초록 ▼

A rail road car has a deck for carrying wheeled vehicles. The vehicles are loaded from the ground by use of a movable ramp that is positioned next to a separate coupler end of the rail road car. The ramp has a locating guide, in the nature of a pair of tapered prongs, that locate in mating sockets i

A rail road car has a deck for carrying wheeled vehicles. The vehicles are loaded from the ground by use of a movable ramp that is positioned next to a separate coupler end of the rail road car. The ramp has a locating guide, in the nature of a pair of tapered prongs, that locate in mating sockets in the end of the rail road car. The co-operation of the guides and sockets forces the ramp to align with the deck of the rail road car in a predetermined position, namely aligned centrally with the deck. The ramp has a telescoping, pivoting boom. The boom has a hitch that can be engaged by a towing vehicle, permitting the ramp to be moved into position as desired. The boom can then be collapsed and lowered out of the way of the path of the wheeled vehicles. The boom is counterweighted to facilitate manual operation.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A movable ramp operable to permit wheeled vehicles to be end-loaded onto a deck of a rail road car, said ramp comprising:a trackway assembly along which vehicles can be conducted; a set of wheels to which said trackway assembly is mounted, said wheels facilitating positioning of said trackway ass

1. A movable ramp operable to permit wheeled vehicles to be end-loaded onto a deck of a rail road car, said ramp comprising:a trackway assembly along which vehicles can be conducted; a set of wheels to which said trackway assembly is mounted, said wheels facilitating positioning of said trackway assembly relative to the rail road car; said trackway assembly having a first end locatable next to an end of the rail road car, and a second end locatable away from the rail road car next to a base surface that is lower than the deck of the rail road car; and at least one guide extending proud of said first end of said trackway assembly, said guide being operable to locate said first end of said ramp relative to the deck; whereby, when said first end is located next to the end of the rail road car, and said second end is located next to the base surface, wheeled vehicles can be conducted between the rail road car deck and the base surface along said trackway assembly.