Apparatuses for wind turbine blade railroad transportation and related systems and methods

Abstract

A transportation arrangement (10) includes a train (12) including at least first and second railcars (14) operatively coupled to each other for hauling by a locomotive along a railroad and having a first side (20) and a second side (22). The transportation arrangement (10) also includes a blade (40) extending between a root end (42) and a tip end (44), wherein a root region (60) of the blade (40) proximate the root end (42) is supported on the first railcar (14) and pivotable relative thereto about a first vertical axis (V1) spaced apart from the root end (42), and wherein a tip region (64) of the blade (40) proximate the tip end (44) is supported on the second railcar (14) and pivotable relative thereto about a second vertical axis (V2), such that at least a portion of the root region (60) is configured to extend laterally away from the first side (20) of the train (12) when the first and second railcars (14) are longitudinally offset from each other.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.