An autonomous ballast consist for unloading ballast along a railway and methods for unloading ballast thereby. The consist includes a plurality of ballast cars and at least one control car. The control car includes a controller, a navigation system, and electric, hydraulic, or pneumatic generators that power the hopper cars. The controller employs the navigation system to determine the location of the consist relative to a track survey indicating locations and amounts of ballast to be unloaded. The controller instructs the hopper cars to open/close ballast doors to dump appropriate amounts of ballast in desired locations. The controller also monitors the status of the hopper cars and the accuracy of the navigation system to automatically adjust the operational state of the consist relative thereto. The unloading operation is carried out automatically, without need for operator intervention, and without risk of damage to railroad facilities.

An autonomous ballast consist for unloading ballast along a railway and methods for unloading ballast thereby. The consist includes a plurality of ballast cars and at least one control car. The control car includes a controller, a navigation system, and electric, hydraulic, or pneumatic generators that power the hopper cars. The controller employs the navigation system to determine the location of the consist relative to a track survey indicating locations and amounts of ballast to be unloaded. The controller instructs the hopper cars to open/close ballast doors to dump appropriate amounts of ballast in desired locations. The controller also monitors the status of the hopper cars and the accuracy of the navigation system to automatically adjust the operational state of the consist relative thereto. The unloading operation is carried out automatically, without need for operator intervention, and without risk of damage to railroad facilities.

A jacking tie and method of using a jacking tie to level and/or lift a railroad track. The jacking tie is configured with an elongate body that is configured to span beneath two parallel rails of a railroad track. The jacking tie has two jacks, preferably hydraulic cylinder jacks that are positioned so as to lift each of the parallel rails of the railroads. The jacking tie body has two sections. A track support shell is supported by the hydraulic cylinder jacks. The track support shell is configured for nesting or mating engagement with the lower body shell in a compressed or resting position. The hydraulic jack cylinders are configured to lift the track support shell away from the lower body shell, thus lifting the rail positioned above the hydraulic jack cylinder. The track support shell and lower body shell are pivotally connected such that the ends of the track support shell can be independently raised.

Disclosed are a prefabricated wire mesh assembly for a ballast and a method of constructing a gravel-ballasted track using the same. When a gravel ballast is used by filling a box-shaped rebar mesh with crushed stones and injecting a filling material, the prefabricated wire mesh assembly increases injection efficiency by further installing an internal partition wall to effectively support loads without forming a separate ballast shoulder and injecting a filling material through injection pipes installed on an internal partition wall, and prevents water accumulation on a roadbed by a drainage pipe. The prefabricated wire mesh assembly for a ballast is assembled by installing the injection pipe along with the lower mesh and the internal partition wall, thereby allowing the filling material to be injected without installation of a plurality of separate injection pipes, and securing construction quality by increasing injection efficiency of the filling material through the installed injection pipes.

Disclosed are a prefabricated wire mesh assembly for a ballast and a method of constructing a gravel-ballasted track using the same. When a gravel ballast is used by filling a box-shaped rebar mesh with crushed stones and injecting a filling material, the prefabricated wire mesh assembly increases injection efficiency by further installing an internal partition wall to effectively support loads without forming a separate ballast shoulder and injecting a filling material through injection pipes installed on an internal partition wall, and prevents water accumulation on a roadbed by a drainage pipe. The prefabricated wire mesh assembly for a ballast is assembled by installing the injection pipe along with the lower mesh and the internal partition wall, thereby allowing the filling material to be injected without installation of a plurality of separate injection pipes, and securing construction quality by increasing injection efficiency of the filling material through the installed injection pipes.

The invention relates to a method for producing load transferring regions in a ballast body of a track superstructure by introducing curable liquid plastics or reactive plastic mixtures from a mixing unit by means of at least two distributor pipes with outlets into the load transferring regions and allowing the plastic or the reactive plastic mixture to cure in said load transferring regions. The two distributor pipes with outlets are positioned on the left or on the right from the outside of the rails into the region between the two rails such that the outlets are located adjacent to each other and are laterally spaced from the front face (3) of the tie (2) that has the load transferring region to be reinforced. The two outlets are opened in order to allow the plastic or the reactive plastic mixture to exit at a controlled rate. Each distributor pipe outlet is guided to the respective end face (4, 4) of the tie (2) from the inside to the outside in a lateral manner with respect to the front face (3) of the tie (2) and around the respective end face (4, 4) of the tie (2) to the rear face (5) of the tie (2). The distributor pipe outlets are guided in a lateral manner along the rear face (5) of the tie (2) into the region between the two rails (9, 9) such that the outlets are located adjacent to each other and are laterally spaced from the rear face (5) of the tie (2).

The invention relates to a method for producing load transferring regions in a ballast body of a track superstructure by introducing curable liquid plastics or reactive plastic mixtures from a mixing unit by means of at least two distributor pipes with outlets into the load transferring regions and allowing the plastic or the reactive plastic mixture to cure in said load transferring regions. The two distributor pipes with outlets are positioned on the left or on the right from the outside of the rails into the region between the two rails such that the outlets are located adjacent to each other and are laterally spaced from the front face (3) of the tie (2) that has the load transferring region to be reinforced. The two outlets are opened in order to allow the plastic or the reactive plastic mixture to exit at a controlled rate. Each distributor pipe outlet is guided to the respective end face (4, 4) of the tie (2) from the inside to the outside in a lateral manner with respect to the front face (3) of the tie (2) and around the respective end face (4, 4) of the tie (2) to the rear face (5) of the tie (2). The distributor pipe outlets are guided in a lateral manner along the rear face (5) of the tie (2) into the region between the two rails (9, 9) such that the outlets are located adjacent to each other and are laterally spaced from the rear face (5) of the tie (2).

In the course of rehabilitation of a ballast bed of a track, while creating a track construction site (10), old bulk material (6) to be removed is stored on a plurality of storage wagons (2) connected to form a loading train (7). Parallel thereto, new bulk material (9) pre-deposited on a plurality of storage wagons (2) connected to form a loading train (8) is introduced into the track construction site (10). The introduction of the new bulk material (9) into the track construction site (10) is controlled automatically in dependence on a volume of the old bulk material (6) removed from the track construction site (10)

A rail boot for encasing preselected engagement portions of a rail, including a base segment, for encasing a rail foot of the rail, and field and gauge side segments connected with the base segment. The field and gauge side segments are for encasing the field and gauge sides of a rail web of the rail respectively. Also, the field side segment is formed for encasing a first preselected portion of the field side of a rail head of the rail. The gauge side segment is formed for encasing a second preselected portion of the gauge side of the rail head. The rail boot also include an outer segment extending outwardly from the gauge side segment and defining a bottom side and an outer side of a flangeway, in which flanges of rail wheels rolling along the rail are receivable.

The invention relates to a transfer car (100) for sleepers designed to outfit a railway vehicle of the type comprising equipment for laying down new sleepers (21) and/or removing worn sleepers (22), the transfer car (100) comprising an undercarriage (110) supported by at least one running gear (112), the transfer car (100) being characterized in that it comprises at least one traverser (50) supported by an armature (60), the armature (60) being supported by the undercarriage (110) and fixed in relation to the undercarriage (110), the traverser (50) being configured to move the sleepers from at least one receiving zone (Z1, Z2) to at least one conveying platform (P2).