A rail tie handling system is provided that includes at least one chassis that either has self-propulsion or can be coupled to a vehicle having a propulsion system, or both. The handling system includes a conveyor segment, a bundler segment, and an unloader segment. The conveyor can receive rail ties and to provide them upon demand or request. The bundler can receive rail ties from the conveyor, to bundle the rail ties into a bundle, and to provide the bundle upon demand or request. The unloader can receive the bundle from the bundler and can unload that bundle from the handling system upon demand or request. The system includes a controller that can determine when and/or where to unload the bundle from the unloader.

The invention relates to a sleeper transport vehicle (1) having a loading area (25) which includes a lower supporting loading plane (7) and an upper supporting loading plane (8), wherein in each loading plane (7,8) a guide (10) is arranged in which pallets (9) are guided in the longitudinal direction of the sleeper transport vehicle (1), wherein, at a front side, a transfer area (26) is arranged into which the guides (10) protrude in order to pass along during a working operation pallets (9) with new sleepers (15) in one loading plane (7, 8) to a further sleeper transport vehicle (1) or loading/unloading vehicle (34) arranged at the front side, and to receive pallets with old sleepers (16) in the other loading plane (7, 8). In this, it is provided that in each loading plane (7, 8) a pushing device (11) for pushing the pallets (9) along the guide (10) is designed as at least one circulating chain protruding into the transfer area, and that coupling elements (20) are arranged on the pallets (9) for temporary coupling to the chain.

The invention relates to a sleeper transport vehicle (1) having a loading area (25) which includes a lower supporting loading plane (7) and an upper supporting loading plane (8), wherein in each loading plane (7,8) a guide (10) is arranged in which pallets (9) are guided in the longitudinal direction of the sleeper transport vehicle (1), wherein, at a front side, a transfer area (26) is arranged into which the guides (10) protrude in order to pass along during a working operation pallets (9) with new sleepers (15) in one loading plane (7, 8) to a further sleeper transport vehicle (1) or loading/unloading vehicle (34) arranged at the front side, and to receive pallets with old sleepers (16) in the other loading plane (7, 8). In this, it is provided that in each loading plane (7, 8) a pushing device (11) for pushing the pallets (9) along the guide (10) is designed as at least one circulating chain protruding into the transfer area, and that coupling elements (20) are arranged on the pallets (9) for temporary coupling to the chain.

A railway wagon for moving sleepers including: a base structure having a platform and at least one carriage, a first conveyor carried by the platform and configured to move the sleepers along a feed direction, a second conveyor distinct from the first conveyor and also carried by the platform. The second conveyor has: a first portion extended above the platform within a lateral size of the latter, and a second portion extending outside lateral size of the platform and configured to move the sleepers outside the platform.

A railway wagon for moving sleepers including: a base structure having a platform and at least one carriage, a first conveyor carried by the platform and configured to move the sleepers along a feed direction, a second conveyor distinct from the first conveyor and also carried by the platform. The second conveyor has: a first portion extended above the platform within a lateral size of the latter, and a second portion extending outside lateral size of the platform and configured to move the sleepers outside the platform.

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.

Systems and methods for automatically offloading railroad ties from a railroad car are described. A system embodiment includes, but is not limited to, a support platform including a support surface to support railroad ties in a vertical stack configuration; a support structure to hold the railroad ties stacked in the vertical stack configuration in a magazine during transit, the support structure defining a gap; a gate transitionable between a closed configuration and an open configuration, wherein the closed configuration blocks at least a portion of the gap, and wherein the open configuration permits passage of the railroad ties through the gap; and a lift structure including at least one member transitionable between a lowered configuration and a raised configuration, wherein the raised configuration positions the member above the support surface to raise an end of the railroad ties to offload the vertical stack.

Systems and methods for automatically offloading railroad ties from a railroad car are described. A system embodiment includes, but is not limited to, a support platform including a support surface to support railroad ties in a vertical stack configuration; a support structure to hold the railroad ties stacked in the vertical stack configuration in a magazine during transit, the support structure defining a gap; a gate transitionable between a closed configuration and an open configuration, wherein the closed configuration blocks at least a portion of the gap, and wherein the open configuration permits passage of the railroad ties through the gap; and a lift structure including at least one member transitionable between a lowered configuration and a raised configuration, wherein the raised configuration positions the member above the support surface to raise an end of the railroad ties to offload the vertical stack.

The invention relates to a mechanism (130) for moving stacks (21′, 22′) of sleepers (21, 22) intended to equip a railway track, the displacement mechanism (130) being intended to equip at least two successive work wagons (100, 200, 300) of a railway vehicle (1), the displacement mechanism (130) comprising guide means (140) configured to guide, along a longitudinal direction (X) of each of the wagons, a plurality of adjacent carriages (131) in pairs, the displacement mechanism (130) comprising drive means (150) for moving the carriages (131) together reciprocally between a first and a second travel position, so that each carriage (131) carries a stack (21′, 22′) of sleepers (21, 22) following a forward path (W1) from the first to the second travel position and configured to travel a return path (W2) from the second to the first travel position while being unloaded.