Railroad under-track device

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING MATERIAL FROM BENEATH A RAILROAD TRACK, COMPRISING (I) MEANS FOR TRAVELLING ALONG THE TRACK INCLUDING MEANS FOR ELEVATING A SPAN OF SAID TRACK ABOVE THE ROADBED, (II) BLADE MEANS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY ACROSS SUBSTANTIALLY THE FULL WIDTH OF THE TRACK, (III) MEANS MOUNTING SAID BLADE MEANS ON SAID TRAVELLING MEANS FOR TRAVEL THEREWITH ALONG THE TRACK, SAID MOUNTING MEANS MOUNTING THE BLADE MEANS BENEATH SAID ELEVATED SPAN OF TRACK WITH THE BLADE MEANS PROJECTING FORWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY IN SCOOP FASHION TO DEFLECT MATERIAL UPWARDLY FROM THE ROADBED, (IV) SAID BLADE MEANS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL WHEREBY MATERIAL THEREBY DEFLECTED REARWARDLY REMAINS SPREAD OUT ACROSS THE WIDTH OF THE TRACK IN SUBSTANTIALLY ITS ORIGINAL TRANSVERSE DISTRIBUTION, (V) CONVEYOR MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID TRAVELLING MEANS IN POSITION BENEATH SAID ELEVATED SPAN REARWARDLY OF SAID BLADE MEANS TO RECEIVE MATERIAL DEFLECTED THEREBY AND TO CONVEY SUCH DEFLECTED MATERIAL TOWARDS A LATERAL EDGE OF THE TRACK, (VI) AND DIGGER MEANS MOUNTED ONN SAID TRAVELLING MEANS IN POSITION BENEATH SAID ELEVATED SPAN IN ADVANCE OF SAID BLADE MEANS, (VII) SAID DIGGER MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF DEPENDINGG MATERIAL-PENETRATING TIMES DISTRUBUTED ACROSS THE APPARATUS AND ALIGNED LONGITUDINALLY OF THE TRACK WITH AT LEAST THE TIE BED PORTIONS OF THE ROADBED FOR LOOSENING THE MATERIAL OF SAID PORTIONS FOR SCOOPING UP BY SAID BLADE MEANS, SAID TINES LEAVING SUCH LOOSENED MATERIAL SPREAD OUT TRANSVERSELY OF THE TRACK IN SUBSTANTIALLY ITS ORIGINAL TRANSVERSE DISTRIBUTION.