Capped highway grade crossing
AssigneeKoppers Industries, Inc.
InventorsDale K. Beachy, Robert B. Dehls, S. Hudson Owen, James H. Simpson
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Abstract
An improved highway grade crossing for railroad tracks. The crossing is comprised of a plurality of wood panels which are capped with an expanded polymer. The polymer provides a wear surface for the crossing which can be replaced without having to take up the entire crossing structure. In one embodiment the polymer cap is a rubber and steel composite. The steel keeps the rubber stretched to substantially avoid temperature induced expansion and buckling of the rubber. Deterioration resulting from vehicular traffic over a buckled surface is thus avoided.
Claims11
A highway railroad grade crossing for railroad tracks with rails affixed to crossties having exposed upper surfaces between said rails and upper surfaces outwardly extending beyond the outer edge of each rail, comprising
- a plurality of panel means adapted to be permanently fixed to at least one of the upper surfaces of said crossties and being of a predetermined height;
- and
- a removable and replaceable wear surface means capped on said panel means, comprised of a polymer having a solid planar base with a planar metal reinforcing plate imbedded therein and with treads extending upwardly from said base, said wear surface means being of a predetermined height such that the upper surface of the wear surface means is co-planar with the top of the rails, and where the height of said wear surface means is substantially smaller than the height of said panel means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.