Multi-purpose railway cars of the piggyback type incorporating improved hand brake mechanisms

Claim 1

A RAILWAY CAR ESPECIALLY ADAPTED TO TRANSPORT SIMULTANEOUSLY TWO ROAD SEMI-TRAILERS AND COMPRISING AN ELONGATED LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING FRAME HAVING A LENGTH BETWEEN THE OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF IN EXCESS OF ABOUT 85 FEET, A PAIR OF WHEELED TRUCKS RESPECTIVELY SUPPORTING THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID FRAME, A PAIR OF BRAKE MECHANISMS RESPECTIVELY INCORPORATED IN SAID TRUCKS, BRAKE RIGGING CARRIED BY SAID FRAME FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY CONTROLLING SAID BRAKE MECHANISMS, A PAIR OF ELONGATED LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING AND LATERALLY SPACED-APART TREADWAYS RESPECTIVELY CARRIED BY THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID FRAME AND ADAPTED RESPECTIVELY TO SUPPORT THE LATERALLY SPACED-APART ROAD WHEELS OF EACH OF TWO ROAD SEMI-TRAILERS MOUNTED IN TANDEM RELATION ON TOP OF SAID FRAME, THE LONGITUDINAL DISTANCE BETWEEN THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF EACH OF SAID TREAD WAYS BEING AT LEAST ABOUT 85 FEET AND THE LATERAL DISTANCE BETWEEN THE OPPOSITE OUTER SIDES OF SAID TREADWAYS BEING AT LEAST ABOUT 100 INCHES, HAND BRAKE MECHANISM CARRIED BY ONE SIDE OF SAID FRAME ADJACENT TO ONE END THEREOF AND DISPOSED BELOW THE ADJACENT ONE OF SAID TREADWAYS AND POSITIONED LATERALLY INWARDLY OF THE ADJACENT OUTER SIDE OF SAID ONE TREADWAY, SAID HAND BRAKE MECHANISM INCLUDING A MANUALLY OPERABLE HAND WHEEL PROJECTING LATERALLY OUTWARDLY THEREFROM AND POSITIONED CLOSELY ADJACENT TO AND LATERALLY OUTWARDLY OF THE OUTER SIDE OF SAID ONE TREADWAY, WHEREBY SAID HAND WHEEL MAY BE READILY OPERATED BY A BRAKEMAN EITHER FROM A POSITION ON TOP OF SAID ONE TREADWAY OR FROM A POSITION ON THE GROUND, AND AN OPERATIVE CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID HAND BRAKE MECHANISM AND SAID BRAKE RIGGING, SAID HAND WHEEL BEING ARRANGED SO THAT THE TOP THEREOF DOES NOT PROJECT UPWARDLY ANY SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE ABOVE THE TOP OF SAID ONE TREADWAY, WHEREBY SAID HAND WHEEL IS IN A NONINTERFERING POSITION WITH RESPECT TO LOADING AND UNLOADING OPERATIONS OF THE ROAD SEMI-TRAILERS WITH RESPECT TO THE TOP OF SAID FRAME, ALL OF THE ELEMENTS OF SAID CAR AND ALL OF THE PARTS CARRIED BY SAID FRAME AND INCLUDING SAID HAND WHEEL BEING ARRANGED LATERALLY INWARDLY SO THAT NO ONE OF THEM PROJECTS BEYOND THE A.A.R. CLEARANCE LINE FOR SAID CAR.