GB836379A - Improvements in or relating to devices for moving or controlling the movement of rail wagons and the like - Google Patents

Abstract

836,379. Propelling wagons. STRACHAN & HENSHAW Ltd. Oct. 13, 1958 [Oct. 14, 1957 ; Jan. 16, 1958], Nos. 32046/57 and 1597/58. Class 104 (2). A vehicle having wheels or skids hauled along a track between or alongside a wagon track has means for projecting and/or withdraw-; ing arms 40 pivoted on the vehicle for propelling a wagon, a latch 54 for preventing the projection of the arms until the vehicle is correctly positioned relative to the wagon to be engaged, locating means, a trigger 88, one arm of a bell-crank lever, for determining the position of the vehicle relative to the wagon and interlocking means, the other arm 82 engaging a fork 68 pivoted to a support carrying a quadrant 62 engaging with a rack on the end of the latch for releasing the latch at a predetermined position of the vehicle and wagon. The vehicle may be hauled rearwardly or forwardly by a cable attached to the ends of a drawbar 20 having end stops 21 and moving between guides 22. The drawbar is pivoted to crossheads 32, 33 connected by racks 34 which engage the teeth of two quadrants 36 pivoting with pairs of arms 40 carrying rollers 44 and 46. The rollers 44 engage the wheels when projected and the rollers 46 contact the rail. When the vehicle is drawn rearwardly with the roller arm 40 retracted the trigger 88 pivots against the action of springs 90 when it contacts a wagon wheel and the latch engages in a pocket 52 in a tapered part 50 of the drawbar. When the vehicle is moved forwardly the trigger abuts a wheel and a roller 80 on the end of the arm 82 engages in the fork 68 and moves the arm to disengage the latch from the drawbar which is then free to move and projects the roller arms 40 simultaneously. The rollers 44 and 46 may engage any other part of the wagon and two arms may be projected on one side of the vehicle on either side of a wheel to propel the wagon in either direction. The trigger may be mounted on a horizontal or inclined axis instead of a vertical axis and instead of a trigger an electronic device or other means may be used. The fork 68 is spring- urged to latch engaging position. The arrangement is such that the arms 40 are projected in a position to miss any auxiliary mechanism or device that may be on a wagon.