Process for rail road car with movable bridge plates
AssigneeNational Steel Car Limited
InventorsIlario A. Coslovi, James W. Forbes
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A rail road car has a deck for carrying wheeled vehicles. It has a bridge plate mounted to one end to permit wheeled vehicles to be conducted between the rail road car and an adjacently coupled rail road car. The bridge plate is movable between an extended, “drive-over” longitudinal orientation relative to the rail road car, and a side-ways, or cross-ways stowed orientation. The bridge plate can be moved to the stowed position by uncoupling the rail car, and pivoting the bridge plate to the cross-ways position. The cars can be re-coupled by placing the bridge plate in the length-wise orientation, and then advancing two cars together to form a coupling.
Claims41
A process for changing a bridge plate of a vehicle carrying rail road car from a length-wise position to a cross-wise position relative to the rail road car, said vehicle carrying rail road car having
- a rail road car body mounted on rail road car trucks for rolling operation in a longitudinal direction,
- a vehicle deck mounted to said body, said rail road car body having a first end;
- a bridge plate mounted to said first end, said bridge plate being movable from a length-wise position relative to said rail road car to a cross-wise position relative to said rail road car,
- when two of said rail road cars are releasably coupled, and said bridge plate is in said lengthwise position, said bridge plate permitting the vehicle to be conducted therealong;
- when said rail road car is adjacent a loading ramp, and said bridge plate is in said cross-wise position, said bridge plate permitting the vehicle to be conducted between the ramp and the rail road car across said bridge plate;
- the process including the steps of,
- establishing said bridge plate in said length-wise position relative to said rail road car;
- and
- moving said bridge plate from said length-wise position to said cross-wise position.
A process for coupling two rail road cars for carrying vehicles, each of said rail road cars having,
- a rail road car body supported for rolling motion in a longitudinal direction;
- said rail road car body having a first end and a second end distant therefrom;
- said first end having a releasable coupler mounted thereto;
- a deck for carrying wheeled vehicles, said deck having a coupler end;
- a bridge plate mounted to said first end of said rail road car body;
- said process including the steps of:
- positioning the respective bridge plates of said rail road cars in a length-wise orientation relative thereto;
- and
- advancing said rail road cars toward each other to cause their respective couplers to mate;
- said step of advancing including the step of engaging an extended portion of each of said bridge plates with a receiving member of the other of said rail road cars.
A process for changing a bridge plate of a vehicle carrying rail road car from a length-wise position to a cross-wise position relative to the rail road car, said vehicle carrying rail road car having
- a rail road car body, mounted on rail road car trucks for rolling operation in a longitudinal direction,
- a vehicle deck mounted to said body, said vehicle deck having a first end;
- a bridge plate mounted to said first end, said bridge plate being movable from a length-wise position relative to said rail road car to a cross-wise position relative to said rail road car, and
- a transition plate mounted between said deck and said bridge plate,
- the process including the steps of,
- establishing said bridge plate in said length-wise position relative to said rail road car;
- disengaging said transition plate from said bridge plate,
- moving said bridge plate from said length-wise position to said cross-wise position, and
- re-engaging said transition plate with said bridge plate.
A process for coupling two rail road cars for carrying vehicles, each of said rail road cars having,
- a rail road car body supported for rolling motion in a longitudinal direction;
- said rail car body having a first end and a second end distant therefrom;
- said first end having a releasable coupler mounted thereto;
- a deck for carrying wheeled vehicles, said deck having a coupler end;
- a bridge plate mounted to said first end of said rail car body;
- each of said rail road cars has a receiving member and a transition plate mounted adjacent to said receiving member;
- said process including the steps of:
- positioning the respective bridge plates of said rail road cars in a length-wise orientation relative thereto;
- and
- moving said transition plates to a first position to facilitate engagement of said bridge plate with said receiving member;
- advancing said rail road cars toward each other to cause their respective couplers to mate;
- said step of advancing including the step of engaging an extended portion of each of said bridge plates with said receiving member of the other of said rail cars;
- and
- the step of engaging is followed by the step of placing said transition plate between the received extended portion of the bridge plate of one of said rail road cars and said vehicle carrying deck of the other of said rail road cars.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.