Apparatus and method for aligning railroad tracks

Claim 1

IN THE ART OF PERFORMING A BALLASTING OPERATION ON A SECTION OF RAILROAD TRACK BY MOVING ALONG THE ROADBED AN UNDER-TRACK BALLAST HANDLING DEVICE OF THE TYPE CONSTRUCTED TO PASS BENEATH THE TIES WHILE RESTING ON SAID ROADBED AND TO YIELD A LEVELLED ROADBED EXTENDING BEYOND THE ENDS OF THE TIES, SAID DEVICE ELEVATING A SPAN OF SAID TRACK WITH A FORWARD PORTION OF SAID ELEVATED SPAN IMMEDIATELY IN ADVANCE OF SAID DEVICE SLOPING UPWARDLY THERETO FROM THE UNWORKED ROADBED AND A REARWARD PORTION OF SAID ELEVATED SPAN IMMEDIATELY IN THE REAR OF SAID DEVICE SLOPING DOWNWARDLY AWAY THEREFROM TOWARDS THE LEVELLED ROADBED, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF: (I) POSITIONING TRACK ALIGNMENT APPARATUS ON THE TRACK ABOVE AND REARWARDLY OF SAID UNDER-TRACK DEVICE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A RIGID ELONGATED BOOM, A FRONT CART PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID BOOM, A REAR CAR PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO A PART OF SAID BOOM REMOTE FROM SAID FIRST CART, SAID CARTS HAVING RAIL ENGAGING WHEELS FOR SUPPORTING SAID APPARATUS ON THE TRACK RAILS FOR TRAVEL THEREALONG, AND A LINER HEAD ASSEMBLY MOUNTED ON SAID BOOM INTERMEDIATE SAID FRONT AND REAR CARTS FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID BOOM TRANSVERSELY OF THE LONGITUDINAL EXTEND THEREOF, SAID ASSEMBLY INCLUDING RAIL ENGAGING MEANS POSITIONED TO BEAR AGAINST A VERTICAL SURFACE OF EACH RAIL TO EXERT A TRANSVERSE, TRACK ALIGNING FORCE THEREON, (II) SO COUPLING SAID TRACK ALIGNMENT APPARATUS TO SAID UNDER-TRACK DEVICE FOR TRAVEL THEREWITH THAT SAID FRONT CAR IS POSITIONED ON SAID ELEVATED SPAN GENERALLY ABOVE SAID UNDER-TRACK DEVICE, SAID REAR CART IS POSITIONED ON AN UNELEVATED PORTION OF SAID TRACK LYING REARWARDLY OF SAID REARWARD ELEVATED SPAN PORTON, AND SAID LINER HEAD ASSEMBLY IS POSITIONED TO ENGAGE THE RAILS OF SAID TRACK AT APOSITION IN SAID REARWARD ELEVATED SPAN PORTION, AND (III) CONTROLLING THE TRANSVERSE POSITION OF SAID LINER HEAD ASSEMBLY RELATIVE TO SAID BOOM WHEREBY EXERT TRANSVERSE ALIGNING FORCES ON SAID REARWARD ELEVATED SPAN PORTIONS TO ALIGN THE SAME WITH SAID UNELEVATED PORTION OF THE TRACK AS SAID ELEVATED SPAN PORTION IS LOWERED INTO POSITION RESTING ON SAID LEVELLED ROADBED.