Rail guide apparatus for a rail loading and unloading machine

摘要

A guide box for a rail loading and unloading machine. The guide box guides a rail from a ground location toward a drive unit and can be provided with actuators to enable steering of the rail. The guide box includes a base roller that underlies a rail path through the guide box. An arm extends upwardly along each side of the rail path and carries a guide roller. The arms are pivotable toward one another to abut the guide rollers over the rail path and thereby capture the rail between the guide rollers and the base roller or away from one another to enable insertion of a rail therebetween. The guide rollers are vertically pivotable to enable obstructions on the rail to pass through the guide box.

主权项

1. A guide box assembly for manipulating a rail on a rail loading and unloading machine, the guide box assembly comprising:
a base roller on which a foot of a rail travels, the base roller having a rotational axis extending perpendicular to the length of the rail and being disposed on a base member; a pair of sidewalls disposed transverse to opposite ends of the base roller; a first roller assembly pivotably coupled to the sidewalls and extending from the sidewalls in a first direction parallel to the rail and including a first upper roller rotatably coupled to the first roller assembly, the first upper roller being pivotable about a first axis extending parallel to the rotational axis of the base roller to move the first upper roller toward or away from the base member; and a second roller assembly pivotably coupled to the sidewalls and extending in a direction opposite the first direction and including a second upper roller rotatably coupled to the second roller assembly, the second upper roller being spaced apart from the first upper roller along the length of the rail, the second roller assembly being pivotable about a second axis extending parallel to the rotational axis of the base roller to move the second upper roller toward or away from the base member, the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly being independently pivotable.