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US 4,179,997 AGranted
Rail-highway intermodal freight carrier transport system
AssigneeIntermodal Concepts, Inc.
InventorGeorge B. Kirwan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneeIntermodal Concepts, Inc.
InventorGeorge B. Kirwan
Estimating the term…
A system for moving freight carriers including highway semi-trailers and receptacles such as demountable containers and merchandise racks in trains on railway tracks includes railway trucks, each slidably mounting a transversely centered fifth wheel support to permit its positioning at different locations longitudinally of the truck and swivelly mounting a pair of longitudinally disposed structures each including a pair of transversely spaced treadways for supporting semi-trailer highway wheels such that the highway wheels at the rear of one semi-trailer can be supported on one wheel supporting structure and the fifth wheel support can be positioned between the treadways of the other wheel supporting structure to support the front end of another semi-trailer, whereby a plurality of semi-trailer and railway trucks are linkable into a train with the front end of the leading semi-trailer supported on the fifth wheel support of a road-rail tractor. Compatible devices are provided on the treadways for positioning semi-trailer highway wheels thereon and for supporting and securing demountable containers and merchandise racks on the trucks.
In a system for transporting freight carriers including highway semi-trailers by rail, a rail truck having at least two longitudinally spaced wheeled axles and a frame supported thereon, a central guideway extending longitudinally substantially from end to end of said truck frame, pedestal structure mounted in said guideway for movement lengthwise thereof substantially from end to end of said truck frame and supporting a fifth wheel, a pair of highway wheel supporting structures supported in end to end relation with each other lengthwise of said truck frame and each comprising a pair of transversely spaced longitudinally extending treadways spaced apart transversely a sufficient distance to receive said pedestal structure between them and a transverse member connecting the treadways of each wheel supporting structure to each other and extending beneath said longitudinal guideway, whereby to permit movement of said fifth wheel pedestal structure to selective positions alternately abreast of said highway wheel supporting structures and thereby accommodating the selective support of the rear highway wheels of a semi-trailer on either of said highway wheel supporting structures and the support of the front king pin of a second highway semi-trailer by said fifth wheel on the end portion of the truck frame carrying said other highway wheel supporting structure.
A system for transporting freight carriers including highway semi-trailers by rail comprising highway semi-trailers, each having a body with a downwardly facing fifth wheel at its forward end and a pair of highway wheels at its rear end, railway trucks having at least two acles, a truck frame supported thereon and a pair of highway wheel support structures comprising transversely spaced, longitudinally extending treadways swivelly mounted on opposite ends of said trucks, the highway wheels of said semi-trailers resting on corresponding highway wheel support structures of said trucks, a fifth wheel support structure mounted on each of said truck frames for selective positioning lengthwise thereof between the treadways of either of said highway wheel supporting structures and positioned on each truck frame abreast of the highway wheel supporting structure other than that in wheel supporting relation with the highway wheels of the respective semi-trailers, the fifth wheel of each of said semi-trailers being supported on the fifth wheel support of the rail truck supporting the highway wheels of the forwardly adjacent semi-trailer.
A pedestal support element for supporting and securing a corner of a receptacle to a vehicle bed, having a bottom surface restable upon the vehicle deck, a top surface underlying supportingly engageable with the receptacle bottom, and manually actuable means for simultaneously locking the pedestal support element to the vehicle bed and to the bottom of the supported receptacle for securing the latter on the deck, said manually actuable locking means comprising a rotatable locking lug having a vertical cylindrical portion protruding from said top and bottom surfaces with eccentric elements on the protruding portions, the respective bottom and top surfaces of said top and bottom eccentric elements being spaced apart from each other a greater distance than the top and bottom surfaces of the pedestal support element whereby to permit said eccentric portions to lockably engage the bottom surface of the vehicle deck and a securing flange on the bottom of a receptacle when said locking lug element is rotated substantially through a right angle from a released position, said cylindrical portion of said locking lug being diametrically apertured and including a key slidable in said aperture for rotating said locking lug between released and locking positions, and apertures formed on the support element for selective registration with said key when said locking lug is in the released and locked positions, whereby to maintain said locking lug in such selected positions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.