초록 ▼

The invention is a system for transporting highway vehicles on railway vehicles. It has rail cars positionable relative to one another at an angle of at least about 50 degrees. Each car has a deck for highway vehicles. The system has a railroad terminal with a first track with switch(es) connected t

The invention is a system for transporting highway vehicles on railway vehicles. It has rail cars positionable relative to one another at an angle of at least about 50 degrees. Each car has a deck for highway vehicles. The system has a railroad terminal with a first track with switch(es) connected to spur(s) so trucks supporting a first set of car ends may be kept on the first track, while a second set of trucks supporting a second set of car ends is placed on the spur(s). The rail cars are thereby placed in a zig-zag configuration. For each of the rail cars, a truck supporting one end remains on the first track while a truck supporting the other end is placed on a spur. A vector parallel to the direction of travel of a truck along the tracks supporting it has a vector component of at least about 0.25 in a direction parallel to the centerline of a railway vehicle supported on the truck, so forces for moving rail cars into and out of the zig-zag configuration may be communicated by tension or compression along the rail cars. The terminal has a dock or ramp having an elevation about equal to the elevation of the rail cars so that highway vehicles may be driven or pulled onto or off the rail cars. The terminal has a roadway or other driveable path to an external highway system.

대표청구항 ▼

[ We claim:] [1.] A system for transporting highway vehicles on railway vehicles, said system comprising:a consist of railway vehicles configured so that adjacent pairs of said railway vehicles can be positioned relative to one another at a relative angle of at least about 50 degrees, each of said r

[ We claim:] [1.] A system for transporting highway vehicles on railway vehicles, said system comprising:a consist of railway vehicles configured so that adjacent pairs of said railway vehicles can be positioned relative to one another at a relative angle of at least about 50 degrees, each of said railway vehicles having a deck for supporting at least one highway vehicle;a railroad terminal having a terminal track system having a first track portion connected to a railroad track system outside of said terminal, so that said consist of railway vehicles may be moved by a motive means from said track system outside of said terminal onto said first track portion, said terminal track system having at least one switch having a common track connection, and a first selectable track connection and a second selectable track connection, said first track portion connected to said common track connection and to said first selectable track connection, said terminal track system also having at least one track spur connected to said second selectable track connection of said at least one switch so that as said consist of railway vehicles is moved along said first track portion, a first set of trucks supporting a first set of ends of said railway vehicles may be retained on said first track portion while a second set of trucks supporting a second set of ends of said railway vehicles may be directed by said at least one switch onto said at least one track spur connected to said second selectable track connection of said at least one switch, so that said consist of railway vehicles is placed in a zig-zag configuration, such that for each railway vehicle, a truck supporting a first end of said vehicle is supported on said first track portion, and a truck supporting a second end of said vehicle is supported on said at least one track spur, said track system having dimensional parameters relative to a length of said at least one railway vehicle so that for each truck, a unit vector parallel to a direction of travel of said truck has a vector component of at least about 0.25 in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of at least one railway vehicle having an end supported on said truck when said railway vehicle is in position for loading and unloading, so that forces for moving said railway vehicles into and out of said zig-zag configuration may be communicated along said consist of railway vehicles by at least one of tension and compression communicated longitudinally along said railway vehicles; andsaid terminal having at least one surface for support of highway vehicles, said surface for support of highway vehicles having at least a portion thereof at an elevation about equal to an elevation of at least one end of at least one of said railway vehicles and adjacent said at least one end of said at least one railway vehicle so that such highway vehicles may be at least one of driven onto and pulled onto said at least one railway vehicle from said surface for support of highway vehicles, and also at least one of driven off of and pulled off of said at least one railway vehicle onto said surface for support of highway vehicles, said surface for support of highway vehicles having highway vehicle connection to a roadway system outside of said terminal.