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Railroad tie replacement device and method

Railroad tie replacement device and method description/claims

This application claims priority of Provisional Patent Application 60/874,644 filed Dec. 14, 2006 as the small entity application of James Siano.

The present invention relates to railroad track maintenance. In particular it relates to a device for removing old railroad ties as well as replacing them with new ones.

No specific device exists for replacement of railroad ties that can be done by a single individual using a device that weighs less than 45 pounds. U.S. Pat. No 4,343,457 teaches a jack adaptor, while U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,594,90 & 6,793,201 teach a jacking system, both useful for railroad tie removal. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,948,185, 4,018,165, 4,392,433 & 5,119,723 teach more complex apparatus and methods for railroad tie replacement.

Using a special tool one or two workers can extract a tie to be replaced in about half the time required by prior arts methods without the need to put the rail line out of service. Spot maintenance can be done in inaccessible locations.

The assembled device consists of two drive units incorporating a pawl and ratchet mechanism to move a railroad tie via cables connected to a sling over the end of the railroad tie where the drive units are clamped to a rail and a handle is moved by at least one operator to remove the tie.

FIG. 1 A side angle view of the device is shown.

FIG. 2 A top view shows the device clamped to a rail before the cables are tightened to place a sling in place to remove a railroad tie.

Prior to the present invention the process of performing railroad track and bed maintenance had remained essentially the same as it had since the growth of railroading in the nineteenth century. Without specialized tools or methods it was mainly brute force. Instead of replacing individual railroad ties where required, it might be simpler to tear up a section and rebuild it using new ties and track.

There were efforts to mechanize this process with mechanical devices that moved along the railroad to where the work could be performed only by closing down the right of way until it was complete. At the present time there is no indication that any of these mechanical devices have ever found commercial use in the railroad industry.

The present invention provides a method or railroad maintenance wherein a single worker can carry this device in a canvass bag and quickly assemble it and remove and replace railroad ties without disturbing the right of way. In the event a train comes the pawls are released and the handle tilted away from the rail. As a safety device the pins can be pulled and the handle removed, then reattached when the train has passed.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

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