Apparatus for piggyback rail transportation

Claim 1

For use in ''''piggyback'''' rail transportation of highway trailers, the improvement comprising, in combination, a plurality of side loading and unloading rail trucks each having a first platform for supporting the wheels of a first trailer and a second platform for supporting the forward end of a second trailer adjacent to said first trailer, a plurality of connecting members for interconnecting said rail trucks, each of said connecting members serving to connect one of said rail trucks to the next adjacent rail truck and being of a length determined by the length of the trailers to be transported so as to space said rail trucks a predetermined distance apart whereby a plurality of trailers may be transported with each trailer having its wheels supported on the first platform of one of said rail trucks and its forward end supported on the second platform of the next adjacent rail truck, each of said rail cars being of a dropframe design with said first platform disposed at a substantially lower level than said second platform, and automatic transport means carried by said rail car and associated with said second platform for engaging the kingpin at the front end of a trailer and moving the same in either direction between a first position where said trailer is disposed in a fully loaded position on said rail car and a second position wherein the front end of said trailer is swung outwardly over a loading dock while said trailer wheels are disposed on said first platform of said rail car, said transport means thus serving to swing said trailer about a vertical axis located proximate said wheels to permit side loading and unloading of said trailer from said rail car without disconnecting any of said connecting members.