Road/rail power unit

A convertible road/rail power vehicle including an elongated vehicle frame;

• a plurality of road wheels mounted to said frame for road use;
• a plurality of rail wheels mounted to said frame for rail use;
• fluid activated suspension means for moving at least said rail wheels between a retracted position wherein the vehicle weight is carried by said road wheels and an extended position wherein the vehicle weight is carried by said rail wheels;
• said rail wheels including sets of front and rear rails wheels and a set of rail drive wheels located intermediate said sets of front and rear rail wheels to provide, in use, a redundant support point between the support points provided by the sets of front and rear rail wheels to enable the proportions of the vehicle weight carried by the sets of front and rear rail wheels and the set of rail drive wheels to be varied and controlled, means associated with the fluid activated suspension means to control and vary the weight carried by the rail drive wheels, a drive engine and transmission operatively connectable via a drive train to said rail drive wheels or to certain of said road wheels and further means for controlling aid fluid activated suspension means comprising one of leveling and height control valves for sensing changes in height between said front and rear rail wheel sets and the vehicle frame and responding to these changes to control the proportions of the vehicle weight being borne by said front and rear rail wheel sets as the amount of vehicle weight borne by said rail drive wheels is controlled and varied.

A convertible road/rail vehicle including an elongated vehicle frame;

• a plurality of road wheels and axles mounted to the vehicle frame for road use;
• a plurality of rail wheel and axle sets mounted to the vehicle frame for rail use;
• at least one of said rail wheel and axle sets being mounted to the vehicle frame by a bogie permitting the rail wheel and axle set to be raised and lowered to provide a road use mode and a rail use mode respectively;
• said bogie including side frames having bearings journalling opposing ends of the associated rail wheel and axle set;
• means defining a pivot axis transverse to the vehicle frame to allow the side frames to pivot and move the rail wheel and axle set between said raised and lowered positions, and further means to permit said side frames to pivot about a longitudinal axis relative to the vehicle frame, pivot link means between the vehicle frame and said bogie to stabilize the bogie relative to the vehicle frame;
• suspension spring means acting between portions of the vehicle frame and said side frames to transmit vehicle weight to the wheel and axle set.

A convertible road/rail vehicle including an elongated vehicle frame;

• a plurality of road wheels and axle sets mounted to the vehicle frame for road use;
• a plurality of rail wheel and axle sets mounted to the vehicle frame for rail use;
• at least one of said rail wheel and axle sets being mounted to the vehicle frame by a bogie permitting the rail wheel and axle set to be raised and lowered to provide a road use mode and a rail use mode respectively;
• said bogie including a spaced apart pair of elongated side frames located in flanking relation to the vehicle frame, first ends of said side frames supporting respective bearings for journalling opposing ends of the wheel and axle set, and a cross-shaft being fixed to opposing ends of said side frames and extending transversely of the vehicle frame, and a beam assembly journalling said cross-shaft to permit said side frames to pivot as the wheel and axle set is raised and lowered, central pivot means defining a longitudinally extending pivot axis connecting said beam assembly to the vehicle frame and permitting relative movement in the roll direction between the vehicle frame on the one hand and said bogie and wheel and axle set on the other hand, pivot link means extending between and connecting said beam assembly to said vehicle frame to stabilize the beam assembly, cross-shaft and side frames relative to the vehicle frame, and suspension spring means acting between portions of the vehicle frame and said first ends of the side frames to transmit vehicle weight through to the opposing ends of the wheel and axle set.

A convertible road/rail power vehicle including an elongated vehicle frame;

• a plurality of road wheels mounted to said frame for road use;
• a plurality of rail wheels mounted to said frame for rail use;
• fluid activated suspension means for moving certain of said wheels between a retracted position wherein vehicle weight is carried by said road wheels and an extended position wherein the vehicle weight is carried by said rail wheels;
• certain of said road wheels being a set of road drive wheels, said rail wheels including a set of rail drive wheels, a drive engine and transmission operatively connectable via drive train means to said rail drive wheels or to said road drive wheels, each of said sets of drive wheels being mounted to opposing ends of a drive axle including an intermediate gear housing, and a suspension for each said drive axle comprising a pair of laterally spaced rearwardly extending beams pivotally connected at their forward ends to the vehicle frame for generally vertical swinging motion and air spring means forming part of said fluid activated suspension means interposed between trailing ends of said beams and the vehicle frame, each said drive axle having a pivotal connection with an associated pair of said beams intermediate the forward and trailing ends thereof, and torque arm means located above and spaced from said beams and pivotally connected between each said drive axle and the vehicle frame and located and arranged so as to react torque loadings on said drive axles both longitudinally and transversely of the vehicle frame while at the same time permitting the drive axles to be raised and lowered as said beams pivot about their forward ends.