The invention relates to a method of controlling a track maintenance machine, particularly a switch tamping- or universal tamping machine, which moves along a track and has working units, particularly a tamping unit and a lifting unit, which are adjustable relative to a machine frame, wherein position data of track objects, particularly sleepers, rails and optionally obstacles, are recorded by means of a sensor device in front of the working units in a working direction, and wherein operating positions of the working units are determined for a working operation at a track location. In this, prior to actuation of the working units, the determined operating positions of the working units are displayed by means of a display device, wherein, prior to carrying out the working operation, the operating positions of the working units can be changed by means of control elements. As a result of the display of the determined operating positions prior to the working operation, an operator is enabled to recognize possible misalignments before these become effective.

The invention relates to a track maintenance machine having a tamping unit for tamping sleepers of a track lying in a ballast bed, including a tool carrier which is mounted for vertical adjustment on an assembly frame and on which tamping tools are arranged so as to be squeezable towards one another, wherein the tool carrier is coupled to a vertical adjustment drive actuated by means of a control device. In this, a control circuit is set up for controlling a lowering motion of the tool carrier, the control circuit including a controller, a setting device for the vertical adjustment drive and a measuring device for recording the lowering motion. With this, it is possible to provide an optimal course for the lowering motion.

The invention relates to a track maintenance machine for tamping sleepers installed on a ballast bed of a track, comprising a machine frame movable on rail-based running gears, track lifting and lining units for correcting the track geometry as well as two 1-sleeper tamping units arranged one behind the other in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the machine that work independently of one another, with each tamping unit comprising at least four tamping unit segments that work independently of one another, adjustable in height via vertical drives and horizontally shiftable in the transverse direction of the machine via transverse drives, with each tamping unit segment comprising at least one tamping tool carrier, with opposing tamping tools being mounted on the tamping tool carrier and coupled via a vibration drive. It is provided that one of the two tamping units is designed as a turnout tamping unit, that by means of a shifting unit consisting of three transverse guiding units that work independently of one another the associated tamping unit segments are transversely shiftably mounted and can be positioned outwards with respect to the longitudinal axis of the machine in relation to the machine frame or in relation to a satellite frame movable along the longitudinal axis of the machine, and that the other tamping unit is designed as a plain-line tamping unit in such a way that the associated tamping unit segments are transversely shiftably mounted and can be positioned with only one shifting unit. This increases the machine's performance and thus its tamping output when maintaining plain lines and/or turnouts.

The invention relates to a method of controlling a track maintenance machine, particularly a switch tamping- or universal tamping machine, which moves along a track and has working units, particularly a tamping unit and a lifting unit, which are adjustable relative to a machine frame, wherein position data of track objects, particularly sleepers, rails and optionally obstacles, are recorded by means of a sensor device in front of the working units in a working direction, and wherein operating positions of the working units are determined for a working operation at a track location. In this, prior to actuation of the working units, the determined operating positions of the working units are displayed by means of a display device, wherein, prior to carrying out the working operation, the operating positions of the working units can be changed by means of control elements. As a result of the display of the determined operating positions prior to the working operation, an operator is enabled to recognize possible misalignments before these become effective.

The invention relates to a track maintenance machine having a tamping unit for tamping sleepers of a track lying in a ballast bed, including a tool carrier which is mounted for vertical adjustment on an assembly frame and on which tamping tools are arranged so as to be squeezable towards one another, wherein the tool carrier is coupled to a vertical adjustment drive actuated by means of a control device. In this, a control circuit is set up for controlling a lowering motion of the tool carrier, the control circuit including a controller, a setting device for the vertical adjustment drive and a measuring device for recording the lowering motion. With this, it is possible to provide an optimal course for the lowering motion.

A device (3) for positioning track processing tools (2) on a track includes: at least two support modules (29, 30), each having at least one tool support (31a, 31b) for supporting the at least one track processing tool (2), and a horizontal positioning apparatus (32) to which the at least one tool support (31a, 31b) is attached, for moving the at least one tool support (31a, 31b) in a horizontal direction (33a). A rotating apparatus (24) for rotating the at least two support modules (29, 30) has at least two rotating units (25, 26) for rotating the at least two support modules (29, 30) independently of one another. A first transverse positioning apparatus (16) is provided for linearly moving the at least two support modules (29, 30) in a horizontal direction (33a, 33b, 33c) and at an angle of at least 45? to the longitudinal direction (9) of the track (4).