Multi-headed tamper staggered operation

Claim 2

In a method of railroad ballast tamping with a machine having a wheel mounted chassis carrying a first tamping head and a second tamping head mounted behind said first tamping head for movement relative thereto, the improvement comprising operating said heads in a sequence such that whilst the first head is conducting its tamping cycle the second head is moving on the chassis towards the first head and whilst the second tamping head is conducting its tamping cycle, the first head is moving along the track away from the second head; said tamping cycles overlapping each other with a substantially 180* phase difference.

Claim 3

In a method of railroad ballast tamping with a machine having a wheel mounted chassis carrying a fixed tamping head and a tamping head mounted for movement relative thereto, the tamping cycles of each head comprising the steps of down-feeding into the ballast, squeezing-in to consolidate ballast beneath a tie being tamped, and squeezing-out and up-feeding from the ballast after consolidation; the improvement comprising operating said heads in sequence such that whilst the front head is conducting its tamping cycle, the movable head is moving on the chassis, and whilst the movable tamping head is conducting its tamping cycle, the chassis is moving along the track; the movable head down-feed step commencing substantially at the termination of the squeeze-in step of the fixed tamping head, and the down-feed step of the fixed tamping head commencing substantially at the termination of the squeeze-in step of the movable tamping head.

Claim 4

In a method of railroad ballast tamping with a machine having a wheel mounted chassis carrying a fixed tamping head and a tamping head mounted for movement relative thereto, the tamping cycles of each head comprising the steps of down-feeding into the ballast, squeezing-in to consolidate ballast beneath a tie being tamped, and squeezing-out and up-feeding from the ballast after consolidation; the improvement comprising operating said heads in sequence such that whilst the front head is conducting its tamping cycle, the movable head is moving on the chassis, and whilst the movable tamping head is conducting its tamping cycle, the chassis is moving along the track; the movable head down-feed step commencing substantially at the termination of the squeeze-in step of the fixed tamping head, and the down-feed step of the fixed tamping head commencing substantially at the termination of the squeeze-in step of the movable tamping head.

Claim 5

A railroad ballast tamping machine comprising a wheel mounted chassis; first and second tamping heads thereon; means for down-feeding and up-feeding the tamping heads into and out of the ballast; means for squeezing in the tamping heads in the ballast to consolidate the ballast beneath ties being tamped; means for propelling the first head along the track; means for moving the second tamping head on the chassis relative thereto; control means operatively interconnecting the first tamping head with the second tamping head and operable to down-feed the second tamping head on substantial completion of the squeezing-in of the first tamping head and to down-feed the first tamping head on substantial completion of the squeezing-in of second tamping head; means responsive to the up-feeding of the first tamping head to operate the means to propel the first head along the track; and means responsive to the up-feeding of the second tamping head to operate the means for moving the second tamping head relative to said chassis; whereby the first tamping head is propelled along the track whilst the second tamping head is conducting its tamping cycle and the second tamping head is moved on the chassis whilst the first tamping head is conducting its tamping cycle; said tamping cycles being substantially 180* out of phase with one another.

Claim 6

A railroad ballast tamping machine comprising a wheel mounted chassis; first and second tamping heads thereon; means for down-feeding and up-feeding the tamping heads into and out of the ballast; means for squeezing in the tamping heads in the ballast to consolidate the ballast beneath ties being tamped; means for propelling the first head along the track; means for moving the second tamping head on the chassis relative thereto; control means operatively interconnecting the first tamping head with the second tamping head and operable to down-feed the second tamping head on substantial completion of the squeezing-in of the first tamping head and to down-feed the first tamping head on substantial completion of the squeezing-in of second tamping head; means responsive to the up-feeding of the first tamping head to operate the means to propel the first head along the track; and means responsive to the up-feeding of the second tamping head to operate the means for moving the second tamping head relative to said chassis; whereby the first tamping head is propelled along the track whilst the second tamping head is conducting its tamping cycle and the second tamping head is moved on the chassis whilst the first tamping head is conducting its tamping cycle; said tamping cycles being substantially 180* out of phase with one another.

Claim 7

Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 in which the first head is fixed on the chassis and the means to propel it along the track is the machine prime mover.

Claim 8

Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 in which the chassis is stopped with the first head over the tie which it is to tamp be means of a first tie indexer operatively connected to the prime mover; and the second head is located on the chassis above the tie which it is to tamp be means of a tie indexer operatively connected with the means for moving the second tamping head.

Claim 9

Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 further comprising means to lift and means to laterally shift the track; and control means operatively connecting the means to lift and the means to laterally shift the track to said first tie indexer and operable to lift and shift the track when said tamping head is operatively positioned.