Rail/road transport

A method for transferring road haulage trailers to a railway train having a plurality of load bearing tops including the steps of:

• (i) bringing the tops into close parallel registry with a loading platform, the region of the loading platform adjacent to the tops being arranged at substantially the same height as the tops,
• (ii) driving a road haulage trailer directly from the loading platform onto the tops using a prime mover;
• (iii) supporting the edges of the tops against tilting when the road haulage trailer is driven thereonto;
• (iv) decoupling the prime mover from the road haulage trailer;
• (v) and lowering the road haulage trailers with respect to the tops after being driven thereonto;
• (vi) repeating steps (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v) to provide a desired number of road haulage trailers located end to end along the tops.

A transport system for road haulage trailers including:

• (i) a loading platform;
• (ii) a railway train having a plurality of flat tops;
• (iii) a height adjuster provided for lowering wheels of a road haulage trailer below the level of the flat top,
• (iv) train rails arranged to bring the flat tops into close parallel registry with the loading platform such that the region of the loading platform adjacent to the tops is arranged at substantially the same height as the tops to facilitate the driving of load haulage trailers directly from the loading platform onto the tops;
• and
• (v) bridging elements bridging adjacent tops, the bridging elements acting to facilitate the driving of road haulage trailers along and between the tops.

A transport system for road haulage trailers including:

• (i) a loading platform;
• (ii) a railway train having a plurality of carriages provided with flat tops and height adjuster for lowering wheels of the roadhaulage trailer below the level of the flat top;
• (iii) train rails arranged to bring the flat tops into close parallel registry with the loading platform such that the region of the loading platform adjacent to the tops is arranged at substantially the same height as the tops to facilitate the driving of load haulage trailers directly from the loading platform onto the tops;
• and
• (iv) primary support elements adapted to support the tops against tilting when the road haulage trailers are driven onto the tops.