Rail cribber

A cribbing machine configured for selectively moving ballast from at least one railway crib to one lateral side of the railway track, to an opposite side of the railway track, or to both lateral sides of the railway track, comprising:

• a machine frame having a front frame end and a rear frame end and extending in a longitudinal direction from said front frame end to said rear frame end;
• a work head frame having a longitudinal extent and a lateral extent mounted laterally on said machine frame and being reciprocably movable vertically relative to the railway track between a working position and a travel position;
• at least two inverted U-shaped work arms mounted parallel to one another on said work head frame and spaced longitudinally from each other for lateral reciprocating movement on said work head frame, each of said work arms having a replaceable tool secured to each free end of said inverted U-shaped work arm;
• a separate fluid power double cylinder secured to said work head frame and to each of said inverted U-shape work arms for independently laterally reciprocating said work arms;
• a main cylinder of each of said fluid power double cylinders operable to laterally reciprocatingly move a respective work arm and a secondary cylinder of each of said fluid power double cylinders operable to move a respective work arm to one of two discrete lateral starting points;
• and
• a control system connected to each of said fluid power double cylinders to selectively operate said main cylinders and secondary cylinders to laterally move said work arms in a manner depending on an operational sequence determined by said control system.