Patent ID: 8348585

Claim:
A system for unloading and loading load-containing units presenting lift blocks from and onto railway trucks arranged to move on a main track along a longitudinal travel axis, comprising the main track, at least two lifting members separated at least in space above the main track, and able to flank the load-containing unit on opposite sides about the main track and to translate the load-containing unit vertically by achieving a grip on the lift blocks of the load-containing units, said lifting members being movable horizontally in a direction parallel to the main track, and said lifting members being independently movable with respect to one another; at least two primary transfer trucks disposed on a side of the main track and movable in a direction parallel to the main track; said at least two primary transfer trucks movable in a direction parallel to the main track disposed on the same side of the main track and movable independently with respect to one another to accommodate load-containing units of different dimensions to be loaded and unloaded; wherein said at least two primary transfer trucks each comprise a base and a movable bridge for moving substantially in a horizontal direction transverse to the longitudinal travel axis, wherein said movable bridge is linearly reciprocally movable substantially in said horizontal direction in a plane normal to the longitudinal travel axis, wherein the base comprises a guide path for the transverse horizontal movement of the moveable bridge on an upper surface of the base; and wherein said at least two primary transfer trucks each comprise a respective secondary transfer truck reciprocally movable on an upper surface of the movable bridge in a direction substantially transverse to the main track; wherein each said secondary transfer truck is for directly supporting the load-containing units.