# US 4,397,601 A · Convertible rail-highway vehicle

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- Number: US 4,397,601 A
- Document ID: US4397601A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 06/222,927
- Filed: 1981-01-06
- Granted: 1983-08-09
- Earliest claimed: 1980-01-14
- Assignees: Societe d'Ingenierie des Transports
- Inventors: Gustave Noyon
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4397601A

## CPC

- B61F 13/00: Rail vehicles characterised by wheel arrangements, not otherwise provided for
- B61D 3/005: {convertible (B61D3/04, B61D3/06, B61D15/04 take precedence)}
- B61D 3/16: adapted for carrying special loads
- B61D 3/20: for forwarding containers
- B61D 5/00: Tank wagons for carrying fluent materials
- B61F: RAIL VEHICLE SUSPENSIONS, e.g. UNDERFRAMES, BOGIES OR ARRANGEMENTS OF WHEEL AXLES; RAIL VEHICLES FOR USE ON TRACKS OF DIFFERENT WIDTH; PREVENTING DERAILING OF RAIL VEHICLES; WHEEL GUARDS, OBSTRUCTION REMOVERS OR THE LIKE FOR RAIL VEHICLES (for vehicles in general B60; axles or wheels B60B; vehicle tyres B60C)
- B61D: BODY DETAILS OR KINDS OF RAILWAY VEHICLES (vehicles in general B60; adaptation of vehicles to special systems B61B; underframes B61F)

## Abstract

The present invention relates to a dismountable car for the technical coordination of rail-highway transport, wherein the car is adapted to support two identical loads and its chassis is in two elements respectively borne by the end bogies and provided with traction and buffer members, these two elements being connected in the median zone of the car by disconnectable connection means and their corresponding ends being adapted to be supported by retractable support devices which may rest via lower rail wheels on the rails and abut on these elements to maintain them substantially horizontal and lift or lower their free ends slightly.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A rail car for the technical coordination of rail-highway transport, intended for transporting removable bodies which constitute rail car superstructure for rail transport and road vehicle infrastructure for highway transport, said car having an infrastructure which comprises,
a working chassis adapted to support the load as well as the forces of traction and collision with a buffer, the chassis being divided into at least two elements and each element having a collision end and a separation end,
disconnectable connecting means adapted to connect said chassis elements,
a rolling element positioned to support each chassis element adjacent its collision end,
a retractable support device mounted on each chassis element adjacent its separation end,
means on each chassis element for longitudinally guiding a load on said element,
means on at least one chassis element for effecting longitudinal movement of a load, and
means for actuating said support device to control and determine the height at which said separation end is supported,
whereby the separation end of a chassis element can be moved to a position slightly above or below the level of an adjacent road vehicle bed to facilitate the transferring of load to and from said road vehicle.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The car of claim 1, wherein the means for connecting the two chassis elements are hooks fitting in one another by vertical translation to ensure locking, the means for lifting the retractable support device of one of said elements also enabling the hooks to be disconnected.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The car of claim 1, wherein the device for supporting each of the two chassis elements is equipped with rail wheels adapted to rest on the railway rails and allowing each of said elements to move therealong.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The car of claim 1, wherein the traction means cooperating with the means for longitudinally guiding the load of each chassis element is constituted by drive wheels disposed near the separation end and adapted to receive their driving energy from the road vehicle.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The car of claim 1, wherein the means for longitudinally guiding the load of each chassis element comprise members for laterally centering the removable bodies.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The car of claim 1, wherein each chassis element and the corresponding removable body comprise combined stop and locking means, allowing the positioning of the superstructures relatively to the infrastructures and their mutual connection.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The car of claim 1, wherein the device for supporting each of the two elements of the chassis is constituted by a prop articulated around a horizontal axis perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the car and located near the separation end, this prop being pivoted by at least one jack abutting on the chassis element in the direction of the rolling element.