US1566570A - Thacklaying machine - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 22,1925

L. D. APP

TRACKLAYING MACHINE Filed Sept. 2, 1924' 2 she ts-sheet 1 INVENTOR Lou 5D.APP

ATTORNEY.

Dec. 22, 1925 1,566,570 D. APP

TRAcKLAYmG MACHINE Filed Se t/2, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 h t x EL @N/ M Em; E

I v" l P m N T R N m A Patented Dec. 22, 1925.

UNITED STATES LOUIS ID. APP, OF SCAPIPOOSE, OREGON.

TRACKLAYING MACHINE.

Application filed September 2, 1924., Serial No. 735,490.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it hereby known that I, Lou s D. Arr, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Soappoose, in the county of Columbia and State of Oregon, have invented a new and useful Tracklaying Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for laying track for railroads, logging roads, etc.

'ihe primary object of this invention is to provide an exceedingly simple and efiicient machine for laying track at a minimum cost A second object is to deliver ties to the road bed one at a time in a correct position for laying Without requiring the workmen tostoop and lift each tie.

A third object is to convey the ties from behind the machine and over-head to the point of delivery.

A fourth object is to reduce the maximum distance any tie must be carried totwent feet from the end of the machine.

A fifth object is to deliver the tie to the men at a distance of about three and onehalf feet from the ground, thereby eliminating the loss of time and energy now expended in picking up each tie 011' from the ground or dragging them out of a pile of ties, as is the case when a number of ties are dropping simultaneously upon the road bed. 1

A sixth object is to so construct the machine that a large part of the drudgery is removed from the operation of track laying, which renders it possible to engage a higher class of men thereby increasing the speed at which track can be laid, and consequently reducing the cost of track per mile.

A seventh object is to render the machine simple in structure and safe in operation for the men who are working around same.

An eighth object is to permit the machine to operate in either direction so that it does not need to be turned when laying the track or when taking it up.

A ninth object is to so construct the machine that it will deliver steel to the newly laid ties, or pick it up as the case may be,

or deliver bridge stringers to some desired point.

A tenth object is to adapt the machine for either main line work or for logging opera-- tions by providing storage space on the machine for rails and ties, which will permit supply cars to be switched into place behind the machine while rails and ties are being taken from or placed in the storage space on the machine.

An eleventh object is toso construct the machine that an internal combustion engine can be. employed to furnish the power re- I occupy in the completed track. The ties are delivered at right angles to the rails at a height which will render lifting unnecessary, and the carrying of the tie is reduced to the minimum. In fact, the tie handling problem is greatly simplified, and it is this item which includes a large portion of the work of track laying.

In order to simplify the illustration I have shown the device as being operated by an internal combustion engine, as far as propelling the vehicle and driving the rail rolls and tie conveyors is concerned, but have shown the conveyor adjustment as being hand-operated which, in most cases, is sufficient.

I accomplish the objects above enumerated as described in the specification following and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the machine taking ties from a flat car at its rear end and using steel rails from its own storage space. Figure 2 is a plan of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a deck plan showing the storage space for steel and driving rolls and their gearing, above which the decking has been removed to better disclose the parts. Figure 4 is a section taken along the line H in Figure 1. Figure 5 is a side elevation of :one end'of the machine showing an attachment for taking up rails, which attachment may remain in place all of the time if desired, although not necessarily so. For the sake of clearness this attachment is not illustrated in the first four figures. Figure 6 is a front elevation of -a roller hanger shown in Figure 5. g

The views are largely diagrammatic, no attempt having been made to show friction clutches, fastenings, etc., which are merely a matter of design and do not enter into my invention.

Similar numbers of reference refer to the same parts throughout the several views.

Referring-in detail to the drawing,'I"have illustrated the trucks which support the girders 11 and 12 over which I have placed the decking 13 which supports the steel rails 14. Between the girders 12 I have formed a raceway in which are placed the live rolls 15 driven by the bevel gears 16 from the shaft 17, which, in turn, is driven by the internal combustion engine 18.

On the girders 11 are placed the upright posts 19 made rigid by the braces 20 and joined at their upper ends by the stringers 21. Between the longitudinal side rails 22 which are secured to the upper portions of the posts 19 is placed a conveyor 23to whose ends I have hinged the conveyors 24 and on the frames 26, which are held at the desired elevation by the cables2'? and 28 which pass over the sheaves 29 and are operated by the Windlass 30. The conveyors 23, 24 and are adapted to carry the ties 31 from the flat car 32 to the new road bed singly in the position they are to occupy instead of dumping them off in bunches or parallel with the steel rails, as is now the common practice.

On the transverse rods 33 I have placed the carriages 34 from which are swung the rail tongs 35 bymeans of the hoists 36. The tie conveyors 23, 24 and 25 are driven by the chain 37 from the engine 18, which also propels the machine itself along the track being laid through the chain 38, under the control, of course, of the operator through the medium of clutches (not shown) as is the common practice in Various types of machines.

To facilitate the taking up of steel rails I have provided a track 39 which is attached to the frame 26 by means of the hangers 40 and 41. The hanger 41 is preferably shorter than the hanger 40 causing the track 39 to slope downwardly toward the machine, as the boom or frame 26 is raised toward a horizontal position or higher. On the track 39 I have placed a carriage 42 from which is slung a pair of rail tongs 43.

Near the end of the frames 26 I have attached the slings 44 which support the roller hanger 45 whose roller 46 is adapted to carry a rail 14. In order to better illustrate the use of the attachment I have shown the frame 26 in three positions which I have designated as A, B and C, the two latter being dotted positions.

The operation of my device is as follows: When laying track a supply of rails is in place on the decks 13 and a flat car 32 loaded with ties 31 is placed behind the machine. The tie conveyors 23, 24 and 25 are now started by driving the chain 37, and the ties 31 are placed on the conveyors from the car 32 and carried to the road bed Where they are received at a convenient height and distributed as needed, during which time the machine is backed away, as required, under its own power. When enough ties have been laid'the rolls 15 are started and. a rail 14 is rolled out onto the rolls and fed out of the machine upon the newly placed ties and is then taken care of'by the crew.

The operation of the device for taking up steel rails, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, is as follows: lVhen the boom or frame 26 is in the lower or A position the tongs 43 are attached to the rail 14 which is. to be lifted. This point of attachment is slightly forward of the rail center.

When the boom 26 is raised: to the position B the end of the rail 14 nearest the machine is uppermost, and the entire rail is caused to travel toward the machine. As the rail approaches the position B the roller 46 of the hanger 45 is placed under the end of the rail- 14 and the boom 26 is then raised toward the position C, as illustrated. In

raisin-g the boom to this position the carriage 42 slides along the track 39 and carries the rail 14 upon the live rolls 15, which-,together with the roller 46,. now support the rail. The. rolls 15 now draw the rail 14 upon the vehicle and finally free the rail tongs 43 and the roller 46 from their load.

In taking up track the operation of the machine itself isareversed by reversing the direction of rotation of the conveyors and rolls. When the tie car is filled, the ties be ing taken up may be accumulated on the conveyors until an empty flat car can be switched into place, and when the storage space for rails is filled they can be run through onto a waiting flat car. When laying track the rail supply on the machine itself can be renewed in a reverse manner. The hoists 36 are used to pick the rails from the rolls 15 and to place them on the decks 13. In placing the rails on the rollsfromthe decks they may be slid along and rolled down onto the rolls by means of bars.

It will be seen that the usual difficulties encountered in track laying, which is the supplying of material to the machines in sufficient quantities, is thereby eliminated, and the machine is therefore adapted to main line work as well as for logging operations where the amount of material required is much less.

In moving the machine great distances, when overhead clearance is limited, the end conveyors can be disconnected and placed upon the conveyor 23 for transportation purposes.

I am aware that many forms of tracklaying machines have been constructed in the past, I therefore do not claim my device broadly, but I do intend to cover all such forms and modifications as fall fairly within the appended claims.

What I claim as new is:

1. A track-laying machine having, in combination, a flat car having a longitudinal rail raceway formed in its deck; live railcarrying rolls in said raceway; gearing for driving said rolls; hoists for lifting rails from said rolls to the deck of said car; a conveyor over said rails adapted to carry ties transversely With said raceway; an extension conveyor hinged to each end of said first mentioned tie conveyor; means for adjusting the height of the swinging ends of said we tensions; an internal combustion engine for driving said rolls and conveyors and for propelling said flat car; and having vehicles for supplying rails and ties to the receiving end of said machine.

2. A device for taking up rails consisting of a vehicle; a boom on said vehicle; a longitudinal track attached to said boom; a rail tong slidably swung from said track; and a roller hanger swun from the end of said boom adapted to sli ably support the end of a rail after its opposite end has been lifted upon said vehicle by'said tongs.

3. A device for taking up steel rails consisting of a vehicle; live rolls mounted on said vehicle; a boom swung from said vehicle; a longitudinal track slung under said boom; a carriage on said track; rail tongs.

supported by said carriage; a roller-carrying hanger supported from the swinging end of said boom adapted to have its roller placed under a rail and support one end thereof while said rail is being drawn upon said vehicle by said live rolls.

LOUIS D. APP.

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