Method and apparatus for protecting concrete rail beds

Abstract

An apparatus for protecting a continuous concrete rail bed, including a resilient, compressible cushion for being placed directly upon the continuous concrete rail bed and a spacer plate for being positioned onto the cushion. The cushion and spacer plate are sized and shaped to extend laterally outward in opposing directions beyond the width of the opposing flanges of a rail positioned on the spacer plate to define first and second attachment areas on opposite sides of the rail. First and second locks are provided for being positioned on a top surface of the spacer plate at the first and second attachment areas and engaging the opposing flanges of the rail for locking the rail in position on the spacer plate. First and second anchors are provided for anchoring the cushion, spacer plate and lock to the concrete bed at the respective first and second attachment areas of the spacer plate.

I claim: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for protecting a continuous concrete rail bed, comprising:
 (a) a resilient, compressible cushion for being placed directly upon the continuous concrete rail bed;   (b) a spacer plate for being positioned onto the cushion;   (c) the cushion and spacer plate sized and shaped to extend laterally outward in opposing directions beyond the width of the opposing flanges of a rail positioned on the spacer plate to define first and second attachment areas on opposite sides of the rail;   (d) first and second locks for being positioned on a top surface of the spacer plate at the first and second attachment areas and engaging the opposing flanges of the rail for locking the rail in position on the spacer plate; and   (e) first and second anchors for anchoring the cushion, spacer plate and lock to the concrete bed at the respective first and second attachment areas of the spacer plate.   
     
     
         2 . An apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the first and second locks each comprise a keeper wedge having an inwardly extending shoulder for residing against a top surface of the flange of the rail. 
     
     
         3 . An apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the cushion, spacer plate and lock each include aligned through bores for receiving an anchor wedge mounted in and extending upwardly from the concrete bed. 
     
     
         4 . An apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the cushion comprises a sheet of styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR)/synthetic fabric belting material. 
     
     
         5 . An apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the cushion comprises a sheet of recycled rubber tire underlayment material. 
     
     
         6 . An apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the cushion comprises a sheet of compressed non-asbestos sheet material that includes aramid fiber. 
     
     
         7 . An apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the cushion comprises a sprayed-on polyurea applied to the bottom of the spacer plate. 
     
     
         8 . An apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the cushion and the spacer plates have approximately the same width and length dimensions. 
     
     
         9 . An apparatus for protecting a continuous concrete rail bed, comprising:
 (a) a resilient, compressible cushion for being placed directly upon the continuous concrete rail bed;   (b) a spacer plate for being positioned onto the cushion;   (c) the cushion and spacer plate having approximately the same width and length dimensions and sized and shaped to extend laterally outward in opposing directions beyond the width of the opposing flanges of a rail positioned on the spacer plate to define first and second attachment areas on opposite sides of the rail;   (d) first and second locks for being positioned on a top surface of the spacer plate at the first and second attachment areas and engaging the opposing flanges of the rail for locking the rail in position on the spacer plate, wherein the first and second locks each comprise a keeper wedge having an inwardly extending shoulder for residing against a top surface of the flange of the rail; and   (e) first and second anchor wedges embedded in the concrete bed and extending upwardly through aligned through bores in the cushion, spacer plate and locks for anchoring the cushion, spacer plate and lock to the concrete bed at the respective first and second attachment areas of the spacer plate.   
     
     
         10 . An apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein the first and second locks each comprise a keeper wedge having an inwardly extending shoulder for residing against a top surface of the flange of the rail. 
     
     
         11 . A method of protecting a continuous concrete rail bed, and including the steps of:
 (a) determining an appropriate spacing along the length of a continuous concrete rail bed for placing a plurality of apparati for protecting the concrete rail bed;   (b) providing:
 (i) a resilient, compressible cushion for being placed directly upon the continuous concrete rail bed; 
 (ii) a spacer plate for being positioned onto the cushion; 
 (iii) the cushion and spacer plate sized and shaped to extend laterally outward in opposing directions beyond the width of the opposing flanges of a rail positioned on the spacer plate to define first and second attachment areas on opposite sides of the rail; 
 (iv) first and second locks for being positioned on a top surface of the spacer plate at the first and second attachment areas and engaging the opposing flanges of the rail for locking the rail in position on the spacer plate; and 
 (v) first and second anchors for anchoring the cushion, spacer plate and lock to the concrete bed at the respective first and second attachment areas of the spacer plate; 
   (c) embedding the first and second anchors in the concrete rail bed on opposite sides a space to be occupied by a length of rail;   (d) positioning a cushion onto the concrete rail bed;   (e) positioning a spacer plate onto the top of the cushion;   (f) positioning a lock onto the top of the spacer plate;   (g) anchoring the lock, spacer plate and cushion to the concrete bed with the first and second anchors;   (h) placing the rail onto the top of the spacer plate between the first and second anchors;   (i) locking the rail to the spacer plate with the locks; and   (j) repeating steps (b) through (i) at the appropriate spacing along the length of the concrete rail bed.   
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 11 , and wherein the step of positioning a cushion onto the concrete rail bed comprises the step of positioning a material selected from the group consisting of a sheet of styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR)/synthetic fabric belting material, a sheet of recycled rubber tire underlayment material, a sheet of compressed non-asbestos sheet material that includes aramid fiber and a sprayed-on polyurea applied to the bottom of the spacer plate. 
     
     
         13 . A method according to  claim 11 , wherein the first and second locks comprise first and second keeper wedges, each having an inwardly-extending shoulder for being positioned over respective flanges of the rail. 
     
     
         14 . A method according to  claim 11 , and including steps of forming aligned through bores in the cushion, spacer plate and lock for receiving an anchor wedge mounted in and extending upwardly from the concrete bed.