Adapter for a transport system

An adapter is described for use with the road/rail transport system described in the specification of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 673,583, now abandoned. The adapter enables a train of bogies and semi-trailers as described in said specification to be connected to a locomotive or to be incorporated in a train including convention rail vehicles. The adapter comprises a headstock with buffers and means for connecting the adapter to a locomotive or conventional rail vehicle and a bolster provided with means for releasably connecting the adapter to a bogie and with means for connection to a semi-trailer. The headstock is connected to the bolster by side arms which are extended beyond the bolster and terminate in means for attaching the side arms to the base of a semi-trailer.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to an adapter for a transport system such as that 
described in the specification of our U.S. patent application Ser. No. 
673,583. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
U.S. Pat. No. 673,583 describes a transport system which comprises rail 
bogies of the kind having two axles and a central bogie bolster arranged 
between the axles and transverse to the intended direction of travel and 
semi-trailers which are preferably of the kind having road wheels at the 
trailing ends and adapted for connection at their leading ends to a 
tractor unit. The rail bogie bolster has a pocket in which a mounting 
member is held, the pocket and mounting member having complementary 
surfaces in engagement to permit limited movement of the mounting member 
relative to the pocket. The mounting member is adpated for releaseable 
attachment to the frame of a semi-trailer which at one end is provided 
with means for receiving the attachment of the mounting member and which 
at the other end is connectable to a similar semi-trailer so that a train 
may be constructed of semi-trailers and bogies with each bogie effectively 
supporting the weight of one semi-trailer. In this arrangement, one 
semi-trailer is movable relative to an adjacent semi-trailer about a first 
substantially vertical axis and the semi-trailer is pivotable relative to 
the bogie about a second substantially vertical axis. These vertical axes 
preferably coincide or substantially coincide so as to provide a 
considerable reduction in overthrow and diagonal racking loads as the 
semi-trailer negotiates a bend. The semi-trailers can readily be converted 
to a road mode. 
Reference is directed to the aforesaid patent specification for further 
details of the transport system. 
A train may be constructed from a plurality of the semi-trailers each of 
which is releasably mounted on one of the rail bogies and, as indicated, 
with the exception of the first and last semi-trailers, the weight of one 
semi-trailer is effectively supported by one rail bogie. 
In order to terminate the train it is either necessary to adapt the last 
semi-trailer to receive the bogie by fitting a front bolster or by 
adapting a front bolster to receive attachment means on the bogie. This, 
however, may be undesirable, due to the expense involved, and it may, 
therefore, be preferred to provide each train with a special adapter bogie 
whereby the train may be connected to an engine. For reverse running a 
coupling member may be provided in the form of a triangular frame 
terminating in cups for receiving the buffers of an engine and having a 
tongue for coupling in the socket of a semi-trailer. 
While, as described in the aforesaid patent specification, no problems 
arise in making up a train consisting entirely of the bogies and 
semi-trailers it is apparent that problems will arise if it is attempted 
to incorporate these units of the transport system in conventional freight 
trains, as several of the adapter bogies will be required, which is 
uneconomic. Furthermore, due to the necessity of adequately transferring 
the normal buff and draught loads between units of the train, the 
described triangular coupling members are not suitable for coupling the 
bogie and semi-trailer units of the transport system in freight trains 
including conventional rail cars. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an adapter unit, 
whereby units comprising the bogies and semi-trailers of the transport 
system of the aforesaid patent specification can be incorporated in trains 
comprising conventional rail cars and whereby the said units may also be 
coupled to an engine. 
According to the present invention there is provided an adapter for a 
transport system comprising bogies and semi-trailers mountable on the 
bogies, wherein the adapter comprises a headstock provided with buffers 
and means for connecting the adapter to a locomotive or conventional rail 
vehicle, a cross member or bolster and side arms connecting the headstock 
to the bolster and terminating in means for attaching the side arms to the 
base of a semi-trailer and wherein the bolster is provided with means for 
releasably connecting the adapter to a bogie and with means for connection 
to a semi-trailer. 
Usually a semi-trailer is provided at one end with a coupling tongue and at 
the other end with a socket to receive the coupling tongue. The present 
adapter may therefore be provided with a socket to receive the coupling 
tongue f a leading semi-trailer, the socket and the means for holding the 
tongue in the socket being essentially the same as the socket and holding 
means at the other end of the trailer. Alternatively, the adapter may be 
provided with a coupling tongue to engage in the socket of a trailing semi 
trailer.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a couping adapter 1 for 
transport system units comprising semi-trailers supported on bogies as 
described in the aforesaid patent specification. FIGS. 1 and 2 also show, 
in broken lines, the positions of the wheels of a bogie 2 and a part 3 of 
a semi trailer. The adapter comprises a headstock 4 on which buffers 5 are 
mounted at standard centres as well as a drawhook 6. The headstock also 
mounts air pipe connections for the braking systems of the train as 
indicated at 7. The adapter also comprises a cross-member or bolster 8 
intended to lie over the bolster of the bogie and carrying means (to be 
described) for attaching the adapter to the bogie The bolster 8 carries 
rubbing strips 9, for engaging side bearers 10 on the bogie which serve in 
conventional manner to control body roll and bogie rotation (see FIG. 5). 
Two side arms 11 link the headstock 4 and bolster 8 and continue beyond 
the bolster and terminate in attachment means 12 whereby the adapter may 
be connected to the semi-trailer and finally reinforcing members 14 extend 
between the headstock and the bolster. The attachment means 12 is in the 
form of a pin 12A extending in the intended direction of travel and a 
support plate 12B at the end of each side arm 11 remote from the headstock 
4. An apertured bracket 13 (FIG. 2) is welded to the bottom of the 
semi-trailer body 3 and receives the pin 12A which can then be locked in 
position by a transverse pin (not shown). 
In some cases there may be problems in making the three point connection of 
the adapter 1. In order to obviate these problems, the adapter 41 shown in 
FIG. 4 may be employed. At its front end the adapter 41 is similar to the 
adapter 1 and has a headstock 44 on which buffers 45 and a drawhook 46 are 
mounted as well as air pipe connection 47 for the braking systems of the 
train. The adapter has a bolster 8 linked to the headstock 44 by side arms 
411 and the space between the headstock and the bolster 8 is partly 
covered by plates 44. However, in contradistinction to the adapter shown 
in FIG. 1 the side arms 411 converge to the rear of the bolster 8 and 
terminate between cover plates 49 formed with a bell-mouthed slot 410. 
In contradistinction to the adapter described with reference to FIG. 1, the 
rear end of the adapter shown in FIG. 4 is held in position by the 
engagement of the fifth wheel pin of the semi-trailer in the slot 410. 
This engagement is easy to effect and provides a simple and reliable 
attachment for the rear end of the adapter Of course, should the 
semi-trailer have no fifth wheel pin, it will be necessary to provide it 
with an equivalent pin for engagement in the slot 410 of the adapter 41. 
In the manner described in the aforesaid patent specification the bogie 2 
shown in greater detail in FIG. 5 has a substantially conventional H-frame 
15 and two pairs of rail wheels 16. The H-frame has a bogie bolster 17 the 
upper surface of which is formed with part-spherical pocket in which a 
mating part spherical mounting member is held so as to be universally 
rockable about a mounting pin. The mounting member is covered by a plate 
18 which carries an apertured connecting block 19 for connecting the bogie 
to the bolster 8 of the adapter. A U-shaped shoe 20 is mounted below the 
bolster 8 and has a splayed mouth. A retaining pin 21 passes horizontally 
through the shoe 20 and the arrangement is such that as the bogie and 
adapter are moved relative to one another the connecting block 19 will 
enter the mouth of the shoe 20 and be guided by the mouth until it 
occupies a position where the retaining pin 21 can be passed through the 
shoe and the aperture in the connecting block to connect the adapter to 
the bogie. A bar 31 with cranked ends carries a bracket 32 on which the 
retaining pin 21 is mounted, the bar extending for the full width of the 
bolster 8 and being so arranged that the retaining pin can be engaged or 
disengaged from the side of the adapter. This is essentially the same 
manner in which a semi-trailer is connected to the bogie in making up a 
train. As shown in FIG. 6, the bolster 8 of the adapter is provided with a 
socket 22 to receive the coupling tongue 23 of a semi-trailer. The tongue 
23 is formed at its end with an aperture in which an apertured ball joint 
24 is mounted A pin 25 engages in the aperture in the ball joint to hold 
the tongue 23 in the socket 13, the ball joint permitting limited movement 
of the tongue about the pin in any direction. In order to release the 
coupling, the pin 25 can be lowered from the position shown in full lines 
in Figure 6 to the position shown in broken lines by means of a bracket 26 
engaging a pin 27 movable in a slot 28 in a block 29 attached at the lower 
end of the pin 25. The bracket 26 is movable by an arm 30 similar to the 
arm 31. A spring-loaded catch 33 is provided to hold the pin 25 in its 
coupling position and is deflectable out of the path of movement of the 
pin 25 by a rod 34, also similar to the rod 31, so that the bracket 26 can 
be moved downwards. 
The upper end of the pin 25 is tapered and is received in a centering ring 
35 mounted in the upper part of the bolster 8. The centering ring 35 is 
held in place by bolts 36 and can be removed to give access to the pin 25 
for repair or replacement. 
In order to transmit the load from the coupling tongue 23 to the bolster 8 
and thence to the bogie 2, the tongue rests on a thrust washer 37 which 
has a part spherical surface resting on a part spherical bearing member 
38. Again this is essentially the same manner in which the tongue of a 
semi-trailer is connected to an adjacent semi-trailer mounted on a bogie 
in making up a train. 
In order to make up a train, a plurality of bogies and semi-trailers is 
assembled in the manner described in the aforesaid patent specification. 
At the front of the train, the adapter is mounted on a bogie in the manner 
described, and the adapter is then offered up to the tongue 23 of the 
leading semi-trailer and the tongue is connected in place by the pin 25. 
At the same time the ends of the side arms of the adapter 1 engage beneath 
the floor of the semi-trailer and are secured thereto by the attachment 
means 12, as indicated in FIG. 2, or the fifth wheel pin is engaged in the 
slot 410 of the adapter 41. 
A conventional locomotive can then be coupled to the adapter to draw the 
train. 
If, however, it is required to draw the train from the other end, then it 
will be necessary to use the adapter 100 shown in FIG. 3. This is 
essentially the same as the adapter 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but instead 
of having a socket to receive the coupling tongue at one end of a 
semi-trailer it is itself provided with a coupling tongue 40 to engage in 
the socket in a body bolster at the other end of the semi-trailer. 
At the rear end of the train, the adapter 100 shown in FIG. 3 may be 
mounted on a bogie 2 and the tongue 40 then offered up to the socket in 
the semi-trailer. FIG. 7 shows such a train arrangement of two linked 
semi-trailers and three bogies with an adapter 1 at one end of the train 
and an adapter 100 at the other, 51 denoting the fifth wheel pin of the 
semi-trailer. 
Alternatively, it is possible to mount the trailing end of a semi-trailer 
on a bogie in the manner described in the aforesaid patent specification 
and to connect the rear adapter to the body by the two attachment means 12 
and the tongue 40 without any direct connection between the body bolster 
of the bogie and the adapter when the bogie and adapter are installed. 
Such an arrangement is shown in FIG. 8. In order to facilitate fitting and 
removal of the adapter a means of supporting the weight of the adapter on 
the bogie may be fitted to the bogie during assembly or disassembly. 
The means of supporting the weight of the adapter on the bogie may be 
fitted to the bogie whenever the adapter and bogie are to be removed from 
a semi-trailer. The support could be in the form of trestle brackets 
resting over the side frames of the bogie with a form of jack included so 
that the adapter can be raised and lowered. Any support fitted would be 
removed during normal operation of the train. 
It will thus be seen that with the present adapter, the attachment of 
tongue and socket is identical at all other connecting points along the 
train, both in structure and method of connection. Any longitudinal load 
applied to the train through the hook 6 or buffers 5 is applied to the 
semi-trailers by the tongue or socket fitting. Any movements in plan view 
created by asymmetry of loading are reacted by transverse loads on the 
attachment means 12 or the fifth wheel pin and the tongue or socket. 
The present adapter enables a train of semi-trailers and bogies to be made 
compatible with existing rolling stock without the need for adapter bogies 
as previously proposed. Furthermore, since the adapters can be used at any 
position along the train, they enable short rakes of trains of 
semi-trailers and bogies such as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 to be mixed with 
conventional rolling stock thus making for more flexible operations.