A plate retainer apparatus is provided for use on a railroad track with a tie exchanger having a main frame, the apparatus configured for gripping and retaining rail tie plates to a rail during a rail tie exchange process. The plate retainer apparatus includes a plate retainer workhead constructed and arranged for movement independent of that of the main frame. Included on the workhead is a pair of workhead modules, each module associated with a rail of the track and configured for retaining a single tie plate associated with a target tie at a time. Each workhead module is movable relative to the main frame independently of each other.

A plate retainer apparatus is provided for use on a railroad track with a tie exchanger having a main frame, the apparatus configured for gripping and retaining rail tie plates to a rail during a rail tie exchange process. The plate retainer apparatus includes a plate retainer workhead constructed and arranged for movement independent of that of the main frame. Included on the workhead is a pair of workhead modules, each module associated with a rail of the track and configured for retaining a single tie plate associated with a target tie at a time. Each workhead module is movable relative to the main frame independently of each other.

A rail plate grasping assembly may include a holder part that may be coupled with a rail vehicle that moves along one or more rails of a track with the one or more rails coupled with rail plates that are coupled with rail ties. The assembly also may include a wear part that may be coupled with the holder part and shaped to engage the rail plates to support the rail plates while the rail ties are removed beneath the rail plates. The wear part may be separated from the holder part and replaced with another wear part.

A rail plate grasping assembly may include a holder part that may be coupled with a rail vehicle that moves along one or more rails of a track with the one or more rails coupled with rail plates that are coupled with rail ties. The assembly also may include a wear part that may be coupled with the holder part and shaped to engage the rail plates to support the rail plates while the rail ties are removed beneath the rail plates. The wear part may be separated from the holder part and replaced with another wear part.

A device for laying sleepers on a ballast-bed for railroad construction includes a body having a commuting-mechanism and a fork-lift on a first side of the body The fork-lift lifts and holds at least one set of sleepers above the ballast-bed. A pair of pivot-arms are movably coupled the body and include a gripper. The gripper moves a set of sleepers from the fork-lift from the first side of the body towards a second side of the body. A cradle-arrangement mounted on the second side of the body and the commuting-mechanism allow movement of the device. The pair of elongated fixed support-members is configured to support the set of sleepers moved by the grippers The pair of movable support-members has a reciprocating-movement with respect to the pair of elongated fixed support-members to successively release one sleeper of the set of sleepers at a time from the pair of elongated fixed support-members.

A device for laying sleepers on a ballast-bed for railroad construction includes a body having a commuting-mechanism and a fork-lift on a first side of the body The fork-lift lifts and holds at least one set of sleepers above the ballast-bed. A pair of pivot-arms are movably coupled the body and include a gripper. The gripper moves a set of sleepers from the fork-lift from the first side of the body towards a second side of the body. A cradle-arrangement mounted on the second side of the body and the commuting-mechanism allow movement of the device. The pair of elongated fixed support-members is configured to support the set of sleepers moved by the grippers The pair of movable support-members has a reciprocating-movement with respect to the pair of elongated fixed support-members to successively release one sleeper of the set of sleepers at a time from the pair of elongated fixed support-members.

The purpose of the invention is a railway track (3) sleeper (2) squaring device and the machine which carries this device. The device comprises a first and a second positioning element (1) adapted to be located between pairs of sleepers (2) and for locating at opposite ends of the sleepers (2) and parallel to the direction of the railway track (3) where these positioning elements (1) can be extended in that direction with the first and second positioning element (1) being configured such that on extending them simultaneously to a pre-set value they push the sleepers (2) so as to produce squaring of these sleepers (2).

The purpose of the invention is a railway track (3) sleeper (2) squaring device and the machine which carries this device. The device comprises a first and a second positioning element (1) adapted to be located between pairs of sleepers (2) and for locating at opposite ends of the sleepers (2) and parallel to the direction of the railway track (3) where these positioning elements (1) can be extended in that direction with the first and second positioning element (1) being configured such that on extending them simultaneously to a pre-set value they push the sleepers (2) so as to produce squaring of these sleepers (2).

In a method for renewing sleepers of a track formed of rails and the sleepers, the placement of skids, which support a machine frame of a track-building machine on the sleepers, is preceded by the machine frame being intermediately supported on the sleepers. The two rails are then distanced from one another, while avoiding a breakage separation, in a track section that includes both the region of the skids and the intermediate support. After supporting the machine frame on the skids, the intermediate support is lifted off the sleepers and work is begun.

In a method for renewing sleepers of a track formed of rails and the sleepers, the placement of skids, which support a machine frame of a track-building machine on the sleepers, is preceded by the machine frame being intermediately supported on the sleepers. The two rails are then distanced from one another, while avoiding a breakage separation, in a track section that includes both the region of the skids and the intermediate support. After supporting the machine frame on the skids, the intermediate support is lifted off the sleepers and work is begun.