Mobile apparatus for continuously renewing track

Claim 1

A mobile apparatus for continuously replacing old rails and ties of an existing railroad track by new rail and ties, which comprises a train of cars mounted for mobility on the existing track and including cars for transporting the old and new ties, and a work car having a forward end and a rear end, the forward end of the work car being arranged adjacent a last one of the train cars and the work car carrying equipment adapted to work in a trackless section adjacent the track from which the rails and ties have been removed, the work car equipment including means for removing the old ties, means for laying the new ties, means for smoothing ballast between the tie removing and laying means, and guide means for raising and spreading apart the old rails, the work car being a semi-trailer and including two selectively usable undercarriages for supporting the rear end of the work car, one of the undercarriages being an off-track track-laying bogie supporting the work car on the trackless track section and the other undercarriage being a vertically movable on-track bogie, and a selectively usable undercarriage for supporting the forward end of the work car, the forward undercarriage being a vertically movable on-track bogie, and means for selectively linking the forward end of the work car to the last train car or to the forward undercarriage for support of the forward work car end.