Patent ID: 6575101
Filing Date: 2003-06-10
Classification: B60F,B61D,B62D

Abstract:
A coupling arrangement for forming a train of highway trailers includingat least one leading trailer including a rearwardly disposed locating means and a retractable highway wheel assembly; at least one following trailer including a forwardly disposed locating means and a retractable highway wheel assembly; and a coupler removably and pivotally mounted upon a conventional railway bogie, the coupler including a forwardly projecting coupling means and a rearwardly disposed coupling means, the forwardly projecting coupling means capable of engagement with the leading trailer's rearwardly disposed locating means and the reawardly disposed coupling means capable of engagement with the following trailer's forwardly disposed locating means so that upon engagement of the respective coupling means with the respective locating means, the forwardly projecting coupling means forms a generally rigid beam from the rear of the leading trailer to the interface between the coupler and the railway bogie, and upon generally vertical retraction of the leading trailer highway wheel assembly to the underside thereof, no interference between the highway wheel assembly and the railway bogie occurs; and the forwardly projecting coupling means including a generally V shaped member residing in a generally horizontal plane and the rearwardly disposed locating means including a generally vertically aligned pin such that upon general alignment of the forwardly projecting coupling means with the rearwardly disposed locating means and urging of the coupling means and the locating means toward each other the V shaped member gathers the pin between the arms thereof and thus locates the pin therebetween, the forwardly projecting coupling means including a forwardly disposed engagement means located between the arms of the V shaped member, the engagement means capable of releasably engaging and locking the pin of the rearwardly disposed locating means thereby retaining the arms of the V shaped member in abutment with the load bearing surfaces of the rearwardly disposed locating means; and the forwardly disposed engagement means including a generally U shaped jaw pivotally connected to the coupler and adapted to receive and lock the locating means pin between the arms of the generally U shaped jaw at a terminal end of the V shaped member.