Freight transportation systems

Claim 1

A RAILWAY CAR ESPECIALLY ADAPTED TO CARRY REMOVABLE FREIGHT CONTAINERS; SAID RAILWAY CAR COMPRISING A PAIR OF LONGITUDINAL SPACED-APART RUNNING GEARS SUCH HAVING RAIL WHEELS, AN ELONGATED LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING NARROW BEAM BRIDGING SAID RUNNING GEARS AND LYING BETWEEN THE PLANES OF THE INNER SIDES OF THE RAIL WHEELS OF SAID RUNNING GEARS, SAID BEAM INCLUDING A PAIR OF ELONGATED LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING STRUCTURAL MEMBERS ARRANGED IN LATERALLY SPACED-APART RELATION AND DEFINING AN ELONGATED LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING NARROW POCKET THEREBETWEEN AND HAVING A CORRESPONDING ELONGATED LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING NARROW TOP OPENING INTO SAID POCKET, THE TOPS OF SAID MEMBERS RESPECTIVELY CARRYING A PAIR OF FLANGES DEFINING A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL PLATFORM ON TOP OF SAID BEAM, A PAIR OF CRADLE STRUCTURES ARRANGED WITHIN SAID POCKET AND DISPOSED IN LONGITUDINALLY SPACED-APART RELATION WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER, A PAIR OF ELONGATED PORTABLE BOLSTERS, EACH OF SAID BOLSTERS HAVING A WIDTH BETWEEN THE OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF THAT IS SOMEWHAT NARROWER THAN SAID TOP OPENING, WHEREBY EACH OF SAID BOLSTERS WHEN ORIENTED IN THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION MAY BE PASSED IN EITHER DIRECTION THROUGH SAID TOP OPENING BETWEEN THE INTERIOR AND THE EXTERIOR OF SAID POCKET, EACH OF SAID BOLSTERS HAVING A LENGTH BETWEEN THE OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF THAT IS SOMEWHAT GREATER THAN THE WIDTH OF SAID PLATFORM, WHEREBY EACH OF SAID BOLSTERS WHEN DISPOSED EXTERIORLY OF SAID POCKET AND ORIENTED IN THE LATERAL DIRECTION MAY BE SUPPORTED UPON SAID PLATFORM WITH THE OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF RESPECTIVELY PROJECTING LATERALLY OUTWARDLY BEYOND THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID PLATFORM, SAID PAIR OF BOLSTERS HAVING A CORRESPONDING PAIR OF STORAGE POSITIONS WHEREIN THEY ARE ORIENTED IN THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION AND ARRANGED WITHIN SAID POCKET AND RESPECTIVELY SUPPORTED UPON SAID PAIR OF CRADLE STRUCTURES, MEANS CARRIED BY EACH ONE OF SAID CRADLE STRUCTURES FOR HOLDING IN PLACE THE CORRESPONDING ONE OF SAID BOLSTERS SUPPORTED THEREBY IN ITS STORAGE POSITION, SAID PAIR OF BOLSTERS HAVING A CORRESPONDING PAIR OF COORDINATE ACTIVE POSITIONS WHEREIN THEY ARE ORIENTED IN THE LATERAL DIRECTION AND ARRANGED EXTERIORLY OF SAID POCKET AND RESPECTIVELY SUPPORTED UPON SAID PLATFORM AND LOCATED IN PREDETERMINED LONGITUDINALLY SPACED-APART RELATION, MEANS CARRIED BY SAID BEAM FOR RESTRAINING, SAID PAIR OF BOLSTERS IN THEIR COORDINATE ACTIVE POSITIONS, AND A PAIR OF JACKS ARRANGED WITHIN SAID POCKET AND RESPECTIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID CRADLE STRUCTURES, EACH ONE OF SAID JACKS BEING SELECTIVELY OPERATIVE TO ELEVATE THE ADJACENT ONE OF SAID BOLSTERS FROM THE ASSOCIATED ONE OF SAID CRADLE STRUCTURES AND FROM ITS STORAGE POSITION INTO AN ELEVATED POSITION DISPOSED ABOVE SAID PLATFORM AND TO ACCOMMODATE ROTATION OF SAID ONE HOLSTER IN ITS ELEVATED POSITION FROM ITS LONGITUDINAL ORIENTATION INTO ITS LATERAL ORIENTATION AND THEN TO LOWER SAID ONE BOLSTER INTO A SUPPORTED POSITION ON SAID PLATFORM SO THAT SAID ONE BOLSTER MAY THEM BE MOVED LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID PLATFORM INTO ITS ACTIVE POSITION, EACH ONE OF SAID JACKS ALSO BEING SELECTIVELY OPERATIVE TO ELEVATE ONE OF SAID BOLSTERS FROM A SUPPORTED POSITION UPON SAID PLATFORM DISPOSED IN SUPERIMPOSED RELATION WITH SAID ONE JACK AND INTO AN ELEVATED POSITION DISPOSED ABOVE SAID PLATFORM AND TO ACCOMMODATE ROTATION OF SAID ONE BOLSTER IN ITS ELEVATED POSITION FROM ITS LATERAL ORIENTATION INTO ITS LONGITUDINAL ORIENTATION AND THEN TO LOWER SAID ONE BOLSTER ONTO THE ASSOCIATED ONE OF SAID CRADLE STRUCTURES AND THUS INTO ITS STORAGE POSITION, AND MEANS CARRIED BY SAID PAIR OF BOLSTERS IN THEIR COORDINATE ACTIVE POSITIONS FOR RECEIVING AND FOR SUPPORTING THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF FREIGHT CONTAINER MOUNTED THEREUPON, EACH ONE OF SAID BOLSTES CARRYING FIRST LOCKING MECHANISM FOR SELECTIVELY LOCKING AND UNLOCKING SAID ONE BOLSTER IN ITS ACTIVE POSITION TO SAID BEAM, EACH ONE OF SAID BOLSTERS CARRYING SECOND LOCKING MECHANISM FOR SELECTIVELY LOCKING AND UNLOCKING SAID ONE BOLSTER TO THE ADJAENT END OF A FREIGHT CONTAINER MOUNTED THEREUPON.