Gapless railway diamond: a new type of railway track component providing unbroken running surfaces across the flangeways of an intersecting railway line

A fully gapless railway diamond, comprising:

• four railway frogs, each further comprising:
• a slanted piston located in a flangeway adjacent to a frog point;
• an actuating mechanism located below a quasi-horizontal railway frog plane and within a piston actuator unit which is itself within an alignment load-bearing cradle;
• and
• a riser arrangement that provides vertical clearance underneath the railway frog;
• an interface with rail traffic control equipment for automated operation;
• and a wayside control panel for manual operation.

A method for piston positioning relative to a top of rail elevation of a railway diamond comprising an interface with rail traffic control equipment for automated operation;

• a wayside command panel for manual and maintenance operations;
• and four railway frogs, each further comprising of a slanted piston located in a flangeway adjacent to a frog point, an actuating mechanism located below a quasi-horizontal railway frog plane and aligned with the flangeway and within a piston actuator unit which is itself within an alignment load-bearing cradle, and a riser arrangement that provides vertical clearance underneath the railway frog;
• comprising the steps of:
• activating, according to a pre-set operating protocol, at least one of the actuating mechanisms within each of the four frogs, to extend at least one of the slanted pistons into at least one of the flangeways to provide a continuous load-bearing running surface for rail traffic;
• and
• activating, according to a pre-set operating protocol, at least one of the actuating mechanisms within each of the four frogs, to retract at least one of the slanted pistons into at least one of the flangeways to provide a cleared active route.