Rail-Highway Intermodal Freight Carrier Transport System

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to railway rolling stock and consists particularly in a system for transporting freight carriers including highway semi-trailers and receptacles such as demountable containers and merchandise racks by rail.

2. The Prior Art

Systems of moving highway semi-trailers by rail have generally utilized substantially conventional flat cars of sufficient length to support the full length of one or two highway semi-trailers with the highway wheels of the semi-trailers resting on the car deck and the king pin secured to an upstanding pedestal-mounted fifth wheel on the car deck. Such systems have numerous disadvantages in that the great over-all height of the flat car and the semi-trailers with their complete running gear creates clearance problems, particularly in tunnels, and provides a vehicle with a very high center of gravity and correspondingly subject to high overturning moments. Further, much excess weight is present in the form of the full-size railway flat car with its necessarily heavy underframe, trucks, draft gear and brake equipment.

The conventional equipment requires circus-type loading in which a train of flat cars are connected by bridges with a ramp at the forward end and the semi-trailers are successively backed onto the flat cars by tractors which must traverse the full length of the train to load the rearmost trailer. Atempts have been made to lower the over-all height by providing highway wheel pockets in the flat car decks or providing depressed center flat cars arranged to receive the highway wheels in the center depressed portion. In connection with the latter arrangement turntables and transfer tables have been provided in the center depressed portions of such cars to receive the highway wheels and to permit side loading, thus avoiding the disadvantages of circus-type loading. Although the last-mentioned arrangements have partially solved the over-all height and loading problems, they still require the use of a relatively heavy double truck flat car or depressed center car with turntable or transfer tables.

Further attempts to solve the problem have provided for the elimination of the conventional supporting flat car by providing smaller four-wheel trucks, each equipped with a fifth wheel support for engaging the king pin and supporting the front end of one highway trailer and means for supporting and blocking the highway wheels on an adjacent semi-trailer, utilizing the railway truck frame as the connecting link between adjacent trailers and forming trains from such railway trucks and trailers, as disclosed in L. G. Schoen U.S. Pat. No. 2,992,621 and F. S. Macomber U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,576,167 and 3,610,168. In these three patents the positions of the fifth wheel pedestals and the highway wheel supporting means are fixed longitudinally of the rail truck, i.e., the fifth wheel pedestal is adjacent one end of the railway truck and the highway wheel-supporting structure is adjacent the other end of the rail truck. These arrangements require that the rail trucks be turned at each end of a run in order that the fifth wheel pedestal supports be at the rear of the rail truck and the highway wheel supporting means be at the forward end of the rail truck so that trains made up of trailers and the rail trucks can be operated with the forward ends of the trailers at the front. Additionally, since the spacing between the fifth wheel supports and the highway wheel supports on the rail trucks of these patents are fixed, in the event that a trailer with a longer than normal forward overhang and/or one with a longer than normal rear overhang were to be transported in end to end relation, they could not be mounted on a common rail truck.

The invention provides a system for transporting highway semi-trailers in trains by rail, utilizing improved rail trucks as the sole support of adjacent rear and front ends of highway semi-trailers and as the sole connecting means between such semi-trailers, to form trains.

The improved trailer supporting rail trucks are constructed so as to be fully reversible by permitting the support of the forward and rear ends of connected semi-trailers at either end of the truck. The rail trucks are made reversible by providing permanently mounted highway wheel supporting structures capable of swiveling on the truck frame adjacent both ends of the truck such that either of the wheel supporting structures may be selectively utilized to support the highway wheels at the rear end of a semi-trailer and by mounting a fifth wheel pedestal structure on the railway truck in such a manner in relation to the wheel supporting structures that it can be positioned abreast of either of the wheel supporting structures at either end of the track and thereby utilized to support the forward end and kingpin of a second trailer when the rear end of the first trailer is supported through its highway wheels on the wheel supporting structure at the other end of the railway truck.

The selective positionability of the fifth wheel pedestal at either end of the railway truck abreast of the corresponding highway wheel support structure is achieved by mounting the fifth wheel support structure in a guideway extending longitudinally of the truck frame and centrally disposed transversely thereof, the wheel supporting structures each consisting of a pair of trough-like treadways with a transverse connection between them extending beneath the fifth wheel pedestal guide structure so that the fifth wheel pedestal base can be slid lengthwise of the rail truck without interference from the transverse elements of the wheel supporting structures, the base of the pedestal being sufficiently narrower than the transverse spacing between the treadways as to permit its longitudinal movement from end to end of the truck without interference with the treadways. The fifth wheel itself is reversibly rotatably mounted on its pedestal for reversing in accordance with the location of the pedestal on the truck frame.

In order to provide flexibility in the relative forward and rear overhangs of semi-trailers carried by the trucks, the pedestal is arranged to be selectively positioned at different locations at each end of the truck.

In order to accommodate trains made up of trailers and railway trucks incorporating the invention to operation on curved tracks, the wheel supporting structures are connected to the truck frame for limited swiveling of the trailer front ends with respect to the respective rail trucks being accommodated through the pivotal connection of the fifth wheel and the semi-trailer kingpin.

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a railway truck constructed according to the invention positioned in the loading area with a semi-trailer being pushed toward it by a road-rail tractor.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view corresponding to FIG. 1 but showing the highway wheels of the semi-trailer mounted on the railway truck with the semi-trailer positioned with its landing gear resting on a portable stanchion to position its forward end in readiness for engagement with the fifth wheel pedestal element on a second railway truck.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view showing the second railway truck being moved into position rearwardly toward the semi-trailer for engagement of the fifth wheel pedestal support with the king pin on the semi-trailer.

FIG. 4 shows a semi-trailer fully supported by means of its wheels on the forward highway wheel supporting structure of one railway truck and its king pin supported at the rear end of the second railway truck by means of the fifth wheel pedestal thereon with a second semi-trailer having its wheels supported on the forward wheel supporting structure of the second truck and its forward end supported by its landing gear and a pedestal therefor for engagement with the fifth wheel pedestal of a third railway truck.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view of a railway truck including the wheel supporting structures and movable fifth wheel pedestal.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side elevational view of the railway truck illustrated in FIGS. 1-5.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the truck frame without the wheel supporting structures and fifth wheel pedestal.

FIG. 8 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken along line 8--8 of FIGS. 5 and 7.

FIG. 9 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken along lines 9--9 of FIGS. 5 and 7.

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view showing a container and merchandise rack supported on railway trucks in accordance with the invention.

FIGS. 11-13 are respectively transverse, outside and top views of a pedestal support element for containers and racks.

The system for handling highway semi-trailers and moving them in trains by rail includes at each terminal a paved section of track 1, in which the payment is preferably flush or nearly flush with the heads of rails 3 except for the usual flangeway extending along the inner edge of each rail head. Only the loading areas need be paved, the remainder of the track being of conventional open construction wherein rails 3 are secured to transverse cross ties 5 set in suitable ballast 7.

For supporting highway semi-trailers and providing a draft link between adjacent semi-trailers, a four-wheel railway platform truck generally indicated at 7 is supported by wheels 9 on track rails 3. The numeral 11 denotes the body of a highway semi-trailer of conventional construction supported at its rear end by a bogie having longitudinally spaced pairs of pneumatic-tired highway wheels 13 and at its forward end a depending king pin 15. Rearwardly of king pin 15 the usual vertically adjustable landing gear legs 16 depend from the semi-trailer body 17 to provide support for the forward end of semi-trailer body 11 when king pin 15 is not otherwise supported. A road-rail tractor generally indicated at 17 has pairs of longitudinally spaced pneumatic-tired highway wheels 19, an underframe 21 supported thereon, a cab 23 supported on the forward end of the underframe, and an elevatable fifth wheel 25 supported on the rear portion of underframe 21. On the forward and rear end portions of underframe 21 vertically movable flanged railway wheels 27 are supported, movement downwardly into rail-engaging position and upwardly out of rail-engaging position being effected by fluid cylinders 29 controllable from tractor cab 23.

For loading the highway wheels 13 of a semi-trailer on railway truck 7, a suitable ramp 31 having its lower end restable on the pavement 1 and its upper end on the top of railway truck 7 is provided.

Ramp 31 preferably consists of a pair of upwardly open channels 32 spaced apart transversely a sufficient distance to receive the highway wheels of a semi-trailer. It is preferably supported on a motorized low-lift truck 34 whereby it can be readily transported from one location in the loading area to another and the inclination of the ramp and the height of its upper end varied to assure its engagement with the upper surface of the railway trucks 7.

The construction of railway truck 7 can best be understood by reference to FIGS. 5-9 in which it will be noted that the truck has a pair of longitudinally spaced axles 33, each mounting a pair of small diameter railway wheels 9 in gauged relation with each other. Roller bearing journal boxes 39 in suitable adaptors 41 are vertically slidably received between pedestal legs 43 depending in longitudinally spaced pairs from truck frame 45 which each axle box adaptor 41 supports by means of spring units 47.

Truck frame 45 comprises longitudinally spaced side sills 49, each of outwardly open channel cross section, longitudinally spaced transversely extending end sills 51 of similar cross section, and a plurality of transversely extending longitudinally spaced cross tie members 53, 55, 57, 59, cross tie members 53 and 55 being disposed fore and aft of the respective axles 33 and forming the connection of pedestals 43 to the truck frame.

For securing semi-trailer supporting equipment to truck frame 45, the truck frame is provided with guide structure having a pair of transversely spaced centrally disposed webs 61 secured to the tops of cross ties 53, 55, 57 and 59 with suitable notches in their lower edges to fit over the respective cross ties, and their ends secured to the inner surfaces of end sills 51. Substantially flush with the tops of cross ties 53, 55, 57 and 59, a horizontal web 63 extends transversely between bars 61, 61 the full length of truck frame 45 and in the regions between cross ties 57 and the adjacent end sills 51 are underlyingly supported by spaced gussets 65. In the regions between cross ties 55 and the adjacent end sills 51, each web 61 mounts an inwardly extending horizontal web 67, both webs 67 being in vertically spaced relation with horizontal web 63 and spaced apart from each other transversely to define a central slot and a pair of inwardly extending grooves 69 on the inner surfaces of each of the webs 61. Each of the webs 67 is similarly reinforced by gussets 65 similar to those underlyingly supporting bottom web 63. Between cross ties 57 webs 61 are the vertical webs of angle bars 71 and webs 67 are the inwardly facing flanges 73 of angle bars 71 such that grooves 61 are continuous throughout the length of truck frame 45.

For supporting the highway semi-trailer king pins 15 on railway trucks 7 at selected positions lengthwise of the respective truck frames 45 and at either end thereof, whereby to permit reverse operation of the trucks so as to avoid turning them at terminals, a fifth wheel pedestal structure is provided comprising a base plate 75 having an elongated element of T-shaped cross section comprising a horizontal guide web 77 vertically spaced below plate 75 and slidably received in guide structure grooves 69 and upstanding transversely spaced vertical webs 79 which pass through the longitudinal slot defined by inwardly extending bars 67, such that the entire structure 75-79 can be shifted lengthwise of the truck frame.

For positioning pedestal structure 75-79 in selected positions lengthwise of the truck frame, guide structure web 63 is formed between cross ties 55 and 57 with a centrally disposed hole 81, pedestal base plate 75 is formed with a pair of longitudinally spaced holes 83, and a pin 85 is positioned in holes 83, 81 when they are aligned, either of the holes 83 in base plate 75 being alignable with the desired hole 81 in the web 63 for positioning base plate 75 accordingly lengthwise of the truck frame. Base plate 75 mounts a pedestal comprising four upright slightly inclined legs 87 and a top member 89 on which is rotatably and pivotally mounted a fifth wheel member 91.

Fifth wheel 91 is tiltably mounted by transverse trunnion pin 92 on a trunnion element 94 swivelly mounted on pedestal top plate 89, so that the fifth wheel jaws may be faced in either direction longitudinally of the truck, i.e., rearwardly with regard to direction of movement of the train, being held in the selected position by pin 90 passing through aligned holes in the bottom plate of the trunnion member and the top member 89 of the pedestal. The fifth wheel is provided with the usual locking means for selectively securing a semi-trailer king pin 15 in draft transmitting relation with the fifth wheel.

For supporting the highway wheels 13 of semi-trailers 11 on truck frame 45, highway wheel supporting structures, each comprising a transversely spaced pair of upwardly open channel treadways 95, is positioned on each end portion of the truck frame, each of the treadways 95 is formed with a depending bracket 97, and the brackets 97 are connected by a transversely extending shallow channel member 99 underlying the central guide structure webs 61 and positioned midway between cross ties 55 and 57. For swivelly connecting transverse channel member 99 to the truck frame, a horizontal plate 101 is secured to the bottom edges of bars 61 between cross ties 55 and 57 so that plate 101 overlies channel member 99 and a second plate 103 is similarly secured to the bottoms of cross ties 55 and 57 and underlies channel 99, plates 101 and 103 and the horizontal web of channel 99 being formed with aligned central holes 102, 104 and 106, respectively, receiving a vertical pivot pin 105. The bottoms of the end portion of treadways 95 rest on deck plates 107 suitably secured on the truck frame in longitudinally spaced relation with each other so that the wheel-supporting structure 95-99 is capable of limited swivelling movement to accommodate operation of a train of supported highway trailers on curved as well as tangent track.

Base plate 75 is just slightly narrower than the distance between the inner flanges of treadways 95 so that when the base plate is abreast of either of the wheel supporting structure it locks that wheel supporting structure against swivelling movement without interfering with necessary swivelling movement of the other wheel supporting structure, and by aligning both wheel supporting structures with each other the fifth wheel support structure 75-89 is movable the full length of truck frame 45 to desired positions abreast either of the wheel supporting structures 95-99. Each of the wheel supporting treadways 95 is provided at its inner end with a fixed chock 109 and at its outer end with a removable chock 111, the latter chocks being held in position by elongated pins 113 which are selectively engageable with any aligned pair of longitudinally spaced apart holes 115 in the flanges of the treadway channel members in accordance with the wheel spacing of any particular semi-trailer.

For supporting and securing standard demountable containers C and merchandise racks R on railway trucks for transportation thereon, as seen in FIGS. 10 and 11, without interfering with the use of the truck at other times to carry semi-trailers, each of the treadways 95 is formed with an outboard clevis-like bracket 117 on its outer flange intermediate the ends thereof and a pedestal support element 119 is pivotally connected to the respective clevis 117 of each treadway by means of an outboard arm 121 and a pivot pin 123, such that pedestal support elements 119 can be swung outwardly clear of the wheel-receiving surface of the respective treadway during loading and unloading of semi-trailers on the trucks.

As best seen in FIGS. 13-15, each pedestal support element 119 consists basically of a rectangular box-like member having a horizontal bottom wall 125 restable on the web of the respective treadway, a top wall 127, an outer longitudinal wall 129 mounting pivot bracket 121, an end wall 131, a partial inside wall 133, and an upstanding parapet on the top wall 127 comprising an outside wall section 128 and a transverse wall section 130 engageable with a corner of a container or rack. A securing lug having a vertically disposed cylindrical shank 135 passes through circular holes 137 and 139 in top and bottom walls 127 and 125 and terminates in flat eccentric ends 141 and 143, ends 141 and 143 normally being elongated transversely of the treadway to permit end 143 to enter a transversely elongated slot 145 in the treadway web. Lug shank 135 is provided with a central diametral bore 147 receiving an L-shaped cylindrical key 149 which may be rotated from a lug-release position substantially transverse of the respective treadway, in which the straight end of key 149 passes through a hole 151 in outer wall 129 and a locking position substantially at right angles thereto in which the straight end of the key passes through a hole 153 in end wall 131, such movement of key 149 rotating lug ends 141 and 143 from a position transverse of the treadway to a position longitudinally of the treadway wherein lower end 143 lockingly engages the bottom edge of the treadway and upper end 141 lockingly engages the locking flange on the bottom of the demountable container or merchandise rack.

Operation of the system for transporting semi-trailers is as follows: A plurality of empty railway trucks 7 are positioned ahead of the loading area, i.e., to the left of the structure illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, after which the first railway truck 7 is positioned as shown in FIG. 1, ramp 31 is moved into position by means of its supporting low-life truck, tractor 17 couples to the first semi-trailer 11 in an adjacent parking area and backs it onto the left hand wheel supporting structure 95-99 on the rail truck, and outer chocks 111 are positioned against the forward wheels 13 on the semi-trailer and locked into place by pins 113.

Ramp 31 is then removed and tractor 21 pushes first semi-trailer body 11 and with it rail truck 7 rearwardly to a previously designated position. Fifth wheel 25 on tractor 21 is then elevated to raise semi-trailer body 11 until it is substantially level, a suitable portable stanchion 123 is placed under each of the landing gear legs 16 which are thereupon extended to remove the weight of semi-trailer body 11 from the fifth wheel support 25 of tractor 21, trailer king pin 15 is then released and the tractor is moved forwardly away from semi-trailer body 11. A second railway truck 7, with its fifth wheel support 91 positioned at its right hand end is then backed under the forward end of semi-trailer 11 until its fifth wheel is coupled to semi-trailer king pin 15, after which landing gear legs 16 of first semi-trailer 11 are retracted and portable stanchions 123 removed. Meanwhile tractor 21 is again driven to the parking area to pick up a second semi-trailer, ramp 31 is moved into loading position against the forward end of the second railway truck 7, the second semi-trailer is loaded with its highway wheels 13 on the wheel supporting structure 95-99 of the second railway truck 7, the fifth wheel 91 of which is coupled to the king pin 15 of the first semi-trailer, ramp 31 is removed, fifth wheel 25 on the tractor 17 is elevated to raise the front end of the second semi-trailer body 11, a third rail truck 7 is positioned under the forward end of second semi-trailer body 11 with its fifth wheel 91 coupled to king pin 15 of the second semi-trailer and the process is repeated until all semi-trailers are loaded on railway trucks except for the forwardmost one, the king pin of which remains coupled to the elevated fifth wheel 25 of tractor 21, the rail-wheels 27 of which are lowered into guiding engagement with track rails 1, brake tests are made and the train consisting of tractor 21, first semi-trailer body 11, a rail truck 7, a second semi-trailer body 11, a second rail truck 7, etc., the train terminating with the first rail truck 7 mentioned hereinabove, on the forward wheel supporting structure 95-99 of which are mounted the wheels of the first-mentioned semi-trailer. Upon reaching its destination the train is broken up by reversing the steps by which it was made up, as described above. The operation is economical of manpower in that only two men are needed for terminal operations, one to operate the tractor and the other on the ground to position the ramp and stanchions, to raise and lower the landing gear legs, and to position the chocks on the wheel supporting structures of the rail trucks. In transit the train can be operated with a crew consisting of an engineer (driver of the tractor) and conductor.

If it becomes necessary or desirable to move a group of rail trucks from one terminal to another or to shift a group of them around a terminal, each of the trucks is provided with a simple draw bar 125 which is pivotally received in a clevis-like socket 127 on each end sill of each rail truck, the draw bars being swingable out of draft position to a position extending transversely of the car against the end sills, wherein their outer ends are received in a clevis-like bracket 129 and held therein by a suitable pin 131 when not in draft position.

In order that the semi-trailers may be operated in their normal direction during rail transit, i.e., with their front or king pin ends forwardly, and to eliminate the need for turning the rail trucks at terminals to permit such operation, after a train reaches a terminal and the semi-trailers are unloaded, the fifth wheel pedestals 75-89 on each rail truck 7 can be moved to the other end of the rail truck by releasing the pin 85 by which the pedestal structure is held in position longitudinally of the truck and sliding the entire pedestal lengthwise of the guide grooves 69 to the other end of the truck and positioning it thereon by fitting pin 85 through either of the holes 83 in the base plate 75 and extending it downwardly into hole 81 in plate 63 and rotating the fifth wheel so that its king pin receiving opening is in the opposite direction, i.e., toward the adjacent end of the rail truck. As pointed out above, when the pedestal base plate is so positioned, it opposes any swivelling movement of the correspondingly positioned highway wheel supporting structure while freeing the other highway wheel supporting structure to swivel slightly to accommodate to track curvature when the train is made up and is in transit between terminals.

The details of the construction may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive use of those modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims is contemplated.