LOADING AND UNLOADING SYSTEM FOR THE RAILWAY TRANSPORT OF GIANT CONTAINERS AND SEMITRAILERS

Abstract: A shuttle system comprises swop-bodies having integral, or 'add-on', load bearing wheels; terminal platforms with angularly displaced bays for the swop-bodies on opposing sides of a single railway track; and rail wagons having underframes surmounted by shallow turntable body carrying frames rotatable to align with the angularly displaced bays of the terminal platform during simultaneous discharging and loading of the arrival bodies and departure bodies respectively. Swop-bodies may be road semi-trailers simultaneously reversed on/pushed off rail wagons by terminal tractors, and may be lowered into wells in the wagons to comply with rail loading height gauge restrictions. Turntable frames on the wagons may be omitted and complete wagons with bodies superimposed individually turned on rail track turntables alignable with the angularly displaced bays. Wagon couplings disengage and re-engage automatically during the respective anti-clockwise and clockwise turntable motions.

Description: GIANT_CQNTAINE^_AND_SEMITRAILERS This invention relates to swop-body transportation with particular relevance to railway shuttle type operations in which a series of bodies - coaches, tank bodies, semi-trailers, or the like - are carried on rail wagons. Swop-body is in use in transport systems around the World especially in rύad-to-rail, and vice-versa, interfaces. In some countries the system is known as 'Piggyback', and some other countries it is called 'Kangaroo'. Swop-body has application where the expense of long-haul on road transportation of driver/tractor/trailer can be defrayed by placing the road trailer on low-slung rail wagon and moving it as part of a trainload on a trunk haul. Swop-body systems are not normally integral with shuttle systems, and the pace of turnround of .__wop-body trainloads is not critical. Swopping cf bodies is normally a one-wagon-at-a-time, lift off/lift on operation performed by a terminal crane; a straddle carrier; or by a lift truck. Road semi-trailer loading may be accomplished by driving along the length of a train of low-slung wagons having bridging plates over the wagon couplings and buffers. A more recent variation is the provision of rail wellwagons in which the well may be turned out to one side of the track to permit a road semi-trailer to enter/exit diagonally to the lins of the rail track. This system suffers from the disadvantages of expensive well turnout mechanisms on each wagon; trailer discharge must be completed before trailer loading commences, - and discharged and loading trailers require to operate from one side of the trackway causing congestion, especially for customs at frontier terminals. The present invention seeks to integrate swop-body and shuttle systems in a manner which maintains flexibility whilst reducing turnround times, with attendant economies of both speeded-up service and higher utilisation rates of expensive capital equipment. Accordingly, the invention provides a system comprising shuttle trains with wagons having special features for discharg¬ ing and loading swop-bodies at specially equipped terminal platforms in which discharge and load turnround times for entire trainloads can be measured in seconds rather than minutes or hours. A system of the invention is comprised of swop-bodies; single railway track terminal platforms with angularly displaced bays on both sides of the rail track; and turntable means to rotate and align the arriving bodies with the angularly displaced bays of the terminal platform prior to swopping of the arriving bodies from the rail wagons onto the empty arrival bays on one side of the platform simultaneously with departing bodies moving from departure bays on the opposite side of the rail track onto the rail wagons. Practically all of the essential mechanisms for the swop operations are incorporated in the vicinity of the terminal platform trackway thereby minimising the need for equipping all of the rail wagon and/or all of the swop-bodies with expensive machinery. To achieve simultaneous discharging and loading of the bodies on all of the wagons in a trainset , the terminal is divided by a single rail track into arrival and departure platforms on opposing sides of the rail trackway. This feature is of considerable benefit in simplifying traffic flows and, in frontier locations, easing customs seperation of imports and/or immigrants from exports and/or emigrants. Upon arrival of a trainset in a terminal, the locomotive stops precisely adjacent a platform marking, alternatively against arrestors/bu fers, in which stopped position the centres of the wagons are nearly plumbed over the rotation mechanisms located between the railway lines and retracted below wagon wheel axle level. Each rotation mechanism has a substantial piston which rises to engage with an inverted bellmouth entry guide on the underside of a -feurntable frame on a wagon. Final raising of the piston within the bellmouth guide centres the wagon to ensure exact alignment of the turntable frame on the wagon with fixed transfer tracks on opposing sides of the rail track and positioned on the tops of the platforms. The top of the piston as it approaches the fully raised position activates linkages to disengage latches and unlock the turntable and at the same time to plug-in electrical contacts on the top of the piston into contacts in the bellmouth guide for limit switch circuits, or the like. Prior to commencing rotation, small power operated jacks secured vertically to the platform edges extend upwards to engage with the undersides of jack-up points on the wagon underframe, and continue to raise the wagon with body super- -imposed until the upper surfaces of the jack-up points are arrested by abbutments on the platform edges co-axial with the jacks. The wagons are now held on relaxed wagon wheel suspen¬ sions level with the platform surfaces and swop-body transfer tracks thereon. Rotation of the turntable frames on the wagon underfra es in an anti-clockwise direction when viewed from above through an angle of very approximately fifteen degrees brings the turn¬ table frames with bodies atop into alignment with the angularly displaced bays on opposing sides of the rail track. The rotation mechanisms can be conveniently integral with the centring piston mechanisms, or may be power operated cylinders secured to the platform top surfaces and thrusting against the turntable frames. Once aligned, bodies pre-positioned in the platform departure bays on one side of the platform are moved from these bays onto the wagon turntable frames simultaneously moving the bodies from the turntable frames, from which they have been unlocked prior to transfer, onto the platform arrival bays. Movements may be effected by linear electric motors, by powered endless chain loops, push/pull roadwheel tractors, or the like. The swop-bodies are fitted with twin-wheel units at each lower corner, or by a series of twin-wheel units at intervals along the length of the body. For standard containers the twin- wheel units necessary for swop movements may either be added to the container affixed to the bottom corner castings, or fitted to simple wheeled cradles on which the containers would roll. Semi-trailers already have roadwheels and 'jockey' wheels - suitable for straight line movements. For a road-to-rail shuttle system of the invention, as may be used for transport of all manner of road traffic through or under a natural obstacle - mountain range, sea channel, or the like - the bodies would be similar to rail coach bodies and fitted at both ends with doors to permit road vehicles to drive to/from positions on one or more levels therein. On arrival of an incoming shuttle train, all of the arrival swop-body coaches rotate on the rail wagons from alignment with the railway track to align with the pre-loaded departure coaches which move from the departure bays onto the wagon turntable frames simultaneously moving off the arrival coaches onto the platform arrival bays. " Departure coaches then turn to align with the railway track .and the shuttle train departs to destination. Once in position on the arrival bay, coach end doors open to allow the vehicles exit to one or more levels in the terminal. When the arrival coaches are completely empty and the arrival end doors closed, the coach bodies transfer to the departure bays by rolling level in straight lines diagonally accross the platform gap of the empty railway track to positions on the departure bays. The twin-wheel units at intervals along the lengths of the coaches in combination with the fixed angularly displaced platform tracks ensure the coach bodies effectively 'jump' the railway track gap. In positions on the departure bays, the departure end doors open and the coaches loaded with traffic to await the arrival of the next shuttle train. For peak and off-peak traffic flows, trainsets with swop bodies can be added to or deducted from the shuttle service. The - addition of a trainset would involve delivery of empty swop coach bodies to arrival bays simultaneously with collection of loaded coach bodies from the departure bays of a terminal. Deduction of a trainset would follow delivery of loaded coach bodies to the arrival bays of a terminal with simultaneous collection of empty coach bodies from the departure bays. Advantages of straight-line short distance driving of a vehicle on entrance to, and exit from, a single swop-body coach would be fast, safe and convenient viz-a-viz existing systems involving manoeuvring onto a side-entry end coach/wagon followed by driving through a series of coaches taking care not to strad¬ dle "two coaches upon stopping, and repeating similar procedure upon exiting.. Other advantages of the system of the invention include reduced fire risk; breakdown retreival never more than six car lengths; departure platfrom holding bays each with toilet and otheϊ* amenities also possibly customs clearances and emigration/ immigration procedures, For the system operators,bene its include definite and extremely rapid turnround times of trainsets with practical times from trainset arrival stop to departure start of less than one minute achievable; fewer shuttle trainsets required, also fewer sidings, fewer platforms,and simplified signalling; seperation of departure and arrival traffic; less enviornmental impact of terminals; and greater cost effective¬ ness. Where customs seperation of commercial vehicles from other vehicles is not required, all of the swop-body coaches could be made interchangeable by the inclusion of vertically moveable car platfroms within each coach. For twin levels of passenge cars the platfroms would be positioned at mid-height; for small vans and sportscars and/or motorcycles the platform would be moved slightly above mid-height, and for high commercial vehicles and buses the platforms would be fully lowered to rest on the coach floor to allow single level loading. The ability to mix commercial and non-commercial road vehicles in one trainset should give operational economies for the operators of the system. Where the system is used for the transport of unaccompanied road semi-trailers, these may be directly driven from and onto wagon turntable units, perhaps with towbars to connect the arrival trailer to the departure trailer to effect simultaneous transfer. A shuttle system primarily, but not exclusively, for the transport of road semi-trailers and/or other high unaccompanied commercial vehicles is equipped with railway bogie wellwagons in which the turntable frames form the floors of the wells. Suitabl stiffened by side girders, each well floor frame is pushed up with swop-body superimposed by enlarged centring/rotating piston mechanisms located below and rising from the centre of the rail trackway at the midlength of the wagon. Fully raised and prior to rotation the lower edges of the well floor frame would be a small distance above the top surface of the well wagon framework. Following rotation to alignment with arrival and departure bays the well floor frame lowers to rest upon the platform surfaces on bothsides of the railway track at a level marginally above the top of the well wagon framework, thus obviating the need Λ n . ,- > . ,.. O 91/07301 - 8 - - for seperate jack-up levelling of the railwagon. After the departure bodies have swopped with the arrival bodies, the fore¬ going sequence is reversed and the tops of all of the high road vehicles are maintained within rail loading guage height restrictions. An alternative to the swop-body turntable frames supported on the rail wagon underframes,is the provision of multiple turn¬ tables in the railway track whereby all of the railwagons with bodies superimposed would turn to align with the arrival and departure bays of the terminal platform. Swopping of the bodies would be as foregoing descriptions, however the empty coach movements from arrival to departure bays are not possible as described. The elimination of turntable frames from the tops of the wagon underframes allows bodies of increased height to be carried. For the transport of high commercial vehicles, well- wagons with the floors of the wells raisable to the level of deckings at the ends of the wagons over the rail bogies may be included in shuttle trains working from rail track turntable terminals. Rolling stock only earns for railway operators when rolling, and merchandise in transit is costing interest to consignors or consignees. The ultra-rapid turnround of trainloads holds promise of economic benefits to operators and users. A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, though by way of illustration only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which - Figure 1 is a plan view of a shuttle train having arrived in - a terminal platform from a remote destination. Figure 2 is a plan view of a shuttle train in which the turn¬ table frames with bodies atop have been rotated anti-clockwise to alignment with the platform arrival and departure bays. Figure 3 is a plan view of a shuttle train in which the pre¬ loaded departure bodies are transferring onto the wagon turn¬ table frames from the departure bays simultaneously moving the arrival bodies clear of the turntable frames onto the arrival bays on the platform. Figure 4 is a plan view of a shuttle train in which the swops are completed and the turntable frames with departure bodies atop about to rotate clockwise to re-align with the railway track. Figure 5 is a plan view of a shuttle train about to depart for a remote destination. Figure 6 is a plan view sequence of an emptied coach body transferring from arrival bay to departure bay to be loaded prior to the arrival of the next shuttle train. Figure 7 is a transverse section through the railway track at the mid-length of one wagon. Figure 8 is a transverse section through an arrival, or departure, bay on the platform with an arrival, or departure, swop-body. Figure 9 is a transverse section through swop-body twin-wheel rollers at point of transfer from engagement on wagon turntable frame tracks, to engagement in fixed platform guide tracks. Figure 10 is a longitudinal section through a wagon underfrarae and turntable frame on line 'X-X' of Figure 7 Figure 11 is a longitudinal section of a road-to rail shuttle coachbody loading or unloading cars/vans at two levels through coach end doors. Figure 12 is a transverse section of a shuttle coach on rail wagon in a tunnel. Figure 13 is a transverse section of a shuttle coach on a platform arrival or departure bay. Figure 14 is a longitudinal section of a sh .uttle coach body in which the vertically moveable car platfrom has been raised for alternative mix of vehicle heights. Figure 15 is a transverse section through the coach body shown in Figure 14. Figure 16 is a longitudinal section of a shuttle coach body in which the car platform has been lowered fully for the single level transport of high commercial vehicles. Figure 17 is a transverse section through the coach body shown in Figure 16. Figure 13 is a longitudinal profile of a road semi-trailer on a shuttle wagon turntable frame. Figure 19 is a longitudinal profile of road semi-trailer on a rail wellwagon where overall height restricted by rail loading guage. Figure 20 is a longitudinal profile of the wellwagon shown in Figure 19 in which the well floor frame has been elevated prior to rotation in a terminal platform. Figure 21 is a plan view of the wellwagon shown in Figures 19 and 20 where the well floor frame has been rotated from alignment with the railway track to alignment with the arrival and departure bays on the terminal platfrom prior to swopping of the bodies. Figure 22 is a plan view of a terminal platform in which the sections of the railway track act as turntables to rotate complete wagons with bodies atop to alignment with arrival and departure bays. A shuttle train of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings - intended for rail transport of road traffic tunnelled through a mountain range or under a sea channel - has a series of rail wagons each comprised of rail bogie wheels 1 , an underframe 2 supporting a turntable frame 3 centrally pivoted about a vertical axis 4. The outer edges of the turntable frame 3 are of channel section 5 to guide and support the inner wheel rollers 6 attached by brackets 7 to a transferable coach body 3. Transfer of the arriving coach bodies 9 from the turntable franes 3 of the wagons simultaneously with transfer of the departing coach bodies 10 is' carried out at special single track 14 railway platforms 11, characterised by rotational mechanisms 12 to move the wagon turntable frames 3 with bodies atop through a small angles of about 12 to 15 degrees from alignment with railway track 14 to alignment with fixed guide trackways 13 secured to platform 11 surfaces on opposing sides of rail track 14. Co-axial with the inner wheel rollers 6 and supported by brackets 7 are outer wheel rollers 15 which engage with the fixed guide trackways 13 on both the arrival and departure bays of platform 11. On arrival, the shuttle trainset powered by a locomotive (not shown) stops at a pre-determined marking on the platform, - alternatively against arrestor/buf ers (not shown). The turntable rotational mechanism pistons 12 rise up between the railway lines 14, and by entering the inverted bellmouth sockets 16 do exactly centre the turntable frames 3 on the vertical axes 4. The tops of the pistons engage with teeth or 'dogs' (not shown) in the tops of the sockets 16 and may additionally incorporate insulated electrical contacts for energising limit switches and transfer motors. With the vertical axes now assured, short-stroke powered jacks 17 attached to brackets 18 on the platform trackway sides extend t ~ engage with jack-up points 19 on wagon underframes 2, there being four such points on each underframe. Jacking up of the underframes relaxes the rail bogie suspensions and continues until the top surfaces of the jacking points 19 on underframes 2 are arrested by abuttments 20 on the platform sides to ensure the turntable frames 3 are level with the fixed guide trackways 13 on both sides of the platform. Rotation of the pistons 12 of the rotational mechanisms (not shown) about their vertical axes 4 in an anti-clockwise direction when viewed from above moves the turntable frames 3 with arrival coach bodies 9 atop from alignment with the rail track¬ way 14 to alignment with the angularly displaced arrival and departure bays on opposite sides of the rail track 14. Thus aligned, the pre-loaded departing coach bodies 13 ar& powered by linear electric motors 21, or the like, from posit¬ ions on the guide trackways 13 of the departure bays onto the turntable frames 3 simultaneously moving the arriving coach bodies 9 from the turntable frames 3 onto the guide trackways - 13 of the arrival bays. With the coach bodies swopped, pistons 12 are rotated clockwise to return the turntable frames 3 with departure coach bodies 10 atop to alignment with the railway track 4. Jacking rams 17 are lowered allowing wagon bogie suspensions to take the weights, and rotation pistons 12 retract below the level of wagon wheel axles leaving the shuttle trainset free to depart. Passenger cars and small vans 22 are carried on two levels within coach body 8, and enter and exit through doors (not shown) in the opposing ends of the coach body. Access to the upper level within the coach by hinged terminal ramp23 arranged hoistable to permit full height vehicles to be loaded in single level coach bodies. Coach bodies 8 for two-level loading may be made interchange¬ able with single level loading swop-bodies by making the half height car platform 24 vertically moveable, either slightly upwards as shown in Figs. 14 and 15 or fully lowered to rest on the coach floor as shown in Figs. 15 and 17. Simplified wagons for the transport of unaccompanied road semi-trailers 25, or the like, may be incorporated in a trainset where rail loading guage height restrictions permit. Such wagons would have shorter underframes 26 surmounted by turntable frames 27. Jack-up and rotation motions would be as described heretofore, with rotational mechanisms 12 centred to suit the shorter wagons. Where rail loading guage height restrictions do not permit a semi-trailer 25, or the like, to ride on top of a turntable above wagon underframe level, such turntable can form the - well floorframe 28 of a wellwagon 29. More substantial rotational mechanisms 30 between the rail lines 14 in the terminal platform 11, generally similar in function as described heretofore, elevate the wellwagon frame 28 with body 25 atop to a level above the top of wellwagon 29 and above platform surfaces 11. Following rotation the well floorframe 28 lowers to rest on the platform surfaces which are marginally higher than the tops of the wellwagons. The provision of railway track turntables 31 in the rail track 14 of a terminal platfrom, in combination with bays 32 in the platform 11 edges and jack-up means as described here¬ tofore, replaces turntable frames 3 on wagons. This system of the invention may be justified for large throughput rail terminals. It will be appreciated that a system of the invention works equally well to opposite hand from that depicted in the drawings, also the swopping of the bodies can alternate to either side of the trackway. SUBSTITUTESHEET

Claims: CLAIM3 1. A swop-body rail transport system characterised by terminal platforms having angularly displaced arrival and departure bays on opposite sides of a single railway track; turntable means centred at the mid-lengths of each of the standardised wagons to rotate the bodies of an arriving trainload about the turntable centres from alignment with the railway track to alignment with the arrival and departure bays; means for the straight line transfer of the departing bodies from the departure bays onto the railwagons simultan¬ eously with, and swopping with, the arriving bodies transfer from the wagons to the arrival bays; followed by turntable rotation in the opposite direction to re-align the departing bodies with the railway track prior to trainload departure. 2. A swop-body rail transport system as in Claim 1 in which the bodies are coaches fitted with doors on opposing ends and with twin wheel units for transfer from and to rail wa 'goo y n frames, 3. A swop-body rail transport system as in Claims 1 and 2 in which the coach bodies are each fitted with a vertically moveable deck to permit loading of low-height vehicles on two levels, or high vehicles on one level on top of the fully lowered deck. 4. A swop-body rail-transport system as in Claim 1 in which the bodies are containers fitted with add-on wheels for trans er from and to the rail wagon frames. 5. A swop-body rail transport system as in Claim 1 in which the bodies are unaccompanied road semi-trailers arranged to - straight line move on roadwheels and jockey wheels during transfer from and to the rail wagons. 6. A swop-body rail transport system as in Claims 1 and 5 in which the rail wagons are wellwagons having turntable well floors capable of being raised to a level slightly above the wagon main framework at which level the turntable well floors with semi¬ trailer, or the like, atop turns to align with the arrival and departure bays on opposing sides of the trackway. 7. A swop-body rail transport system as in Claim 1 in which sections of the railway track are turntables for rotation of complete wagons with bodies atop into alignment with the arrival and departure bays obviating the need for turntable means on the wagons. 8. A swop-body rail transport system as in Claims 1, 5, and 7 in which wellwagons have well floors capable of being raised with semi-trailer, or the like, atop to the level of the decking over the rail wheel bogies of the wagon. 9. A swop-body rail transport system as in Claim 1 and substantially as herein described, with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. SU

Inventors: BROWN JOHN GEORGE, BROWN, JOHN, GEORGE
Applicants: BROWN JOHN GEORGE, BROWN, JOHN, GEORGE
Application year: 1990
Main classification: B61D47
IPC codes: B61D3, B61D47