GB1388778A - Carriages for hauling rail vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

1388778 Carriage for hauling rail vehicles ASEA SA 1 March 1973 [2 March 1972] 9923/73 Heading B7L Railway vehicles having bodies with whee<SP>1</SP> axles 2A, 2B for running on rails 1a, 1b are hauled by means of a carriage which comprises two independent and normally abutting chassis elements 3A, 3B coupled by resilient springs 13 or bellows each element having a pair of transverse retractile arms 4A, 4B, and first and second pulleys 14A 1 , 14B 1 , and 14A 2 , 14B 2 for receiving tow-lines 16Aa, 16Ab and 16Ba, 16Bb. The carriage runs on rails disposed inwardly of and parallel to the rails la, 1b. In use the carriage is drawn to the right by the tow-line 16B until the arms 4B are located to the right of the right-hand wheelset of the bogie whereupon the traction is transferred to the left-hand tow-line 16A which first causes the element 3A to move to the left relative to the element 3B until the arms 4A engage the left-hand wheelset whereupon the vehicle bogie is hauled by the carriage with the traction distributed between its wheelsets. On initial displacement of the carriage to the right the arms 4B and 4A are retracted for passage between the bogie wheels by pins 11B, 11A on pivotal ramps 9B, 9A. Each element also has a further pair of arms 5A, 5B which are normally locked in their retracted position but are released when the associated arms 4A or 4B engages the respective wheelset so as to retain the bogie wheels, all the arms are provided with rollers 6A, 6B, 7A, 7B and springs 8A, 8B and 12A, 12B which bias the arms outwardly. When the carriage is moved to the right again in order to haul another vehicle, the arms 5A and 5B are retracted as a result of pivoting of the ramps 9A. The distance e between the arms 4A and 4B when the elements 3A, 3B are abutting is made slightly less than the smallest axle spacing E to be encountered in bogies with which the carriage is to be used. The pulleys 14A 2 and 14B 2 may be mounted on the ends of arms 15A, 15B as shown or the arms may be omitted and the pulleys 14A 2 , 14B 2 mounted directly on their respective elements 3A, 3B. An additional pulley or pulleys may be provided in this case on one or both of the elements to guide the tow lines between their respective first and second pulleys. The two runs 16Aa, 16Ab and 16Ba, 16Bb of each tow line are wound on the same winch for equal traction.