Loading and unloading systems for bodies of railway cars or the like

Claim 1

IN A BODY FOR A RAILWAY CAR, OR THE LIKE, INCLUDING ELONGATED SUBSTANTIALLY BOX-LIKE STRUCTURE DEFINING A LADING CHAMBER, SAID STRUCTURE INCLUDING A PAIR OF UPSTANDING OPPOSED SIDE WALLS AND A PAIR OF UPSTANDING OPPOSED END WALLS, ONE OF SAID SIDE WALLS BEING PROVIDED WITH AN UPSTANDING DOORWAY IN THE CENTRAL PORTION THEREOF AND AFFORDING ACCESS INTO THE ADJACENT SIDE OF SAID LADING CHAMBER; THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A PAIR OF LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING AND LATERALLY SPACED-APART GUIDE RAILS CARRIED BY SAID STRUCTURE WITHIN SAID LADING CHAMBER AND RESPECTIVELY DISPOSED ADJACENT TO THE TOP INNER PORTIONS OF SAID SIDE WALLS, THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF EACH OF SAID GUIDE RAILS RESPECTIVELY TERMINATING ADJACENT TO SAID END WALLS AND THE CENTRAL PORTION OF ONE OF SAID GUIDE RAILS EXTENING OVER THE TOP OF SAID DOORWAY, A LATERALLY EXTENDING BEAM ARRANGED IN THE TOP OF SAID LADING CHAMBER, MEANS INCLUDING A PAIR OF GUIDE ROLLERS RESPECTIVELY MOUNTED UPON THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID BEAM AND RESPECTIVELY ENGAGING SAID GUIDE RAILS FOR SUPPORTING SAID BEAM FOR GUIDED ROLLING MOVEMENTS ALONG SAID GUIDE RAILS IN SAID LADING CHAMBER, SAID BEAM HAVING A TRANSFER POSITION DISPOSED ADJACENT TO SAID DOORWAY AND A STORAGE POSITION DISPOSED AWAY FROM SAID DOORWAY, LATCHING MECHANISM FOR SELECTIVELY RESTRAINING SAID BEAM IN EITHER ONE OF ITS POSITIONS NAMED, A PAIR OF LATERALLY EXTENDING LADING RAILS ARRANGED IN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATION WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER AND CARRIED BY SAID BEAM AND POSITIONED THEREBELOW, TURN-AROUND MECHANISM ADAPTED TO BE SUPPORTED IN THE TOP PORTION OF SAID DOORWAY IN COOPERATING RELATION WITH THE ADJACENT OUTER ENDS OF SAID LADING RAILS WHEN SAID BEAM OCCUPIES ITS TRANSFER POSITION, SAID TURN-AROUND MECHANISM INCLUDING A ROTATABLY MOUNTED PLATFORM HAVING TWO POSITIONS AND CARRYING A PAIR OF TRANSFER RAILS ARRANGED IN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATION WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER, THE INNER ENDS OF FIRST AND SECOND OF SAID TRANSFER RAILS BEING RESPECTIVELY DISPOSED IN COOPERATING RELATION WITH THE ADJACENT OUTER ENDS OF FIRST AND SECOND OF SAID LADING RAILS WHEN SAID PLATFORM OCCUPIES A FIRST OF ITS POSITIONS AND SAID BEAM OCCUPIES ITS TRANSFER POSITION, THE INNER ENDS OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND TRANSFER RAILS BEING RESPECTIVELY DISPOSED IN COOPERATING RELATION WITH THE ADJACENT OUTER ENDS OF SAID SECOND AND FIRST LADING RAILS WHEN SAID PLATFORM OCCUPIES A SECOND OF ITS POSITIONS AND SAID BEAM OCCUPIES ITS TRANSFER POSITION, AND A PLURALITY OF ROLLER-MOUNTED LADING CARRIERS ADAPTED TO BE SUPPORTED BY EITHER ONE OF SAID TRANSFER RAILS FOR ROLLING MOVEMENTS THEREALONG AND ADAPTED TO BE READILY PLACED AND REMOVED WITH RESPECT TO EITHER ONE OF SAID TRANSFER RAILS THROUGH SAID DOORWAY, WHEREBY ONE OF SAID LADING CARRIAGES MAY BE ROLLED IN EITHER DIRECTION BETWEEN ONE OF SAID TRANSFER RAILS AND EITHER ONE OF SAID LADING RAILS DEPENDING UPON THE POSITION OF SAID PLATFORM AND WITH SAID BEAM IN ITS TRANSFER POSITION.