A method for determining the longitudinal forces in track rails includes shifting a rail section of at least one of the track rails from an initial arrangement into a test arrangement by providing a test force, recording at least one force measurement value correlating with the test force in the test arrangement, and determining the longitudinal forces in the at least one track rail on the basis of the at least one force measurement value. At least one sleeper is attached to the rail section when the at least one force measurement value is recorded. A device for carrying out the method is also provided.

The invention concerns a track maintenance machine for tamping a track having sleepers supported in a ballast bed with rails fitted to the same, with a machine frame that is mobile on on-track undercarriages and with a tamping unit. Wherein a camera for transmitting real-time images to an output means is arranged upstream of the tamping unit in a working direction. A first camera system is arranged upstream of the tamping unit in working direction here for recording a first surface area of the track as a first image section. In addition, a second camera system is arranged downstream of the tamping unit in working direction for recording a second surface area of the track as a second image section, wherein the recorded image sections partly overlap and wherein the output means is equipped for issuing the image sections in a merged image.

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for tray heads and wear plates for tray heads for a railroad spike dispenser. An example wear plate set includes a first wear plate configured to couple to a first sloped surface of a first wall of a tray head. The first wear plate defines a first sloped wear edge along which a head of a railroad spike is to slide when the first wear plate is coupled to the first wall and a shank of the railroad spike travels through a channel. A second wear plate is configured to removably couple to a second sloped surface of a second wall of the tray head. The second wear plate defines a second sloped wear edge along which the head is to slide when the second wear plate is coupled to the second wall and the shank of the railroad spike travels through the channel.