GB2171660A - Railway vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A railway vehicle (1) has a load carrying body (2) and headstocks (4) at each end of the body. At least one of the headstocks (4) has at least one compartment in which brake equipment for the vehicle may be located. The body (2) is mounted on two small-wheel bogies (3) and is equipped to carry containers. The compartment may carry brake control equipment. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Railway vehicles The present invention relates to railway vehicles.

Railway vehicles for operation on any particular railway system must obviously be designed such that in the loaded or unloaded condition they will pass under or through all bridges or tunnels on the system with a minimum margin of safety between the vehicle or its load and the bridge or tunnel.

Similarly, the vehicles must be able to travel around curves without 'overhanging' to a degree which would cause danger to railway vehicles on adjacent tracks.

To meet these requirements, freight carrying railway vehicles in the U.K. must be designed in accordance with the W5 gauge and the concessions associated therewith. Other countries also have their own gauge requirements.

There is currently a desire to increase the load carrying capacity of railway vehicles. For example, in the case of containers which may be transported by railway vehicles the current maximum height of such containers is about 8'6". When such containers are loaded on the railway vehicles they are still generally within the concession to W5 gauge.

However various European countries now use containers of about 9'0" in height whereas containers available in the U.S.A. may be as high as 9'6".

Such containers, (which may of course be imported into the U.K.) when loaded on currently available rail vehicles, do not lie within W5 gauge and cannot therefore be transported by rail.

In order to increase the load carrying capacities of railway vehicles, whilst still conforming to the gauge requirements, it is necessary to construct a vehicle whereof the load carrying chassis is of lower height than in conventional railway vehicles.

Our copending PCT Patent Application No. PCT/ GB 85/00490 relates generally to railway vehicles having comparatively small wheels whereby the load carrying chassis of the vehicle is at a lower height than in conventional railway vehicles. However with such lower body heights, there is a reduced amount of space in which essential equipment for the wagon (e.g. brake equipment such as distributors, reservoirs, variable load valves) may be positioned so that the wagon still meets the requirements of W5 gauge. Such equipment could be located in a position which reduces the load carrying potential of the vehicle but obviously such a solution is undesirable.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a railway vehicle in which the above desadvantage is obviated or mitigated.

According to the present invention there is provided a railway vehicle having a load carrying body and headstocks at each end of body wherein at least one of the headstocks has at least one compartment in which equipment for the vehicle may be located.

The railway vehicle of the invention thus makes use of space in the headstocks and this allows small wheel vehicles to be produced which are of low body height and which are able to carry loads over substantially their entire length.

The equipment to be located in the compartment may be brake control equipment, for example a distributor, a reservoir, a control valve (variable load valve), a reservoir, and/or an air/oil intensifier.

Alternatively, the brake control equipment located in the compartment may be a brake lever or hand weel for operating a hand brake of the vehicle.

The invention will be further described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of one embodiment of container carrying railway vehicle in accordance with the present invention; Figures 2 and 3 are views to an enlarged scale of the left and right hand halves of the wagon shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a plan view of that portion of the wagon shown in Figure 2, Figure 5 is an end view of the wagon looking in the direction of arrow a in Figure 2; and Figures 6 and 7 are respectively side and end views of a modified construction of wagon.

As shown in Figure 1, the illustrated railway vehicle 1 comprises a load carrying body 2 mounted on two small wheel bogies 3 (e.g. of the construction outlined in our copending PCT patent application no. PCT/GB 85/00490) and having upstanding terminal headstock assemblies 4 each associated with buffer gear 5 and coupling gear 6. The vehicle is of course also provided with the additional gear required for the transport of containers, e.g. twist locks 7 for securing the container on the body 2.

Each head stock assembly is formed with two compartments 8 (see Figure 4) each positioned between a buffer 5 and the coupling gear 6. It is in these compartments that equipment 9 for the vehicle may be mounted, e.g. brake equipment such as distributors, reservoirs and variable load valves.

Loads for each of the headstocks 4, e.g. buffing loads and draw loads, are transmitted to the body of the vehicle 1 by two outer beams 10 (each associated with one of the buffers) and a longer middle beam 11 associated with the coupling gear 6. It will of course be appreciated that beams 10 and 11 are provided at each end of the wagon 1.

It will be seen from the drawings that the vehicle 1 is capable of carrying containers along substan tiaily its entire length since the compartments 8 avoid the need to locate brake equipment in a position which would encroach on the load carrying space of the vehicle.

The wagon illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 is a modification of that described with reference to Figures 1-5. In the wagon of Figures 6 and 7, a single compartment 28 is at a higher level than the base of the compartments 8 (see Figures 1-5) and is, in fact, above the level of the coupling gear 26.

The compartments 28 serve to accommodate brake actuation equipment, including distributors, variable load valves, reservoirs etc. Lines 29 serve to provide a connection between the brake equipment provided in compartments 28 and the brake.

Although the invention has been illustrated with particular reference to a railway wagon for carrying containers, it will be appreciated that other constructions are possible, e.g. Broil on I roll off' (Ro Ro) wagon for transporting freight lorries.

Additionally, although the invention has been described with specific reference to a smallwheeled vehicle, the invention is equally applicable to railway vehicles of any wheel height.

Claims (9)

1. A railway vehicle having a load carrying body and headstocks at each end of the body wherein at least one of the headstocks has at least one compartment in which brake equipment for the vehicle may be located.

2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 wherein each head stock has at least one compartment.

3. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the or each compartment is located above the level of coupling gear provided at the ends of the vehicle.

4. A vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein brake control equipment is provided in at least one compartment.

5. A vehicle as claimed in claim 4 wherein the control equipment is pneumatic equipment or hydraulic equipment.

6. A vehicle as claimed in claim 4 wherein the brake control equipment in said compartment comprises a distributor, a control valve, a reservoir, and/or an air/oil intensifier.

7. A vehicle as claimed in claim 4 wherein the brake control equipment is mechanical control equipment.

8. A vehicle as claimed in claim 7 wherein the mechanical control equipment is a lever or a handwheel.

9. A railway vehicle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1-5 or Figures 6-7.