GB316895A - Improved means for converting a road vehicle into a vehicle adapted to run on rails - Google Patents

Abstract

316,895. Twin Coach Co., (Assignees of Fageol, F. R.). April 19, 1928, [Convention date]. Divided on 309,984. Vehicle carrying another vehicle and deriving propelling power therefrom.-Trucks, Fig. 4, are provided for carrying a road omnibus on rails. Track wheels 130 are carried by axles 129 in driving connection with axles 133 carrying drums 135. The road wheels 9'engage bands 136 passing round the drums 135, the vehicle axles being supported on central rubber blocks on the truck frame. The, 'road vehicle is placed in position on tha trucks by means of platform rails with ramps at each end, the axles being provided with flanged rail pulleys outside the wheels 9 to engage the rails on the ramps and platform. In the case of petrol-electric drive in which the motors are directly reversible, the trucks have only one pair of axles, the belt drums being integral with the rail pulleys 130. If the omnibus has two rear pairs of driven wheels, trucks are provided having three axles, the road wheels 9 engaging the bands between each pair of axles. In a further modification the road wheels 9 rest directly on the drums on the truck axles, the drums at diagonally opposite corners being connected by epicyclic gearing with their axles. In Fig. 24 is shown a device carried by the vehicle in which rail pulleys 189 are adapted to be lowered on to the rails by screw mechanism 197, 198. At the same time drums 193, 194 on the same axles are brought into contact with the wheels 9 so as to be rotatable thereby. One of the drums has internal epicyclic gearing. The trucks may also be driven by chains, in which case toothed wheels are secured to the felloes of the wheels 9 and to the axles of the trucks, the chains passing round all three.