WO2012156749A2

WO2012156749A2 - Trolley

Info

Publication number: WO2012156749A2
Application number: PCT/GB2012/051123
Authority: WO
Inventors: Richard MERRILLS
Original assignee: Signovate Uk Limited
Priority date: 2011-05-19
Filing date: 2012-05-18
Publication date: 2012-11-22
Also published as: GB2506057B; GB201108418D0; GB201322426D0; GB2506057A; AU2012257584B2; AU2012257584A1; WO2012156749A3

Abstract

A trolley for use in carrying a load on a railway. The trolley has a chassis which may be disassembled or otherwise collapsed into a compact form for transportation and which includes a braking system. The chassis is formed by a braked wheel assembly (3) and an outrigger (4) which supports an additional wheel (5) and may be adjusted to enable the trolley to be used on a number of different railway gauges. The trolley may be collapsed, and sized so that when collapsed it can be carried by one person.

Description

TROLLEY

Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a trolley for carrying loads on railways.

Background to the Invention When building and maintaining passenger, freight and other railway systems it is often necessary to transport heavy equipment to a site where work is to be carried out, equipment which cannot safely be carried by one person. Traditional rail vehicles can be used to transport the equipment but are generally costly to produce and use, and cumbersome and heavy themselves. Road vehicles may not be able to access a particular location on a railway.

Embodiments of the present invention have been made in consideration of these issues.

Summary of the Invention

According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a trolley for use in carrying a load on a railway, the trolley comprising a chassis which may disassembled or otherwise collapsed into a compact form for transportation and which includes a braking system.

The chassis may be capable of being assembled and disassembled or erected and collapsed by one person and/or without the use of tools. The chassis may be disassembled into at least two, three or four major components without the use of tools. The braking system may be of a failsafe type. That is to say, the brake is normally applied and requires continual operation of a control to be released. The brake may be released by operation of a resiliently loaded brake release control, such as a handle.

The chassis may be connectable to one or more other similar chassis to enable multiple chassis to be run together on rails, to facilitate carrying of greater loads than can be carried safely by a single trolley. The braking system of one chassis may be operatively connectable to the braking system of a connected chassis so that the braking systems of the two chassis work together. For example, when the brake of one chassis is released the brake of a connected chassis may release automatically. In one embodiment the brake of a chassis is operated by a rotatable member and two similar chassis may be connected together by rotatably connecting their respective rotatable members so that the two chassis are joined and so that rotation of the rotatable member of one chassis causes rotation of the rotatable member of the other chassis. The rotatable member may be elongate and extend from one end of a chassis to an opposite end. Respective mutually cooperative fittings may be provided at opposite ends respectively of the elongate member to enable the member to be connected end to end with other members.

The chassis may be adjustable to enable it to run on either of two (or any of more than two) different railway gauges. The chassis may comprise a structure having two or more wheels intended to run on one rail and an outrigger mounted to the structure and supporting one or more additional wheels intended to run on a parallel rail. An adjustment means may be provided to enable the distance between the wheels of the structure and the wheel of the outrigger to be altered. The adjustment means may enable the distance between the wheels intended to run on one rail and those intended to run on another rail to be adjusted between two or more predetermined values. In one embodiment the outrigger is telescopic and a locking means, such as a locking pin, is provided to lock the outrigger in various predetermined states. In another embodiment components of the outrigger may be fastened together in different relative positions, or the outrigger may be fastened to the structure in different relative positions. The outrigger may be releasably mounted to the remainder of the chassis. A handle may be provided and may also be releasably mounted to the chassis. The handle may include a brake control. The control may be a brake release control. The chassis may be fitted with lamps.

The chassis may be provided with a means for carrying a load. In one embodiment the chassis is provided with a load platform. The load platform may be releasably attached to the chassis, and could be interchanged with other load carrying structures.

The overall mass of the chassis may be less than 20kg, or less than 15kg. The overall mass of the chassis when fitted with a load carrying structure maybe less than 25kg or less than 20kg to enable it to be easily carried by one person.

A container, such as bag, may be provided to receive the chassis in a collapsed state, or components in a disassembled state, to facilitate carrying by one person.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a trolley for use in carrying a load on a railway, the trolley comprising a chassis which may disassembled or otherwise collapsed into a compact form for transportation, and which is adjustable to enable the trolley to be used on two or more different railway gauges.

Detailed Description of the Invention In order that the invention may be more clearly understood an embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a trolley; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the trolley of figure 1 with the handle and load platform removed;

Figure 3 is a perspective view components of the trolley of figure 1 in a disassembled state for transportation; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a trolley connected to an additional trolley chassis, both sitting on rails.

Referring to the drawings, a track trolley comprises a chassis, shown in figure 2, a handle 1 and a load platform 2.

The chassis is formed by a braked wheel assembly 3 and an adjustable outrigger 4 which supports an additional wheel 5. The braked wheel assembly, generally 3, comprises a hollow elongate box section steel chassis member 6 closed at each opposite end by a plastics material plug 7. A respective bracket 8 having two substantially parallel arms connected by a cross-member is mounted to the chassis member 6 towards each end of its opposite ends. Each bracket 8 supports an axle between the free ends of its arms and a side flanged wheel 9 is rotatably mounted on each axle. The side flange wheel has a flange at each of its opposite sides. The axes of rotation of the two wheels are substantially parallel and the wheels are substantially aligned so as to be able to run together on a rail. The chassis member 6 also supports a brake assembly, disposed between the two wheels 9. The brake assembly comprises a respective brake shoe 10 supporting a brake pad 1 1 for each wheel. Each brake shoe 10 is mounted to two parallel arms 12, one end of each of which is pivotally mounted to a respective opposite side of the chassis member 6. The opposite ends of each pair of arms are connected by a rod 13. One end of a respective link 14 is pivotally mounted to each of the two rods 13, approximately mid way along each rod 13 , between the arms 2. The opposite ends of each link are pivotally connected together and to the end of a rod 15 which extends through an aperture in the chassis member 6. The aperture is located substantially mid way along the chassis member and extends from the underside to the top of the chassis member, in the orientation as shown in the drawings.

The opposite end of the rod 15 is connected to a bar 16 pivotally mounted between two substantially parallel, spaced apart brackets 17 formed on an elongate tubular member 18 (or rod) which is rotatably supported in a number of brackets 19 mounted on the chassis member 7 so that the tubular member extends in a substantially parallel direction to the chassis member. There are two pairs of brackets 19 on the chassis member, one either side of brackets on the rotatable tubular member 18 which support the bar 16. Of each pair of brackets 19, one bracket is located towards a bracket 17 which supports the bar 16, and the other towards the end of the chassis member 6. The rotatable tubular member 18 extends through each of the brackets 19. A collar 20 is fastened to one end of the tubular member. The collar 20 is of substantially annular cross-section and its axis is substantially perpendicular to that of the tubular member 18. An elongate plate 21 is fastened to the opposite end of the tubular member 18. A pair of collars 22 is fastened to the plate 21. The pair of collars are each substantially identical to the collar 20 mounted to the opposite end of the tubular member, their axes are substantially parallel to that collar 20 and they are spaced apart by a distance just greater than the axial length of that collar 20, Between each end of the rotatable tubular member 18 and the first supporting bracket 19 is a brake release lever 23 connected to the rotatable tubular member, having an aperture extending therethrough towards its free end.

Spring mountings 24, one associated with each brake shoe 10, are mounted to the underside of the chassis member 6. These mountings support compression springs or other resilient bodies which extend from the mountings 24 to the associated brake shoe 10 and act to urge the brake shoe, and hence associated brake pad 1 1 , into contact with its associated wheel.

The tubular member 18 may be rotated in its brackets 19 so as to draw the rod 16 through the aperture in the chassis member. This, in turn, and via links 14, moves the pairs of arms 12 supporting the brake shoes 10 away from the wheels 9, to release the brakes. A respective tubular collar 25, of substantially annular cross-section, is mounted towards each end of the side of the chassis member, with a generally upright axis. A pair of elongate, axially extending, opposed slots is formed in the upper edge of each collar. A respective red, battery operated lamp 26 is mounted to each tubular collar, each arranged to face away from each other in approximately opposite directions along the axis of the chassis member 6,

A further, upright, tubular collar 27 of substantially annular cross-section is mounted to the top of each of the brackets 8 supporting the wheels 9, so that they lie to the opposite side of the chassis member to collars 25. Each collar is provided with a radially projecting spring loaded pin 39.

A single tubular collar 28 of substantially annular cross-section extends transversely from the side of the chassis member to which collars 27 are located, approximately mid way along its length. The collar houses a spring loaded pin 29 which extends radially from an aperture in the collar towards its free end.

The adjustable outrigger 4 is telescopic. It comprises an inner tubular member 30 received into the outer member 29 with a sliding fit. The free end of the outer tubular member is sized to fit snugly over the collar 28 extending from the side of the chassis member 6. An aperture 31 is formed in the side of the tubular member and positioned to coincide with the pin 28 of the tubular member 27 so that the pin 28 extends through the aperture and locks the tubular member in place when it is correctly positioned on the collar. The end of the inner tubular member 30 is also provided with a radial spring loaded pin, and a plurality of apertures 32 are provided along the length of the outer tubular member 29 so that the inner and out tubular member can be locked together at different relative positions. Each of the apertures is labelled with a gauge measurement, in this example 1000mm, 1067mm, 1435mm, 1520mm, 1600mm and 1676mm. The measurements correspond to the gauge of the wheels on the braked wheel assembly 3 and the additional wheel 5 when the chassis is assembled and the pin on the inner member 30 is received into selected aperture on the outer member 29.

Towards the free end of the outer tubular member there is a cross member 33. This extends approximately at right angles to the outer tubular member and supports an upright tubular collar 37 of substantially annular cross-section at each end, each collar having a spring loaded radially projecting pin 38.

When the outer tubular member 29 is correctly fitted to the collar 28 on the chassis member, and the locking pin 29 is received into the aperture 31 the cross member is substantially parallel to the chassis member 6. The additional wheel 5 does not have any flange and is mounted on an axle mounted to a bracket 34 similar to the wheel brackets 8 on the chassis member. When the outrigger 4 is correctly assembled to the chassis member the axes of rotation of all three wheels should lie substantially within the same plane, The handle 1 is formed from three tubular members, two curved members fastened to respective opposite ends of a straight member. Alternatively it could be formed by bending a single tubular member. At one end the handle is sized to fit snugly into either of the collars 27 mounted to the side of the chassis member 6. A pin extends transversely through the handle which is received into the slots in the collar 27 to align the handle to that it extends in a plane generally parallel to the plane in which the outrigger 4 extends. The opposite end of the handle 1 forms a grip portion and is fitted with a pivotally operable brake release lever 35. The brake release lever is operatively connected to a Bowden cable which runs along the length of the handle 1 and connects to the aperture in a cable release lever 23 on the rotatable tubular member 18. In its normal state, with the brakes applies by spring pressure, the release handle 35 extends away from the grip portion of the handle. To release the brakes the release handle is moved towards the grip portion of the handle 1 , the release handle then pulls on the Bowden cable which in turn pulls on the release lever 23 causing the rotatab!e tubular member 18 to rotate, releasing the brakes as described above. The load platform 2 comprises a substantially rectangular frame supporting a steel mesh on which loads may be carried. To one side of the platform the frame is provided with fours collars (not shown) which are sized to slide over the collars 27, 33 mounted to the wheel brackets 8 on the chassis member 6 and the cross member 33 on the outrigger 4 to mount the load platform on the chassis. Each collar on the load platform is provided with an aperture into which the spring loaded pin of the collar over which it is received extends to lock the platform in place.

In use, the trolley would be transported in a disassembled state to a railway where it is to be used. Figure 3 shows how the elements forming the chassis can be stored in a compact way when disassembled. This enables the components be stored in an appropriate elongate bag or other container. The total mass of the chassis components is such that they can be carried by one person, ideally less than 13 kg. The load platform would be stored and transported with the chassis components and ideally has a mass of less than 6 kg so the overall mass is less than 19 kg and manageable by one person. On site the chassis is assembled. First the inner telescopic member 30 is inserted into the outer telescopic member 29 choosing the appropriate gauge. The outer telescopic member 29 is then connected to the braked wheel assembly. The load platform 2 is then mounted to the chassis, the handle 1 fitted to the chassis member and the Bowden cable to the brake release lever. The trolley may then be lifted onto rails 39, again by one person, with the two flanged wheels 9 of the chassis running on one rail and the additional wheel 5 with no flange running on the other rail. Loads 40 may be placed onto the load platform and moved along the railway by operating the brake release handle and manually pushing the trolley along the rails. It will be appreciated that the brake system is a failsafe one. If the brake handle is released the brakes will apply and bring the trolley to a rest. When a job has been completed the trolley can be disassembled and carried away.

All of the wheels of the trolley are made of plastics material, so that the trolley does not form an electrical connection between two rails on which it runs, which could interfere with signalling systems. In an alternative embodiment metal or other electrically conductive wheels or conductors are employed so that the trolley forms an electrical connection between two rails on which it runs so that its presence can be detected by a signalling system.

Where a larger load is to be carried than can be safely accommodated on one load platform then two or more trolley chassis may be connected together. To do so, the chassis are placed side by side on rails (or a flat surface) so that the collar 20 on the end of the rotatable tubular member 18 of one trolley is received between the pair of collars 22 on the end of the tubular member of the other trolley. A plastic pin 36 is then inserted through all three collars to link then together. This connects the two chassis together and links their braking systems so that when a brake release handle on one trolley is operated it releases the brakes on each of the chassis. When chassis are connected in this way is only necessary for a single handle to be fitted. The plastic pin 26 may be stored in the pair of collars 22 when not in use.

The trolley described may be made sufficiently light so that it can be carried to site by one person, but can then be used to more relatively heavy loads along railway track, avoiding the need to use more cumbersome or expensive vehicles. A single trolley can be used on a variety of different gauges of railway and multiple trolleys can be safely used together where required due to the braking systems being connectable. Other load π

carrying structures than the illustrated load platform could be provided and mounted to the chassis in the same way as the platform.

The above embodiment is described by way of example only. Many variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A trolley for use in carrying a load on a railway, the trolley comprising a chassis which may be disassembled or otherwise collapsed into a compact form for transportation and which includes a braking system.

2. A trolley as claimed in claim 1 wherein the chassis is capable of being assembled and disassembled by one person without the use of tools.

3. A trolley as claimed in either claim 1 or 2 wherein the braking system is of a failsafe type.

4. A trolley as claimed in claim 3 wherein the brake may be released by operation of a resiliently loaded brake release control, such as a handle.

5. A trolley as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the chassis is connectable to one or more other similar chassis to enable multiple chassis to be run together on rails.

6. A trolley as claimed in claim 5 wherein the braking system of one chassis may be operatively connectable to the braking system of a connected chassis so that the braking systems of the two chassis work together.

7. A trolley as claimed in claim 6 wherein the brake of the chassis is operated by a rotatable member and two similar chassis may be connected together by rotatably connecting their respective rotatable members so that the two chassis are joined and so that rotation of the rotatable member of one chassis causes rotation of the rotatable member of the other chassis.

8. A trolley as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the chassis is adjustable to enable it to run on either of two, or any of more than two, different railway gauges.

9, A trolley as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the chassis comprises a structure having two or more wheels intended to run on one rail and an outrigger mounted to the structure and supporting one or more additional wheels intended to run on a parallel rail.

10. A trolley as claimed in claim 9 wherein an adjustment means is provided to enable the distance between the wheels of the structure and the wheel of the outrigger to be altered.

1 1. A trolley as claimed in claim 10 wherein the adjustment means enables the distance between the wheels intended to run on one rail and those intended to run on another rail to be adjusted between two or more predetermined values.

12. A trolley as claimed in any of claims 9 to 1 1 wherein the outrigger is releasably mounted to the remainder of the chassis.

13. A trolley as claimed in any preceding claim comprising a handle releasably mounted to the chassis.

14. A trolley as claimed in claim 1 wherein the handle comprises a brake control,

15. A trolley as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the chassis is provided with a means for carrying a load.

16. A trolley as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the mass of the chassis is less than 20kg.