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US 5,291,835 AGranted
Retractable intermodal vehicle
AssigneeRailRunner Systems, Inc.
InventorHarry O. Wicks
Life of this patent
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AssigneeRailRunner Systems, Inc.
InventorHarry O. Wicks
Estimating the term…
A retractable intermodal vehicle for supporting and connecting modified semitrailers end-to-end to form a train of trailers capable of being operated on a railroad track; the semitrailers also able to be operated on a highway as regular semitrailers. The intermodal vehicle is comprised of two lower frames, with a wheel/axle assembly mounted to each, and each pivoted from and supporting a single upper frame assembly; the pivoting of these lower frames providing a limited steering of the rail axles relative to the upper frame. Inflatable air springs are mounted between the lower frames and upper frame assembly to allow the upper frame to be raised and lowered. The upper frame assembly is comprised of two gravity load carrying structures, each for supporting one end of a superimposed trailer; two coupler bodies, each containing a coupler tongue, the tongue being arranged to enter a complimentary coupler tongue receiving socket at either end of the superimposed trailer; and two upwardly movable coupling pins, each pin capable of being raised to enter concentric apertures in a coupler tongue and an a complimentary trailer mounted socket to effect a coupling between these elements; and each pin being capable of being lowered to permit the withdrawal of the coupler tongue from the trailer socket. In an alternative design two separate upper frames are provided.
A train of highway trailers including leading and trailing trailers which are interconnected to each other and supported by improved intermodal vehicles, each of said highway trailers including a main frame and one or more highway wheel assemblies, and each of said intermodal vehicles being provided with two rail wheel assemblies mounted in two steerable lower frames, upper frame means from which the steerable lower frames are pivoted, leading and trailing gravity load carrying structures respectively engaging the leading and trailing trailers, leading and trailing coupler tongues which are received respectively in coupler sockets at the adjoining ends of said trailers and are pinned thereto by coupling pins movable in a vertical direction through vertically aligned apertures in the said trailer coupler sockets and the intermodal vehicle coupler tongues thereby effecting a coupling between the intermodal vehicle and the trailer surmounting it, and each intermodal vehicle having air spring means between its lower frames and its upper frame means, said air springs arranged so that when the air is removed from the springs, the upper frame means of the intermodal vehicle will descend and when air is introduced into the air springs, the upper frame means of the intermodal vehicle will rise, at the same time raising the superimposed trailers resting upon the load carrying structures of the intermodal vehicle.
An improved train of highway trailers including leading and trailing trailers interconnectable to each other and which are supported by intermodal vehicles when connected to each other, each of said highway trailers including a main frame and one or more highway wheel assemblies, and each of said intermodal vehicles being provided with forward and rearward projecting coupler tongues which are arranged to enter coupler tongue sockets at the adjoining ends of said highway trailers and effect a coupling between the intermodal vehicle and the trailer surmounting it, and in which each intermodal vehicle has two single axle rail wheel assemblies each mounted in its own steerable frame and means for transmitting steering forces from said frames to the trailers surmounting said vehicles.
A train of highway trailers including leading and trailing trailers which are interconnected and supported on intermodal vehicles, each vehicle having
An improved intermodal vehicle adapted to be removably coupled to leading and trailing highway trailers to convert the trailers to rail mode travel, each of said intermodal vehicles including two rail wheel assemblies mounted in two steerable lower frames, upper frame means from which the steerable lower frames are pivoted, leading and trailing gravity load carrying structures respectively capable of engaging leading and trailing trailers, and each intermodal vehicle having air spring means between its lower frames and its upper frame means, said air springs being arranged so that when the air is removed from the springs, the upper frame means of the intermodal vehicle will descend and when air is introduced into the air springs, the upper frame means of the intermodal vehicle will rise, at the same time raising the superimposed trailers resting upon the load carrying structures of the intermodal vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.