GB2192018A

GB2192018A - Device for use in inserting and removing rail clips

Info

Publication number: GB2192018A
Application number: GB08713429A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gordon Macdonald
Original assignee: TRAK SERVICES Ltd
Current assignee: TRAK SERVICES Ltd
Priority date: 1986-06-27
Filing date: 1987-06-09
Publication date: 1987-12-31
Also published as: GB8713429D0; GB8615755D0

Abstract

A device for use in inserting and removing rail clips comprising a hydraulic cylinder 2 having a single piston drivable selectively in opposite directions. A piston rod 10 is secured to the piston and to fabrications 14, 16. The fabrication 14 carries a spigot 22 which can enter a passageway within which the clips 24 are located to drive the clip out of engagement. The opposite fabrication 16 carries an anvil 32 for engaging the clips 24 to drive the clips into engagement. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Devices for use in inserting and removing rail clips Rails are conventionally held in position on sleepers by means of spring clips inserted in anchor housings, the housings being secured on the sleepers. Initially such clips were inserted and removed manually by striking them with hammers, but various devices have been proposed for performing the operations pneumatically or hydraulically. In each case the device is capable only of inserting the clips, or of removing them, and this can be a disadvantage when the clips require to be removed and re-inserted soon after, for example when replacing sleepers.

According to the present invention there is provided a device for use in inserting and removing rail clips, comprising double-acting fluid-operated drive means having a first movable operating head for engaging a rail clip to drive the clip into engagement in a passageway in a clip anchor housing and a second movable operating head for engaging a rail clip to drive the clip out of engagement in said passageway.

Preferably the first and second operating heads are rigidly interconnected so as to move in unison. The interconnection between them may comprise a single piston rod of the drive means.

The first operating head is preferably in the form of an anvil for engaging a rounded end of a clip; the second operating head is preferably in the form of a spigot for entering said passageway to engage a correspondinglyshaped portion of the clip.

The fluid-operated drive means may be for example a pneumatic or hydraulic ram and cylinder which is actuable positively in both directions.

The device is preferably mounted on a wheeled support for travelling along a railway.

The support may have wheels at each end of a cross-member which extends in use across the rails, and the device may be movable along the cross-member so as to act on clips at either of the rails selectively. Alternatively the device may be mounted pivotally intermediate the ends of the cross-member.

Preferably also the device operates in conjunction with a further such device mounted on a common support and disposed so as to engage with a clip on one side of a rail while the other device engages with a clip on the opposite side of the rail. The devices should be arranged so that they drive the clips simultaneously in opposite directions.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a device of this invention; and Figure 2 is a schematic view of a wheeled support for a device of this invention.

Referring to the drawings, the device of this embodiment has a hydraulic cylinder 2 having a single piston (not shown) centrally disposed within it and drivable selectively in opposite directions by means of pressurised hydraulic fluid supplied through conduits 4, 6 from a hydraulic pump 8 (Fig. 2).

A single piston rod 10 is secured to the piston and emerges through opposite sealed end caps of the cylinder 2. The rod 10 is screw-threaded at each end and is secured by nuts 12 to fabrications 14, 16. A tie rod 18 also extends between the fabrications 14, 16 and is secured to them by nuts 20, providing rigidity and resistance to bending for the structure.

The fabrication 14 carries at its lower portion a spigot 22 which extends from it in a direction towards the fabrication 16. The spigot 22 is of corresponding diameter to that of spring clips 24 which hold rails 26 in position on sleepers 28, and can enter a passageway in anchor housings 30 within which the clips 24 are located.

The opposite fabrication 16 carries at the same level as the spigot 22 an anvil 32 having an operating face 33 directed towards the spigot 22, for engaging a rounded end portion of the clips 24.

Two oppositely-directed devices of this embodiment are mounted on a carriage 34 having spaced flanged wheels 35 which run on the rails 26 and a cross-member 36. The devices are mounted on either side of a rail 26 and disposed on a lower end of a support arm 38. The devices are rotatable as a unit on a mounting 40 about a vertical axis. The upper end of the support arm 38 is mounted on one end of a beam 42 and is pivotal thereon about an axis parailel to the cross-member 36. The beam 42 is pivotally mounted on a carriage 44 which is movable along the cross-member 36 and the other end of the beam 42 carries the hydraulic pump 8 and a pair of handles 46. The pump 8 counterbalances the weight of the cylinder 2 and fabrications 14, 16.

In use, the carriage 34 is moved along the rails 26 with the handles 46 depressed so that the devices at the opposite end of the beam 42 are raised above the level of the clips 24. When the devices are at the location of clips 24 to be removed the carriage 34 is stopped in a position where the clips 24 on either side of the rail 26 are between the spigot 22 and anvil 32 of the respective device. The beam is pivoted so that the spigot 22 is in alignment with the passageways through the anchor housings 30, and the pump 8 actuated to move the piston rod 10 of each cylinder 2 in a direction taking the spigots 22 into the passageways. There each spigot 22 engages an end face of the respective clip 24 and forces it out of the passageway, thus releasing it from engagement with the rail 26 and housing 30. As the two devices are oppositely mounted the piston rods 10 act in opposite directions and thus each provides a reaction to the force applied by the other, If clips 24 are to be inserted into the passageway they are located in the passageway entrance and the cylinders 2 act in the opposite direction to that described above, causing the anvils 32 to engage the free ends of the clips and forcing the clips into the passageway.

Clips 24 at the opposite rail 26 can be inserted and removed using the same devices by moving the carriage 34 along the crossmember and rotating the devices through 1800 on the support arm 38 to bring them into alignment with the clips 24 on the opposite rail.

Modifications and improvements may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A device for use in inserting and removing rail clips, comprising double-acting fluidoperated drive means having a first moveable operating head for engaging a rail clip to drive the clip into engagement in a passageway in a clip anchor housing and a second moveable operating head for engaging a rail clip to drive the clip out of engagement in said passageway.

2. A device as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the first and second operating heads are rigidly interconnected.

3. A device as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the interconnection between the first and second operating heads comprises a single piston of the drive means.

4. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the first operating head is in the form of an anvil for engaging a rounded end of a clip.

5. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the second operating head is in the form of a spigot for entering said passageway to engage a correspondingly shaped portion of the clip.

6. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the fluid-operated drive means comprises a pneumatic or hydraulic ram and cylinder which is actuable positively in both directions.

7. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims having a wheeled support for travelling along a railway.

8. A device as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the wheeled support has a crossmember which extends across the rails and on which the device is moveable so as to act on clips at either of the rails selectively.

9. Apparatus for use in inserting and removing rail clips comprising a pair of devices as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, said devices being mounted on a common support and disposed such that a first device may engage with a clip on one side of a rail while the other device engages with a clip on the opposite side of the rail.

10. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 9 wherein the devices are arranged so that they drive the clips simultaneously in opposite directions.

11. A device for use in inserting and removing rail clips substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

12. Apparatus for use in inserting and removing rail clips substantially as herejnbefore described, with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.