each carrying on its lowermost flange an underrunner 17, 18, 19, 211 and 21 respectively (see particularly FIGURES 3 and 4). The two beams 12 and 16 extending along the side edges of the sled and the central beam 14 together with their under- runners 17, 21 and 19 terminate level with the front edge 25 of the main plate 11, these underrunners having at their forward ends, upwardly curved tapered portions 22, 23 and 2-4 respectively. The intermediate beams 13 and 15, and with them the underrunners 18 and 20 that they carry, extend a considerable distance forwardly of the front edge 2.5 of the main plate 11. These latter under- runners 18 and 20 are not upwardly curved but the upper flanges 26 and 27 of their corresponding beams 13 and 15 are downwardly inclined to support downwardly extending forward nose portions 23 and 29 of upper runner members 31) and 31 that extend rearwardly from these forward portions to pass along the top of the main plate 11 to the rear of the structure, being supported a few inches above the plate 11 by interiediate members 32 and 33. The spacing apart from one another of the runner members and 31 transversely on the sled corresponds to the spacing of the rails so that when the sled is in correct position a runner is situated under each rail.

The extreme forward tips 34 and 35 of the nose portions 28 and 29 of the upper runner members 30 and 31 extend somewhat forwardly and slightly downwardly of the corresponding lower flanges 18 and 20 of the respective beams 13 and 15 (see FIGURE 2).

Weep holes 36 are cut in the main plate 11 to provide four vertical communicating passageways between the upper and lower sides of the plate 11.

Bolted (for easy removal when shipping) to the forward side edges of the main plate 11 are towing ears 37 and 38 provided with holes 39 and 40 for receiving shackles on the end of towing cables. The manner of towing is described below in connection with FIGURE 6.

At its rearward edge the plate 11 is cut into forwardly projecting V-shape, the two rear edges of the plate thus formed carrying hinges 41 and 42 whereby main rear flaps 43 and 4-4 are pivotally mounted on the sled. Each of these flaps 43 and 44 has a levelling blade (designated respectively as 45 and 46) secured thereto by bolt and nut assemblies 47, the flaps 43 and 44 being slotted to receive the bolts to permit adjustment of the blades positions on the flaps.

On each rearward side edge of the main plate 11 and secured to the upper surface thereof are rearwardly projecting arms 48 and 49. Extending downwardly and forwardly from the underside of each of these arms 43 and 49 is a partly arcuate bar 51) the forward edge of which is secured to a respective main beam 16 or 12. Each of these bars St? has formed in it a series of holes (see FIG- URE 2), in a selected one of which a pin may be mounted to project into the path of swinging movement of the outside edge 53 or 54 of a respective main flap 43 or 44. For an enlarged View of these parts, which do not form part of the present inventive advance and which therefore will not be described in further detail attention is directed to FIGURE 8 of the above-mentioned other Patent 2,961,- 972, in which drawing the parts are similarly numbered.

The sled is also provided with a central rear flap 55 secured to the undersurface of the main plate 11 and to the rear end of the beam 14 by means of a hinge 56. This central flap has the shape of a trapezium widening from its connection at the hinge 56 to its rearward edge 57. An upper bar 53 extends rearwardly along the central portion of the main plate 11 above the beam 14 to overlie the hinge 56 and the central portion of the flap 55. The purpose of the central flap 55 is to cover the gap that would otherwise exist between the inner ends of the main flaps 4-3 and 4a and of the blades 45 and 46 secured thereto. Again, for a further detailed description and illustration of the exact operation of this central flap 55, attention is directed to said other Patent 2,961,972, and in particular to FIGURE 10 thereof.

These flap parts have been shown in different positions in the various figures. In FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, both the main flap 4-3 and 44 and the central flap 55 have been shown in their uppermost positions. In a sense this is artificial, as the parts will not remain in this position without being supported, but this license is desirable for completeness of illustration. By way of contrast, in FIG- URE 5 which is a front view, all the flaps have been shown in their lowered positions, that is to say projecting substantially vertically downwardly. This is the true position of repose if the sled is assumed to be supported in its normal upright position without any object beneath it to engage the flaps which hang down somewhat below the level of the under-runners.

The actual position that the flaps take up in operation is intermediate between those illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 5 and is apparent from FIGURE 6 which illustrates the manner in which a ballast sled such as the one just described is employed to reballast track that has been skeletonized, that is to say plowed clean of old ballast, or to ballast new track that has been laid directly on the sub-grade without ballast. In the track shown in FIG- URE 6, the ties 61 supporting the rails 61 in advance of the sled 19 are assumed to be resting directly on the upper surface of the sub-grade 62. Prior to the sledding operation, fresh ballast 63 will have been dumped from a railroad car to lie between the ties 60 and also to lie to some extent on top of the ties approximately up to the upper level of the rails 61 and sometimes slightly above such level. The function of the sled device is to slide along with its under-runners 17 to 21 on the sub-grade 62 and to raise the track away from the ballast, the ties 60 sliding on the upper runners 30 and 31. This will leave the ballast in piles 64 in advance of the sled. The function of the sled is to level off these piles and produce a smooth surfaced ballast layer 65 behind the sled.

This levelling operation is carried out by the main blades 45 and 46 and, along the central area of the sled, by the central flap 55. All the flaps tend to hang downwardly by reason of their weight. When they encounter ballast they are forced upwardly until the ends 53 and 54 of the main flaps 43 and 44 come to bear against the pins in their respective bars 50, the latter having been placed in suitable holes having regard to the operating conditions, for exampie the volume of ballast (thickness of ballast layer that is required to be applied), tne form of ballast being used, the speed of towing, the weight of track, and any other factors found to influence the pulling conditions. The selection of the exact setting for the flaps will normally be determined empirically on the site, and will be a matter of operating experience. The central fiap 55 will likewise be forced upwards until it bears against the inner ends of the blades 45 and 4s whereupon further upward pivoting will be prevented, the lower edges of blade 35, flap 55 and blade 46 then forming, in effect, a continuous ballast levelling blade extending uninterruptedly across the sled from side to side. In this manner the continuously smooth ballast layer as shown in FIGURE 6 is formed free from objectionable irregularities.

Towing of the sled is carried out in a conventional manner, employing a pair of cables 65 extending forwardly from the towing cars 37 and 38 to suitable towing points 67 on a flat car 63 which will be drawn along by means of a locomotive (not shown), as indicated by the arrow. Again, for additional details of this operation, reference may be had to said other Patent 2,961,972 or to L. B. Franco, US. Patent No. 2,769,l72, issued October 30, 1956.

Rearwardly of the sled 1d the track settles down onto the smooth layer 65 of ballast. The track-raising part of the reballasting operation is then complete and subsequently additional ballast can be dumped between the ties directly from ballast cars.

Attention is now directed to FIGURES 7 to 9 which illustrate the operation of the sled it? under a first type of abnormal condition, namely the encountering or" a tie which has become detached at one end from one of the rails til. This condition is illustrated in FEGURES 7 and 8 (in L'GURE 8 the ballast has been omitted for clarity of illustration) the aficoted tie so being shown still in advance of the sled 16. A situation such as this is inherently likely to give rise to tie bunching, ecause, if the faulty tie is not raised quickly into its proper position, the forces exerted on it when travelling over the main portion of the sled will tend to work it wholly free from the other rai and cause sui ncien t confusion to necessitate a. stoppage in the progress of the sled. With the present construction, such a loose tie is quickly picked up by the extreme tip 35 of the nose portion 2? situated on the side of the sled to which the tie is drooping, since, as will be evident from FlGURE 7 in which the tip 35 is shown closely approaching the fallen end of the tie till, such tip 35, which penetrates the sub-grade to a slight extent, will inset itself under the fallen end of the tie. Such tip will then act to raise the lower end of the tie until it is back, at least approximately, into its normal position before it is called upon to travel rcarwardly along the main runners 3d and 31 which support the weight of the track. The position occupied by the tie so when it has been picked up by the tip 35' of the nose portion 29 of the runner 31, after the sled has advanced a short distance from the position shown in FIGURE 7, is illustrated in FIGURE 9. With this method of operation it is unnecessary to stop the sled, and the tie can be handled manually in the manner desired (either respiked or removed wholly from the track) immediately rearwardly of the sled.

FIGURES 10' to 12 illustrate the operation of the sled it under a second class of abnormal condition, namely a wholly loose tie both ends of which have become disconnected from the rails 61. This is a more difficult abnormfl condition to deal with without stopping the forward movement of the sled, and it is particularly in this respect that the present invention provides a substantial practical improvement over the sled disclosed in said other patent. FIGURES l0 and l l show a tie at" that has become detached from both rails 61 and which accordingly remains on the sub-grade 62 as the track is elevated in advance of the sled ltl. When such a tie as so" is encountered by the two tips and 35, they may succeed in undcrrunning the tie sufficiently to elevateit,

but such operation cannot be relied upon. More often than not, the tie so" will be pushed forward with the sled, since it has no attachment to the rails 61 to check such a movement. This situation is illustrated diagrammatically in FIGURE 12 which shows the loose tie 6%) after being forced forward by the sled until it has come to bear against the next attached tie 69. By virtue of the extent of forward projection of the tips 34 and 35 from the main structure of the sled it (with the resulting early contact between the fallen tie 69" and the leading tips or the sled), when the tie 65?" is pushed forward it does not pass underneath the next attached tie so but strikes against its lower part in the manner shown in EEG- URE 12. if the forward tips 34 and 35 of the nose portions 2% and 2d did not project so for forward, the track would bs suiliciently high by the time the loose tie 6b" approaches the next attached tie till that the loose tie would pass under the attached tie. For the same reason it would pass under all subsequent ties and would never be lifted, being continuously forced forward along the track in advance of the sled. This efliect has been encountered in prior art sleds and has been found seriously to disturb the ballast and the track generally and has necessitated stoppage of the sled to permit the situation to be corrected manually. With the present extremely long forward projection of the tips of the nose portions of the sled, this disadvantage is avoided, because any fallen tie such as the tie 6-9" is contacted by the lower part of the next attached tie so before such at tached tie is raised sufficiently to be able to pass over the top of the fallen tie 6%". FIGURE l3 shows the conditions 21 short time later, after the tie 68 has been forced up onto the runners 3i: and 31 with the attached tie 69 which it encountered in FiGURE 12. In this position, the loose tic 56- can. readily be pulled sideways manually from under the rails 61 and replaced by a new tie without stopping forward progress of the sled.

FIGURES 6 to 13 are essentially diagrammatic and idealized. In practice, minor variations from the theorotical performance ar sure to be experienced, but these will not normally affect the basic pattern of operation.

To provide a proper dimensional basis for the invention, the general outline of the track. has been presented in FiGURES 14a and 1415, the latter view being an extension or" the former. These views show measurements taken experimentally when drawing the ballast sled w on a section of track employing pound rails, which is a comparatively rigid type of rail. The horizontal line X is assumed to represent the sub-grade and the inclined line Y the line of the bottoms of the ties. A series of measurements was taken at ten foot spacings taken forwardly and backwardly from a point C aligned with tips 34 and 35. This placed point A approximately beneath the rear wheel of the towing car 6 8 (FIGURE 6), since a typical tow length will be such as to place the rear wheel of the fiat car 68 about 20 feet in advance of the leading tips 34 and 35 of the sled. It is desirable to keep the towing cables 66 short enough to cause the Weight of the flat car 63 to suppress the initial elevation of the track from that which would occur with a very long tow. Measurements of track elevation were taken at successive ten foot distances, namely points B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and J, shown in FIGURES 14a and 14b. The elevation of the line Y showing the line of the tie bottoms at these points was respectively:

For ease of measurement this experiment was conducted under somewhat artificial conditions on new track with no ballast present, the track being returned to the sub-grade rather than to a layer of ballast, but the drawings still serve to demonstrate the point for which they were prepared, namely that the elevation of the track at the point C which is coincident with the leading tips of the nose portions of the sled was found to be five and a half inches, which is less than the vertical dimension of a. tie, which is seven inches. Accordingly, any loose tie forced forward by the sled to this point must engage an inch and a half of the lower part of the next fixed tie in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 12. Moreover this operation will normally be very substantially assisted by the ballast onto which the tie 69 will tend to ride, as shown in FIGURE 12. Another factor that tends to assist this effect is the fact that in most instances the spikes are loose as much as half an inch so that many of the attached spikes hang down a little below the theoretical line Y. For these reasons, in practice, a length of nose portion that yields a track elevation of /2" at point C is conservative, and a somewhat greater value for this elevation, up to and even slightly beyond the figure of 7", can be adopted with normally satisfactory results. It will be appreciated that reliable measurements are difficult to obtain, especially as conditions cannot always be duplicated exactly. For this reason, a fair measure of assured contact area between ties is preferred, to ensure satisfactory performance even under the most unfavourable conditions.

If a less rigid class of rail, say an 85 pound used, the vertical dimension at C would be less fore the same operation would be ensured.

It will be noted that at its maximum height (E=l6%") the ties are higher than the highest part of the sled, which highest part occurs between points D and E and has a value of (the height of the sledsee FIGURE 2). This effect is produced by the artificial depression of the track forward of the sled by the weight of the flat car 68, combined with the rigidity of the track. The portion of track rearward of the sled is governed only by its own weight, and is effectively elevated by the weight of the fiat car employing the sled as a fulcrum.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that, in order to achieve operation in accordance with the principal object of the invention, namely the ability to pick up a wholly loose tie, the forwardly projecting nose portions of the sled must project forward a sufficient distance to engage the fallen tie and push it forward to a position sufficiently far forward to engage the lower part of the next attached tie before the latter is elevated to too great a height. Thus an important dimension is the extent of forward projection of the nose portions of the sled. Also important is the degree of elevation of the track, which is basically determined by the height of the sled. There is thus a critical ratio of the amount of forward projection of the nose portions to sled height. The amount of forward projection should be measured forwardly from the point where the sled first achieves its maximum height. For a comparatively stiff rail (115 pounds) and a desirable degree of reliability the ratio d/h should not be less than approximately 7: 1,

rail, were and therewhere:

d=the distance back from the leading sled tips to the foremost point of maximum height of the sled, and,

h=the maximum height of the sled.

In the example of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 14, the value of d is approximately 12 to 13 feet (the exact point of maximum height is not readily determined with accuracy) and h is 15'. This represents a ratio of approximately 9.6 to 1, which is greater than the figure of 7. There is no upper limit to the ratio, as far as satisfactory tie picking up is concerned, so that the upper limit will be determined in practice by considerations of economy and general design. The reason that the sled illustrated exhibits a somewhat higher value for the ratio than 7, lies in the use of the curved upper runners and 31. The use of curved runners is preferable in both directions.

as affording a more even loading. In fact, the friction losses can be still further reduced by employing rollers in the upper runners, as illustrated in said other patent, but such means are not essential features of the present invention. It is possible to use the present inventive advance, that is a greater forward projection of the nose portions than any hitherto adopted or proposed, in combination with a less refined design of sled such as the sled illustrated in L. B. Franco United States Patent No. 2,769,172 issued October 30, 1956. FIGURES 15a and 15b illustrate, in a manner similar to FIGURES 14a and 1415. the performance under operating conditions of this earlier type of sled when modified according to the present invention. This sled 71) has flat upper runners so as to achieve its maximum height at a more forward point, approximately at the leading edge of the main plate. With this type of sled a value of the ratio d/h down as low as 7 can be used. A sled height of 13 /2" is employed and a distance d of 7' 10" (a ratio of approximately 7). In FIGURE 15, point C has been placed at the tips of the nose portions as in FIGURE 14, but point D has been spaced 7 l0" therefrom so as to be situated at the foremost point of maximum height of the sled. The other points are then spaced at 10 intervals Approximate height values for the In its application to ballast plows the invention may be considered as an improvement over the structure described in James W. Christoifs United States Patent No. 2,924,897, issued February 16, 1960. For the purpose of illustrating the invention embodied in a plow reference is made to accompanying FIGURES 16 to 19 which illustrate a plow comprising a curved main plate 123 of rigid steel, to the underside of which there is securcd a centrally located spine in the form of a downwardly projecting bar 124 extending rearwardly from the centre of the front edge 133 of the plate 123. Also secured to the underside of the plate 123 to extend rearwardly and to each side of the plow 110 from the spine 124 are curved steel mole boards 125, 126, 127 and 128. As appears from FIGURE 17, these mole boards are curved in cross-section, FIGURE 18 demonstrating that they extend in straight lines from the spine 124- to the side edges 129 and 136 of the plate 123. A similar pair of mole boards 131 and 132 extend rearwardly and to the lateral edges 129' and of the plow from points situated at the front edge 133 of the plate 123 and displaced respectively one to each side of the spine 124. A number of struts 134 extend between the undersurface of the main plate 123 and the rear surfaces of the mole boards 125, 126, 127, 128, 131 and 132 to aid the rigidity of the structure.

Each mole board serves to mount a scraper blade 135, 136, 137, 138, 139 and 14% respectively, each blade being mounted on its supporting mole board by means of a number of bolt and nut assemblies 141 that pass through holes in the blades and slots in the mole boards. Each blade may be adjusted in position relative to its associated mole board to vary the cutting angle and, to some degree, the cutting depth of the blades. For additional details of the function of these blades, attention is directed to the last-mentioned other patent.

Projecting forwardly from approximately the leading points on the plow at which the mole boards 131 and 13-2 commence, are beams 142 and 143, the respective lower flanges 144 and 145 of which serve to define the leading underneath surface of the plow. The beams 142 and 143 taper towards their front ends and are elevated where they join the plow from the main undersurface of the plow as defined by the blades when in cutting position. The beams 14-2 and 143 serve to support the leading nose portions 170 and 171 of :a pair of spaced apart upperrunners 146 and 147, the upper flanges led and let of the beams 142 and .143 supporting such nose portions lill and 171. The runners 146 and M7 which extend the full length of the plow from one end to the other and serve to support the undersurfaces of the ties are gently curved to conform to the curvature of the main plate 123 which in turn is curved in the sense of the natural curvature of the elevated section of track.

Conventional towing ears 150" and 151 are secured to the forward side edges of the plow 110, such ears having holes 152 and 153 for receiving shackles on the end of the towing cable.

The plate 123 is provided with weep holes 154 in the usual manner, although these weep holes may be entirely omitted if desired, especially those in advance of the blades 135 and 137.

On each side, at the rear, the plow is provided with a keel device l55 consisting of a vertical plate 156 forming the keel proper and having a root portion l7 for securing between a pair of spaced plates 161 and 152 that depend from the undersurface of the main plate 123, this securing being effected by bolt and nut assemblies 164 passing through holes in the plates lol and 162 and in the root portion 157. Welded to the main blade 156 of each keel device 155 are shoes 159 and 16% which extend transversely from each side of the blade ass while being inclined slightly downwardly from front to rear. A number of dilferent positions of adjustment is available for each keel device 155. A central fixed keel 163 is formed as a downward extension of the spine 1%.

The plow illustrated in FEGURES 16 to 19 is a single track plow, that is to say a plow which throws the ballast to both sides of the track. A plow for use on double track usually has its blades arranged to throw the ballast only to the outside of each track. For more specific details of the manner of operation of the adjustable blades and the track operating conditions of a plow as illustrated in FIGURES 1 6 to 19 reference may again be made to the last-mentioned prior patent application. In the present application, which is concerned with the extent of projection forward of the nose portions, it has been believed sufiicient to illustrate by FIGURE 19 a simple diagrammatic side view of the plow in operation, this view showing the plow 110 being towed by cables 1 11. Initially, in front of the plow 110 the ties 12% are resting on a layer of ballast 12.1 which in turn rests on the sub-grade 12.2. The advancing plow lllll' slides along the subgrade 122, raising the track in advance of itself and plows the ballast 12d out to the two sides of the track. Rearwardly of the plow 11% the track settles back onto the sub-grade 122.

The operation of a plow differs from that of a sled in that it runs deeper in the ballast so that the nose portions 170 and 171 will normally pass under any loose tie that is left lying on the ballast, on elevation of the track in advance of the plow. The tie will thus be first engaged by those parts of the upperrunner portions 174 and 171 that lie back one or two feet from the extreme leading tips. Nevertheless, provided the nose portions project sufficiently far forwardly, the same manner of op eration as described above in connection with the sled will prevail. This has been demonstrated in FIGURE 20 which shows the plow 11% forcing a fallen tie 120' against a fixed tie 120. Essentially the same dimensional requirements apply to the plow as to the sled, and, as before, a minimum value of the ratio 41/11 of approximately 7:1 is found desirable. In this case the height dimension h is measured as the vertical distance between the highest point of the plow and the bottom edge of the lowest blade, normally the rearmost blade. The keels are i nored in determining this height, since they penetrate the sub-grade.

til

it is desired to stress that the figure of 7 as the approximate minim-um value preferred for the ratio d/h has been chosen arbitrarily from observation of sleds and plows in operation, and is not a critical value. There are too many variables to permit this value to be derived mathematically. The rail stiffness will vary, and the ballast conditions will afiect the extent to which the device can rely on a fallen tie riding up on the mass of ballast that it pushes before it. At best, the value of 7 can be said to be an approximation to the minimum value of the ratio that under most normal operating conditions will ensure satisfactory performance. If conditions are especially favourable, a rather smaller value may prove feasible, and in some instances it may be found desirable to increase the ratio and operate with a greater safety factor and a value between 8 to 10.

This application is a continuation of application Serial No. 749,740, filed July 21, 1958 now abandoned.

I claim:

1. An under-track device for handling ballast under railroad tracks and ties, said device comprising a generally fiat framework constructed to be drawn along between the roadbed and the ties while supporting the weight of said ties and an elevated span of track which is supported above the ballast for a substantial distance in advance of said device, said framework comprising a plate, means effective to space the plate above the bottom of the device so that a substantial portion of the ballast passes under said plate, a pair of parallel upper runners secured to said plate and spaced apart transversely of the device for engagement with the undersurfaces of the ties, and a pair of nose portions secured to said plate and spaced apart transversely of the device and projecting forwardly and downwardly of the leading edge of said plate to constitute the most forwardly situated portions of the device, the extent of forward projection of said nose portions being of great enough length to ensure that said nose portions are out of contact with the ties of said elevated span of track with the forwardmost part of said nose portions protruding into the roadbed and extending below the plane of the lowermost portion of the bottom of said device to ensure contact between the upper sur face of said nose portions and a tie lying on said roadbed wholly detached from said track at a position sulficiently far forward of the leading edge of said framework that the bottom of a tie attached to the elevated span of track at such position is elevated to a height of such small value that continued movement of said detached tie as urged forwards by said nose portions will be prevented by engagement of said detached tie with the next attached tie of said elevated span of trac 2. An under-track device for handling ballast under railroad tracks and ties, said device comprising a generally flat framework constructed to be drawn along between the roadbed and the ties while supporting the weight of said ties mid an elevated span of track which is supported above the ballast for a substantial distance in advance of said device, a pair of parallel upper runners secured to said framework and spaced apart transversely of the device for engagement with the undersurfaces of the ties, and a pair of nose portions secured to said framework and spaced apart transversely of the device and projecting forwardly and downwardly of the leading edge of said framework to constitute the most forwardly situated portions of the device, the extent of forward projection of said nose portions being of great enough length to ensure that said nose portions are out of contact with the ties of said elevated span of track with the forwardrnost part of said nose portions protruding into the roadbe'd and extending below the plane of the lowermost portion of the bottom of said device to ensure contact between the upper surface of said nose portions and a tie lying on said roadbed wholly detached from said track at a position sufficiently far forward of the leading edge of said framework that the bottom of a tie attached to the elevated span of tracl; at such position is' elevated to a height of such small value that continued movement of said detached tie as urged forwards by said nose portions will be prevented by engagement of said detached tie with the next attached tie of said elevated span of track.

3.An under-track device for handling ballast under railroad tracks and ties, said device comprising a generally flat framework constructed to be drawn along between the roadbed and the ties while supporting the weight of said ties and an elevated span of track which is supported above the ballast for a substantial distance in advance of said device, a pair of parallel upper runners secured to said framework and spaced apart transversely of the device for engagement with the undersurfaces of the ties, and nose means secured to said framework and projecting forwardly and downwardly of the leading edge of said framework to present nose portions spaced apart transversely of the track and constituting the most forwardly situated portions of the device, the extent of forward projection of said nose portions being of great enough length to ensure that said nose portions are out of contact with the ties of said elevated span of tracks and with the 'forwardmost part of said nose portions protruding into the roadbed and extending below the plane of the lowermost portion of the bottom of said device to ensure contact between the upper surface of said nose portions and a tie lying on said roadbed wholly detached from said track at a position sufiiciently far forward of the leading edge of said framework that the bottom of a tie attached to the cievated span of track at such position is elevated to a height of such small value that continued movement of said detached tie as urged forward by said nose portions will be prevented by ongagement of said detached tie with the next attached tie of said elevated span of track.

4. An under-track device according to claim 3, wherein the ratio between the distance from the forwardinost point of said nose portions to the forwardrnost highest point of the device and the height of the device at said highest point is at least as great as 7 to 1.

5. An under-track device for handling ballast under railroad tracks and ties, said device comprising a generally fiat framework constructed to be drawn along between the roadbed and the tics while supporting the weight of said ties and an elevated span of; tracs which is supported above the ballast for a substantial distance in advance of said device, a pair of parallel upper runners secured to said framework and spaced apart transversely of the device for engagement with the undersurfaces of the ties, and nose means secured to said framework and projecting forwardly and downwardly of the leading edge of said framework to constitute the most forwardly situated portions of the device, the extent of forward projection of said nose means being of great enough length to ensure that said nose means are out of contact with the ties of said elevated span of track and with the forwardrnost part of said nose portions protruding into the roadbed and extending below the plane of the lowerniost portion of the bottom of said device to ensure contact between the upper surface of said nose means and a tie lying on said roadbed wholly detached from said track at a position sufiiciently far forward of the leading edge of said framework that the bottom of a tie attached to the elevated span of track at such position is elevated to a height of suca small value that continued movement of said detached tie as urged forwards by said nose means will be prevented by engagement of said detached tie with the next attached tie of said elevated span of track, wherein the ratio between the distance from the forwardinost point of said nose means to the forwardmost highest point of the device and the height of the device at said highest point is at least as great as 7 to 1.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,313,353 Tobin Aug. 19,]9l9 2,571,183 Benton et a1. Oct. 16, 1951 2,769,172 Franco Oct. 30, 1956 2,2l,390 Stein et al. Jan. 19, 1960

Claims (1)

1. AN UNDER-TRACK DEVICE FOR HANDLING BALLAST UNDER RAILROAD TRACKS AND TIES, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING A GENERALLY FLAT FRAMEWORK CONSTRUCTED TO BE DRAWN ALONG BETWEEN THE ROADBED AND THE TIES WHILE SUPPORTING THE WEIGHT OF SAID TIES AND AN ELEVATED SPAN OF TRACK WHICH IS SUPPORTED ABOVE THE BALLAST FOR A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE IN ADVANCE OF SAID DEVICE, SAID FRAMEWORK COMPRISING A PLATE, MEANS EFFECTIVE TO SPACE THE PLATE ABOVE THE BOTTOM OF THE DEVICE SO THAT A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE BALLAST PASSES UNDER SAID PLATE, A PAIR OF PARALLEL UPPER RUNNERS SECURED TO SAID PLATE AND SPACED APART TRANSVERSELY OF THE DEVICE FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE UNDERSURFACES OF THE TIES, AND A PAIR OF NOSE PORTIONS SECURED TO SAID PLATE AND SPACED APART TRANSVERSELY OF THE DEVICE AND PROJECTING FORWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY OF THE LEADING EDGE OF SAID PLATE TO CONSTITUTE THE MOST FORWARDLY SITUATED PORTIONS OF THE DEVICE, THE EXTENT OF FORWARD PROJECTION OF SAID NOSE PORTIONS BEING OF GREAT ENOUGH LENGTH TO ENSURE THAT SAID NOSE PORTIONS ARE OUT OF CONTACT WITH THE TIES OF SAID ELEVATED SPAN OF TRACK WITH THE FORWARDMOST PART OF SAID NOSE PORTIONS PROTRUDING INTO THE ROADBED AND EXTENDING

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