Abstract: A device for transporting nuclear fuel rod cladding tubes transversely along a production line has a travel surface for the tubes and a transport chain running in the direction of transport parallel to the travel surface. The chain has a plurality of two-armed levers pivotally mounted thereon and springs pulling these levers in the direction of the travel of the chain. The levers have rollers at their ends which can engage between tubes on the travel surface. The springs are of such strength that the resistance to movement of a predetermined number of tubes prevents them from rising up, so that the rollers roll underneath the tubes, but permits them to rise up when a small number of tubes is in front of them to engage the tubes and pull them along the track. This provides in effect a storage if too many tubes are found on the track at any one time.