Enclosed railway freight car or over-the-road trailer van having walls and roof movable in a vertical direction
AssigneeKaci Intermodal Systems, LLC
InventorsRichard C. Hathaway, M. Kent Bridges
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle includes a base, a pair of wheel sets mounted underneath the base in a spaced apart relationship to each other, at least one coupling members mounted on at least one end of the base along longitudinal axis of the vehicle, an enclosure upstanding on the base and having a pair of side wall structures, a pair of end wall members and a roof member joining upper edges of each of the pair of side wall members and the pair of end wall structures, the enclosure defining an interior compartment of the railway freight car and an apparatus configured to move the enclosure in a vertical direction relative to the base.
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A method of loading or unloading railway freight cars each having an enclosure positioned on a generally horizontally disposed base and defining an interior compartment, said method comprising:
- adapting said enclosure or a portion thereof to move in a vertical direction relative to said base;
- providing at least one device configured to move said enclosure in said vertical direction;
- connecting said enclosure to said at least one device;
- moving, with said at least one device, said enclosure or said portion thereof in said vertical direction;
- and
- accessing said interior compartment with a material handling apparatus moving in a direction being generally perpendicular to a length of said each railway freight car.
A method of loading or unloading railway freight cars each having an enclosure positioned on a generally horizontally disposed base and defining an interior compartment, said method comprising:
- positioning at least two consists of said railway freight cars in a parallel alignment with each other;
- raising said enclosure or a portion thereof in a vertical direction away from said base;
- accessing said interior compartment with one or more material handling apparatuses moving in a direction being generally perpendicular to a length of said each railway freight car and anywhere along said length.
A method of loading or unloading railway freight cars each having an enclosure positioned on a generally horizontally disposed base and defining an interior compartment, said method comprising:
- providing a pair of elevated dock platforms;
- providing two parallel rail tracks below surfaces of said elevated dock platforms and between said pair of elevated dock platforms;
- positioning two consists of said railway freight cars in a parallel alignment with each other on said two parallel rail tracks with floor surfaces of said railway freight cars being planar with said surfaces of said elevated dock platforms;
- positioning trailer vans adjacent edge of each elevated dock platform and in a direction being generally perpendicular to a length of said railway freight cars;
- raising said enclosure or a portion thereof in a vertical direction away from said base;
- accessing said interior compartment with one or more material handling apparatuses moving in said direction and anywhere along said length;
- and
- moving said one or more material handling apparatuses in said direction between said freight railway cars and said trailer vans.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.