Abstract: A system for improving the power of vehicle wheels on a support, e.g. a winter slippery surface, has nozzles near the wheels supplied with a sticky or tacky liquid from a container under the control of the driver. The container is connected with a doser and with a source of compressed air, e.g. compressor, which is used for both application of the liquid to the wheels and cleaning the nozzles. The system includes a dosing reservoir and a three-way valve, the container being connected with a first branch of the valve, the dosing reservoir being connected with a second branch of the valve, nozzles being connected with the third branch of the valve. A first conduit extends from the compressor to the reservoir for application of the liquid and a second conduit extends from the compressor to the nozzles for cleaning the same. Alternatively, dosing may be carried out by the aid of time controlled dosing directly from the container and time controlled supply of compressed air to the nozzles.

Abstract: A bomb handling system includes a plurality of mobile frames, each having a pair of rails and carrying members on the rails. Each pair of carrying members supporting corresponding ends of a bomb and there being locking mechanisms with separate, common actuators at particular locations along the lengths of the rails selectively to arrest a pair of carrying members in transversely aligned positions at a location and to allow such pair to travel past a location. The mobile frames may be attached in a train with their pairs of rails in end-abutting relation and including blocking mechanisms which releasably prevent transfer of a pair of carrying members from one frame to the next. A mobile frame may include a mechanism to elevate its rails so that loaded and positioned bombs may be raised for attachment to an aircraft.

Abstract: A rail vehicle with spring support of its car body on an underframe with flanged wheels for guidance and support on a track. Permanent magnets are provided on the underframe, which exert an attraction counter to the wheel load on armature bars extending along the track. The magnetic force of the magnets is controllable as a function of the load (weight) of the car body by an increase or decrease of the magnetic resistance of a ferromagnetic magnet core by mechanical means as the load decreases or increases.

Abstract: A train detection system is disclosed which works on the axle-counting principle and in which preprocessing units each containing a two-microprocessor system are associated with the individual detection points. Along the track, a major number of preprocessing units are connected with a central evaluation unit which interrogates the preprocessing units for stored counts on a cyclic basis. This interrogation is performed separately for each microprocessor of a preprocessing unit. In addition to containing counts, data telegrams transmitted to the evaluation unit include functional characters which make it possible to check the correct functioning of the detection points and preprocessing units at short intervals.

Abstract: A variable placement lamp system for use with a supporting member is disclosed which includes a plurality of lamp housings (40) each including a channel for receiving an upper edge of a supporting member. Screw (50) on both sides of the housing (40) are turned until the housing is secured to the support member in a friction fit. Extensible cables (70) with 3-pronged connections connect the lamp circuitry to electrical circuitry to operate the lamps (38) in a predetermined pattern.

Abstract: A mobile apparatus for loading, transporting and laying an assembled track section comprises a track section carrier comprising an elongated carrier frame, track section gripping and holding devices mounted on the elongated carrier frame, and two pairs of transversely opposite lifting jacks arranged on the carrier frame for lifting and lowering the carrier frame, the jacks of each pair being fixedly connected to each other and the pairs of jacks being widely spaced from each other in a longitudinal direction to provide a high stability during lifting and lowering of the carrier frame. A self-propelled auxiliary vehicle is movable independently of the track section carrier and comprises a flatbed frame having two opposite ends and capable of receiving and supporting the carrier with the assembled track section gripped and held thereon, and a track-bound undercarriage and an off-track undercarriage at each end of the flatbed frame.

Abstract: Prestressed concrete railroad ties are formed in molds which are supported by existing track near the area where they are to be installed. Each mold will form a number of ties. Reinforcing strands are located within a plurality of longitudinally spaced molds. Concrete is then poured into the molds and the ties are formed bottoms up in the molds. A group of ties are simultaneously removed from a given mold by a special extractor which first simultaneously clamps the reinforcing strands extending outwardly from a given mold, and then lifts the strands as a group from the mold by a suitable crane. Preferably the center of gravity of ties is spaced from a pivot point which will cause 180.degree. rotation locating the ties in upright position to be loaded on a railway car or other vehicle to take them to the site where they are to be installed.

Abstract: A construction of an articulating portion for articulated railway cars or the like formed by coupling front and rear bodies pivotably connected one after another by a truck interposed therebetween. Inside a pair of front and rear side wall panels in the articulating portion, a flexible cover consisting of an elastic plate is disposed, and an elastic sealing member provided on the longitudinal opposite edges of the flexible cover is contacted respectively with the pair of side wall panels by biasing. Under a pair of front and rear ceiling panels in the articulating portion, there is provided a ceiling cover, whose lateral opposite edges are coupled to the upper edge of the flexible cover, and the elastic sealing member provided on the longitudinal opposite edges of the ceiling cover is contacted respectively with the pair of ceiling panels by biasing.

Abstract: A toy monorail set is provided including a building for containing the parts to the set and selectively being a component part of the set. The monorail vehicle, building and monorail tracks are all made of sanded hardwood or other suitable smooth and hard material. The vehicle itself includes a cutout and a pair of extension members extending outward from the bottom of the cutout. The cutout has concave sides and the extension members have a flat surface and slanted sides from the back of the cutout to the flat surface so as to allow the vehicle to traverse a curved monorail track course. A smoothing additive, such as wax or paraffin is applied over the flat surface of the extension member and the top, or riding, surface of the monorail track to allow the vehicle to slide over the monorail track. The monorail tracks have semicircular ends with a circular recessed surface on opposite sides at each end.

Abstract: A railroad freight car having a rotatable loading floor for transferring loads between it and a station platform. The railroad station has two platforms on opposite sides of the rail car. An edge of each platform is provided at each longitudinal end with a sloping beam which angles upwardly from the end of the platform towards its center. The lowest part of the beam, which is at the free end of the platform, is below a set of wheels carried on the chassis of the rail car. The center portion of the platform is at a height above that of these rollers. The rollers are arranged to extend laterally of the rail car and to overlie the beams. As the rail car pulls into the station, the rollers will engage the upwardly sloping part of the beams to thereby raise the chassis in relation to its wheels by virtue of extending the suspension as the car continues in its direction of movement.

Abstract: Welding methods and articles are disclosed for securing railroad rails to supporting surfaces including a retaining stud, an arc shield for use in welding the retaining stud, a rail clip for securing the rail and tools for installing and removing the clip. The retaining stud is a T-shaped stud with a rectangular stem and head, the under surface of which forms an arcuate reaction surface. The stud is welded by the arc stud welding technique in which the method of controlled time and current controls the ultimate weld height and angulation of the stud. The welding is in conjunction with an arc shield, the face of which is complementary to the surface being welded and which includes a weld fillet cavity configured to provide constant weld fillet volume. The rail clip is generally U-shaped with a straight backed heel. In a preferred embodiment, the upper and lower limbs overlie one another and are bifurcated and straddle and cooperate with the stem of the stud.

Abstract: A railroad car coupler arrangement particularly suited to cars with single axle trucks including means defining a coupler pocket, a coupler head with a coupler shank and a butt end, a draft gear cushioning device in the pocket with a follower plate captured against transverse movement. The butt end and follower plate include interengaged means to restrain the butt end against transverse movement.

Abstract: A hold down device is provided to engage and hold down adjacent ends of containers on a flat bed vehicle. The hold down device includes four twist locks being two longitudinally spaced pairs of twist locks, each pair being two laterally spaced twist locks which hold down each end of a container. The twist locks are spring loaded so that they will be continuously biased into a protruding operative position, yet capable of being automatically recessed when a long container is set down over the hold down device. A connecting apparatus is provided to inter-connect all four twist locks for simultaneous movement between a locked and unlocked position and an over-center spring is provided to hold the twist locks in the currently selected position.

Abstract: Objects to be inspected are transferred successively in one direction on a conveyor and irradiated by a light source and photosensed by a single optical image sensor only, such as a video camera. The optical image sensor is so arranged that it simultaneously photosenses a plurality of the successively transferred inspected objects, and the conveyor is so constructed that during the period in which the objects pass through the visual field of the optical image sensor, the objects are rotated so that their entire round inspected surfaces are all respectively photosensed by the optical image sensor.

Abstract: A mobile track renewal installation for the continuous replacement of the rails and ties of a track comprises a leading and a trailing work vehicle arranged for continuous advancement on a track in an operating direction. The leading work vehicle bridges an intermediate renewal section where an existing track is replaced by a new track and carries a ballast excavating and planing apparatus for removing ballast from the ballast bed and planing the remaining ballast bed, and an apparatus for laying ties on the planed ballast immediately behind the ballast excavating and planing apparatus, in the operating direction. The trailing work vehicle carries apparatus for fastening rails to the laid ties and an operating unit for lifting the track and for tamping the ballast under the ties trailing the apparatus for fastening the rails to the laid ties, the operating unit being intermittently displaceable on the trailing vehicle in the operating direction.

Abstract: Cargo and passenger vehicles are pneumatically propelled by a system comprising a bifurcated rail module assembled on a beam, for establishing two alternative routes for the rail network, according to a position adopted by line changing equipment. Switch points in the rails are synchronized by an actuator located below the beam, the motion of which is transmitted by torque tubes that drive the switch points. The control motion of the switch points is transmitted further by connecting rods located below the beam, to a torque tube that moves segments of articulated rail for clearing the passage of driving vanes connected to the vehicle through a longitudinal slot in the beam, in the same direction established by the position of the switch points of the line changing equipment. Stop valves for the module are provided in the two bifurcated ends of the duct for interrupting the flow in the portion of the line not selected by the line changing equipment.

Abstract: A sound-damping rail assembly for a track for rail vehicles comprises a rail having a pair of downwardly converging flanks below its head and above its base. The rail is received in a frame with downwardly inclined sides, the flanks being braced against these sides by elastomeric layers which are interposed between the flanks and the sides. A further elastic layer can be provided between the base or foot of the rail and the inner supporting surface of the frame and such layers may completely envelop the rail except for the head.

Abstract: A road/rail transport system is described and comprises rail bogies of the kind having two axles and a central bogie bolster arranged between the axles and transverse to the intended direction of travel and semi-trailers which are preferably of the kind having road wheels at the trailing ends and adapted for connection at their leading ends to a tractor unit. The rail bogie bolster has a pocket in which a mounting member is held, the pocket and mounting member having part spherical surfaces in engagement to permit limited movement of the mounting member relative to the pocket. The mounting member is adapted for releasable attachment to the frame of a semi-trailer which at one end is provided with an aperture for receiving the attachment of the mounting member and which at the other end is connectable to a similar semi-trailer so that a train may be constructed of semi-trailers and bogies with each bogie effectively supporting the weight of one semi-trailer.

Abstract: Prestressed concrete railroad ties are formed in molds which are supported by existing track near the area where they are to be installed. Each mold will form a number of ties. Reinforcement strands are located within a plurality of longitudinally spaced molds. Concrete is then poured into the molds and the ties are formed bottoms up in the molds. A group of ties are simulatenously removed from a given mold by a special extractor which first simultaneously clamps the reinforcing strands extending outwardly from a given mold, and then lifts the strands as a group from the mold by a suitable crane. Preferably the center of gravity of ties is spaced from a pivot point which will cause 180.degree. rotation locating the ties in upright position to be loaded on a railway car or other vehicle to take them to the site where they are to be installed.

Abstract: In order to achieve in a truck for a track vehicle with an H-shaped truck frame which consists of a composite fiber structure serving the function of a primary spring, with two longitudinal beams connected to each other via transverse beams, a distribution of the loads of the truck frame suitable for composite fibers, the frame contains a torsion-elastic central plate member which couples the longitudinal beams to each other independently of the transverse beams, is designed in the truck plane as a frame stiffening element, is provided with load introduction points for the longitudinal and transverse support of the vehicle body and is designed as a bending-stiff composite fiber component for the transmission of longitudinal and transverse forces between the load introduction points and the longitudinal beams.