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(11) | EP 0 032 799 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | A means for and a method of rerailing a derailed railroad vehicle |
| (57) An upright derailed railroad vehicle is rerailed by means of a wheeled carriage (12)
which is displaceably mounted in a rigid, elongate, channel-shaped base member (10).
A jack is releasably secured to the carriage (12) by means of a shoe (38) having securing
formations (42). The base member (10) and carriage (12), with the jack secured thereto,
are placed underneath the vehicle and the jack extended to lift the vehicle clear
of the rails. The vehicle may then be safely displaced sidewardly. The vehicle is
displaced sidewardly by means of a lever arm that has at its lower end an angular
foot which engages one of the rails and intermediate its ends it has a coupling formation
which is engageable with a chain which has a hook at its end. |
[0002] The-invention is applicable to railroad vehicles that are upright after derailment. Accordingly, it is particularly applicable to underground railroads such as in mines, where the rails are found in relatively narrow tunnels, the walls of which assist in keeping a vehicle upright after it has been derailed. The railroad vehicles may accordingly be locos, coco-pans, carriages or the like.
[0003] Presently, such derailed vehicles are rerailed by lifting them and then displacing them sideways. The vehicles are lifted either by means of jacks or rigging. If jacks are used, they are placed between the footwall and a suitable part of the vehicle, they are extended to lift the vehicle, and then the jack is caused to topple over as the vehicle is displaced sidewardly towards the rails. If rigging is used, it is necessary to bore a hole in the hanging-wall and insert a roof bolt in the hole. The rigging is then supported by the roof bolt. Jacks are also used to displace the vehicle sidewardly. Thus, one or more jack is engaged between the side wall and the vehicle, if necessary with the use of spacer members, and extended in order to displace the vehicle sidewardly. It will be appreciated that the jacks are not supported and if they are dislodged, they will fall away allowing the vehicle to swing back towards the side wall. This is extremely dangerous, as there are personnel between the vehicle and the side wall operating the jacks. This procedure is also extremely time consuming.
[0005] Accordingly, the invention provides a means for rerailing derailed railroad vehicles that are upright, the means including
a wheeled carriage on which a jack may be mounted; and
a base member on which the carriage is displaceably mounted.
Further according to the invention there is provided a method of rerailing upright derailed railroad vehicles, which includes
providing a wheeled carriage that is displaceably mounted on a base member;
placing the base member and carriage underneath the vehicle with the base member oriented such that the carriage is movable transversely with respect to the railroad with the carriage to one side of the member and underneath a suitable part of the vehicle;
providing a jack on the carriage and extending it to engage the said part of the vehicle to lift the vehicle; and
displacing the vehicle sidewardly it being supported by the carriage and causing the carriage to move relative to the base member.
[0006] Conveniently, in order to displace the vehicle sidewardly, a lever and connecting arrangement may be provided. Thus, a lever arm may be provided having at one end an engagement formation engageable with a rail of the railroad and having intermediate its ends a coupling formation. A hook to which is attached a chain or cable or the like (hereinafter referred to as a "chain") may also be provided, the chain being releasably securable to the coupling formation. In use, the engaging formation at the end of the lever arm may then be engaged with the rail,'-the hook engaged with a part of the vehicle at the end thereof, the chain coupled with the coupling formation at a suitable position along the chain; and the lever arm may then be pivoted, thereby displacing the vehicle. The chain may then be disengaged from the coupling formation, the lever arm pivoted back, the chain re-engaged with the coupling formation at a new position therealong closer to the hook, and the lever arm may again be pivoted to displace the vehicle further. This is done until the wheels of the vehicle are above the rails, at which time the jack is lowered to rerail the vehicle. Naturally, if the vehicle is so far away from the rails that the base member is not long enough for the vehicle to be rerailed in one pass, then, when the carriage has reached the end of the base member, the jack may be lowered, the carriage displaced to the other end of the base member, and the jack may then be re-extended and the procedure repeated. The brakes of the vehicle may be engaged whilst the vehicle is being sidewardly displaced, and the vehicle may be displaced by personnel located in front of, or behind, the vehicle.
[0007] It will be appreciated that the base member may be elongate and may have a suitable length. Preferably, the base member has a length equal to the gauge of the railroad such that it may fit between the rails thereof.
[0008] The base member may further be channel-shaped with the wheels of.the carriage being located therein. Thus, the base member may have a floor with upwardly extending side walls. In a preferred embodiment, inwardly directed flanges are provided at the upper ends of the side walls, in order to retain the wheels within the base member.
[0009] The carriage may have four wheels in order to be stable. The wheels may further have suitable bearings which are preferably self-aligning. The wheels may be a suitable size in relation to the space between the floor and flanges of the base member so that there is a gap of about 2 cm between the top of the wheel and the flange when the wheel rests on the floor of the base member.
[0010] The upper side of the carriage may be suitably shaped so that the foot of a jack may be securely engaged therewith. Conveniently, the upper surface of the carriage may have engaging formations whereby an adaptor having complementary engaging formations may be engaged therewith. Thus, various adaptors may be provided to cater for different jacks that may be used.
[0011] It will also be understood that the base member must be sufficiently rigid for it to be used on an uneven surface.
[0012] A rerailing means in accordance with the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, by way of an example,'and the invention is now described with reference thereto.
Figure 1.shows a longitudinal sectional view of a base member and carriage;
Figure 2 shows a transverse sectional view of the base member and carriage, along line II-II in Figure 1, Figure 1 being along line I-I in Figure 2; and
Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a lever arm, hook and chain used to displace the railroad vehicle sidewardly.
[0013] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, shown therein are the base member, designated generally by reference numeral 10 and the carriage, designated generally by reference numeral 12.
[0014] The base member 10 is elongate and is of a suitable length to fit between rails of a railroad from which a vehicle has been derailed (not shown). The base member 10 is comprised of a partly closed channel-shaped member 14 which has a floor 16, side walls 18 and inwardly projecting flanges 20 at the upper ends of the side walls 18. The member 14 is of mild steel. A strengthening plate 22 is welded to the underneath surface of the floor 16 and strengthening strips 24 are welded to the upper surfaces of the flanges 20. A carrying handle 26 is secured to one of the side walls 18.
[0015] The carriage 12 comprises a body member 28 which also has a "U"-shaped channel section. The body member 28 has two side pieces 30. Four wheels 32 are secured to the side pieces 30 by means of self-aligning bearings 34 and axles 36. When the wheels 32 rest on the floor 16, there is a clearance of about 2 cm between the tops thereof and the flanges 20. A shoe 38 is welded to the bridge portion 40 of the body member 28. The shoe 38 has securing formations 42 by means of which the foot of a jack (also not shown) may be securely mounted on the carriage 12. It will be appreciated that the carriage 12 may roll back and forth relative to the base member 10, the base member 10 providing a suitable rolling surface therefor.
[0016] Referring now to Figure 3, shown therein is a lever arm 50, a chain 52 and a hook 54 fast with one end of the chain 52. The lever arm 50, chain 52 and hook 54 are used to displace the vehicle, as will be explained below. The lever arm 50 has at its lower end an angular attachment formation 56 by means of which it may engage a rail of the railroad; and intermediate its ends, closer to the end having the formation 56 than the other end, a.coupling formation 58 is secured to the lever arm 50. The coupling formation 58 has a slot 60 which is sufficiently wide to receive one link of the. chain 52 and thereby engage the chain 52. In use, the jack is securely mounted on the carriage 12, and the base member 10 carrying the carrige 12 with the jack thereon is placed underneath the vehicle on the floor or footwall on which it is supported in a suitable position, with the base member 10 being transverse to the railroad. The carriage 12 is moved under a suitable part of the vehicle and the jack is extended to lift the vehicle clear of the ground and sufficiently high for the wheels to clear the rails. The engagement formation 56 is then engaged with one of the rails, the hook 54 engaged with a buffer or the like of the vehicle, and the chain 52 stretched fairly tautly and coupled with the coupling formation 58. The lever arm 50 is then pivoted, causing the vehicle to move sidewardly. Whilst this is being done, the brakes of the vehicle are applied so that there is no danger of the vehicle moving backwards or forwards, and personnel operating the jack and the lever arm 50 are in front or behind the vehicle so that they are not in any danger. Once the vehicle has been displaced sufficiently far for its wheels to be above the rails, the jack is retracted, lowering the vehicle back onto the rails.
1. A rerailing means for rerailing derailed railroad vehicles that are upright, the
means including
a wheeled carriage on which a jack may be mounted;-and
a base member on which the carriage is displaceably mounted.
2. A rerailing means as claimed in Claim 1, which includes a displacing means for
displacing the railroad vehicle sidewardly.
3. A rerailing means as claimed in Claim 2, in which the displacing means comprises
a lever arm having intermediate its ends a coupling formation to which a chain is
releasably securable; a chain releasably securable to the coupling formation and a
hook fast with one end of the chain, the hook being engageable with a part of the
vehicle at an end thereof.
4. A rerailing means as claimed in Claim 1, in which the lever arm has at one end
an engagement formation engageable with a rail of the railroad.
5. A rerailing means as claimed in Claim 1, in which the base member is elongate.
6. A rerailing means as claimed in Claim 1, in which the base member is channel-shaped
with wheels of the carriage being located therein.
7. A rerailing means as claimed in Claim 6, in which the base member has a floor,
upwardly extending side walls and inwardly directed flanges at the upper ends of the
side walls, for retaining the wheels within the base member.
8. A rerailing means as claimed in Claim 1, in which the carriage has four wheels.
9. A rerailing means as claimed in Claim 1, in which the wheels have bearings which
are self-aligning.
10. A rerailing means as claimed in Claim 7, in which there is - a gap of about 2
cms between the tops of the wheels and the flanges, when the wheels rest on the floor.
11. A rerailing means as claimed in Claim 1, in which the upper side of the carriage
is shaped so that the foot of a jack may be securely engaged therewith.
12. A rerailing means as claimed in Claim 1, in which the base member is sufficiently
rigid to be used on an uneven surface.
13. A method of rerailing upright derailed railroad vehicles, which includes
providing a wheeled carriage that is displaceably mounted on a base member;
placing the base member and carriage underneath the vehicle with the base member oriented such that the carriage is movable transversely with respect to the railroad with-the carriage to one side of the member and underneath a suitable part of the vehicle;
providing a jack on the carriage and extending it to engage the said part of the vehicle to lift the vehicle; and
displacing the vehicle sidewardly it being supported by the carriage and causing the carriage to move relative to the base member.
14. A method as claimed in Claim 13, in which the jack is securely mounted on the
carriage before they are placed underneath the vehicle.
15. A method as claimed in Claim 13, in which brakes of the vehicle are engaged whilst
the vehicle is displaced sidewardly.
16. A method as claimed in Claim 13, in which the vehicle is sidewardly displaced
by personnel located in front or behind the vehicle.
17. A method as claimed in Claim 13, in which the vehicle is displaced by means of
a lever arm that is pivotally anchored at its bottom end and is connected with the
vehicle intermediate its ends.
18. A method as claimed in Claim 17, in which the bottom of the lever arm is engaged
with a rail of the railroad.