GB2201204A

GB2201204A - Four-wheeled braked rail trolleys

Info

Publication number: GB2201204A
Application number: GB08728674A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Campbell; Ernest Stephen Clark
Original assignee: INTERAIL Ltd
Current assignee: INTERAIL Ltd
Priority date: 1986-12-12
Filing date: 1987-12-08
Publication date: 1988-08-24
Also published as: GB8728674D0; GB8629795D0

Abstract

The four-wheeled braked rail trolley has a deck (10, Fig. 1 and 2) which is separable into two parts (16, 17), for ease of transporting to and from a railway track, and a braking arrangement which can be manually operated from either end of the deck for bi-directional movement. The braking arrangement provides a parking brake, a dynamic brake and a fail safe brake. It is disposed at one side only of the trolley and engages two wheels 11 at said side. A socket 26 is provided at each end of the trolley at said side thereof for location of a brake lever 27 so that the braking arrangement can be controlled from the rear end of the trolley relative to its direction of movement. The braking arrangement comprises a bell cranked spring loaded lever having a pair of longitudinally disposed rods 20, 21 interconnected at one end by a transverse connector 23 and having adjacent to each other end a brake shoe 29, 30 spring urged into engagement with a respective wheel 11 at said one side of the trolley. The socket 26 is on a transverse pivot 28 and the hand lever 27 can be moved against the bias of springs 24 to release the brake by moving the shoes away from their respective wheels and in the opposite direction to force the shoes more closely against their respective wheels. The deck is separable along a longitudinal axis into two side by side parts, one of which parts mount the braking arrangement. <IMAGE>

Description

FOUR-WHEELED BRAKED RAIL TROLLEYS.

This invention relates to four-wheeled braked rail trolleys of the type having a deck, which is usually separable into two parts for ease of transpor-ting to and from a railway track-, four flanged wheels which run on the rails of the track and a braking arrangement which can be manually operated from either end of the deck for bi-directional movement; the braking arrangement must provide a parking brake, a dynamic brake and a fail safe brake. Hereinafter, the trolley will be referred to as a trolley of the t-ype aforesaid.

A disadvantage of a known trolley of the type aforesaid is that the braking arrangement is duplicated at either end, thus increasing the cost and in addition, the known trolley is divided transversely, into forward and rear sections.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved trolley of the type aforesaid.

According to the present invention, there is provided a four wheeled braked rail trolley of the type aforesaid-, in which the braking arrangement is disposed at one side only of the trolley and engages two wheels at said side, means being provided at each end of the trolley at sai-d side thereof for location of a brake lever so tha-t the braking arrangement can be controlled from the rear end of the trolley relative to its direction of movement Preferab-ly, the braking arrangement comprises a bell cranked spring loaded lever having a pair of longitudinally disposed rods interconnected at one end by a transverse connector and having adjacent to each other end a brake shoe spring urged into engagement with a respective wheel at said one side of the trolley, and a transversely pivoted socket for location therein of an upstanding hand lever, movement of which in one direction releases the brake by moving the shoes away from their respective wheels and in the opposite direction forces the shoes more closely against their respective wheels.

Preferably also, the deck is separable along a longitudinal axis into two side by side parts, one of which parts mounts the braking arrangement.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a four wheeled braked trolley according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a modified trolley; Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the braking arrangement; and Fig. 4 is a detail.

Referring to the drawings, the trolley has a deck 10 below which are four flanged wheels 11 for location on the rails 12 of a railway track, support struts 14 Fig. 1, or plates 15 Fig. 2 being provided to carry the axles of each wheels. The deck may be of one piece construction as in Fig. 1, or preferably of two parts, 16, 17 connectable together, as in Fig. 2. The two parts are separable along a longitudinal axis, i.e. in the direction of travel of the trolley, and when connected together abut side by side.

The trolley has similar dimensions to existing British Rail MKII manual rail trolley. The wheels may be aluminium die cast roller bearing wheels on single axles, and the deckig material may be aluminium treadplate which is robust and lightweight.

Each part 16, 17 has a pair of wheels spaced in line, and those on one part 16 are engageable by a braking arrangement which will now be described.

The braking arrangement, as best shown in Fig. 3 comprises a pair of longitudinal rods 20, 21 which are parallel and overlap transversely of each other but offset longitudinally so that adjacent ends 22, are interconnected by a link 23 which is pivotal about a vertical axis, the rods 20, 21 and link 23 forming a bell cranked lever. A spring 24 is provided parallel to each rod 20, 21 and extends between the link 23 and a fixture 25 on the trolley. The springs 25 urge the rods in opposite outward directions. At the opposite, outer end of each rod 2-0, 21 a socket 26 is provided for location therein of a hand lever 27, each socket 26 being pivotal about a transverse axis 28. Adjacent to the socket end, each rod 20, 21 carries a brake shoe 29, 30 for engagement with wheels 11 of the trolley 16.

The brake shoes are conical and include a lining to engage the wheel profile. They are disposed in mirror image positions such that when the wheel is the rear wheel, the brake shoe is disposed against a forwardly facing arcuate portion. The springs 24 urge the brake shoes in-to engagement with the wheeLs so that until the lever 27 manually moves the brake shoes off the wheels, the trolley is automatically braked.

To release the brake on each wheel, the lever 27, which is located at the rear end of the tolley with respect to its direction of movement, is pushed forward in the direction of travel.

The lever 27 has a handgrip portion 29 which is angled relative to the lever 27 to give the user a comfortable pushing position.

Referring to Fig. 3, the lever 27 pushes rod 20 forward to move brake shoe 29 forward and off its wheel 11. The bell crank motion of link 23 causes the other rod 21 to move rearwards and consequently move brake shoe 30 off its wheel 11.

When the trolley is to be left unattended, the brake shoes can be urged into firmer engagement with their wheels, by pulling the lever 27 in the direction opposite that which releases the brakes. Fig. 4 illustrates the lever in the 'parking' brake Dosition, wherein a wedge 31 is located in a slot 32 of the deck to retain the lever in its 'parking' pOsition.

The brake arrangement thus has an automatic or fail safe braking position which has to be manually released via lever 27 and reta-ined in the released position because on release of the lever the springs 24 will urge the brakes to engage the wheels. Further, the braking arrangement has a parking brake position to ensure the brakes remain in firm contact with their wheels when the trolley is left unattended.

The braking arrangement as hereinbefore described can be modified to link two such arrangements of a pair of trolleys which are coupled together. This enables the brakes of each trolley to be controlled by one operator from one position.

When the trolley parts 16, 17 are separated, each half 16, 17 can be used as a 'stretcher' to transport the trolley and materials in one lift.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A four wheeled braked rail trolley of the type aforesaid, in which the braking arrangement is disposed at one side only of the trolley and engages two wheels at said side, means being provided at each end of the trolley at said side thereof for location of a brake lever so that the braking arrangement can'be controlled from the rear end of the trolley relative to its direction of movement. 2. A rail trolley as claimed in claim 1, in which the braking arrangement comprises a bell cranked spring loaded lever having a pair of longitudinally disposed roads interconnected at one end by a transverse connector and having adjacent to each other end a brake shoe spring urged into engagement with a respective wheel at said one side of the trolley, and a transversely pivoted socket for location therein of an upstanding hand lever, movement of which in one direction releases the brake by moving the shoes away from their respective wheels and in the opposite direction forces the shoes more closely against their respective wheels. 3. A rail trolley as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the deck is separable along a longitudinal axis into two side by side parts, one of which parts mounts the braking arrangement. 4. A four wheeled-braked rail trolley substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows CLAIMS.

1. A four wheeled braked rail trolley of the type aforesaid, in which the braking arrangement is disposed at one side only of the trolley and engages two wheels at said side, means being provided at each end of the trolley at said side thereof for location of a brake lever so that the braking arrangement can be controlled from the rear end of the trolley relative to its direction of movement.

2. A rail trolley as claimed in claim 1, in which the braking arrangement comprises a bell cranked spring loaded lever having a pair of longitudinally disposed roads interconnected at one end b a transverse connector and having adjacent to each other end a brake shoe spring urged into engagement with a respective wheel at said one side of the trolley, and a transversely pivoted socket for location therein of an upstanding hand lever, movement of which in one direction releases the brake by moving the shoes away from their respective wheels and in opposite direction forces the shoes more closely against their respective wheels.

3. A rail trolley as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the deck is separable along a longitudinal axis into two side by side parts, one of which parts mounts the braking arrangement.

4. A four wheeled braked rail trolley of the type aforesaid, in which the braking arrangement is disposed at one side only of the trolley and engages two wheels at said side, means being provided at each end of the trolley at said side thereof for location of a brake lever so that the braking arrangement can be controlled from the rear end of the trolley relative to its direction of movement and in which the deck is separable along a longitudinal axis into two side by side parts, one of which parts mounts the braking arrangement.

5. A four wheeled braked rail trolley substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.