Storage and conveyance of heavy articles

A storage and conveyance system for heavy articles comprising a plurality of elongated fixed, stationary tracks, a plurality of fixed, stationary storage tracks on both sides of each elongated track, the fixed, stationary storage tracks meeting the elongated tracks and extending perpendicularly therefrom, a first group of self-propelled, rail-carrying carriages movable along said elongated tracks, each of said self-propelled, rail-carrying carriages having a short track thereon selectably alignable with each of said storage tracks, a plurality of non-powered, article-carrying carriages situated on the tracks of said storage tracks, each of said article-carrying carriages having a heavy article carried thereon whereby each of the heavy articles stored in the system is held by an article-carrying carriage, each of said article-carrying carriages being arranged to be carried by said short track and movable from the storage track on which it is situated to said short track, and from said short track to any one of said storage tracks having space for an article-carrying carriage, when the short track is aligned therewith, and all of the article-carrying carriages in the system being situated at substantially the same level, feeder means for transferring said article-carrying carriages from said short track to said storage tracks and from said storage tracks to said short track, a third track met perpendicularly by said elongated, fixed stationary tracks, and an additional rail-carrying carriage situated on said third track and movable thereon, said additional carriage having rail means alignable with each of said elongated fixed, stationary tracks and adapted to receive and carry the self-propelled, rail-carrying carriages of said first group, whereby said third carriage is able to transfer carriages of the first group from each of the elongated, fixed, stationary tracks to another elongated, fixed, stationary track.