AU646579B2

AU646579B2 - Portable turnouts

Info

Publication number: AU646579B2
Application number: AU19539/92A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Robert John Rex
Original assignee: General and Railway Supplies Pty Ltd
Current assignee: General and Railway Supplies Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1991-07-08
Filing date: 1992-07-08
Publication date: 1994-02-24
Anticipated expiration: 2012-07-08
Also published as: AU1953992A

Description

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AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

S F Ref: 212685 r r ~E8n Name and Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: 4. 49 9 *4 General and Railway Supplies Pty. Ltd.

Institute Road Montacute South Australia 5134

AUSTRALIA

Robert John Rex Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys Level 33 St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia Portable Turnouts ASSOCIATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATION DETAILS [31) Application No(s) [331 Country PK7102 AU [32] Application Date 8 July 1951 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 5815/3 -2- PORTABLE TURNOUTS FIELD OF THE INVENTION The following invention relates to portable turnouts typically for use in off tracking of railway track maintenance machinery.

PRIOR ART Off tracking of track maintenance machinery can be a time consuming task and on many occasions requires the attendance of a heavy duty crane primarily for that purpose. Such operations are labour intensive and very expensive.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION There is disclosed herein apparatus adapted to be used at a junction between a main railway line and a converging side track, comprising: a bridge element adapted to connect the main line to the side track, the bridge element comprising a raised mid-section to cross one rail of the main line and a pair of ramp sections, one located at either end of the mid-section and adapted to converge with a rall of the side track.

Preferably, a further pair of bridge elements is provided, each of 20 said further pair comprising a raised mid-section to span a junction between one rail of the main line and one rail of the side track, and a pair of ramp sections, one located at one end of the mid-section and adapted to converge with a rail of the main line, and the other located at the other end of the mid-section and adapted to converge with a rail 25 of the side track.

Preferably, a further bridge element is provided, being adapted to o be located above the other rail of the side track at a location laterally adjacent to that of said at least one bridge element.

Preferably, a pair of guide rails is provided as a permanent fixture to sleepers at the junction between rails of the side track and rails of the main line, said guide tracks serving as a mounting means for said further pair of bridge elements.

Preferably, said further pair of bridge elements comprises three separate sections, adapted to be connected in-line, the mid-section of such an arrangement being adapted to be secured by way of lateral brackets to said guide rail.

3 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRANINGS A preferred form of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. l(a) is a schematic plan view of a section of a converging railway main line and side track, Fig. l(b) is a continuation to the left of Fig. l(a), Fig. 2 is a schematic elevational view of a bridge element, Fig. 3 is a schematic elevational view of a further bridge element, Fig. 4 is a schematic elevational view of yet a further bridge element, Fig. 5 is a schematic elevational view of a ramp section of a bridge element in combination with a guide rail, Fig. 6 is a schematic plan view of Fig. Fig. 7 is a schematic plan view of a ramp section of a bridge element, Fig. 8 is a schematic elevational view of Fig. 7, Fig. 9 is a schematic elevational view of a guide bracket, Figs. 10 to 13 show schematic cross-sectional end elevational views of selected ones of the parts depicted in Figs 1 to 9 (shown merely for S" 20 reference), Fig. 14 is a schematic end elevational view of a vertical sliding interengagement between mid-sections or ramp sections and a guide rail, and Fig. 15 is a schematic plan view of what is depicted in Fig. 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the accompanying drawings there is schematically depicted a main line 10 of a railway converging with a side track 11. It should be appreciated that no points are provided at the intersection between the main line 10 and side track 11. That is, railway vehicles travelling along main line 10 would normally continue therealong regardless of the presence of side track 11.

For the purpose of transferring maintenance railway vehicles for example to the side track 11, a number of bridge elements 12, 16 and are provided.

Bridge element 16 which crosses main line rail 14 spans sections of side track rail 19. Bridge element 16 is best depicted in Fig. 3. The KEH/28201 4 bridge element 16 comprises a raised mid-section 17 to cross main line rail 14. Raised mid-section 17 continues in one piece at opposing ends thereof to tapered ramp sections 18 which in-use converge with side track rail 19. Extending downwardly from lateral edges of the bridge element 16 are a number of alignment brackets 22 which serve to align the bridge element with track 19. Also provided are a number of fixing brackets having bolt holes therein which may if required serve to attach the bridge element 16 to side track rail 19.

A further pair of bridge elements 12 spans between each rail of the main line 10 and each rail of the side track 11. As best depicted in Fig. 2, each of the further bridge elements 12 comprises a separately formed mid-section 13 spanning between ramp sections 15 which serve a similar purpose to ramp sections 18 of bridge element 16. Extending downwardly from ramp sections 15 and mid-section 13 are a number of alignment brackets 22 and fixing brackets 25. Alignment bracket 22 formed on ramp section 15 comprises a number of bolt holes 24 which serve as a means to connect ramp section 15 to a guide rail 21. Guide rail 21 as best depicted in Fig. 9 Is adapted to be permanently affixed to the sleepers underlying the pair of bridge elements 12 at the junction 20 between the main line 10 and side track 11. In Fig. 6, guide rail 21 is shown in plan where a number of bolt holes 26 serve as a means by which guide rails 21 may be affixed to the sleepers. It should be apparent from Fig. 6 that guide rail 21 diverges from a straight line so as to allow for parallel alignment with both the rail of main line 10 and the rail of side track 11 at their respective points of convergence. Fig. .shows in elevation the arrangement of guide rails 21 and a ramp section 18 bolted thereto. Guide rails 21 comprise a number of flanges 23 for the purpose of rigidity. That is, flanges 23 may typically formed in 0.9 triangular end elevation so as to span vertical brace 26 from base plate 27.

It should be appreciated that both mid-section 13 and ramp sections 15 of bridge elements 12 are adapted to be connected by bolting to guide rail 21. And to this end, alignment brackets 22 may extend laterally from mid-section 13 or ramp section Alternatively, and as depicted in Fig. 14, both the mid-section (13) and ramp sections (15) of bridge elements (12) may be connected to KEH/28201 guide rail (21) by vertical sliding Interengagement between a clasp and vertical projection (41) of guide rail This arrangement Is shown more clearly in plan In Fig. A flange overstep arrangement 28 Is provided at the Intersection between ramp sections 15 and mid-sections 13 of bridge element 12. For the purpose of further lateral stability, a pin may extend vertically through the flange overstep arrangement.

Turning now to Fig. 4, a further bridge element 29 Is depicted.

Bridge element 29 does not actually serve to connect or cross any rall members, but rather Is to be located on a rail of side track 11 at a position laterally adjacent to the location at which the other rail of side track 11 crosses a rail of main line 10. That is, bridge element 16 and bridge element 29 are to be located side by side. The purpose of bridge element 29 is to ensure that both sides of a vehicle being side tracked from the main line 10 raise in unison.

•In-use, bridge element 16 and 29 are placed over their respective positions of the rails of side track 11 whereas the separate ramp sections and mid-sections of bridge elements 12 are bolted down to guide rails 21 providing a means by which railway maintenance vehicles for 20 example may be side tracked from the main line 10. At which time, the respective bridge elements may be removed so that traffic may continue along main line *e

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Claims

2. In combination with the apparatus of claim 1, a further pair of bridge elements, each of said further pair comprising a raised mid-section to span a junction between one rail of the main line and one rail of the side track, and a pair of ramp sections, one located at one side of the mid-section and adapted to converge with a rail of the main line, and the other located at the other end of the mid-section and adapted to converge with a rail of the side track.
3. The combination of claim 2 comprising a further bridge element, being adapted to be located above the other rail of the side :00: track at a location laterally adjacent to that of said at least one S: bridge element. 20 4. The combination of claim 2 further comprising a pair of guide rails as a permanent fixture to sleepers at the junction between the rails of the side track and rails of the main line, said guide rails serving as a mounting means for said further pair of bridge elements.
5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said further pair of bridge elements comprises three separate sections, adapted to be connected in-line, the mid-section of such an arrangement being adapted to be secured by way of lateral brackets to said guide rail.
6. The combination of claim 4 wherein said bridge elements are attached to said guide rail by bolts.
7. The combination of claim 4 wherein said bridge elements are attached to said guide tracks by way of vertically sliding interengagement therebetween*
8. Apparatus adapted to be used at a junction between a main railway line and a converging side track, the apparatus being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. KEH/28201 7 DATED this SECOND daY of DECEMBER 1993 Gener~1 and RaUway Supplies Pty Ltd Patent Attorneys for the Applicant SPRUSON FERGUSON S 5* S S S SS* 5 5* S S S. 55 S S S S S S *o .5 5* S S S. S S S 5. S. S S S .5,5 TLLIUaNQJUI APIRA"LEQJJIQ. JkOMgR Disclosed are portable turnouts typically for use in off tracking of railway track maintenance machinery. Nhere a main line (10) of a railway converges with a side track (11) a set of portable turnout elements are employed. To this end, a number of bridge elements (12), (16) and (20) are provided. Bridge element (16) which crosses main line rail (14) spans sections of side track rail Each bridge element (16) comprises a raised md-sectlon (17) to cross main line rail (14). Raised oid-section (17) continues at opposing ends thereof to tapered ramp sections (18) which In use converge with the side track rail A railway vehicle may ride over the turnouts for transfer to the side track, Figs, 1(b) and 3. e* a *OSS.* p* a. 9:' KEH/28201