GB883638A - Dual speed railroad ballast cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

883,638. Rail track ballast cleaning machines. CAMPBELL, F. D. April 16, 1959, No. 12917/59. Class 104 (2). In a self-propelled rail ballast cleaning machine propelled at relatively high speeds over the track by a forward electrically driven bogie 11, supplied with power from a diesel engine generator 12, and relatively slow speeds by a retractable tractor 15 carried beneath the vehicle 10 there is provided a plurality of retractable bucket elevators 46, 46<SP>1</SP>, 47 and 47<SP>1</SP> for elevating ballast from the track when the vehicle 10 is propelled by the tractor 15, an excavator 50 carried at one end of a vertically extending rotatable shaft 65 pivoted and carried by the vehicle 10 and provided with a portion 60 disposed in a horizontal plane and movable beneath the track to excavate ballast therefrom and to discharge same through a shoot 63 into a predetermined position with respect to the elevators 47, 47<SP>1</SP> when the machine 10 is propelled, a motor 67 for pivoting the excavator 50 about the vertical shaft 65 from a position beneath the track to a position parallel to the vehicle 10 and an hydraulic cylinder 72 for retracting the excavator 50 from engagement with a ballast after it has been pivoted about the vertical axis. The elevators 46, 46<SP>1</SP>, 47, 47<SP>1</SP> are supported on pivoted arms 52 and 52<SP>1</SP> and are moved to the operative and inoperative positions by hydraulic cylinders 57 pivotally attached to arms 52. The tractor 15 is driven by an electric or hydraulically-operated motor supported thereon between the endless tracks, Fig. 12 (not shown) and is suspended from the underside of the vehicle 10 by pivoted arms 23, 23<SP>1</SP>. The tractor 15 is lifted to the inoperative position by hydraulically operated cylinders 18 in which position it is held by hooked arms 27 pivoted by hydraulically operated cylinders 32 to engage rods 30 carried by the vehicle 10. The ballast lifted by the elevators 46, 46<SP>1</SP>, 47, 47<SP>1</SP> is deposited on to a series of belt conveyers 50<SP>1</SP> and then on to a single belt conveyer 51 into a vibrating screen 74, Fig. 10. The large particles of ballast from the screen 74 are deposited on to the vibrating trough magazine conveyer 75 and then to a shoot 76 which distributes the ballast on to the track at the rear of the machine. The remaining ballast passing through the screen 74 is carried by a belt conveyer 77 to the front part of the machine to a portable swivel belt conveyer 78 for discharge on to the sides of the track. The portable conveyer 78 is retractable into and out of the vehicle 10 by means of a castor under support 80 and an overhead rail 79. The endless tracks 37 of the tractor 15, Fig. 15, are supported by lifting bars 38 when the tractor 15 is in the inoperative position. An air compressor 13 and an hydraulic pump 14 are provided on the vehicle 10.