Apparatus for enabling an excavator to mount, demount and travel on railroad tracks

Abstract

A glyde-rail apparatus removably attached to a carrier such as an excavator to enable the excavator to mount and demount at any point along a railroad track and to travel along the railroad track without damaging the railroad track. A non-metallic cover attaches to the track of the excavator. A front swing arm assembly and a back swing arm assembly attach to ends of the excavator. A first pair of hydraulic cylinders on the front swing arm assembly and a second pair of hydraulic cylinders on the back swing arm assembly enable rail wheels to be raised or lowered. An operator of the carrier controls the raising and lowering of the front swing arm assembly and the back swing arm assembly from within a cab of the carrier by a combination of hydraulic controls in the carrier and the glyde-rail apparatus.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 11/897,196, filed Aug. 29, 2007, which claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 60/841,625, filed Aug. 30, 2066, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to a vehicle having rail wheels attached to operate on a railroad track and, in particular, to a glyde-rail apparatus that enables an excavator having rubberized tracks to mount on and demount from railroad tracks at any point along the track, and travel on the railroad tracks.

2. Description of Related Art

The clearing of vegetation along railroad tracks is a serious responsibility for the owners of railroad tracks for the safety of trains traveling on the tracks. Further, there are Federal laws which provide for fines to the track owners if vegetation is not controlled outside a certain distance from the tracks.

Heavy mobile equipment exists having a boon support column pivotally attached to a boom arm having a universal connection for connecting various working devices. Typically, work equipment has to load and unload from railroad tracks at a railroad crossing where the top of the track is level with the street. When the mobile equipment is moved along a track to a work area, the equipment cannot be removed from the track to allow a train to pass without being moved to a crossing somewhere along the track, which takes time and requires leaving and returning to a work area.

The prior art discloses many diverse railroad track repair and maintenance machines each devoted to a single specialized task. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,296, issued Jan. 31, 1984 to Fredy Scheuchzner, et al., and assigned to Les Fils d'Auguste Scheuchzner S.A., of Switzerland, discloses a railroad track relaying train comprising a track removing car, an excavating car, a track relaying car and a tie-screw fitting car followed by a transporting car. Coupling frames interconnect two adjacent working cars by means of universal or Cardan joints. Each coupling frame is equipped with a caterpillar truck which has a pair of track members and is equipped with lifting means comprising a hydraulic cylinder for lowering and lifting the truck in relation to its coupling frame. Each of the cars constitute together a hinged sequence of wagons supported by six bogie-trucks and they are interconnected by the coupling frames. Each truck is provided with hydraulic cylinder for raising and lowering the coupling frame relative to the respective truck and with mechanisms for driving and steering the truck. However, the relaying train does not disclose an ability to remove trucks from the rails of any point along the tracks.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,745,205, issued Jun. 8, 2004 to Lionel C. Desmarais, et al., and assigned to Ledcor IP Holdings, Ltd., of Canada, discloses a rubber tired railway plow comprising a plow unit mounted on the forward end of the vehicle, railwheels mounted on the vehicle and a high rail unit positioned on the rear end of the vehicle. The plow unit is attached so as to be moveable in a plate. Wedges are used to maintain the plow unit in position on the plate. Another embodiment shows a cable winder apparatus having a front reel and a rear wheel mounted on a vehicle having steerable forward and rearward tires. A high rail unit mounted on rear of the vehicle comprises a pair of railwheels between arms which are rotated up and down by hydraulic cylinders. However, the vehicle cannot access and egress from the railroad tracks without requiring the presence of a siding.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,862,822, issued Mar. 8, 2005 to Ken Masse, of Edmonton, Alberta discloses a mobile railway track repair apparatus having a mobile unit, a boom unit, a universal connector unit, an excavator assembly, a tampering/compacting assembly and an undercutter assembly. The mobile unit comprises a motorized track traversing member having a dual mode undercarriage that supports a rotating turret style cab wherein, the undercarriage employs both a rail engaging flanged wheel assembly and a crawler track assembly wherein the flanged wheel assembly may be raised relative to the crawler track assembly in a well recognized fashion to allow the repair apparatus to gain access and egress from the railway tracks without requiring the presence of a siding to do so, as well as ditching/excavating, etc. The cab is rotatably supported on the undercarriage to support and position the boom unit and the associated tool assemblies at numerous angular inclinations relative to both the railroad track and track bed. However, the track repair apparatus does not have rubber pads replacing track grooves whereby the apparatus could be self-propelled along the track.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is therefore an object of this invention to provide a removable glyde-rail apparatus on a vehicle, such as an excavator, to enable the vehicle to mount and demount on a railroad track at any point along the railroad track without having to find a section of the railroad track where the top of the track is level with a roadway, and to enable the vehicle travel along the railroad tracks.

It is another object of this invention to provide a glyde-rail apparatus for removably mounting on an excavator used to travel along the railroad tracks without damaging the tracks by covering the track of the excavator with rubber material.

It is a further object of this invention to provide control means to raise and lower rail wheels of the glyde-rail apparatus to facilitate a vehicle to which the glyde-rail apparatus is attached mounting on and demounting from a railroad track.

It is another object of this invention to add control means for an operator to raise and lower rail wheels of the glyde-rail apparatus from within a cab of a carrier.

These and other objects are further accomplished by an apparatus for attaching to a carrier comprising a front swing arm assembly attached to a first end of the carrier having a first pair of rail wheels extending in front of the first end, a back swing arm assembly attached to a second end of the carrier having a second pair of rail wheels extending in front of the second end, hydraulic means for raising and lowering the first pair of rail wheels and the second pair of rail wheels, and the hydraulic means comprises a combination of first hydraulic means provided by the carrier and second hydraulic means provided by the apparatus to operate under control of the first hydraulic means. The apparatus operates under control of an operator positioned within a cab area of the carrier. The first hydraulic means provided in the carrier comprises a pilot pump and a main pump, a pilot manifold coupled to the pilot pump, a main/auxiliary valve coupled to the main pump, and an auxiliary pilot valve coupled to the main/auxiliary pump for controlling oil flow to the front swing arm assembly and the back swing arm assembly in accordance with an operator's activation of the auxiliary pilot valve. The apparatus comprises switch means in a cab of the carrier for generating a signal coupled to a travel solenoid of the pilot manifold for activating a pilot control B line for controlling the back swing arm assembly. The second hydraulic means provided by the apparatus comprises a diverter valve coupled to the main/auxiliary valve and controlled by a pilot line from a pilot manifold of the first hydraulic means, a first lock check valve coupled between the diverter valve and a first pair of cylinders of the front swing arm assembly, and a second lock check valve coupled between the diverter valve and a second pair of cylinders of the back swing arm assembly.

These and other objects are further accomplished by a method of providing a carrier with glyde-rail apparatus to enable the carrier to mount and demount at any location along a railroad track and travel on the railroad track, the method comprising the steps of providing a carrier including an excavator having a track, attaching a front swing arm assembly to a first end of the carrier having a front pair of rail wheels extending in front of the first end, attaching a back swing arm assembly to a second end of the carrier having a second pair of rail wheels extending in front of the second end, and providing hydraulic means of the carrier and hydraulic means of the glyde-rail apparatus which in combination enable an operator in a cab of the carrier to control the mounting and demounting of the carrier at any location along the railroad track. The step of providing a carrier including an excavator having a track comprises the step of covering the track with non-metallic material. The step of providing hydraulic means of the carrier and hydraulic means of the glyde-rail apparatus which in combination enable an operator in a cab of the carrier to control the mounting and demounting of the carrier at any location along the railroad track comprises the steps of providing a pilot pump and a main pump, coupling a pilot manifold to the pilot pump, coupling a main/auxiliary valve to the main pump, providing an auxiliary pilot valve for controlling the main/auxiliary valve in response to an activation of the auxiliary pilot valve by an operator in the cab, providing a swivel between the carrier and the glyde-rail apparatus for passing hydraulic lines to and from the carrier and the glyde-rail apparatus, and providing a diverter valve for the glyde-rail apparatus coupled to the main/auxiliary valve and a first lock check valve on the front swing assembly and a second lock check valve on the back swing arm assembly for controlling the raising and lowering of the first pair of rail wheels and the second pair of rail wheels. The method comprises the steps of activating a travel switch in the cab which is connected to a solenoid on the pilot manifold for controlling the raising and lowering of the back swing arm assembly, providing a first pair of hydraulic cylinders on the front swing arm assembly which are coupled to the first lock check valve, providing a second pair of hydraulic cylinders on the back swing arm assembly which are coupled to the second lock check valve. The diverter valve comprises a pair of two position, three way diverter valves.

Additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The appended claims particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter of this invention. The various objects, advantages and novel features of this invention will be more fully apparent from a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial cutaway side elevational view of a glyde-rail apparatus according to the present invention showing rail wheels lowered on a railroad track.

FIG. 2 is a partial cutaway side elevational view of a glyde-rail apparatus according to the present invention showing rail wheels raised above a railroad track.

FIG. 3 is a top view of a front swing arm assembly of the glyde-rail apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a top view of a back swing arm assembly of the glyde-rail apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of an excavator track having rubber covering attached over the track.

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of a body mount to which a front or back swing arm assembly is attached.

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of a front swing arm assembly mounted between the tracks of an excavator.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of hydraulic controls for the front and back swing arm assemblies according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a top view of a front swing arm assembly showing a cylinder lock check valve mounted on the swing arm tube and associated hydraulic line connections to diverter valves and cylinders.

FIG. 10 is a top view of a back swing arm assembly showing a cylinder lock check valve mounted on the swing arm tube and associated hydraulic line connections to diverter valves and cylinders.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, a partial cutaway side elevational view of a glyde-rail apparatus 10 attached to a carrier such as an excavator 12 is shown according to the present invention. The glyde-rail apparatus 10 comprises a front swing arm assembly 14 which removably attaches to a first end of the excavator 12 and a back swing arm assembly 16 which removably attaches to a second end of the excavator 12. A track 20 (FIG. 5) of the excavator comprises non-metallic cover 22 such as hard rubber or the track 20 may be made of a non-metallic material such as hard rubber.

The front swing arm assembly 14 comprises a pair of rail wheels 24, 25 shown in contact with the railroad track 18. The back end swing arm assembly 16 comprises a pair of rail wheels 80, 81 shown in contact with the railroad track 18. When the excavator 12 comprises the glyde-rail apparatus 10 including the track 20 with non-metal covers, the front end swing arm assembly 14, and the back end swing arm assembly 16, the excavator 12 is able to mount a railroad track 18 at any point along the track, demount from the railroad track 18 at any point along the track, and travel along the railroad track 18 to perform various work activities. A boom support 13 extending outward from the front end of the excavator 13 may have various work equipment attached to a boom arm which connects to the boom support 13. One important and useful machine tool, for use with the excavator 12, when the glyde-rail apparatus 10 is attached, is a mower used for vegetation control along the railroad track 18. The glyde-rail apparatus 10, although shown in FIG. 1 attached to an excavator 12, may be used on other vehicles such as a dump truck with rubber tracks.

Referring to FIG. 2, a side partial cutaway elevational view of the glyde-rail apparatus 10 attached to the excavator 12 is shown with the front and back rail wheels 24, 25 and 80, 81 raised above the railroad track 18. When the rail wheels 24, 25 and 80, 81 are in the raised position, the excavator track 20 can rotate ninety (90) degrees to be perpendicular to the railroad track 18, and demount from the railroad track 18 at any reasonable point without the excavator 12 having to travel along the railroad track 18 to a distant location where the top of the track is level with a road.

Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 3, and FIG. 7, FIG. 3 is a top view of the front swing arm assembly 14 comprising the front rail wheels 24, 25 attached to each end of an axle 26, and FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the swing arm assembly 14 attached to the excavator 12. Extending from two points along the axle 26 are a pair of spaced-apart swing arms 30 and 32. Each one of lower cylinder mounts 38, 40 attaches to one of the swing arms 30, 32 respectively. Two lower cylinder mounts 38, 40 are provided, and one end of two hydro-power unit cylinders 34, 36 connects to one of the cylinder mounts 38, 40 respectively and the other end connects to one of a pair of body mounts 42, 44 (see FIG. 6). The pair of body mounts 42, 44 are welded to a lower frame portion of the excavator 12. A top portion 42a of body mount 42 is U-shaped having holes for receiving a pin 46 which passes through a hole in an end of a piston arm 50 of hydro-power unit cylinder 34. The pin size for the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6 is 2.5 inches in diameter which is determined by the size and total weight of the carrier or excavator 12 with a tool attached to a boom support 13. A top portion 44a of body mount 44 is U-shaped having holes for receiving a pin 48 (typically 2.5 inches in diameter) which passes through a hole in an end of a piston arm 52 of hydro-power unit cylinder 36. A lower portion 42b of body mount 42 comprises spaced-apart flanges having holes for securing an end of the swing arm assembly 30 with a pin (typically 2.5 inches in diameter), and likewise, a lower portion 44b (FIG. 6) of body mount 44 comprises a flange having holes for securing an end of the swing arm assembly 32 with a pin (typically 2.5 inches in diameter). The spacing between the swing arms 30, 32 is determined by the distance between the tracks 20 of the excavator 12. Two parallel tubes 54, 56 are mounted between and within the swing arms 30, 32 to provide support for the swing arms 30, 32, and a 0.75 inch thick plate 57 is attached in the space between the swing arms 30, 32 and the parallel tubes 54, 56. The plate 57 serves as a shelf for holding a battery 58, a hydraulic pump power pack 60 including a hydraulic tank 62, a motor 64, and two switches 70, 72 located on the side of the hydraulic tank 62 that controls the swing arm assemblies 14, 16 moving up and down. Hydraulic lines 66a, 66b, 66c and 68a, 68b and 68c extend from the hydraulic pump power pack 60 to the hydro-cylinders 34, 36, and hydraulic line 70 extends to the hydro-cylinders 89, 90 on the back swing arm assembly 16. The glyde-rail apparatus 10 does not connect to the hydraulics of the excavator 12. The width of the axle 26 with the rail wheels 24, 25 on each end is of course determined by the width of the railroad track 18. The glyde-rail apparatus 10 is self-powered by the battery 58 and the hydraulic pump power pack 60.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a top view of the back swing arm assembly 16 comprising the back rail wheels 80, 81 attached at each end of an axle 82. Extending from two points along the axle 82 are a pair of spaced apart swing arms 84, 86. Two lower cylinder mounts 92, 94 are provided, and each one of the lower cylinder mounts 92, 94 attaches to one of the swing arms 84, 86 respectively. One end of two hydro-power unit cylinders 88, 90 connects to one of the lower cylinder mounts 92, 94, respectively, and the other end connects one of a pair of body mounts 96, 98. The pair of body mounts 96, 98 are welded to a lower frame portion of a carrier or the excavator 12. A top portion 96a of body mount 96 is U-shaped having holes for receiving a pin 100 (typically 2.5 inches in diameter) which passes through a hole in an end of a piston arm 104 of the hydro-power unit cylinder 88. A top portion 98a (not shown) of body mount 98 is U-shaped having holes for receiving a pin 102 (typically 2.5 inches in diameter) which passes through a hole in an end of a piston arm 106 of hydro-power unit cylinder 90. A lower portion 98b of body mount 98 comprises a flange having holes for securing an end of the swing arm 86 with a pin similar to pin 102. The spacing between the swing arms 84, 86 is determined by the distance between the tracks 20 of the excavator 12. Two parallel tubes 108, 110 are mounted between and within the swing arms 84, 86 to provide support for swing arms 84, 86. A hydraulic line 70 from the hydraulic pump power pack 60 located in the front swing arm assembly 14 feeds hydraulic lines 70a, 70b, 70c which connect to hydraulic lines 110a, 110b and 110c which feed hydraulic cylinders 88, 90.

Referring to FIG. 5, a partial perspective view of one of the excavator's track 20 is shown having a hard rubber covering 22 attached over the metal track. Mounting bolts 23 are provided between each rib 21 of the track 20. Also, the track 20 or the ribs 21 of the track 20 may be made of rubber or some other similar material that will not damage the railroad tracks 18. The track 20 of the excavator is covered with rubber to prevent damage to the railroad tracks.

The hydro-power unit cylinders 34, 36 and 88, 90 may be embodied by Model No. 067839-755261 (BM07-25-001), manufactured by Parker Hannifix of Cleveland, Ohio. The hydraulic pump power pack 60 may be embodied by Model No. 2622960027 (G03G), manufactured by Mason Dynamics of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The battery 58 may be embodied by a heavy-duty 31 Series 12 V Battery.

Referring to FIG. 8, a diagram of an alternate hydraulic control system 120 is shown for the front swing arm assembly 14 and the back swing arm assembly 16 of the glyde-rail apparatus 10. This hydraulic control system 120 provides for the raising and lowering of the front rail wheels 24, 25 and the raising and lowering of the back rail wheels 80, 81 by an operator within a cab 17 of the carrier 12 using controls located within the cab 17 The dashed lines in FIG. 8 represent hydraulic pilot or control lines or hoses which are typically ¼ inch diameter. The other carrier 12 hydraulic lines or hoses are represented by solid lines and are typically ⅜ inch diameter. The hydraulic lines or hoses in the glyde-rail apparatus 10 are also represented by solid lines and are typically ½ inch diameter.

FIG. 8 shows main pumps 122, 123, a pilot pump 126, a pilot manifold 128, an auxiliary pilot valve 130, travel switch 144 located in the cab 17, a main valve 132 and an auxiliary valve 134 which are provided in the carrier 12. A 6 port rotary manifold or swivel 136 is provided between the carrier 12 and the glyde-rail apparatus 10 which has internal sections for hydraulic lines or hoses to pass through for connection to the glyde-rail 10 components.

The portion of the hydraulic control system 120 provided by the glyde-rail apparatus 10 comprises two 2-position three-way (2P 3W) diverter valves 138a, 138b and two cylinder lock check valves 140, 142. Other types of diverter valves known n the art may be used.

The glyde-rail apparatus 10 is controlled by an operator in the cab of the carrier 12 operating the auxiliary pilot valve 130 which is a head and toe pedal valve. With the diverter valves 138a, 138b in a spring offset position, the oil flow from the auxiliary valve 134 flows to the rod side of the cylinder 34 and cylinder 36 on the front swing arm assembly 14.

When the operator depresses the auxiliary pilot valve 130 for operation in the UP position to raise the front swing arm assembly 14, pilot valve portion 130b is activated and pilot line A 150 sends oil out to auxiliary valve 134 which allows the oil from main pump 122 to go out port B2 through the swivel 136 to the diverter valve 138a V2 port and out the C2 port to port b₁ of the cylinder lock check valve 142 and through the lock check valve 142 to a rod end of the cylinder 34 and cylinder 36 (FIG. 9). As pressure rises in the line of the rod end of cylinder 34 and cylinder 36, an internal passage in the lock check valve 142 uses this pressure to unlock the check valve portion that is in the return oil path at the head end of the cylinder 34 and cylinder 36 and port a₂ of the lock check valve 142 allowing the oil to exit port a₁. This causes the cylinder rod 50 to travel into the cylinder 34 and cylinder rod 52 to travel into cylinder 36. The oil from the head end will return to diverter valve 138b through port C2 to port V1 and then through the swivel 136 back to port A1 of auxiliary valve 134 and into pump 122. As a result of the rod 50 traveling into cylinder 34 and the rod 52 traveling into cylinder 53, the front rail wheels 24, 25 are lifted.

The rail wheels 24, 25 of the front swing arm assembly 14 are lowered when the operator depresses the auxiliary pilot valve 130 for operation in the DOWN position activating the pilot valve 130a portion causing oil flow in pilot line C 154 to be sent to auxiliary valve 134 which shifts the main pump 122 oil out port A1 of the auxiliary valve 134 through swivel 136 to diverter valve 138b V1 port and out C2 port to port a₁ of the cylinder lock check valve 142, then through the check valve 142 to the head end of the cylinder 34 and cylinder 36 (FIG. 9). As pressure rises in the line of the head end of the cylinder 34 and cylinder 36, an internal passage in the lock check valve 142 uses this pressure rise to unlock the check valve 142 portion at port b₂ that is in the return oil path from the rod end of the cylinder 34 and cylinder 36 allowing the oil to exit port b₁. This causes the cylinder rod 50 to extend out of the cylinder 34 and cylinder rod 52 to extend out of the cylinder 36. The oil from the rod end of cylinder 34 and cylinder 36 returns via diverter valve 138a through port C2 to port V2, and then via swivel 136 to port B2 of the auxiliary valve 134 and into pump 122. As a result of rod 50 extending out of cylinder 34 and rod 52 extending out of cylinder 36, the front rail wheels 24, 25 are lowered.

Still referring to FIG. 8, the rail wheels 80, 81 of the back swing arm assembly 16 are raised and lowered in a similar manner as the front swing arm assembly 14. However, this occurs by activating a travel switch 144, located in the cab 17 of carrier 12, which energizes a travel solenoid 129 on a pilot manifold 128. The pilot manifold 128 provides oil flow in pilot line B 152 which causes the diverter valves 138a and 138b to operate in non-offset position setting them up for providing the hydraulic fluid to raise and lower the back swing arm assembly 16 and in particular the back rail wheels 80, 81.

For this case where the operator in the cab 17 of the carrier 12 wishes to raise the back rail wheels 80, 81 of the back swing arm assemble 16, the operator depresses the auxiliary pilot valve 130b for operation in the UP position which activates oil in the pilot line A 150 and allows oil to flow from the main pump 122 to go out port B2 of auxiliary valve 134 through the swivel 136 to diverter valve 138a V2 port and because diverter valve 138a has been switched, the oil comes out port C1 and goes to port b, of the lock check valve 140 and through the lock check valve 142 to a rod end of the cylinder 88 and cylinder 90 (FIG. 10). As pressure rises in the line of the rod end of cylinder 88 and cylinder 90, an internal passage in the lock check valve 140 uses this pressure to unlock the check valve portion that is in the return oil path at the head end of the cylinder 88 and cylinder 90 and port a₂ of the lock check valve 140 allowing oil to exit port a₁ This causes the cylinder rod 104 to travel into the cylinder 88 and cylinder rod 106 to travel into cylinder 90. The oil at the head end of cylinder 88 and cylinder 90 returns to diverter valve 138b through port C1 to port V1 (diverter valves 138a and 138b are in the position for back swing arm assembly 16 operation). From port V1 of diverter valve 138b the oil proceeds through the swivel 136 back to port A1 of auxiliary valve 134 and into pump 122. As a result of the rod 104 traveling into cylinder 88 and the rod 106 traveling into cylinder 90, the back rail wheels 80, 81 are lifted.

When the operator wishes to lower the back swing arm assembly 16 and in particular the rail wheels 80, 81, the operator activates the travel switch 144 located in the cab 17 of carrier 12 which energizes the travel solenoid 129 on the pilot manifold 128. The pilot manifold 128 provides oil flow in the pilot line B 152 which causes the diverter valves 138a and 138b to operate in the non-offset position. The operator depresses the auxiliary pilot valve 130a for operation in the DOWN position activating the pilot valve 130a portion causing oil flow in the pilot line C 154 to be sent to auxiliary valve 134 which shifts the main pump oil out port A1 of the auxiliary valve 134 through swivel 136 to diverter valve 138b VI port and out C1 port to port a₁, of the cylinder lock check valve 140, then through the check valve 140 to the head end of cylinder 88 and cylinder 90 (FIG. 10). As pressure rises in the line of the head end of the cylinder 88 and cylinder 90, an internal passage in the lock check valve 140 uses this pressure rise to unlock the check valve 140 portion at port b₂ that is in the return oil path from the rod end of the cylinder 88 and cylinder 90 allowing the oil to exit port b₁. This causes the cylinder rod 104 to extend out of cylinder 88 and the cylinder rod 106 to extend out of cylinder 90. The oil from the rod end of cylinder 88 and cylinder 90 returns via the diverter valve 138a through port C₁ to port V₂, and then via swivel 136 to port B₂ of auxiliary valve 134 and back into main pump 122. As a result of rod 104 extending out of cylinder 88 and rod 106 extending out of cylinder 90, the back rail wheels 80 81 are lowered.

Referring now to FIG. 9, a top view of the front swing arm assembly 14 shows the cylinder lock check valve 142 mounted on the swing arm tube 56 and coming out of the lock check valve 142 are two hydraulic lines for controlling cylinder 34 and cylinder 36 and 2 position/3 way diverter valves 138a, 138b for controlling oil flow to and from the lock check valve 142. The diverter valves 138a and 138b may be mounted under the cab of the carrier 12.

Referring to FIG. 10, a top view of the back swing arm assembly 16 shows the cylinder lock check valve 140 mounted on the swing arm tube 110, and coming out of the lock check valve 140 are two hydraulic lines for controlling cylinder 88 and cylinder 90 and 2 position/3 way diverter valves 138a, 138b for controlling oil flow to and from the lock check valve 140.

The carrier 12 may be embodied by a Model 315C excavator manufactured by Caterpillar, Inc. of Peoria, Illinois. The main pumps 122, 123, the pilot pump 126, the pilot manifold 128, the auxiliary pilot valve 130, the main/auxiliary valve 134, and the travel switch 144 are provided in the Model 315C excavator by Caterpillar, Inc. The diverter valves 138a, 138b may be embodied by Hydraforce Valves, distributed by Hydro Air of North Haven, Conn. The cylinder lock check valves 140, 142 may be embodied by Hydraforce Valves, distributed by Hydro Air of North Haven, Conn. The swivel 136 may be embodied by a 6 port rotary manifold, manufactured by Caterpillar, Inc. of Peoria, Illinois.

This invention has been disclosed in terms of a certain embodiment. It will be apparent that many modifications can be made to the disclosed apparatus without departing from the invention. Therefore, it is the intent of the appended claims to cover all such variations and modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

Claims

1. An apparatus for attaching to a carrier comprising:

a front swing arm assembly attached to a first end of said carrier having a first pair of rail wheels extending in front of said first end;

a back swing arm assembly attached to a second end of said carrier having a second pair of rail wheels extending in front of said second end;

hydraulic means for raising and lowering said first pair of rail wheels and said second pair of rail wheels; and

said hydraulic means comprises a combination of first hydraulic means provided by said carrier and second hydraulic means provided by said apparatus to operate under control of said first hydraulic means.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said apparatus operates under control of an operator positioned within a cab area of said carrier.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said first hydraulic means provided in said carrier comprises:

a pilot pump and a main pump;

a pilot manifold coupled to said pilot pump;

a main/auxiliary valve coupled to said main pump; and

an auxiliary pilot valve coupled to said main/auxiliary pump for controlling oil flow to said front swing arm assembly and said back swing arm assembly in accordance with an operator's activation of said auxiliary pilot valve.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 3 wherein said apparatus comprises switch means in a cab of said carrier for generating a signal coupled to a travel solenoid of said pilot manifold for activating a pilot control B line for controlling said back swing arm assembly.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said second hydraulic means provided by said apparatus comprises:

a diverter valve coupled to said main/auxiliary valve and controlled by a pilot line from a pilot manifold of said first hydraulic means;

a first lock check valve coupled between said diverter valve and a first pair of cylinders of said front swing arm assembly; and

a second lock check valve coupled between said diverter valve and a second pair of cylinders of said back swing arm assembly.

6. A method of providing a carrier with glyde-rail apparatus to enable the carrier to mount and demount at any location along a railroad track and travel on the railroad track, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a carrier including an excavator having a track;

attaching a front swing arm assembly to a first end of said carrier having a front pair of rail wheels extending in front of said first end;

attaching a back swing arm assembly to a second end of said carrier having a second pair of rail wheels extending in front of said second end; and

providing hydraulic means of said carrier and hydraulic means of said glyde-rail apparatus which in combination enable an operator in a cab of said carrier to control the mounting and demounting of said carrier at any location along said railroad track.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein said step of providing a carrier including an excavator having a track comprises the step of covering said track with a non-metallic material.

8. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein said step of providing hydraulic means of said carrier and hydraulic means of said glyde-rail apparatus which in combination enable an operator in a cab of said carrier to control the mounting and demounting of said carrier at any location along said railroad track comprises the steps of:

providing a pilot pump and a main pump;

coupling a pilot manifold to said pilot pump;

coupling a main/auxiliary valve to said main pump;

providing an auxiliary pilot valve for controlling said main/auxiliary valve in response to an activation of said auxiliary pilot valve by an operator in said cab;

providing a swivel between said carrier and said glyde-rail apparatus for passing hydraulic lines to and from said carrier and said glyde-rail apparatus; and

providing a diverter valve for said glyde-rail apparatus coupled to said main/auxiliary valve and a first lock check valve on said front swing assembly and a second lock check valve on said back swing arm assembly for controlling the raising and lowering of said first pair of rail wheels and said second pair of rail wheels.

9. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein said method comprises the step of activating a travel switch in said cab which is connected to a solenoid on said pilot manifold for controlling the raising and lowering of said back swing arm assembly.

10. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein said method comprises the step of providing a first pair of hydraulic cylinders on said front swing arm assembly which are coupled to said first lock check valve.

11. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein said method comprises the step of providing a second pair of hydraulic cylinders on said back swing arm assembly which are coupled to said second lock check valve.

12. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein said diverter valve comprises a pair of two position, three way diverter valves.