Machine and method for tamping a track

A method of simultaneously tamping four ties of a track by immersing tamping tines into ballast, the track including rails extending in a longitudinal direction and having a gauge side and a field side, respectively, with any two adjacent ties defining a tie crib therebetween, wherein the tamping tines form tamping tine pairs, squeezable in the longitudinal direction by squeeze drives, for tamping tie supports, the method which comprises the following steps:

• with regard to each rail, alternatingly centering four tamping tine pairs, relative to the longitudinal direction, above tie supports adjoining the gauge side and tie supports adjoining the field side of the rail, wherein the tamping tine pairs are staggered with respect to one another by one tie crib;
• thereby arranging a respective rear tamping tine, with regard to a working direction, of a preceding tamping tine pair and a front tamping tine of a following tamping tine pair for immersion into a common tie crib;
• in a first tamping operation, squeezing the tamping tines of each tamping tine pair towards one another in a first tamping direction for tamping the tie lying therebetween in each case;
• and
• in a second tamping operation, moving the tamping tines away from one another in a second tamping direction opposite the first tamping direction.

A method of simultaneously tamping four ties of a track by immersing tamping tines into ballast, the track including rails extending in a longitudinal direction and having a gauge side and a field side, respectively, with any two adjacent ties defining a tie crib therebetween, wherein the tamping tines form tamping tine pairs, squeezable in the longitudinal direction by squeeze drives, for tamping tie supports, the method which comprises the following steps:

• with regard to each rail, alternatingly centering a first group and a second group of four tamping tine pairs, relative to the longitudinal direction, above tie supports adjoining the gauge side and tie supports adjoining the field side of the rail, and staggering the tamping tine pairs relative to one another by one tie crib;
• and thereby arranging a respective rear tamping tine, with regard to a working direction, of a preceding tamping tine pair and a front tamping tine of the following tamping tine pair for immersion into a common tie crib;
• in a first tamping operation, tamping tie supports situated at the gauge side and tie supports situated at the field side, alternating in the longitudinal direction, by the first group of tamping tine pairs;
• and
• in a second tamping operation, subsequent to the first tamping operation, tamping remaining tie supports with the second group of tamping tine pairs.