Abstract: A railroad vehicle is constructed with a platform for supporting containers and with a device for moving the containers laterally off and on the platform. The device also includes a pair of supporting frames on the ends of the platform with a jib pivotally mounted on each supporting frame and movable between a swung-in position along the platform and a swung-out position extending laterally outwardly from the platform. Each supporting frame and jib form a trackway. A crane bridge extends between the trackways and supports a loading frame. Further, a device is pivotally connected to each supporting frame for supporting the jib in the swung-out position.

Abstract: An apparatus for automatically stacking sacks onto pallets, comprising several conveyor means, sack positioning and flattening devices, sack transfer devices, sack layer assembling devices, a packing plate assembly, an elevator platform, and actuating and control means wherein sacks supplied to the apparatus in a substantially continuous feed stream are flattened and assembled into sack rows, several sack rows are assembled into a sack layer, and several sack layers are successively stacked on a pallet. Empty pallets are automatically supplied to the elevator platform from a pallet magazine. The elevator platform cooperates with the packing plate assembly for transferring the sack layers onto the pallet. Fully loaded pallets are discharged automatically at the output side of the apparatus.