Installing Pandrol clips

[Deleted]

How are Pandrol clips applied to running rails? I think a special tool is used but I've never seen anything about the process of using it.

[cdr113]

Posted a reply to one of your previous questions and a pic from this website:

www.railway-technical.com/

Seems to have a lot of useful info on it and might satisfy your curiosity without waiting for a reply here!

Mods - hope its ok to post a link to this site? Please delete if not

IIRC these clips are installed with a special tool, the use of which I'm not sure I can describe here, but it is basically a lever which pulls the clip (pigs ear?) into place by levering against either the sleeper or chair...Alternatively NR have these fancy track laying machines now that do everything themselves & can lay a ridiculous mileage of track per unit time.

[Colin]

cdr113 said:

Mods - hope its ok to post a link to this site? Please delete if not

Absolutely - it is relevant

[Deleted]

cdr113 said:

IIRC these clips are installed with a special tool, the use of which I'm not sure I can describe here, but it is basically a lever which pulls the clip (pigs ear?) into place by levering against either the sleeper or chair...Alternatively NR have these fancy track laying machines now that do everything themselves & can lay a ridiculous mileage of track per unit time.

I had a feeling that the tool used some sort of levering; I just can't figure out how they bend those clips around to lock the rail in place.

I'll have a look at the URL you posted.

[Chris M]

I took a large number of photos of the NR track renewal train in operation a few weeks ago that are online at www.railfaneurope.net/pix/gb/work/track_renewal/pix.html

Although this is NR not LU, it is an impressive operation to watch and may answer some of your questions (although I expect it may prompt more!). The stretch of line where I saw it is straight, but I expect it would be able to cope with gently curved line, although I don't expect it could do very tight radii.

[cdr113]

theonekea said:

I had a feeling that the tool used some sort of levering; I just can't figure out how they bend those clips around to lock the rail in place.

The clips come pre-bent (forged, I presume), after positioning on the chair, the bottom section is levered into the hole on the chair, the 'upper' section is left free, but pressing the flat bottom of the rail to the chair. It's a really simple thing, but very very hard to describe, best way is to find out is to find some track renewal one weekend and just go watch...

Check out www.pandrol.com/cstudies/c35_bdy.htm and you'll see some close up pics of pandrol clips if you scroll down a bit, might make a bit more sense how they fit...

Google is a marvellous tool by the way... ;D

[cdr113]

Pics of the tools are here...

www.pandroluk.com/casestudies/tools_index.htm

[Deleted]

The lever type tool is called a 'Panpuller'.

[Deleted]

This panpuller, gains it's leverage by gripping onto the rail 'boot'; thats the metal plate that the rail sits on, and is bolted or cast/spiked to the sleepers. This force required to lever the pandrol clip is considerable... I did have some technical info sheets somewhere, but have mislaid them...

[Deleted]

You can also knock the older versions in with a hammer too, however if you do this you then have to replace them as you have probably damaged the surface coating!

Sam

[stanmorek]

We had pan pullers on the H&C but they were used for panlock keys which are completely to pandrol clips.