Back to results
US 4,397,243 AGranted
Convertible highway railroad vehicle
AssigneeA. F. Hickman Associates, Inc.
InventorAlbert F. Hickman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeA. F. Hickman Associates, Inc.
InventorAlbert F. Hickman
Estimating the term…
A highway trailer has an underframe of side walking beams, to which it is pivotally connected on a horizontal transverse axis. These walking beams can be mounted on, preferably with a nesting fit, the main longitudinal side frame members of a railroad truck so that the trailer can be lifted from and dropped onto the railroad truck by gravity. Such can be accomplished by arranging a highway track at a straddling higher elevation than a railroad track and providing the railroad track with up and down ramps. With the trailer overlaying and connected to move along with the railroad truck, the latter rises into mating relation therewith on ascending the up-ramp. When disconnected, the railroad truck drops from the trailer on descending the down ramp. In mating, the highway walking beams enter the space defined by the main longitudinal side frame members of the railroad truck, and the rubber tired highway wheels are arranged, freely suspended, exteriorly of the railroad truck. Subordinate features are in a spring suspension between the load and the pivotal connection to the walking beams; the provision of upright wedge faces at the ends of the walking beams and main longitudinal railroad side frame members so that they interfit, preferably snugly, even when encountering slight longitudinal misalinement; and permitting the highway truck to swivel about a central vertical axis throughout all normal railroad travel, but being positively latched against such swiveling throughout all highway travel.
A system for the combined transportation of a cargo by highway and railroad comprising a container for carrying cargo, first axle means permanently connected to said container, rubber tired highway wheels supporting said first axle means, second axle means, railroad wheels supporting said second axle means, and interengaging means for selectively mounting and dismounting said first axle means on said second axle means, said interengaging means comprising a first frame means on said first axle means, and a second frame means on said second axle means, said first frame means being in contacting nested relation to said second frame means to be restrained against horizontal movement in all directions but being free to be lifted vertically therefrom, whereby said first frame means can be lifted from said second frame means and lowered into mating relation therwith to move as a unitary frame structure along the railroad tracks.
A system for the combined transportation of a cargo by highway and railroad comprising a container for carrying cargo, first axle means permanently connected to said container, rubber tired highway wheels supporting said first axle means, second axle means, railroad wheels supporting said second axle means, interengaging means for selectively mounting and dismounting said first axle means on said second axle means, said interengaging means comprising a first frame means on said first axle means and a second frame means on said second axle means, and means mounting said first frame means on said second frame means, and wherein said first axle means is in the form of a pair of tandem axles and wherein a walking beam means is arranged at each side of said first frame means, a bearing is provided between each axle end of said first axle means and the corresponding end of said walking beam means, a horizontal cross rod means extends transversely of the line of travel, means support said container on said cross rod means, and a bearing is provided between the center of said walking beam and the corresponding end of said cross rod.
A system for the combined transportation of a cargo by highway and railroad comprising a container for carrying cargo, first axle means permanently connected to said container, rubber tired highway wheels supporting said first axle means, second axle means, railroad wheels supporting said second axle means, interengaging means for selectively mounting and dismounting said first axle means on said second axle means, said interengaging means comprising a first frame means on said first axle means and a second frame means on said second axle means, and means mounting said first frame means on said second frame means, and additionally including railroad track means for carrying said railroad wheels, roadway track means straddling said railroad track means, said roadway track means being at a higher elevation then said railroad track means whereby said first frame means can be placed in overlaying straddling relationship to said second frame means, up-ramp means for moving said second frame means toward said higher elevation, and moving means for moving said first and second frame means in unison whereby said second frame means can be moved up said up-ramp means into interengaging supporting relationship with said first frame means for carrying said container on said railroad track means.
A system for the combined transportation of a cargo by highway and railroad comprising a container for carrying cargo, first axle means permanently connected to said container, rubber tired highway wheels supporting said first axle means, second axle means, railroad wheels supporting said second axle means, interengaging means for selectively mounting and dismounting said first axle means on said second axle means, said interengaging means comprising a first frame means on said first axle means and a second frame means on said second axle means, and means mounting said first frame means on said second frame means, and additionally including railraod track means for carrying said railroad wheels, roadway track means straddling said railroad track means, said roadway track means being at a higher elevation than said railroad track means whereby said first frame means can be placed in overlaying straddling relationship to said second frame means, down ramp means for moving said second frame means toward said lower elevation and moving means for moving said interengaged first and second frame means in unison down said down ramp means to drop free from said first frame means.
A system for the combined transportation of a cargo by highway and railroad comprising a container for carrying cargo, first axle means permanently connected to said container, rubber tired highway wheels supporting said first axle means, second axle means, railroad wheels supporting said second axle means, interengaging means for selectively mounting and dismounting said first axle means on said second axle means, said interengaging means comprising a first frame means on said first axle means and a second frame means on said second axle means, and means mounting said first frame means on said second frame means, said first axle means being in the form of a pair of tandem axles, a member arranged at each side of said first frame means and extending longitudinally of the line of travel, a bearing provided between each axle end of said first axle means and the corresponding end of said longitudinally extending member, horizontal journal means extending transversely of the line of travel, means supporting said container on said journal means, and a bearing provided between the center of each longitudinally extending member and said journal means.
A system for the combined transportation of a cargo by highway and railroad, comprising a container for carrying cargo, first axle means permanently connected to said container, rubber tired highway wheels supporting said first axle means, second axle means, railroad wheels supporting said second axle means, a first frame means on said first axle means, a second frame means on said second axle means, said first axle means having tandem axles and said second axle means having spaced front and rear axles parallel with and in farther spaced relation than said tandem axles, said first frame means being of such size as to enter the space between said railroad wheels so as to be capable of moving vertically into and out of supporting relation to said second frame means.
A system for the combined transportation of a cargo by highway or railroad comprising a container for carrying cargo, first axle means permanently connected to said container, rubber tired highway wheels supporting said first axle means, second axle means, railroad axles supporting said second axle means, railroad wheels supporting said second axle means, and interengaging means for selectively mounting and dismounting said first axle means on said second axle means, said interengaging means comprising a first frame means on said first axle means, a second frame means on said second axle means, the under surface of said first frame means being in close face-to-face mating relation with the upper surface of said second frame means to provide a unitary highway and railroad frame structure, and releasable means restraining said first frame means against horizontal movement in all directions with reference to said second frame means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.