Abstract: A method includes grasping, with a handling machine, the removable shell of the pocket wagon, lifting it and setting it down outside the receptacle of the railway structure, preferably on the platform or at an angle across the railroad tracks. The method also includes equipping a locking device on the kingpin of the semi-trailer previously disconnected from its road tractor and loading the semi-trailer by means of a handling machine, by causing it to roll on the bottom wall of the removable shell. The method further includes attaching the locking device to the removable shell, and grasping the loaded shell with the handling machine, lifting it and loading it on the pocket wagon by engaging it in the receptacle of the railway structure.