Railway rolling stock – Car framing and structure – Freight
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-25
2001-09-04
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)
Railway rolling stock
Car framing and structure
Freight
C105S393000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06283040
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improvement in railroad freight car multilevel auto carriers used for transporting automobiles and vans.
Automobile vehicles such as cars, pick-up trucks and vans are routinely transported by rail carrier. For this purpose, the industry has developed specialized rail cars having multiple decks on which vehicles are positioned. In general, these rail cars may have either two or three decks. In some instances, the elevated decks may be vertically adjustable either to facilitate loading or to change the deck structure between a bi-level and a tri-level configuration. For example, a rail car may be configured with two decks, i.e., a floor and one elevated intermediate deck, for carrying vans which have a greater height, or configured with three decks if the cargo is compact cars. The external dimensions of such rail cars are not effected by adjustment of the deck positions.
Currently, many railroads are restricted from maximizing their economic opportunities when transporting automobiles, trucks and vans because of fixed height rail car construction on multilevel auto carriers, i.e., the height of the top of the auto carrier rail car is fixed with respect to the rail bed or tracks on which the car operates. For example, if a train is hauling a tri-level auto carrier rail car, that train may be required to travel longer routes to avoid the height restrictions imposed by low bridges and tunnels throughout the nation. In some instances, entire markets in some areas are removed from service because of height restrictions. In addition to the lost time, additional mileage and cost to route these trains, the rail carrier or shipper must keep an inventory of bi-level and tri-level cars to service the specific needs of customers with various vehicle types and sizes. If the rail carrier or shipper relies solely on lower height bi-level rail cars, capacity is lost in those areas without height restrictions thereby increasing the average shipping cost for all vehicles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a railroad car with adjustable floor and roof sections that allow a user to convert the car from a tri-level to a bi-level car or to a single level car, and to reduce the overall height of the car, while lowering the car's center of gravity and alleviating the problem of route height restrictions.
In general, the present invention comprises an adjustable height rail car for transporting vehicles including a first floor adjustable to a horizontal plane situated equal to or lower than a horizontal plane of a center sill; a second floor and a third floor, each of the first, second and third floors being independently adjustable to respective maximum and minimum heights; a roof, the roof being adjustable to a maximum and minimum height relative to the height of the third floor, an adjusting mechanism fixedly connected to the each of the first, second, third floors and roof for adjusting the relative heights of the first, second and third floors and roof and whereby the first, second and third floors and roof are adjustable independently or in unison to thereby lower the height of the rail car to accommodate vehicles of differing heights and allow the use of the rail car on height restricted rail routes and meeting rail clearance requirements of the individual railroads.
In a preferred embodiment, a short center sill, side sills and a first floor are incorporated into the rail car. The first floor drops into the structure of the rail car below the horizontal plane of the center sill (beyond the truck assembly) to within a minimum distance, preferably about 4 inches, of the rail. This, in conjunction with the adjustable floors and adjustable height roof, permits a user to overcome the problem of existing multilevel fixed height cars that exceed many tunnel and bridge height restrictions throughout various rail systems. Moreover, the adjustable floor and height features allow a user to significantly reduce the number of multilevel auto rack rail cars which must be kept on hand to accommodate varying vehicle size and shipping height requirements.
For some carriers, a difference of as little as ½ inch can be a major factor in height restrictions on any given route. This could cost the railroad and shipper thousands of dollars in operating costs and delays in their deliveries. Additionally, it could deny the railroad and shipper access to entire market cities in some regions. A multilevel auto carrier with features that allow modification from a bi-level carrier to a tri-level carrier and a mechanism that adjusts the height of the floors and overall height of the rail car, is most advantageous. It enables a user to maximize the number of cars and/or vans to be hauled on a single car, reduces costs, increases profits, and helps to reduce or eliminate many routing restrictions. The features of the present invention also allow the railroad operators to increase use of the railroad car in mixed service, i.e., with cars, trucks and vans individually or in any combination thereof.
The invention provides a user with the ability to adjust the floor position and height of each car rail to the minimum height needed for hauling vans, trucks or cars. For instance, a train's cargo may be made up of vans that have a height of 69 inches and/or automobiles which may be 54 inches in height. Vans may be loaded on the lower level while cars are loaded on the upper levels. The floors and roof can be adjusted to accommodate three levels of vans when height restrictions are of no concern, or to a bi-level when height restrictions are a factor. The floors and roof can also be adjusted to allow the loading of vehicles with varying heights in the same multilevel carrier, while still maintaining the overall height of the multilevel carrier at a minimum value. Raising and lowering the roof, floors and ramps may be accomplished via a hydraulic, pneumatic, or electric lifting system or any combination thereof. The pump or motor for driving the lifting system may be attached to each car separately, or a single rail car connected to other rail cars in series. Alternatively, a portable pump or motor may be connected to each rail car (individually) for floor and height adjustment. Pneumatically operated systems, or hydraulic systems assisted by air, may be designed to utilize air from the train line or an independent air supply. Each floor may be lifted or lowered to its highest or lowest height level to simplify loading operations. The floor may be of a single one piece design or multi-sectional.
A typical loading procedure is accomplished by raising the entire second floor, or part of it, and loading the bottom level first. Next, the second floor is lowered to the minimum clearance, locked in place and then loaded. After this, the third level is lowered, locked in place and then loaded. Finally, the roof is lowered, locked in place and the access doors closed. To unload the vehicles, the loading steps are simply performed in reverse order.
In another embodiment of the invention, the second and third floors may be hinged to allow the loading of smaller vehicles without the need to raise or lower the entire floor. The ramp system in the lower floor compartment may be raised to a vertical plane for loading through to other coupled multilevel cars in a circus loading format.
The roof may be raised and lowered to adjust the height of the rail car in concert with or independently of the adjustment of the floors. The rail car is enclosed with panels that overlap one another from the top down and cover the loaded vehicles from the extreme range (maximum height) to the lowest adjustment (minimum height). A Wabco brake system may be utilized.
An advantage of an adjustable floor and roof is that this allows multilevel carriers to be configured in a manner that will maximize the utilization of the equipment by the user in markets where height restrictions are a major factor. The use of the low belly feature, thus allowing the first floor to d
Holland & Knight LLP
McCarry, Jr. Robert J.
Morano S. Joseph
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