Method and rail vehicle for welding new rails

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for welding together new rails (3), which are placed on a track (5), in particular on roller supports (31), for a rail replacement, using a rail vehicle (2) for carrying out each welding operation, wherein the rail vehicle (2) is moved forward on old rails (4) of the track (5). In this process, at least one welding unit (23) stationary on the rail vehicle (2) welds an end of a new rail (3) stored on the rail vehicle (2) to an end of a new rail (3) that has been conveyed onto the rail vehicle (2) but not yet placed on it. The rail vehicle (2) according to the invention enables the delivery and placement of a fully welded rail section (18), so that the placement process is immediately followed by the rail replacement.