Abstract: A transport seat for conveying disabled travellers through a stairwell opening of a passenger carrying vehicle is disclosed. An elongate boom section is pivotally connected to a support base located exterior of the vehicle and is intended to extend over the stairwell of the vehicle. The boom section at its vehicle interior end is supported from the floor or a stair tread of the vehicle. A seat is carried on the boom section and is reciprocatable therealong. A traveller on the seat, during transport, faces outwardly of the vehicle towards the support base. The seat, however, is made rotatable so that a traveller on the seat, after being transported into the interior of the vehicle, can be rotated in a horizontal plane in order to face the vehicle floor and leave the seat and conversely, can first occupy the seat and then be rotated to face the support base before being transported from the interior of the vehicle.

Abstract: A horizontal loading platform is pivotally interconnected by a pair of spaced apart and opposed linkage systems, positioned on either side thereof. Each linkage system includes five pivotally interconnected links which are arranged so that a first common link is disposed above the loading platform and the points of pivotal interconnection of a first set of spaced apart links to the common link and to the loading platform define the corners of a first parallelogram. The points of pivotal interconnection of a second set of spaced apart links to said common link and to said framework define the corners of a second parallelogram. Thrust links, which includes an offset arm on the inboard link of said second set of links and a cross-link pivotally connected to said offset arm and to the outboard link of said first set of links, maintain said loading platform out of contact with the vehicle when the loading platform is away from rest position interior of said vehicle.

Abstract: This invention relates to a novel loading and detraining apparatus for use by wheelchair confined and other handicapped passengers. One embodiment of the invention makes provision for the loading and detraining of such passengers at the entrances to railway coaches and more particularly over the stairwell in a vestibule of such coaches. A horizontal loading platform is pivotally connected to a pair of spaced apart and opposed linkage means positioned on either side thereof and which are in turn pivotally connected to the coach. Each linkage means comprises three linkage sections which are so arranged as to define two co-operating parallelograms having one common side which is parallel to the loading platform.