Railroad track rail drill

A railroad track rail drill comprising:

• a railroad track rail drill housing supporting a railroad track rail clamp designed to selectively couple the railroad track rail drill to a railroad track rail;
• a single drive motor coupled to the railroad track rail drill housing and having an output shaft;
• an electrical power source operably coupled to the single drive motor to cause the single drive motor to selectively rotate the output shaft of the single drive motor in a forward rotary direction and in a reverse rotary direction opposite the forward rotary direction;
• and
• a drive train including:
• a feed train end having a spindle feed carrier operably coupled to the output shaft of the single drive motor to carry a drill spindle axially toward a spindle advanced position in response to the single drive motor selectively rotating in the forward rotary direction, and to carry the drill spindle axially toward a spindle retracted position opposite the spindle advanced position in response to the single drive motor selectively rotating in the reverse rotary direction;
• and
• a speed train end operably coupled to the output shaft of the single drive motor and to the drill spindle to rotate the drill spindle in a drilling rotary direction in response to the single drive motor selectively rotating in the forward rotary direction;
• and
• a rail drill control circuit coupled to the electrical power source and to the single drive motor, the rail drill control circuit including a cycle initiation switch and a motor direction selector, and the rail drill control circuit being configured, in response to a manual activation of the cycle initiation switch, to place the motor direction selector into (1) a forward direction configuration in which the power source is operably coupled to the single drive motor to rotate the output shaft in the forward rotary direction, and to thereafter make a drilling completion determination without further manual input from a user, and in response to the drilling completion determination, to place the motor direction selector into (2) a reverse direction configuration in which the power source is operably coupled to the single drive motor to rotate the output shaft in the reverse rotary direction, without further manual input from a user, wherein the rail drill control circuit is configured to make the drilling completion determination based on an input from at least two of:
• a spindle feed position sensor;
• a motor current sensor;
• and
• a clock circuit and memory.

A railroad track rail drill comprising:

• a railroad track rail drill housing supporting a railroad track rail clamp designed to selectively couple the railroad track rail drill to a railroad track rail;
• a single drive motor coupled to the railroad track rail drill housing and having an output shaft;
• an electrical power source operably coupled to the single drive motor to cause the single drive motor to selectively rotate the output shaft of the single drive motor in a forward rotary direction and in a reverse rotary direction opposite the forward rotary direction;
• and
• a drive train including:
• a feed train end having a spindle feed carrier operably coupled to the output shaft of the single drive motor to carry a drill spindle axially toward a spindle advanced position in response to the single drive motor selectively rotating in the forward rotary direction, and to carry the drill spindle axially toward a spindle retracted position opposite the spindle advanced position in response to the single drive motor selectively rotating in the reverse rotary direction;
• and
• a speed train end operably coupled to the output shaft of the single drive motor and to the drill spindle to rotate the drill spindle in a drilling rotary direction in response to the single drive motor selectively rotating in the forward rotary direction;
• and
• a rail drill control circuit coupled to the electrical power source and to the single drive motor, the rail drill control circuit including a cycle initiation switch and a motor direction selector, and the rail drill control circuit being configured, in response to a manual activation of the cycle initiation switch, to place the motor direction selector into (1) a forward direction configuration in which the power source is operably coupled to the single drive motor to rotate the output shaft in the forward rotary direction, and to thereafter make a drilling completion determination without further manual input from a user, and in response to the drilling completion determination, to place the motor direction selector into (2) a reverse direction configuration in which the power source is operably coupled to the single drive motor to rotate the output shaft in the reverse rotary direction, without further manual input from a user,
• wherein the rail drill control circuit is coupled to a spindle feed position sensor, and the rail drill control circuit is configured to make the drilling completion determination upon the spindle feed position sensor providing a signal to the rail drill control circuit indicating the drill spindle is in the spindle advanced position, and
• wherein the spindle feed position sensor comprises a pair of position sensors which are aligned with a pair of grooves, respectively, in the spindle feed carrier.