Train of highway trailers and method of making

Abstract

Novel highway trailers can be mounted on railtruck assemblies to form a train of highway trailers, the railtruck assemblies including a conventional railtruck which supports a novel intermodal adaptor. The novel highway trailers include a forwardly extending tongue and coupling structure at the rear to which may be secured the tongue of a following trailer and the intermodal adaptor of a railtruck assembly. The intermodal adaptor is mounted on the center plate bowl of the bolster of the railtruck. The adaptor includes a locating assembly adapted to be received within the coupling structure of a leading highway trailer, which locating assembly permits the leading highway trailer and intermodal adaptor to become aligned with each other upon relative movement. The intermodal adaptor further includes a securing assembly capable of maintaining the locating assembly within the coupling structure of the highway trailer in a completely mounted position, a coupler pin, and a shifting device capable of moving the coupler pin from a lower position to a raised position where it couples the forward end of a tongue of a following trailer to the rear of the leading trailer and the intermodal adaptor.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.