Abstract: A remote-controlled system and method for transporting trash comprises a carrier with wheels, a remote box having a remote transmitter and a motor, a conveyor bar attached to at least one stand, and a pair of rails. The carrier sits on the rails and moves along the rails based on its communication with the remote box. The box has a remote transmitter and a motor component that commands the carrier to move vertically down the rails at the discretion of a user. The rails are parallel to the conveyor bar and are attached to the remote box on the conveyor bar.

Abstract: A skate drive system for a catwalk having a skate and a clamping assembly. The system includes a primary actuator and a secondary actuator. The primary actuator is configured to apply a drive force to first and second cables to move the skate along a trough of the catwalk. The secondary actuator is configured to apply a tension force to at least one of the first and second cables independent of the primary actuator to actuate the clamping assembly from an unclamped position to a clamped position.

Abstract: A single-carriage reversing train positioning system which includes an extending spike-type car engaging member for engaging and moving one or more railcars. An extending chuck assembly may be provided with the ability to operate gates in bottom-discharging railcars. The system uses a single self-propelled carriage with an on-board carriage drive system that includes a drive motor which operates the car along a fixed chain situated along a guideway. A generally horizontally disposed, laterally extendable pin car-engaging assembly is mounted on the car-moving carriage for aligning with and engaging a hook loop on a railcar for moving the car. A gate-operating assembly which includes a laterally extendable chuck system which aligns with, engages and rotates gate-operating capstans on bottom discharging railcars may also be provided.

Abstract: The present invention provides a reversing train positioning system for engaging and moving a railroad car or trip of cars by engaging a bogey wheel truck frame. The train positioning system includes a dog carriage having a drive motor mounted on the dog carriage which operates to propel the dog carriage back and forth along a single tension chain in a carriage guideway provided alongside a railroad track. The carriage is supplied with electric power and hydraulic fluid from an attached flexible power track system which has a fixed end connected to a source of high pressure hydraulic fluid and a return sump and a source of electric power and a free end attached to move with the carriage. Alternatively, the entire hydraulic system may be carried on board the carriage.

Abstract: A train positioning system for moving railroad cars by engaging bogey frames from one side includes a dog carriage guideway spaced from and parallel to a railroad track, a dog carriage mounted to operate along the guideway, a first dog pivotally attached to the dog carriage to pivot in a generally horizontal plane between a retracted position and an extended position. The first dog is positioned to engage a bogey frame in a first direction and be deflected by the bogey frame in a second direction in the extended position. A second dog may be mounted in opposed spaced relation to the first dog also to pivot in a generally horizontal plane between a retracted and an extended position. The second dog is configured to engage a bogey frame in the second direction and be deflected by the bogey frame in the first direction. A system is provided for reversibly operating the dog carriage along the guideway.

Abstract: Railway car indexers are disclosed that include a high dog engaging member for engaging a bogey frame behind a railway axle. The high dog is pivotally attached to a dog carriage which is slidably inserted in an indexer track juxtaposed to the railroad track. The high dog is actuated between a raised and a lowered position by a lever arm which is pivotally attached to the dog carriage and a spring-piston cylinder connected to the high dog and the lever arm. The dog carriage is moved back and forth in the indexer track to engage the lever arm and high dog with the bogey frame to move the railway cars. In a reversing indexer, the dog carriage includes opposing high dogs for engaging the bogey frame behind either axle for moving the railway cars in either direction. The single direction or reversing direction indexers include a dog carriage on one or both sides of the railroad track.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for operating a train positioner for moving one or more railroad cars of a unit train are disclosed. The positioner is engaged with the train while the positioner is stopped at an initial location. The positioner is moved and the train is accelerated to a constant speed. The energy expended by the positioner in accelerating the train to the constant speed is determined and apparent mass of the train is calculated from this energy. From the apparent mass of the train, a maximum force to which the positioner should be subjected, and a deceleration rate, a deceleration point adequate to stop the train by a predetermined, final location is calculated. The positioner is decelerated beginning at the deceleration point and at the deceleration rate until the train is stopped by a final location. In a preferred embodiment, the deceleration rate is also calculated from the apparent mass of the train and the maximum force to which the positioner should be subjected.

Abstract: A rail car moving system including a double truck assembly which is operative in a guide track alongside the rail track for applying a pushing force to a rail car. The double truck assembly includes pusher arms which are movable from a recessed position to a raised position in order to apply a force onto the side frame of a rail car. The pusher arms are spring loaded for raising the arms and a hydraulic cylinder-piston is provided to lower the pusher arms. A cable-winch is used for applying the moving force.

Abstract: A simplified and reliable apparatus for positioning rail cars at a loading or unloading station is disclosed. A rail car movement carriage traverses carriage guide rails anchored to cross-ties between the rail car rails. The carriage includes an onboard hydraulic system in which a single power cylinder activates crossed pivotally connected rail car axle engaging arms in a precision mode. The carriage also mounts a transverse support arm on one end of which is carried a limit switch and limit switch actuator which responds to contact with the flanges of rail car wheels during reverse travel of the carriage to count wheels and thereby establish a proper starting point for the forward movement of the carriage and activation of the car axle engaging arms. The other end of the carriage mounted cross arm is attached to a foldable feed tray which receives and stabilizes an electrical cable supplying power to a motor and valve of the hydraulic system on the carriage.

Abstract: The piston rod of at least one hydraulic cylinder is axially connected to a pivot pin about which the car holding arm of a car holding device rotates in a vertical plane to engage the couplings between railroad cars. In the case of a single hydraulic cylinder, the inner chamber of the cylinder, located closest to the car holding arm, is connected to the outer chamber on the other side of the piston by a conduit. When hydraulic cylinders are connected to each pivot pin of the car holding arm, the inner chambers of the two cylinders are interconnected by a conduit as are the two outer chambers. When flow through the conduits is blocked by a solenoid valve, movement of the car holding arm in the direction parallel to the track is resisted and the arm holds the train in position.

Abstract: A car positioning device for dumping of random cars in a rotary car dumper, and a method for directly positioning cars within a rotary dumper, where the car positioning device, movable on a trackway parallel to a track portion carrying railroad cars, has a carriage base and a pivoted car positioning arm thereon, the car positioning arm being L-shaped with a long section extending parallel to the trackway and a short section carrying a coupling apparatus, transverse the track portion, such that the long section extends beyond the carriage and beyond the guideway for the carriage, with the short section of the arm positionable within the car dumping apparatus to directly position a car within the confines of the dumper.

Abstract: There is disclosed a train positioner for sequentially advancing a string of railroad cars to a rotary car dumper in a step-by-step and a car-by-car sequence. Each of the cars has rotatable couplings permitting the rotation of each car about a longitudinal axis. The rotary car dumper is adapted to invert a railroad car about that axis. Two car-pushing members are provided which are adapted to sequentially engage a car and advance the car toward the dumper. A drive arrangement is provided which is adapted to drive at least one of the pushing members forwardly toward the dumper a distance corresponding to about the length of a car while that pushing member is engaged with a car while retracting at least one other member rearwardly away from the dumper a distance corresponding to about the length of the car while being disengaged from a car.

Abstract: An apparatus for conveying profiled rods or rails in a direction transverse to their length, particularly from a rollerway to a cooling bed which comprises a plurality of adjacent carriages for conveying a profiled rod or rail and displaceable along said direction of conveyance is described. Each carriage has connected thereto a cable or chain moveable by a respective cable drum or chain wheels. The cable drums or chain wheels of the carriages are driven by a common drive means for effecting simultaneous displacement of all said carriages, and individual displacement means associated with each carriage effects stepless individual displacement of each carriage independently of the rotary position of its associated cable drum or chain wheel. The apparatus is able to cope with curved or obliquely disposed rods or rails.

Abstract: A shuttle conveyor for moving articles fore and aft on a cargo support such as the baggage area in an aircraft cargo compartment comprises a shuttle carriage assembly travelling in tracks moved fore and aft by a cable. A control mechanism is provided to raise and lower selectively one of two cargo engaging pawls mounted on the shuttle carriage. The pawls are adapted to move cargo forward or aft in the compartment and are operated by a cable or chain operator.

Abstract: A rail-car positioner comprises a carriage on a track running alongside and parallel to the train track and an elongate arm on the carriage is transversely displaceable to enter between a pair of coupled rail-cars of the train and connect the positioner drivingly to the train. The arm is extended substantially axially, from a retracted position on the carriage, in a preferably generally horizontal first direction to introduce an end of the arm between the pair of rail-cars, and said end is then engaged with the rail-cars' coupling by displacing it in a second direction transverse to the first direction.

Abstract: A train position control arm adapted for use in handling cars of a unit train in a movable train positioner and in a stationary train holder. The arm is proportioned to engage a car coupler from a zone limited to the area immediately above the coupler so that a symmetrical pair of such arms may be simultaneously employed at the same location on a mating pair of couplers. A coupler engaging head of the arm includes elements for engaging and disengaging a coupler under full compression or buff loading. In a train holder apparatus, the arm is pivotally supported on a horizontal axis spaced from the tracks and at substantially the same height as a car coupler. A stationary base supporting the arm includes shock absorbing apparatus adapted to resist impact forces on the arm along a line coincident with the pivot axis.

Abstract: A freight handling system particularly adapted to transfer palletized loads from one side of a freight dock to another. There is an endless closed loop conveyor comprising an endless chain defining a closed loop path, along which are unidirectional rollers. At spaced locations along the conveying path, there are a number of transfer stations each having a plurality of multidirectional rollers, in the form of casters, which permit pallet loads to be moved onto and from the conveying path. A plurality of pushing devices, particularly adapted for use in the present invention, are mounted to the chain at regularly spaced locations. Each pushing device comprises a push arm which in its operative position has an upwardly and rearwardly moderately sloped push surface which engages a palletized load at a transfer station to move it along the conveying path over the rollers.

Abstract: A railway car positioning carriage movable back and forth along a track parallel to a railway track is provided with a member for engagement with the end of a car on the railway track to move it. A pair of sheaves are rotatably mounted on the carriage, and first and second anchor devices are disposed at opposite ends of its track. A wire rope is secured at one end to each of the anchor devices and each rope extends therefrom toward the carriage and around one of the sheaves. The other ends of the ropes are connected to a member for pulling on either rope while simultaneously paying out the other one to thereby pull the carriage along its track. One of the ropes can be temporarily released from its anchor device and detachably connected to the carriage, which can then be pulled by the other rope so that the carriage will pull the released rope across its anchor device to take up slack in the ropes.

Abstract: There is provided, in a railroad car positioning apparatus of the general type shown and described in Reissue Patent No. Re. 27,300 dated Feb. 22, 1972, an improvement in the car positioner arm which is adapted to move between a pair of coupled railroad cars and into car pushing engagement with the cars centrally thereof. The improvement involves the provision, in combination, of force transferring means on the distal extremity of the car positioner arm for engaging a coupled coupler between a pair of coupled railroad cars, separate force transferring means also on the distal extremity of the car positioner arm for engaging an open coupler of at least one uncoupled railroad car, and means for shifting the two force transferring means for selectively disposing either of them in its operative, car-manipulating position and the other in a stored or inoperative position.