1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to a vehicle which travels on railway tracks to remove metallic objects such as tie plates and railroad spikes from a railway bed. More particularly, the invention relates to various improvements to the vehicle, including a pneumatic crawler lift and suspension system, and a conveyor lift and a lateral movement drive assembly, and a remote control for controlling various operations of the vehicle.
2. Background Information
Railroad tracks are in constant need of repair or replacement and thus accumulate various metallic objects along the railway bed during the removal and replacement of various components making up the tracks. Vehicles which ride on the railroad track rails and on the railway bed for removing these various metallic objects are well known in the art. However, there is a need for various improvements on these vehicles.
These vehicles are specifically designed to either ride on a pair of rails of the railroad track when both rails are in place, or to ride on one of the rails and on the railway bed when the other of the rails is removed to facilitate repair of the tracks. Crawlers which are known in the art contact the railway bed along one side of the vehicle to support the vehicle while the standard railway wheels are seated on the rail which remains in place so that the vehicle rolls along the rail that is in place while the crawlers move along the railway bed. The crawlers are moveable from a lowered position in which they contact the railway bed to a raised position out of contact with the railway bed when they are not needed. While the crawlers that are known in the industry are suited for their purpose, there is still room for improvement in this area.
In addition, conveyor belt assemblies are known which utilize a magnetic drum or roller at one end around which the conveyor belt revolves in order to magnetically pick up various metallic objects off the railway bed and carry them to a hopper on the vehicle. The end of the conveyor belt assembly on which the magnetic drum is mounted is typically moveable between a lowered position during operation and a raised position when not in use. At least one patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,225,429 granted to Holley) discloses the ability to move the conveyor belt assembly laterally from one side of the vehicle to the other so that it may be positioned along various regions of the railway bed. However, there is also a need in the art for improvement in the mechanisms used for raising and lowering the conveyor belt assembly as well as for moving it laterally. In addition, the controls for operating standard vehicles of this nature are disposed on the vehicle typically within a cab mounted thereon. This requires that the operator stand or sit on the vehicle while manipulating the various controls. For certain aspects of operation, this requirement may limit the operator's ability to visually verify the movement of various components of the vehicle relative to the railway bed and may also put the operator or others at risk of injury. Thus, there is a need in the art for a remotely controlled vehicle. The present application addresses the above-mentioned problems in the art in addition to various other matters.