Rail threader

Claim 1

RAIL THREADER APPARATUS COMPRISING A VEHICLE CAPABLE OF MOVEMENT ALONG RAILWAY TRACKS, SAID VEHICLE HAVING A FORWARD END AND A REARWARD END, SAID VEHICLE BEING MOVABLE IN ONE DIRECTION FOR THREADING RAILS INTO POSITION IN THE CENTER OF A PAIR OF RAILWAY TRACKS, SAID FORWARD END FACING IN SAID ONE DIRECTION, SAID VEHICLE INCLUDING AN ELONGATED RIGID FRAME HAVING A LONGITUDINAL AXIS, A THREADER DEVICE SUPPORTED AT A FIXED POINT SPACED LATERALLY OUTWARDLY OF SAID FRAME AND ADJACENT THERETO, SAID THREADER DEVICE EXTENDING LATERALLY OUTWARDLY FROM SAID FRAME SUBSTANTIALLY NORMALLY TO SAID AXIS, SAID THREADER DEVICE HAVING A DIMENSION PARALLEL WITH SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS WHICH IS ONLY A MINOR PORTION OF THE LENGTH OF SAID VEHICLE, SAID THREADER DEVICE BEING SUPPORTED CLOSELY ADJACENT SAID REARWARD END OF SAID FRAME AT A LOWER PORTION OF THE VEHICLE TO POSITIVELY PREVENT IMPINGEMENT WITH THE VEHICLE OF A RAIL EXTENDING ANGULARLY THROUGH THE THREADER DEVICE FROM A POSITION OUTSIDE A PAIR OF RAILWAY TRACKS UPON WHICH THE VEHICLE IS POSITIONED TOWARD THE CENTRAL PORTION OF SUCH TRACKS, THE LOWER PORTION OF THE THREADER DEVICE BEING RIGIDLY FIXED AT A SUFFICIENT HEIGHT TO CLEAR THE SUPPORTING RAILWAY TRACKS AT SWITCHES AND CROSSINGS, AN OUTRIGGER BEAM FIXED TO THE SIDE PORTION OF SAID FRAME AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY THEREOF, SAID THREADER DEVICE BEING SUPPORTED AT A FIXED POINT AT THE OUTER END OF SAID OUTRIGGER BEAM, SAID THREADER DEVICE INCLUDING A FRAMEWORK COMPRISING THREE INTERCONNECTED LEG PORTIONS OF SIMILAR CONSTRUCTION, EACH OF SAID LEG PORTIONS INCLUDING SPACED SHAFT SUPPORT MEANS, A SHAFT SUPPORTED BETWEEN EACH PAIR OF SHAFT SUPPORT MEANS ON EACH LEG PORTION, BEARING MEANS SUPPORTED ON EACH OF SAID SHAFT MEANS, A ROLLER DRILLED ON SAID BEARING MEANS ON EACH OF SAID LEG PORTIONS, WHEREBY THREE ROLLERS ARE PROVIDED, THE ROLLERS BEING MOUNTED FOR FREE ROTATION ABOUT THE RESPECTIVE SHAFTS FOR SUPPORTING A PORTION OF A RAIL WHICH EXTENDS THROUGH THE THREADER DEVICE TO PROVIDE AN ANTIFRICTION MEANS TO REDUCE FRICTION TO A MINIMUM, TWO OF SAID LEG PORTIONS BEING FIXEDLY INTERCONNECTED TO ONE ANOTHER AT AN ANGLE OF SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN 90*, A FIRST ONE OF SAID FIXEDLY INTERCONNECTED LEG PORTIONS BEING CONNECTED WITH SAID OUTRIGGER BEAM, A THIRD ONE OF SAID LEG PORTIONS BEING PIVOTALLY INTERCONNECTED WITH THE OTHER OF SAID LEG PORTIONS WHICH ARE FIXEDLY INTERCONNECTED WITH ONE ANOTHER, THE LONGITUDINAL AXES OF EACH OF SAID ROLLERS LYING SUBSTANTIALLY IN A PLANE, A LATCH PIN SUPPORTED BY SAID FIRST LEG PORTION AND EXTENDING IN A DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY NORMALLY TO SAID PLANE, A PIN SUPPORTED BY SAID THIRD LEG PORTION AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY NORMALLY TO SAID PLANE, A LATCH MEMBER PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED BY SAID PIN AND LYING SUBSTANTIALLY IN SAID PLANE FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT IN SAID PLANE, MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID LATCH MEMBER FOR MANUALLY AMNIPULATING THE LATCH MEMBER, ONE END PORTION OF SAID LATCH MEMBER FORMING A HOOK PORTION ADAPTED TO ENGAGE OVER SAID LATCH PIN, WHEREBY UPON SUCH ENGAGEMENT THE THIRD LEG PORTION WILL BE HELD IN OPERATIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO SAID OTHER LEG PORTIONS TO DEFINE A SUBSTANTIALLY TRIANGULAR SHAPED FRAMEWORK WHEREIN SAID FIRST LEG PORTION AND SAID THIRD LEG PORTION DEFINE SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR ANGLES WITH SAID OTHER LEG PORTION, MEANS FOR LIMITING PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID THIRD LEG PORTION IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, SAID HOOK PORTION OF SAID LATCH MEMBER INCLUDING A LOWER SLOPING EDGE PORTION ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID LATCH PIN WHEN SAID THIRD LEG PORTION IS MOVED INTO OPERATIVE LATCHED POSITION TO CAUSE THE LATCH MEMBER TO BE CAMMED UPWARDLY AND SUBSEQUENTLY TO DROP INTO LATCHED POSITION BEHIND SAID LATCH PIN.