GB1321437A - Railway track tamping machine having a number of tamping heads - Google Patents

Abstract

1321437 Railway ballast tamping machine CANRON Ltd-CANRON LIMITEE 13 July 1970 33919/70 Heading E1G A track-mounted ballast tamping machine comprises two or more longitudinally-spaced tamping heads 12, 17 at least one of which is longitudinally displaceable by drive means on the machine such that the machine can advance incrementally even if the displaceable head is still tamping, since the drive means then drives the displaceable head rearwardly at the same speed as the speed of advance. As shown each head is of the type wherein vibrating tools are lowered into the ballast and squeezed together, the forward head 12 being longitudinally fixed while the rear head 17 is longitudinally displaceable along the machine chassis 11 on wheels 19. The rear head 17 is biassed against a stop 22 by spring or hydraulic means 21 and is driven rearwardly, during advance of the machine, by a hydraulic motor powered by a wheel-driven pump P. The machine is automatically controlled by a forward sleeper-indexing finger 23 which controls head 12 and also halts and restarts the machine advance, and a rear sleeper indexing finger 25 which controls head 17. The arrangement is such that as soon as head 12 has completed its operation the machine advances; if head 17 is still operating the drive means cause it to trail and complete its operation, whereafter it is returned against stop 22. In a modification both or all the tamping heads are longitudinally displaceable to allow continuous advance of the machine. The machine is provided with magnetic or other track-raising and re-laying devices, and monitoring devices such as an infra-red receiver R. (For Figure see next page)