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US 4,479,750 AGranted
Apparatus for loading and unloading railway cars
OwnerTed C. Johnson, Jr.inventor
Life of this patent
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OwnerTed C. Johnson, Jr.inventor
Estimating the term…
A crane is mounted on a platform having ground engaging legs adapted to support the platform in an elevated position straddling railroad tracks so that a railway car to be loaded or unloaded is adapted to be moved beneath the platform. The legs are adapted to be displaced between raised and lowered positions relative to the platform and are in the lowered positions thereof when the platform is so ground supported. When a railway car has been moved beneath the platform, the legs are displaced toward their raised positions whereby the platform is lowered onto the car to rest on the top edges of the side walls thereof. Preferably, the legs are also adapted to be displaced laterally between extended and retracted positions relative to the platform and are retracted when the platform rests on the car to minimize lateral projection of the apparatus relative to the car. Clamping arrangements are provided for releasably interengaging the platform and the side walls of the car when the platform is supported thereon, and the crane is operable with the platform supported on the car to achieve the loading and/or unloading thereof. The legs are also mounted on the platform for pivotal movement to horizontal positions parallel to the platform to facilitate transporting the apparatus on a flat bed railway car. A grapple assembly is provided for the crane which enables use of the apparatus to achieve a unique method of loading railway ties in a gondola car.
Article loading and unloading apparatus for use with a railway car on ground supported railway means, said car having laterally opposite side wall means, said apparatus including horizontal platform means, said platform means having opposite sides corresponding to said opposite side wall means of said railway car, crane means on said platform means, leg means spaced apart in the direction between said opposite sides of said platform means and having vertical positions relative to said platform means, said leg means including leg member means and leg member support means, means mounting said leg member support means on said platform means, said leg member support means in said vertical positions of said leg means supporting said leg member means for displacement between raised and lowered positions relative to said platform means, means to displace said leg member means between said raised and lowered positions, said leg member means in the lowered positions thereof engaging ground and supporting said platform means above said railway car for said car to be movable along said railway means beneath said platform means, said platform means in the raised positions of said leg member means being supported on said side wall means of said railway car, said mounting means including means supporting said leg means for horizontal displacement between laterally extended and retracted positions relative to the corresponding side of said platform means when said leg means are in said vertical positions and said leg member means are in the raised positions thereof, and means to displace said leg means between said extended and retracted positions, said leg means including means engaging said opposite side wall means of said railway car when said leg means are in the retracted positions thereof to clampingly interengage said platform means and railway car.
Article loading and unloading apparatus for use with a railway car on ground supported railway means, said car having opposite sides, said apparatus including platform means, said platform means having opposite sides corresponding to said opposite sides of said railway car and opposite ends transverse to said sides, crane means on said platform means, leg means on said platform means spaced apart in the direction between said opposite sides thereof, first sleeve means slidably supporting said leg means on said platform means for displacement between raised and lowered positions relative thereto, second sleeve means mounted on said opposite sides of said platform means and having horizontal axes extending in the direction between said opposite ends of said platform means, shaft means pivotally supported by said second sleeve means and having an end attached to said first sleeve means, said shaft means and second sleeve means supporting said first sleeve means and leg means on said platform means for pivotal movement about said horizontal axes for displacing said leg means between depending and horizontal positions relative to said platform means, said leg means in said horizontal positions being above said platform means, first drive means on said first sleeve means to displace said leg means between said raised and lowered positions, said platform means in the raised positions of said leg means being supported on a railway car therebeneath, said leg means in the lowered positions thereof engaging ground and supporting said platform means above said railway car for said car to be movable along said railway means beneath said platform means, and second drive means to pivot said said shaft means and thus said first sleeve means about said horizontal axes when said leg means are in said raised position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.