Vertical force stabilizer

A vehicle for compacting ballast under rails of a track, the vehicle comprising:

• a traction stabilization unit having a first vibrator unit, the first vibrator unit provided to generate forces which are transverse to a longitudinal axis of the rails;
• at least one vertical force device with at least one first weight and at least one second weight rotatably mounted about a horizontal shaft extending substantially centrally through the at least one first weight and the at least one second weight, the horizontal shaft having an axis which is essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rails, the rotation of the at least one first weight and the at least one second weight about the horizontal shaft creates a vertical force, the vertical force having a larger downward component as compared to an upward component of the vertical force;
• a control mechanism provided to control transverse forces applied to the rails and to control vertical forces applied by the at least one vertical force device;
• whereby the transverse forces generated by the traction stabilization unit and the vertical forces generated by the at least one vertical force device cause the ballast proximate the rails to be moved together to reach a high density.

A method of supplying downward force to rails of a track, the method comprising:

• positioning a device on a rail vehicle, the device having at least one first weight and at least one second weight rotatably mounted about a horizontal shaft extending substantially centrally through the at least one first weight and the at least one second weight;
• positioning the rail vehicle over a work area;
• and
• creating a vertical force by rotating the at least one first weight and the at least one second weight about the shaft at different revolutions per second.

An apparatus for applying a force to rails of a track, the apparatus comprising:

• a device with at least two first weights and at least two second weights rotatably mounted about a horizontal shaft extending substantially centrally through the at least one first weight and the at least one second weight, the horizontal shaft having an axis which is essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rails;
• a power source provided to drive the rotation of the at least two first weights and the at least two second weights about the horizontal shaft at different revolutions per second, the two first weights are rotated in opposite directions around the shaft at equal first revolutions per second and the two second weights are rotated in opposite directions around the shaft at equal second revolutions per second;
• the rotation of the at least two first weights and the at least two second weights creates a vertical force, the vertical force having a larger downward component as compared to an upward component of the vertical force, and whereby the opposed rotation of the at least two first weights and the opposed rotation of the at least two second weights causes the lateral forces generated by the respective at least two first weights and the at least two second weights to cancel each other, leaving only the vertical forces to act externally of the at least two first weights and the at least two second weights.