Measuring Equipment and Maintenance Tools for Tracks
The measuring equipment and tools commonly used for track maintenance, together with their purpose, are presented in Table 18.3. Sketches of some of the tools used for the maintenance of tracks are given in Fig. 18.1.
Table 18.3 Measuring equipment and maintenance tools
|
Name of equipment/tool |
Function |
|
Measuring equipment Rail gauge Straight edge and spirit level Gauge-cum-level Cant board |
To check the gauge To check the alignment as well as the cross level To check the gauge as well as the cross level To check the difference in cross levels or the superelevation |
|
Mallet or wooden hammer Canne-a-boule |
To check the packing of the sleepers A modern equipment used to assess the voids under the sleepers |
|
T-square Stepped feeler gauge |
To check the squareness of sleepers To measure wear or clearances |
|
Maintenance tools Sleeper tong Rail tong Beater Crowbar |
To carry sleepers To lift and carry rails To pack ballast under the sleeper To correct track alignment and to lift the track for surfacing. Clawed crowbars are used for taking out dog spikes. |
|
Jim Crow (a) Spiking hammer (b) Keying hammer Spanner Wire claw or ballast rake |
To bend or break the rails To drive spikes To drive keys To tighten bolts To draw or pull out ballast while screening, packing, etc. |
|
Phowrah (shovel) Auger Box spanner Wire basket Pan iron motor |
To cut earth or to pull out ballast To bore holes in wooden sleepers For driving rail screws or plate screws For screening the ballast For leading earth/ballast |
Fig. 18.1 Tools used for the maintenance of tracks
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