US3732828A - Variable gage railway truck - Google Patents

Abstract

To enable a railway vehicle to pass from a narrower track to a wider track and vice versa, the vehicle is provided with carrier, preferably flangeless, wheels which can roll without adaptation on either of the two tracks and with guide means having flanged members, e.g. flanged wheels, which can be made to engage the rails of either track in a change-over section where the two tracks meet, this section being preferably provided with means enabling the flanged members to be adapted automatically from one track to the other.

Description

United States Patent 1 1 1 1 3,732,255 Wanner 14 1 May 15, 1973 [541 VARIABLE GAGE RAILWAY TRUCK 955,382 4 1910 Clark ..104 243 [76] Inventor: Maurice Paul Wanner, 27 Route de Malagnou 1268 Geneva, Swlizer' 194,899 9/1877 Eckman. ..104 243 land 577,268 2/1897 Parker ....lO4/243 X 2,016,626 10/1935 Constantinesco ..105/215 C [22] 1971 3,403,637 10/1968 Lich ..105/178 [21] Appl. No.: 123,572

Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-Howard Beltran Appl'cam Pmmy Dam Atlorney- Molinare, Allegetti, Newitt & Witcoff Mar. 17, 1970 Switzerland ..4041/ Nov. 6, 1970 Switzerland 16889/70 57 ABSTRACT [52] Us. Cl. 104/33 104/243 /178 To enable a railway vehicle to pass from a narrower {05/215 track to a wider track and vice versa, the vehicle is [51] Int Cl B61f7/00 B6lfl3/00 361k 5/00 provided with carrier, preferably flangeless, wheels [58] l04/32R 33 243 which can roll without adaptation on either of the two 104/244 215 C tracks and with guide means having flanged members, e.g. flanged wheels, which can be made to engage the [56] References Cited rails of either track in a change-over section where the two tracks meet, this section being preferably pro- UNITED STATES PATENTS vided with means enabling the flanged members to be 9 329 10/1952 M Elf t k 104/33 adapted automatically from one track to the other.

c a no 35,244 5/1862 McNair ..l05/2l5 R 12 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures PATENTEQ MAY 1 51975 SHEET 1 UF 3 PATENHD 5W5 3.7321328 SHEET 2 [IF 3 FIG. 8 FIG. 9

This invention relates to railway systems having tracks of different gauges and in particular to vehicles for such systems able to pass from a narrower gauged track to a wider gauged track and vice versa.

Various proposals have been made for enabling a railway vehicle to pass from one track to another. One such proposal is to arrange for the wheels of the vehicle to be axially movable on their shafts between two or more positions and to provide locking means which will releasably lock the wheels in any one of these positions once they have been moved thereinto. This method has various drawbacks: firstly it decreases the rigidity of the axles, secondly, when adapting the wheels from one gauge of track to another, it is necessary to lift the vehicle because of the flanges on the wheels, and thirdly, various accessories, in particular the brakes, must be adjusted. As regards the rigidity aspect, experience has shown that it is essential for the carrier wheels of a railway vehicle and their shafts to be absolutely rigid, particularly in curves, and any decrease in rigidity would be detrimental to safe travel. As regards the other two drawbacks, they involve much labor and time.

An object of the invention is to provide a railway system or at least a vehicle therefor which will avoid, at least to a large extent, the above drawbacks.

Broadly, the invention provides in or for use in a railway system comprising at least two tracks of different gauges meeting in a track to track change-over section,

a vehicle which is capable of travel on both tracks and which comprises carrier wheels able to roll without adaptation on either of said two tracks and guide means having flanged members engageable with the rails of either track in said change-over section.

The invention will now be described in greater detail and by way of example with reference to the accompanying, very diagrammatic, drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are respectively a plan view and a side view of part of a railway vehicle, at one end thereof, and of a change-over section for two tracks having different gauges, these figures illustrating one form of embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are views similar to those of FIGS. 1 and 2, showing part of another railway vehicle, at one end thereof, and of another change-over section for two differently gauged tracks, these figures illustrating a second form of embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 shows the arrangement of the rails for the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. l and 2 and in FIGS. 3 and 4;

FIGS. 6 and 7 show alternative constructions for the wheels visible in FIG. 5 to suit different track gauges and the rail arrangements therefor;

FIG. 8 and FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate variant flanged members capable of being used in the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4;

F IG. 11 illustrates an alternative form of guide means capable of being used in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a railway bogie, and of parts of two tracks having different gauges, and illustrates a further form of embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 13 and 14 are end views of some wheels and sectional views of some tracks having different gauges, these figures illustrating still another form of embodiment of the invention.

In the following description, corresponding parts are given the same reference numerals.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the rails of the two tracks are referenced 1 and 2. Their terminal portions are co-extensive and define a change-over section, generally referenced 3. In this change-over section 3, two lengths of auxiliary rail 4 (shown in chain-dotted lines for clarity) are provided between the track rails l and 2 and the terminal portions of the latter are formed with flat depressed parts 1A and 2A, respectively, of equal depth and length but longitudinally offset to each other by a predetemiined amount. The depressed parts 1A and 2A are connected at their opposite ends to the remainder of the rails l and 2 by inclines 1B and 1C, and 2B and 2C, respectively, the inclines 1C and 2C being followed by level free end parts 1D and 2D more or less bridging the distance separating the tops of inclines 1C and 2B and the tops of inclines 2C and 18, respectively.

The vehicle part shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 (which could also be part of a bogie) comprises a chassis 5 supported on a pair of flangeless carrier wheels 6 which have conical rims and which are rigidly and permanently secured on an axle shaft 7 rotating in bearings such as 8, the bearings being each secured to the center of a set of leaf springs 9 attached at one end to a bracket 10 rigidly mounted on the chassis 5 and at the other end to one arm 11A of a two-armed lever 11 pivoting at 12 on a bracket 13 rigidly mounted also on the chassis 5.

The other arm, 11B, of each lever 11 is longer than arm 11A and has pivotally mounted thereon at 14 a generally triangular, upwardly extending, plate 15 whose uppermost angle is shaped to form a nose 16 selectively engageable in either of two notches 17A and 178 formed in a position setter 17 that is secured to the underside of the chassis 5.

Near the other two angles of the triangular plate 15 are rotatably mounted, at locations symmetrically disposed in relation to a line passing through the nose l6 I and the pivot l4, one end of two shafts 2t) and 21 on each of which is rigidly secured a pair of flanged guide wheels, 22 and 23 respectively, the other end of the shafts 20 and 21 being rotatably mounted in another, identical, plate 15 pivoting on another, identical, lever 1 l. The guide wheels 22 and 23 are differently spaced with the wheels 22 being intended only to roll on the rails l and the wheel 23 being intended only to roll on the rails 2, as opposed to the flangeless carrier wheels 6 which are wide enough to roll on the rails of both tracks.

The arrangement formed by the members 1 l, 15 and 10 is so dimensioned that when the vehicle is travelling along the narrower gauged track with the noses 16 engaged in notches 17A and the guide wheels 22 in rolling engagement with the rails 2, the guide wheels 23 will occupy a raised inoperative position well clear of the track so that its flange should not come into contact with any points or other devices provided along the track. Similarly, when the vehicle is travelling along the wider gauged track with the noses 16 engaged in notches 17B and the guide wheels 23 in rolling engagement with the rails 1, members i 1, l5 and 10 cooperate to keep the guide wheels 22 clear of the track.

Although it would be possible manually to switch the positions of the guide wheels 22 and 23 in a changeover section consisting of immodified co-extensive terminal portions of rails 1 and 2, provided the position setters 17 were slightly redesigned to enable the noses 16 to be moved from notches 17A to notches 17B and vice versa without first being lowered, as by having a removable divide between the notches of each position setter 17, it is preferred to resort to the form of changeover section 3 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 when a vehicle is fitted with a guide-wheel-carrying arrangement as shown in these two figures, as this section 3 will perform the change-over operation automatically.

Now, if it is assumed that the vehicle is travelling from left to right in FIGS. 2 and 3 along the rails 2, the guide wheels 22, upon entering the change-over section 3, roll down the inclines 2B. In so doing, the noses 16 are lowered out of the notches 17A and at the same time the plates tilt over to the right, as viewed, about the pins 14 to bring the guide wheels 23 into engagement with the flat depressed parts 1A of rails l, at which time the guide wheels 22 will have reached the flat depressed rail parts 2A. At this point the noses l6 lie beneath the rounded bosses 24 separating the notches 17A and 17B and half-way between the latter. Upon reaching the right-hand end of the rail parts 2A, the guide wheels 22 roll up the inclines 2C thus causing the plates 15 to be tilted further over to the right and at the same time causing the noses 16 to be lifted into partial engagement with the notches 178. This engagement is completed upon the guide wheels 23 subsequently rolling up the inclines 18, at which point the guide wheels 22, rolling along rail parts 2D, are forced up, clear of the track, as a result of a camming action that is designed to take place between the surfaces of the noses l6 and the notches 173.

Because of the symmetrical nature of the guide means, here consisting of the two plates 15 and of the two pairs of flanged wheels 22 and 23, of the position setter 17 for releasably locking the guide means in either of the two operative positions defined by the notches 17A and 17B, and of the track change-over section 3, the same operation will take place in reverse when the vehicle passes from the wider gauged track to the narrower gauged track.

The presence of the auxiliary rails ensures that the flangeless carrier wheels 6 will not drop in the dip existing in the middle of the change-over section 3 where the depressed rail parts 1A and 2A coincide.

By attaching one end of the sets of leaf spring 9 to the short arms 11A of the levers 11 instead of to the brackets 13, part of the vehicle load is transferred to whichever of the guide wheels 22 and 23 are in operation, thereby ensuring proper engagement between the guide wheels and the rails without having specially to weight the guide means, the extent of the load transfer being determined by the relative effective lengths of the arms 11A and 11B of lever 1 1. This attachment of the lever arms 11A to one end of the sets of leaf springs 9 also introduces a degree of resiliency in the guide means since the noses l6 are preferably arranged so as never to lie plumb above the axis of the guide wheels that are in operation. As will be appreciated, the distance between the vehicle chassis 5 and the rails can vary, for instance because of changes in the load having to be carried by the chassis, and can differ from one side of the vehicle to the other, for instance because of uneven load distribution or because of the action of centrifugal force in bends. By providing some play in the pivotal mountings of the shafts and 23 in the plates 15, the two halves of each guide means are made substantially independent of each other, and the above referred to resiliency will provide automatic adjustment for any changes in chassis height.

To ensure that the operative guide wheels do not lift in relation to the carrier wheels 6, as such lifting could cause the vehicle to come off the rails, anti-derailing means are provided comprising abutments 25 engageable by the underside of the lever arms 1 1A, each abutment being carried by one end of a two-armed lever 26 pivotally mounted at 27 on the chassis 5 with the opposite end of the lever 26 being connected to the bearing 8 of the associated carrier wheel 6. The lever arrangement ensures that the position of the abutment 25 is related to that of the bearing 8 and hence in effect to the rails and not to the chassis.

ln FIGS. 3 and 4, the track rails 1 and 2 again have co-extensive terminal portions defining a change-over section 3. This change-over section 3 is designed automatically to modify the spacing of a single pair of flanged guide wheels 28 by sliding displacement along a shaft 29 to adapt the guide wheels 28 to any one of two or more different track gauges. To achieve this, the terminal portions of the rails 1 and 2 are joined by oblique and depressed rail segments 30, the terminal portions of the rails l and 2 being formed with parallel inclines 1E and 2E merging with the depressed segments 30. To prevent the carrier wheels 6 from dropping in the dip formed by the depressed segments 30 and to force the guide wheels to move outwardly along the shaft 29 when passing from the narrower gauged track to the wider gauged track, counterrails 31 are provided inside of the rail segments 30 and the adjacent terminal portions of the rails 1 and 2, and parallel thereto, these counter-rails 31 remaining level throughout with the associated rails l and 2, to provide support for the carrier wheels 6. Additionally, the terminal portions of the rails 1 may include separate parts IP for the carrier wheels 6 to roll on. For purposes of clarity, the rail part 1F and the counter-rail 31 are shown jointly in F IG. 4 as a chain-dotted line.

Each end of the shaft 29 and the guide wheel 28 carried thereby are slidably mounted in a forked arm ll 1B of a two-armed lever 1 I mounted for pivotal and sliding displacement on a shaft 32 secured by means not shown to the chassis 5. The lever 11 has secured in the region of its pivotal axis a catch 16, here in the form of a disc-like member, adapted to be brought into selec: tive engagement with any one of three notches 17A, 17B and 17C formed in a position setter 17 mounted for pivotal, but not for axial, movement on a shaft 33 secured by means not shown to the chassis 5. The position setter 17 in effect here consists of a two-armed lever with the notches 17A, 17B and 17C formed at the end of one arm, the other arm being connected by a link rod 34 to the shaft 29. The other, shorter, arm 1 1A of the lever ll is connected, as in the previous construction, to one end of a set of leaf springs 9. Antiderailing means, similar to those previously described, are also provided.

When the vehicle is travelling along the rails l, the guide wheels 28 occupy the illustrated position and the catch 16 is engaged in the slot 17A. Upon entering the change-over section v3, the guide wheels 28 first roll down the inclines 11E, thereby causing the position setters 17 to be rotated clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 4, about the shaft 33 to move the notches 17A out of engagement with the catches 16. The wheels 28 (and hence the levers 11) are then forced towards each other as they roll along the oblique rail segments 30 and are then lifted again as they roll up the inclines 2E to cause the position setters 17 to be brought into engagement with the notches 178 corresponding to the gauge of the narrower track formed by the rails 2, and hence to lock the wheels 28 in this new position. In the reverse direction, the adapting operation is much the same except that it is the counter-rails 31 which cause the wheels 28 to move axially along the shaft 29.

To prevent the end portions of the shaft 29 from projecting past the levers 11 when the catches are in engagement with the notches 17B or 17C, the shaft 29 could be telescopically constructed or could consist of two shaft parts respectively carried by the forked arms 11B of levers 11.

Since it is preferred to use flangeless carrier wheels 6 having conical rims, the rails 1 and 2 of the two differently gauged tracks are preferably disposed as shown in FIG. 5, i.e. inwardly inclined with the heads of the more widely spaced rails 1 at a higher level than those of the more narrowly spaced rails 2. Where the gauge difference between the two tracks is greater than, say, in FIG. 5, the flangeless carrier wheels could be constructed as in FIG. 6 or could be constructed in two parts 6A and 63 as in FIG. 7 with the heads of rails 1 and 2 at the same level although the latter are still inwardly inclined.

As the carrying and guiding functions of normal railway vehicle wheels have been dissociated in the above described embodiments, the guide wheels 22 and 23 in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the guide wheels 28 in FIGS. 3and 4 could be rimless as in FIG. 8, in which case, however, means would have to be provided to hold the guide wheels in a predetermined operative position in relation to the carrier wheels.

FIGS. 9 and illustrate an alternative for the guide wheels. Here vehicle guidance along the tracks is provided by flanged shoes which slide along the rails.

The FIG. 11 guide wheel arrangement involves a track change-over section similar to that shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 except that the oblique rail segments 30 need not be depressed. The guide wheel arrangement illustrated in FIG. 11 is telescopic and comprises a hub fixedly mounted on a shaft 36 and a flanged rim 37 mounted on the hub 35 for axial movement thereon. The rim 35 is moved inwardly by the oblique rail segment 30 and outwardly by the counter-rail 31 parallel thereto. When the guide wheel is travelling along a rail of one or other track, the rim 37 is locked to the hub 35 by bolts 38 carried by the hub 35. The bolts 38 are mounted for radial sliding movement into or out of engagement with any one of two or more circumferential grooves (not shown) on the inside of the rim 37. These grooves correspond to the different gauges of the tracks over which the guide wheel is required to travel. At their radially inner ends the sliding bolts 38 are formed with outwardly inclined surfaces 38A engageable by the flared open inner end of a cylindrical actuating member 39 slidably mounted on the shaft 36 and extending out of the hub 35 through an opening on the outside of the latter.

Upon entering a change-over section, the actuating member 39 abuts against a track cam plate 4% which pushes the member 39 into engagement withthe inclined surfaces 38A to move the sliding bolts 38 radially inwards against the action of springs not shown, thereby releasing the rim 37. The rim 37 is then moved axially in relation to the hub 35 either by the rail segment 30 or the counter-rail 31 depending on whether the rim 37 has to be moved to the right or to the left as viewed in FIG. 11. At the end of this axial displacement, the actuating member 39 moves clear of the track cam plate 40 and is then returned to its initial, inoperative, position under the action of the springs associated with the sliding bolts 38, the latter being forced by these springs radially outwards to lock the rim 37 in its new axial position.

FIG. 12 represents a bogie for a vehicle adapted to travel on railway tracks having different gauges and on roads. The bogie is fitted with flangeless carrier wheels 6 mounted for free rotation on shafts 7 and consisting here of twin-tyred wheels, the outer tires being arranged to roll on the rails l of the wider gauged track and the inner tires being arranged to roll on the rails 2 of the narrower gauged track. The bogie is further fitted with two pairs of flanged guide wheels 28 mounted for free rotation on, and for axial movement along, shafts 29, in a manner similar to that shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The means associated with the guide wheels 29 to adapt them to the gauge of one or other track and to lock them once adapted are similar to those in FIGS. 3 and 4 and have accordingly not been illustrated. The same applies to the change-over section where the two tracks meet.

When a vehicle having bogies as illustrated in FIG. 12 is required to pass from track to road, it is made to enter a road/rail change-over section fitted with means (not shown) for automatically lifting the shafts 29 to a height such that the flanged guide wheels 28 carried thereby will be well clear of the road surface, releasable locking means (not shown either) being also provided to hold the wheels 28 and shafts 29 in their raised, inoperative, position. The lifting means could for instance consist of a ramp, provided between the track rails, with which the shafts 29 come into engagement when the latter have entered the road/rail change-over section and which lift the shafts 29 to the level of the shafts 7. The lifting operation could be effected against the action of spring means normally tending to urge the wheels 28 into engagement with the track rails, in which case the right-hand end of the set of leaf-spring 9 in FIG. 4 would be attached to a bracket similar to the bracket 10 instead of to the lever arm 11A. The locking means for releasably holding the wheels 28 and shafts 29 in their raised, inoperative, position could consist of mechanisms similar in principle to the mechanism described with reference to FIG. I 1 and actuated by cam plates provided in the road/rail change-over section.

To enable the vehicle to be towed and guided on a road, its rear bogies could be locked against pivotal movement about its vertical axis and its front bogie would be fitted with a tow bar for coupling the vehicle to a tractor. By way of alternative, the guiding action on the road would be provided by additional road guide wheels, not shown, which are lowered into operative position at the front end of the vehicle when the rail guide means are retracted.

Because the carrier wheels 6 are preferably fitted with pneumatic tires and because of the narrow supporting surfaces provided by the rails, it is preferred that part of the weight of the vehicle be supported by the guide wheels 28 also. In such a case, each bogie is preferably provided with two pairs of rail guide wheels 28 as shown, with the tyred carrier wheels 6 between the guide wheels 28. Alternatively or in addition, the carrier wheels may have rims inside the pneumatic tires which can come into engagement with the rails through the intermediary of the tire treads.

It will be appreciated that instead of guide means and locking means similar to those shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, it would be possible to resort to guide means and locking means analogous to those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In the arrangement illustratedin FIGS. 13 and 14, FIG. 13 shows a flanged guide wheel 28 mounted for axial displacement on a shaft 29 whereby it may selectively be brought into rolling engagement with a rail 2 of a narrower gauge track (the position shown in full lines) or with a rail 1 of a wider gauge track (the position shown in broken lines), the switch from one rail to the other being effected with the aid of means and of a change-over section similar to those illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The shaft 29 here extends beyond a bearing 41 and carries at its end a second flanged guide wheel 42. The rim of the wheel 42 is much more sharply inclined than that of the wheel 28 and the flange of the wheel 42, referenced 43, is provided along the outer edge of the rim. The wheel 42 is meant to roll on rails 44 of an extrawide track, which rails are markedly more inwardly inclined than the rails l and 2.

FIG. 14 shows a flangeless carrier wheel portion 6A rigidly mounted on a shaft 7 and having a wide enough rim to roll on the rails I and 2 of the narrow and wider gauged tracks (also referred to hereinafter as the nor mal tracks to distinguish from the extra-wide track). The wheel portion 6A is here identical to the carrier wheels 6 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5. The shaft 7 extends beyond a bearing 45 and carries at its end a second flangeless carrier wheel portion 68. As with the wheel 42, the rim of the wheel portion 6B is very much more inclined than that of its adjacent wheel portion 6A.

The rails 44, which provide a track having a gauge approaching twice that of the tracks formed by the rails I and 2 the wheel 42 and the wheel portion 63 are designed to enable very high speeds of travel outside station areas (where no shuntings are to be found), e.g. 360 km/hour in curves having a radius of 2000 m, this being facilitated by the greater inclination of the rails and of the rims.

Within station areas, the extra-wide track is interrupted and at the break-off points track change-over sections are provided. In these change-over sections the end portions of the rails 44 of the extra-wide track slope gently downwards to beneath the level of the rails 1 or 2 of the normal track in use in the station area concerned so that the wheels 28 and the wheel portions 6A of a railway vehicle travelling along the extra-wide track into the station area will come into gentle engage ment with the rails I or 2, as the case may be, upon its wheels 42 and wheel portions 6B reaching the end of the rails 44 in that change-over section. Conversely, when the vehicle leaves the station area, its wheels 42 and wheel portions 68 will come into gentle engagement with the sloping end portions of the rails 44 and the wheels 28 and wheel portions 6A will be lifted off the rails 1 or 2.,To ensure a smooth changeover, the wheels 6 and 28 as also the wheel portions 6A and 6B are mounted on their respective shafts in such manner that they are all rotating when the vehicle is in motion.

Where the rails 44 are coextensive with the rails 1 or 2, the heads of the former are normally at a higher level than those of the latter. This state of coextensiveness may exist only over a short. distance, within the changeover sections, or over the entire length of the extrawide track thus providing a dual purpose network which can cater both for trains able only to travel on normal tracks and for trains able to travel on extrawide tracks.

The maximum diameter of the rims of wheels 42 and of wheel portions 68 should not exceed the maximum diameter of the rims of wheels 28 and of wheel portions 6A, respectively, nor should the flanges 43 have a diameter exceeding the maximum of the wheels 42 so that at shunting points within a station area the wheels 42 and wheel portions 68 may not interfere with the movements of the vehicles on which they are fitted.

Trains consisting of vehicles designed to travel at very high speed on the rails 44 necessarily must slow down quite considerably in a station area even through they may not be required to stop in this area. Where the trains are required to pass from one normal track to another lying parallel thereto, over particularly short or sharply curved shuntings tending to throw the vehicles off balance and order that these trains should not have to slow down unduly because of this, lengths of rail 44 may be provided along the shuntings between the two parallel normal tracks for engagement by the wheels 42 and wheel portions 68, as the vehicles travel over the shuntings, to steady these vehicles.

In a modified form of construction for the vehicles described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14, either the wheels 42 or the wheel portions 6B could be dispensed with, and when it is the wheels 42 that are being omittecl then the wheel portions 68 are preferably provided with flanges such as 43.

The fitting of flanges 43 on the outside of wheels or wheel portions such as 42 or 68 has the added advantage of making very high speed travel of vehicles on the extra-wide track safer in bends since the forceful flange-rail contact that usually occurs in a bend in established on the inside of the bend instead of the outside, the resulting friction tending to help the vehicles negotiate the bends.

If desired, the guide wheels in the several constructions described above could be mounted on Bisseltracks as this can help to increase further the more flexible guiding action that is achieved by the separation of the guiding and the carrying functions of the wheels. Mounting the carrier wheels between two pairs of guide wheels in a vehicle or a bogie helps to achieve an antiswaying action on the vehicle or bogie.

As an additional safeguard, means are preferably provided on each vehicle and/or in each change-over section for checking that the guide wheels once adapted to another track gauge are properly locked in place. Such means can assume a variety of forms and can be optical, mechanical, pneumatic, electric or electronic in nature.

In a further modified form of construction for the vehicle described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14, the guide wheels 42 and 28 and their associated shaft 29 are dispensed with, the flangeless carrier wheel portion 6A is replaced by a conventional flanged carrier wheel and the flangeless carrier wheel portion 63 is replaced by a flanged wheel similar to the wheel 42. A vehicle so constructed would be suitable for travel on one normal track only and on an extra-wide track.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for transferring a track riding vehicle from a first pair of parallel tracks of a first gauge to a second track pair of parallel tracks of a second gauge comprising, in combination:

a track transition including a depressed section of track between said first and second tracks and connecting track sections for connecting said first and second tracks with said depressed section;

a continuous level section of track substantially parallel with said depressed section; and

wheel carriage for said vehicle including carrier wheel means capable of riding both said first and said second tracks simultaneously, flanged guide wheel means for engaging said first and second tracks and said transition including at least a portion of said depressed section, and means for maintaining said flanged guide wheel means in cooperation with said first or second of tracks or said transition.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said guide wheel means includes at least first and second pairs of flanged guide wheels, one of said pairs having a gauge equal to said gauge of said first track and the other of said pairs having a gauge equal to said gauge of said second track, said pairs of flanged wheels being mounted one behind the other on the carriage.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and second tracks have separately depressed sections which overlap.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and second tracks have separate depressed sections which overlap for a portion thereof each of said tracks continuing beyond the depressed portion of the other track before terminating.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said flanged guide wheel means comprise at least one pair of spaced wheels mounted on axle means and including means for adjustment of the spacing thereof whenever said flanged wheels are positioned in the depressed section of said track.

6. The improved mechanism of claim 1 including anti-derailing means, said antiderailing means including means connecting the carrier wheel means with the flanged guide wheels to bias the guide wheel means with the tracks.

7. The improved apparatus of claim 1 wherein said carrier wheel means comprise two pairs of separate wheels for engaging the separate tracks.

8. The improved apparatus of claim 1 wherein said carrier wheel means are flanged.

9. The improved apparatus of claim 1 wherein said carrier wheel means are separate flanged wheels each adapted to engage one of said tracks.

10. The improved apparatus of claim 1 wherein said flanged guide wheels comprise guide shoes slidable on said first or second tracks.

11. Apparatus for transferring a track riding vehicle from a first pair of parallel tracks of a first gauge to a second pair of parallel tracks of a second gauge comprising, in combination:

a track transition including a depressed section of track between said first and second tracks and connecting sections for connecting said first and second tracks with said depressed section;

a continuous level section of track substantially parallel with the depressed section;

a wheel carriage for said vehicle;

carrier wheel means on said carriage capable of riding both tracks and said level section simultaneously, a guide wheel track having first and second flanged guide wheels for riding first and second tracks respectively, bracket means pivotally connecting said track to said carriage, guide wheel locking means for engaging a portion of said track to position said first or second flanged guide wheels only in engagement with said first or second tracks respectively except when said flanged guide wheels are positioned in said depressed section.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said locking means comprise a pair of slots in said carriage and said track includes a projection for engaging one of said slots and thereby pivot said bracket means and hold said track in a first or second position to engage said flanged guide wheels with said first or second tracks.

Claims (12)

1. Apparatus for transferring a track riding vehicle from a first pair of parallel tracks of a first gauge to a second track pair of parallel tracks of a second gauge comprising, in combination: a track transition including a depressed section of track between said first and second tracks and connecting track sections for connecting said first and second tracks with said depressed section; a continuous level section of track substantially parallel with said depressed section; and a wheel carriage for said vehicle including carrier wheel means capable of riding both said first and said second tracks simultaneously, flanged guide wheel means for engaging said first and second tracks and said transition including at least a portion of said depressed section, and means for maintaining said flanged guide wheel means in cooperation with said first or second of tracks or said transition.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said guide wheel means includes at least first and second pairs of flanged guide wheels, one of said pairs having a gauge equal to said gauge of said first track and the other of said pairs having a gauge equal to said gauge of said second track, said pairs of flanged wheels being mounted one behind the other on the carriage.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and second tracks have separately depressed sections which overlap.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and second tracks have separate depressed sections which overlap for a portion thereof each of said tracks continuing beyond the depressed portion of the other track before terminating.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said flanged guide wheel means comprise at least one pair of spaced wheels mounted on axle means and including means for adjustment of the spacing thereof whenever said flanged wheels are positioned in the depressed section of said track.

6. The improved mechanism of claim 1 including anti-derailing means, said antiderailing means including means connecting the carrier wheel means with the flanged guide wheels to bias the guide wheel means with the tracks.

7. The improved apparatus of claim 1 wherein said carrier wheel means comprise two pairs of separate wheels for engaging the separate tracks.

8. The improved apparatus of claim 1 wherein said carrier wheel means are flanged.

9. The improved apparatus of claim 1 wherein said carrier wheel means aRe separate flanged wheels each adapted to engage one of said tracks.

10. The improved apparatus of claim 1 wherein said flanged guide wheels comprise guide shoes slidable on said first or second tracks.

11. Apparatus for transferring a track riding vehicle from a first pair of parallel tracks of a first gauge to a second pair of parallel tracks of a second gauge comprising, in combination: a track transition including a depressed section of track between said first and second tracks and connecting sections for connecting said first and second tracks with said depressed section; a continuous level section of track substantially parallel with the depressed section; a wheel carriage for said vehicle; carrier wheel means on said carriage capable of riding both tracks and said level section simultaneously, a guide wheel track having first and second flanged guide wheels for riding first and second tracks respectively, bracket means pivotally connecting said track to said carriage, guide wheel locking means for engaging a portion of said track to position said first or second flanged guide wheels only in engagement with said first or second tracks respectively except when said flanged guide wheels are positioned in said depressed section.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said locking means comprise a pair of slots in said carriage and said track includes a projection for engaging one of said slots and thereby pivot said bracket means and hold said track in a first or second position to engage said flanged guide wheels with said first or second tracks.

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