Method for operating works at a railway track

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for carrying out work on an existing or to be constructed railway track by means of a track construction train located on the railway track, comprising several coupled railway wagons.

[0002] US patent 2020 / 0385934 A1 discloses a system for transporting sleepers that features conveyor belts spanning multiple wagons.

[0003] US Patent 5,174,211 A1 discloses a system for laying track sections in which a tracked excavator is provided that can travel across the wagon platforms to pick up track sections from a stack and lay them on the ground. Two wagons of the system can share a bogie.

[0004] US patent 2021 / 0348341 A1 discloses a transport system for sleepers that are to be fed to a track laying machine. The system includes traversing carriages that are moved by a chain drive over the coupled railway cars of the transport system.

[0005] A wide variety of rail vehicles are needed in track construction. However, obtaining railway approval for specially manufactured rail vehicles is not only a very time-consuming process, but also involves high costs. Furthermore, each country has its own relevant regulations that must be observed.

[0006] According to the invention, the track construction train is assembled at the work site using individually provided railway wagons, wherein the railway wagons are transported to the work site as a whole or in parts off the track by road vehicles or as general cargo on the track by separate freight wagons. The invention is defined by a method according to claim 1.

[0007] Since the railway wagons are used exclusively as rail vehicles on the construction track and do not participate in regular rail traffic, they do not require railway approval. This allows the work on the track to be carried out particularly quickly and cost-effectively.

[0008] The term "track construction train located on the railway track" generally also includes track construction trains that are not completely on the railway track, but have, for example, a section supported directly on the ground by means of tracked undercarriages or the like.

[0009] One embodiment of the invention provides that, for assembling the track construction train at the work site, wagon frames and Jacobs bogies are provided individually, and the railway wagons are formed at the work site by placing the Jacobs bogies on the track and by placing two consecutive wagon frames onto a Jacobs bogie. This can be done quickly and easily using an excavator or crane. Bogies are generally easy to transport, for example on a flatbed wagon.

[0010] It can be provided that each railway wagon has at least one transport track attached to a supporting structure, on which objects can be moved along the railway wagons. The railway wagons are coupled together in such a way that the transport tracks of coupled railway wagons connect to one another, and in particular, transport bodies for the objects are placed on the transport tracks. A corresponding track construction train has the advantage that, depending on requirements, different materials can be transported simultaneously to and / or from the construction site using the transport bodies.

[0011] The railway carriages can be transported to the work site in a disassembled state to facilitate loading onto freight wagons and road vehicles.

[0012] The disclosure further relates to a system for carrying out work on an existing or to be constructed railway track with several coupling railway wagons, each having at least one work device for carrying out work related to the railway track.

[0013] According to the disclosure, the working equipment of at least two coupled railway carriages rests on a common Jacobs bogie in their coupling area.

[0014] Such a work system requires relatively little space, as the transition between two work units can be comparatively short due to the Jacobs bogie. The work units can be any machines, such as cleaning machines, excavators, wall laying machines, and the like, designed to be mounted on a Jacobs bogie. These can be assembled at the track construction site in the desired sequence to form a track construction train.

[0015] The disclosure further relates to a system for the track-bound transport of objects, in particular for the transport of material to and from railway work vehicles, with several coupling railway wagons, each of which has at least one transport track provided on a supporting structure, on which the objects can be moved along the railway wagons and which is designed in such a way that the transport tracks of coupled railway wagons connect to one another, wherein transport bodies are provided for the objects which are designed to allow movement along connecting transport tracks from railway wagon to railway wagon.

[0016] Work on railway tracks is carried out on the tracks wherever possible, as this minimizes disruption to rail traffic and the impact on the surrounding area. Rail-mounted work vehicles are used for this purpose, such as ballast cleaning machines, subgrade rehabilitation machines, and similar equipment, as well as machines for dismantling or constructing new track. In virtually all cases, material must be transported to and / or away from the work vehicles. For example, ballast cleaning machines require the removal of debris consisting of old ballast and subgrade material.

[0017] The use of transport bodies allows for particularly efficient and low-polluting material handling to and from the construction site. Furthermore, material segregation is virtually eliminated. Another advantage is that all types of materials, including water, small iron parts, sleepers, and fuel, can be transported alongside track material and ballast. However, a system of this type can be used not only for transporting materials to and from railway work vehicles, but also for the general transport of objects on railway lines.

[0018] The design of the transitions between railway wagons, especially those between transport tracks, is complex and costly. A particular problem is the vertical and horizontal offset of the supporting structures and transport tracks in the transition area, which impairs the reliability of transport and reduces the loading volume.

[0019] As disclosed, the supporting structures of at least two coupled railway cars rest on a common Jacobs bogie in their coupling area. This eliminates any significant vertical offset between the successive supporting structures. The horizontal offset is also minimized because both supporting structures can be attached to the same structural element. This improves the maneuverability of the transport units from one railway car to the next. Since the transition can be relatively short due to the Jacobs bogie, a transport system as described above also requires relatively little space.

[0020] A Jacobs bogie generally has a rail-mounted chassis and is designed to support two consecutive wagon frames. The contact of the load-bearing structures with the Jacobs bogie refers to the system's operational state. The coupling area corresponds to the transition between two wagons, where the coupling is generally detachable between the wagon frame of one of the railway wagons and the Jacobs bogie.

[0021] The supporting structures can rest directly on the Jacobs bogie or via at least one adapter element, such as an adapter plate. The adapter element can be designed, for example, for a detachable attachment to one of the supporting structures. To couple two railway cars, the supporting structure with the mounted adapter element is simply hooked into the Jacobs bogie. The adapter element contributes to increased stability.

[0022] Preferably, the carriage frames of the railway carriages are formed by the supporting structures. That is, the railway carriages are preferably formed by the supporting structures and the Jacobs bogies and do not have any additional carriage frames. A railway carriage of the system may also have one or more additional axles and / or a standard bogie.

[0023] One variant proposes that the supporting structures of all coupled railway carriages rest on a single common Jacobs bogie in their respective coupling areas. In this design, successive Jacobs bogies are connected to each other by a supporting structure, which is particularly space-saving.

[0024] Preferably, coupling devices are provided for the detachable coupling of the Jacobs bogie to the supporting structures resting on it. The railway cars of the system can thus be reassembled quickly and easily.

[0025] The coupling devices can include pins and corresponding pin receptacles, located on the upper side of the Jacobs bogie and on the supporting structures or adapter elements connected to the supporting structures. To couple two railway cars, the free end of a supporting structure can be lifted with an excavator or similar equipment and placed onto the Jacobs bogie so that the pin slides into the pin receptacle. For additional securing, the pin can lock into place in the receptacle.

[0026] Each Jacobs bogie can incorporate a drive system, eliminating the need for a separate locomotive. Specifically, the Jacobs bogie can be equipped with a hydrostatic drive and / or an electric drive. Electric drives are lightweight and precise to control – even at low travel or working speeds.

[0027] Another variant involves the Jacobs bogie(s) incorporating a crawler undercarriage. This facilitates the use of the transport system on trackless construction sites, such as at the construction point of a new railway line.

[0028] The Jacobs bogie can be configured as a standard freight wagon bogie, for example according to the "Y 25" or "Y 27" design. These designs are specified by the International Union of Railways (UIC). Such bogies are standard components and readily available at low cost. If the transport system is to be used exclusively on construction sites, used bogies can be employed, which is particularly economical.

[0029] The supporting structures can have a length of at least 20 feet. A relatively short design for the railway cars is advantageous because it results in only minor kinks between the supporting structures when negotiating a curve. Furthermore, a close arrangement of Jacobs bogies is beneficial in terms of usable tonnage because the car frames, due to their short design, have reduced stability requirements and can therefore have a comparatively low weight per unit length. This, in turn, increases the payload.

[0030] A container for power supply components and the like can be attached to the underside of at least one of the supporting structures, particularly between two end support sections. This allows for advantageous use of the space between two Jacobs bogies. The container, preferably box-shaped, can house, for example, a tank, batteries, fuel cells, a generator, a hydraulic unit, and / or an electronic module.

[0031] On the underside of at least one of the supporting structures, particularly between two end support sections, a downward vertical extension can be provided between the support sections to increase the usable static height in the case of a low wagon frame. This also allows the space between two Jacobs bogies to be used advantageously.

[0032] The supporting structure of one of the railway carriages can have a coupling section, allowing it to be coupled to another railway carriage that also has a supporting structure with a corresponding coupling section. In this way, several transport systems can be coupled together.

[0033] It may also be provided that the supporting structure of one of the railway carriages has buffers and / or a coupling for attaching the railway carriage to a conventional railway carriage or a locomotive. This allows a transport system to be easily coupled to a conventional railway carriage or a locomotive.

[0034] The coupling section can also be provided on a cantilever extending beyond a bogie and, depending on the application, interact symmetrically or asymmetrically with the other coupling section. Furthermore, the coupling section could be formed on a coupling frame that is shorter than the other supporting structures and is supported at one end by at least one axle.

[0035] Regardless of the presence of a coupling section, the supporting structures on an upper deck area facing away from the Jacobs bogie can be mechanically coupled to one another. This allows the offset of the supporting structures to be mechanically limited.

[0036] Further developments of the invention can also be found in the dependent claims, the description and the accompanying drawings.

[0037] The invention is described below by way of example with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a simplified representation of a system for the track-bound transport of objects. Fig. 2 shows two train units of a system for the track-bound transport of objects in a decoupled state. Fig. 3 shows the train units according to Fig. 2 in a coupled state. Fig. 4 shows two alternatively designed train units of a system for the track-bound transport of objects in a decoupled state. Fig. 5 shows the train units according to Fig. 4 in a coupled state. Fig. 6 shows two alternatively designed train units of a system for the track-bound transport of objects in a decoupled state. Fig. 7 shows the train units according to Fig. 6 in a coupled state. Fig. 8 shows two embodiments of mechanical couplings for the upper deck area of ​​two supporting structures of the system according to Fig. 1 In a top view. Fig. 9 shows a power supply container of a system for the track-bound transport of goods. Fig. 10 shows a single-track railway wagon of a system for the track-bound transport of goods. Fig. 11 shows an alternative embodiment of a single-track railway wagon. Fig. 12 shows an embodiment of a Jacobs bogie with two beams for a system for the track-bound transport of goods.

[0038] The in Fig. 1 The system 10 shown for the track-bound transport of objects comprises several coupled railway cars 11, of which two complete cars and part of a third are shown as examples. The railway cars 11 are formed by support structures 13 and Jacobs bogies 15, such that each railway car 11 is assigned a support structure 13 and a Jacobs bogie 15. The transitions between two successive support structures 13 are to be regarded as coupling areas 17 of the railway cars 11. As shown, in the operating state of system 10, the support structures 13 of two coupled railway cars 11 rest on a common Jacobs bogie 15 and are supported by this on a track 19.

[0039] Vertical pins 21 are arranged on the upper surface 20 of the Jacobs bogies 15, which can engage in pin receptacles (not shown) of the support structures 13, so that the support structures 13 can be easily suspended in the Jacobs bogies 15. The pin receptacles can be formed in adapter plates (not shown) that can be detachably mounted on the undersides 22 of the support structures 13.

[0040] The support structures 13 can be designed as cuboid frame structures made of metal profiles. Each support structure 13 has a lower transport track 26 and an upper transport track 27, for example in the form of roller conveyors, belt conveyors, or the like. Transport bodies 28 can be moved from railway wagon 11 to railway wagon 11 on the transport tracks 26, 27. The transport bodies 28 are preferably transport containers for building materials and the like. The transport bodies 28 can be equipped with wheels that roll on the lower transport track 26 and the upper transport track 27. Depending on the application, the transport tracks 26, 27 and / or the transport bodies 28 can be equipped with drives.

[0041] Preferably, the lower transport tracks 26 and the upper transport tracks 27 of successive support structures 13 connect to each other at least substantially without steps and run horizontally. For this purpose, transport track connections could be provided between the support structures 13, which in Fig. 1 However, this is not shown. Preferably, the support structures 13 and / or the transport bodies 28 are stackable.

[0042] The Jacobs bogies 15 can each include drives, so that a traction vehicle for the train of railway cars 11 can be dispensed with.

[0043] Preferably the Jacobs bogies 15 are designed according to the type "Y 25" or "Y 27".

[0044] At least one of the Jacobs bogies 15 can include a crawler undercarriage to enable the use of at least part of the system 10 in a trackless area, which in Fig. 1 However, this is not shown. It is also possible that at least one of the Jacobs bogies 15 has both a crawler undercarriage and a rail undercarriage.

[0045] The supporting structures 13 can have lengths from 10 feet to 80 feet. A length of approximately 20 feet is particularly advantageous with regard to the resulting payload.

[0046] System 10 for the track-bound transport of objects can be used as in the Fig. 2-7 shown to be composed of several train units 33. The coupling of two train units 33 can be achieved using special transition modules, for example as shown in Fig. 2 and 3This is represented by two short wagons 35, each resting on a Jacobs bogie 15 on one side and equipped with a single axle 37 on the other side, which is designed for coupling. The sections of the short wagons 35 that project beyond the single axles 37 are coupled together via couplings 39 in such a way that the vertical and horizontal offset between the transport tracks 26, 27 is minimal. A safe working platform for the shunter can be provided for shunting operations.

[0047] Alternatively, as in Fig. 4 and 5 An asymmetrical coupling of two train units 33 is shown. For this purpose, a cantilevered coupling frame 41 is arranged on an end Jacobs bogie 15, which can extend over another end Jacobs bogie 15 and be coupled with a coupling plate 43. In the coupled state according to Fig. 5 The two Jacobs bogies 15 are positioned close together.

[0048] According to another, in the Fig. 6 and 7 In the alternative shown, each of the two train units 33 to be coupled is provided with a projecting coupling head 45. These can be coupled together, for example, via an automatic train coupler such as a digital automatic coupler (DAC), whereby a data connection between the train units 33 is also established during the coupling process. The coupling heads 45 can serve as a protective enclosure for a shunter.

[0049] In the area of ​​the lower transport tracks 26, no significant lateral offset occurs due to the proximity to the pivot point of the Jacobs bogie 15. In the area of ​​the upper transport tracks 27, however, an undesirable degree of lateral offset could occur, especially on ramps or in poor track conditions. To counteract this, the supporting structures 13 can be designed as shown in Fig. 8 The coupling devices 47 shown in the area of ​​the upper transport tracks 27 can be mechanically coupled. The corresponding coupling devices 47 are preferably foldable so that they can be folded into the interior of the carriage for conveying the transport bodies 28. They can be either as shown in the upper part of the Fig. 8 shown two lateral coupling devices 47 or as shown in the lower part of the Fig. 8 A central coupling device 47 is provided. Preferably, the central coupling device 47 is designed asymmetrically for the purpose of direction independence.

[0050] At the in Fig. 9 In the railway car 11 shown, a box-shaped energy supply container 49 for energy supply components and the like is attached to the underside 22 of the supporting structure 13, specifically in the space between the Jacobs bogies 15. Depending on the application, the energy supply container 49 houses tanks, batteries, fuel cells, generators, hydraulic units and / or electronic modules.

[0051] At least one railway carriage 11 of system 10 can be used as in Fig. 10 The figure shows a flat support structure 53 without an upper transport track. Such a support structure 53 facilitates the loading and unloading of transport bodies 28. To increase the static usable height in this design, a vertical extension 55 is provided downwards on the underside 22 of the support structure 53.

[0052] A flat supporting structure 63 can be used as in Fig. 11 shown with buffers 65 and optionally with a coupling (not shown) to facilitate coupling to a locomotive or a conventional train.

[0053] Fig. 12 Figure 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a Jacobs bogie 15. The Jacobs bogie 15 has a rail chassis 71 and defines a vertical axis of rotation 73. Two adapter plates or elongated supports 74, 75 are provided, each rotatably mounted on the rail chassis 71 with respect to the axis of rotation 73. As shown, the supports 74, 75 are each equipped with end vertical pins 21, which can engage in corresponding pin receptacles. The pins 21 have a flattened cross-section here, but could also have a different cross-sectional shape. It is understood that other coupling means, such as hooks, latches, screws, and the like, can be provided instead of the pins 21.

[0054] Since the support structures 13, 53, 63 can be easily removed from the Jacobs bogies 15, and both the support structures 13, 53, 63 and the Jacobs bogies 15 are easy to load, the system 10 can be easily assembled wherever material is to be transported using the transport bodies 28, for example at a track construction site. A railway work vehicle with equipment for carrying out work on the track 19 can be located at one end of the train.

[0055] Specifically, when carrying out work on a track 19 using a track construction train located on the track 19, comprising several railway wagons 11 as described above, the track construction train can be assembled at the work site by coupling individually provided railway wagons 11 together. The railway wagons 11 are transported to the work site away from the track 19 by road vehicles or on the track 19 by separate freight wagons, in particular standard freight wagons. For this purpose, the supporting structures 13, 53, 63 can be equipped with container corner fittings. The railway wagons 11 are thus transported to the work site in a disassembled state.

[0056] The support structures 13, 53, 63 and the Jacobs bogies 15 are individually provided at the construction site. After the Jacobs bogies 15 have been placed on the track, the support structures 13 are positioned onto the Jacobs bogies 15 so that the pins 21 engage with the pin receptacles. In this way, a track construction train can be formed specifically adapted to the requirements on site. Since the railway wagons 11 do not have to participate in regular rail traffic, but are only used in the construction area, no railway approval is required. A particular advantage of the invention is that defective components of the system 10 can be easily replaced.

[0057] Instead of support structures 13, 53, 63, work equipment such as excavation equipment or other machines can also be provided, wherein the work equipment of two coupled railway cars 11 rests on a common Jacobs bogie 15. The work equipment has interface sections for this purpose that are compatible with the Jacobs bogie 15. Preferably, the base frames of the work equipment rest on the Jacobs bogie 15 in a manner similar to the support structures 13, 53, 63. Bezugszeichenliste:

[0058] 10 System for track-bound transport of objects 11 Railway wagon 13 Supporting structure 15 Jacobs bogie 17 Coupling area 19 Rail track 20 Top of Jacobs bogie 21 Pivot 22 Bottom of supporting structure 26 Lower transport track 27 Upper transport track 28 Transport body 33 Train unit 35 Short wagon 37 Single axle 39 Coupling 41 Coupling frame 43 Coupling plate 45 Coupling head 47 Coupling device 49 Power supply container 53 Supporting structure 55 Vertical extension 63 Supporting structure 65 Buffer 71 Rail bogie 73 Pivot axle 74, 75 Beam

Claims

1. A method for carrying out work by means of a track construction train on an existing rail track (19) or a rail track (19) to be manufactured, said track construction train being located on the rail track (19) and comprising a plurality of coupled-together railroad cars (11), characterized in that the track construction train is assembled at the work site using individually provided railroad cars (11), with the railroad cars (11) being transported to the work site as a whole or in parts away from the rail track (19) using road vehicles or as piece goods on the rail track (19) using separate freight cars.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that car frames (13, 53, 63) and Jacobs bogies (15) are individually provided for assembling the track construction train at the work site and the railroad cars (11) are formed at the work site by rerailing the Jacobs bogies (15) and by a respective placing of two consecutive car frames (13, 53, 63) on a Jacobs bogie (15).

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the railroad cars (11) each have at least one transport track (26, 27) which is provided at a support structure (13, 53, 63) and on which objects can be moved along the railroad cars (11), with the railroad cars (11) being coupled together such that the transport tracks (26, 27) of coupled-together railroad cars (11) adjoin one another, in particular with transport bodies (28) for the objects being placed on the transport tracks (26, 27).

4. A method according to any one of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the railroad cars (11) are transported to the work site in a disassembled state.