Brush for track and right-of-way

Claim 1

IN A BRUSH ASSEMBLY FOR PERFORMING A BALLAST SWEEPING AND PLACEMENT OPERATION ON TRACK SWEEPERS AND THE LIKE, A ROTATABLE IMPELLER STRUCTURE INCLUDING AN AXIAL HUB AND A PLURALITY OF PERIPHERALLY SPACED, GENERALLY RADIALLY EXTENDING, SOLID BLADES REMOVABLY MOUNTED THEREON, SAID BLADES BEING FLEXIBLE THROUGHOUT THEIR RADIAL AND LATERAL EXTENT AND HAVING A FORWARD LAYER OF A MATERIAL HAVING THE GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF RUBBER, AS TO FLEXIBILITY AND WEAR, AND HAVING DIMENSIONALLY STABILIZING MATERIAL BONDED THERETO, AND ATTACHING MEANS RIGIDLY CONNECTED TO THE HUB FOR REMOVABLY MOUNTING EACH SUCH BLADE ON THE HUB SO THAT WHEN MOUNTED A SUBSTANTIAL EXTENT OF EACH BLADE WILL PROJECT RADIALLY BEYOND THE ATTACHING MEANS, COMPARED TO BLADE THICKNESS, AND WILL BE OTHERWISE FREE TO FLEX WHEN IN CONTACT WITH THE BALLAST, THE FLEXIBLY FREE PORTION OF EACH BLADE BEYOND THE ATTACHING MEANS BEING AT LEAST HALF OF THE FULL RADIAL EXTENT OF THE BLADE FROM THE AXIAL HUB WHEREBY THE BLADES WILL FLEXIBLY ARCH SOMEWHAT WHEN IN CONTACT WITH THE BALLAST AND WILL FLEX ACROSS THE TIES WHEN THE IMPELLER IS SET LOW ENOUGH SO THAT THE EXTREMITIES OF THE BLADES WILL BE SLIGHTLY BELOW THE TOP OF THE TIES, EACH BLADE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY LATERALLY ELONGATED COMPARED TO ITS THICKNESS.