US 11,858,541 B2
Articulated rail-transport car
Jacob D. Herzog, St. Joseph, MO (US); Matt Combs, Agency, MO (US); and Tony Shirk, Clarksdale, MO (US)
Assigned to Herzog Railroad Services, Inc., St. Joseph, MO (US)
Filed by Herzog Railroad Services, Inc., St. Joseph, MO (US)
Filed on Mar. 6, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/811,395.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/821,418, filed on Mar. 20, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2020/0298893 A1, Sep. 24, 2020
Int. Cl. B61D 3/10 (2006.01); B61D 3/16 (2006.01); B61F 3/12 (2006.01)
CPC B61D 3/10 (2013.01) [B61D 3/16 (2013.01); B61F 3/12 (2013.01)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An articulated rail-transport car for transporting a plurality of ribbon rails along a railway, the car comprising:
a plurality of longitudinally extending segments, each of the longitudinally extending segments disposed end-to-end;
a plurality of shared trucks, each of the plurality of shared trucks having a common pivot assembly connected to and supporting adjacent respective ends of each of the longitudinally extending segments and configured to enable pivoting of the segments relative to one another;
a first dedicated truck supporting a free end of a first segment of the plurality of segments, the free end of the first segment extending longitudinally beyond the first dedicated truck and being disposed at the first end of the car;
a second dedicated truck supporting a free end of a second segment of the plurality of segments, the free end of the second segment extending longitudinally beyond the second dedicated truck and being disposed at a second end of the car, the second end being opposite from the first end; wherein the plurality of longitudinally extending segments, supported at adjacent respective ends on respective ones of the plurality of shared trucks, extend from the first dedicated truck to the second dedicated truck; and
a number of rail stands configured to support a plurality of ribbon rails and disposed on the plurality of longitudinally extending segments, the rail stands being spaced apart along a longitudinal length of the rail-transport car and spaced longitudinally apart from each of the plurality of shared trucks, wherein a ratio of the number of rail stands to a total number of the shared trucks plus the first and second dedicated trucks is greater than 1:1.