Kaci Terminals System, Ltd.

Kaci Terminal System Ltd.

John M Barr

Richard C Hathaway

Donald R Klein

Mearl K Bridges

Edmond S Miksch

The invention is a system for transporting highway vehicles on railway vehicles. It has rail cars positionable relative to one another at an angle of at least about 50 degrees. Each car has a deck for highway vehicles. The system has a railroad terminal with a first track with switch(es) connected to spur(s) so trucks supporting a first set of car ends may be kept on the first track, while a second set of trucks supporting a second set of car ends is placed on the spur(s). The rail cars are thereby placed in a zig-zag configuration. For each of the rail cars, a truck supporting one end remains on the first track while a truck supporting the other end is placed on a spur. A vector parallel to the direction of travel of a truck along the tracks supporting it has a vector component of at least about 0.25 in a direction parallel to the centerline of a railway vehicle supported on the truck, so forces for moving rail cars into and out of the zig-zag configuration may be communicated by tension or compression along the rail cars. The terminal has a dock or ramp having an elevation about equal to the elevation of the rail cars so that highway vehicles may be driven or pulled onto or off the rail cars. The terminal has a roadway or other driveable path to an external highway system.

Roll on-roll off piggyback bimodal terminal system

System and method for loading and unloading highway vehicles for transportation over railroad lines. The system has a number of railroad vehicles, each having a deck for highway vehicles. The deck extends from a central portion of the vehicle to one or both ends of the railway vehicle. The invention includes a terminal which has at least one stationary railroad track portion which is connected to a railroad system outside of the terminal. The terminal also has number of moveable railroad track segments. These segments can be positioned in a first configuration in which they are aligned so that railroad vehicles can be rolled from one or more of the stationary railroad track segments onto the moveable railroad track segments. These segments can also be positioned in a second configuration in which at least one end of each of the railroad vehicles is positioned adjacent a dock or other surface for motor vehicles, so that highway vehicles can be moved from the railroad vehicles onto the surface for motor vehicles, or from the surface for motor vehicles to the railroad vehicles. The system is equipped to move the moveable track segments from the first configuration to the second configuration, and back to the first configuration. The surface for motor vehicles is connected to a highway system outside of the terminal.

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Lewisburg, OH, United States of America

John M Barr