Rail lifter

Abstract

A rail lifter used to lift a set of assembled railroad tracks above the ballast that has been spread on them includes a front loader or the like having a pair of widely spaced front wheels and a pair of similarly widely spaced rear wheels so that the front loader does not ride on the railroad tracks or the railroad ties. An elongated boom attached to the front of the front loader can be raised or lowered. A plow attached to the distal end of the boom scrapes excess ballast from the tracks when the boom is lowered into contact with the tracks and the rail lifter advance. A rail lifter mechanism grips the rails and lifts them up over the ballast and then lowers the rails onto the top of the ballast.

1 . A rail lifter comprising: 
 a. a front loader having an elongated boom heading a proximal end and a distal end with said proximal end operatively attached to a front end of said front loader;    b. a plow operatively connected to said distal end of said elongated boom; and    c. a rail lifer mechanism operatively mounted on said elongated boom intermediate of the proximal end of said elongated boom and the distal end of said elongated boom.    
   
   
       2 . A rail lifter in accordance with  claim 1  further comprising means for raising and lowering said distal end of said elongated boom.  
   
   
       3 . A rail lifter in accordance with  claim 1  further comprising means for supporting said plow in a fixed position relative to a left-hand side rail and a right-hand side rail of a railroad tracks.  
   
   
       4 . A rail lifter in accordance with  claim 3  wherein said plow supporting means further comprises a truck having a pair of parallel space wheels that ride on said left-hand side rail and said right-hand side rail of said tracks respectively.  
   
   
       5 . A rail lifter in accordance with  claim 1  further comprising means for adjusting an angle of attack of a leading edge of said plow.  
   
   
       6 . A rail lifter in accordance with  claim 1  wherein said plow further comprises means for scraping debris from a top portion of a pair of spaced parallel railroad rails and from a pair of opposed upstanding side walls of each of said spaced parallel railroad rails.  
   
   
       7 . A rail lifter in accordance with  claim 6  aware and said means for scraping debris from a top portion of a pair of spaced parallel railroad rails and from a pair of opposed upstanding side walls of said parallel railroad rails further comprises a pair of spaced notches in said leading edge of said plow.  
   
   
       8 . A rail lifter in accordance with  claim 1  wherein said front loader further comprises a left-hand side ground engaging drive means and a right-hand side ground engaging drive means for propelling said front loader.  
   
   
       9 . A rail lifter in accordance with  claim 8  wherein said left-hand side ground engaging drive means strikes the ground outside a left-hand end of a plurality of laid railroad ties and said right-hand side ground engaging drive means strikes the ground outside of a right-hand end of a plurality of laid railroad ties, said railroad ties comprising a portion of a railroad track.  
   
   
       10 . A rail lifter in accordance with  claim 1  wherein said rail lifter mechanism further comprises means for alternately gripping and releasing a pair of parallel rails and four alternately raising and lowering said rails while they are being gripped by said rail lifter mechanism.  
   
   
       11 . A rail lifter comprising: 
 a. a front loader having an elongated boom heading a proximal end and a distal end with said proximal end operatively attached to a front end of said front loader;    b. a plow operatively connected to said distal end of said elongated boom;    c. a rail lifer mechanism operatively mounted on said elongated boom intermediate of the proximal end of said elongated boom and the distal end of said elongated boom; and    d. means for raising and lowering said distal end of said elongated boom.    
   
   
       12 . A rail lifter in accordance with  claim 11  further comprising means for supporting said plow in a fixed position relative to a left-hand side rail and a right-hand side rail of a railroad tracks.  
   
   
       13 . A rail lifter in accordance with  claim 11  wherein said plow further comprises a left-hand side face and a right-hand side face joined along an inner edge of each said face forming a nose portion forward of an outer edge of said left-hand face and forward of an outer edge of said right-hand face.  
   
   
       14 . A rail lifter in accordance with  claim 13  wherein said plow further comprises an upper plowing portion and a lower debris dispersal portion.  
   
   
       15 . A rail lifter in accordance with  claim 12  wherein said plow supporting means further comprises a truck having a pair of parallel space wheels that ride on said left-hand side rail and said right-hand side rail of said tracks respectively.  
   
   
       16 . A rail lifter in accordance with  claim 11  further comprising means for adjusting an angle of attack of a leading edge of said plow relative to said railroad tracks.  
   
   
       17 . A rail lifter in accordance with  claim 11  wherein said front loader further comprises a left-hand side ground engaging drive means and a right-hand side ground engaging drive means for propelling said front loader and said left-hand side ground engaging drive means strikes the ground outside a left-hand end of a plurality of laid railroad ties and said right-hand side ground engaging drive means strikes the ground outside of a right-hand end of a plurality of laid railroad ties, said railroad ties comprising a portion of a railroad track.  
   
   
       18 . A rail lifter comprising: 
 a. a front loader comprising a left-hand side ground engaging drive means and a right-hand side ground engaging drive means for propelling said front loader and said left-hand side ground engaging drive means strikes the ground outside a left-hand end of a plurality of laid railroad ties and said right-hand side ground engaging drive means strikes the ground outside of a right-hand end of a plurality of laid railroad ties, said railroad ties comprising a portion of a railroad track, said front loader having an elongated boom heading a proximal end and a distal end with said proximal end operatively attached to a front end of said front loader;    b. a plow operatively connected to said distal end of said elongated boom;    c. a rail lifer mechanism operatively mounted on said elongated boom intermediate of the proximal end of said elongated boom and the distal end of said elongated boom;    d. means for raising and lowering said distal end of said elongated boom.    
   
   
       19 . A rail lifter in accordance with  claim 18  wherein said rail lifter mechanism further comprises roller means for alternately gripping and releasing a pair of parallel rails and four alternately raising and lowering said rails while they are being gripped by said rail lifter mechanism.  
   
   
       20 . A rail lifter in accordance with  claim 18  wherein said plow further comprises means for scraping debris from a top portion of a pair of spaced parallel railroad rails and from a pair of opposed upstanding side walls of each said spaced parallel railroad rails, where and said scraper means further comprises a pair of spaced notches a long a leading edge of said plow, each said notch further comprising a U-shaped upper end flowing downward into a pair of opposed parallel side walls, with said two notches such that one said notch rides on top of one of said rails.