Patent ID: 7073726

Claim:
A bridging platform arrangement for bridging a gap between a railway rail and an adjacent ground surface comprising: a substantially rigid, elongate bridging plate which extends in use generally parallel to the railway rail and which has a generally planar upper surface extending between opposite sides of said bridging plate; a mounting arrangement for mounting said bridging plate between said railway rail and said ground surface; wherein in use, said mounting arrangement permits displacement of said bridging plate between: a first rest position in which said upper surface of said bridging plate extends between respective upper surfaces of said railway rail and said ground surface; and a second displaced position in which said bridging plate is displaced so that said upper surface, between said opposite sides, is displaced below said first position, so that said plate does not interfere with the passage along said railway rail of a wheel of a railway vehicle; said mounting arrangement being operable to permit displacement of said bridging plate from said first position to said second position under a railway vehicle load imposed on said bridging plate by engagement of said bridging plate by the wheel of a railway vehicle, and to substantially maintain said first position when said bridging plate is engaged by a load substantially less than that of said railway vehicle load; wherein said mounting arrangement includes a biasing means for permitting displacement of the bridging plate between said first and second positions and at least one piston connected to the biasing means at a first end, and to the bridging plate at the second end.