Rail mounted apparatus for highway vehicles

Claim 1

THE IMPROVEMENT IN AN APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING HIGHWAY VEHICLES HAVING PNEUMATIC TIRE EQUIPPED DRIVE WHEELS ON RAILROAD RAILS, SAID IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A TRUCK ADAPTED TO UNDERLIE THE DRIVE WHEELS AT ONE END PORTION OF A HIGHWAY VEHICLE AND INCLUDING, A TRUCK FRAME HAVING LATERALLY SPACED PARALLEL LONGITUDINAL OUTER SIDE FRAME MEMBERS AND A RIGID TRANSVERSE CONNECTING INNER FRAME MEMBER, PARALLEL FRONT AND REAR TRUCK AXLES EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID FRAME AND JOURNALLED ADJACENT THEIR ENDS IN SAID OUTER SIDE FRAME MEMBERS, FRONT AND REAR PAIRS OF RAILROAD RAIL ENGAGING FLANGED WHEELS ON SAID FRONT AND REAR AXLES BETWEEN SAID OUTER SIDE FRAME MEMBERS, ONE OF THE WHEELS OF EACH OF SAID PAIRS OF WHEELS BEING MOUNTED FAST ON ITS RESPECTIVE AXLE FOR COMMON ROTATION THEREWITH, THE OTHER WHEELS OF SAID PAIRS THEREOF BEING JOURNALLED ON THEIR RESPECTIVE AXLES FOR INDEPENDENT ROTATION, A PAIR OF VEHICLE DRIVE WHEELS ENGAGING AND SUPPORTING ROLLERS JOURNALLED AT THEIR OPPOSITE ENDS IN SAID OUTER SIDE FRAME MEMBERS ON SPACED AXES IN SPACED PARALLEL RELATION TO SAID FRONT AND REAR AXLES, SAID ROLLERS HAVING TIRE ENGAGING PERIPHERAL SURFACES EXTENDING FOR THE GREATER PART OF THE LENGTH OF SAID ROLLERS WHEREBY TO ACCOMMODATE DRIVE WHEELS OF VEHICLES OF VARIOUS WHEEL TRACK DIMENSIONS, INDEPENDENT POWER TRANSMISSION MECHANISMS OPERATIVELY COUPLING EACH OF SAID ROLLERS TO A WHEEL ASSOCIATED WITH A DIFFERENT ONE OF SAID AXLES, A PEDESTAL EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM THE INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF SAID TRANSVERSE CONNECTING FRAME MEMBER AND HAVING A VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE HEAD AT ITS UPPER END, SAID HEAD DEFINING AN UPWARDLY OPENING RECESS FOR SUPPORTING ENGAGEMENT WITH A BOTTOM PORTION OF THE DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING OF THE VEHICLE, AND A CLAMPING MEMBER FOR RELEASABLY LOCKING SAID DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING AGAINST VERTICAL MOVEMENT OUT OF SAID RECESS, WHEREBY VERTICAL ADJUSTMENT OF SAID HEAD WILL PREVENT UNDUE FLEXING AND WEAR ON THE VEHICLE TIRES WHILE PERMITTING PIVOTAL LATERAL SWAY OF THE BODY SUPPORTED WEIGHT ON SAID PEDESTAL RELATIVE TO SAID TRUCK.