GB2280644A - Rail and road or water transport vehicle. - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle for carrying freight or passengers is adapted for travel on a railway track and either on a road or on water. In one embodiment, the vehicle resembles a standard bus while in another the vehicle resembles a river boat. The vehicles may operate alone or may be combined to form a train. The vehicle is provided with a set of doors 4 for use when the vehicle is travelling on a road and also a further set of doors 5, at different height above the ground than the first set of doors 4, for use when the vehicle stops at a railway platform. <IMAGE>

Description

A Device for Conveying Passengers and Freight bv Railway Introduction Railway passengers may be carried from place to place at a reasonable speed in adequate comfort by boarding railway trains. In likewise fashion freight may also be carried long distances at reasonable speed for acceptable economic cost. However, a basic disadvantage of this form of transport is that the trains which run on the railway tracks are confined to those tracks which form the railway network upon which those trains operate. The result of this limitation is that it is necessary for passengers and/ or freight which are to be moved by the railway to be gathered together at places commonly referred to as stations or freight yards so that they may board a train.Once the passengers and/ or goods have boarded a train the train may commence on the way to its next stopping place and to other stopping places thereafter. When the passengers and/ or freight carried by the train arrive at the railway station which is usually the nearest to the eventual destination of the passengers and/ or freight, passengers and/ or freight must leave the train, to continue their journeys by some other means. For example, passengers and/ or freight may continue on foot or by road vehicle.

Most of the railways and railway stations to be found in the United Kingdom were built many decades ago. When the railway stations were built they were close to the communities and centres of commerce of those times. But now, subsequent building development, an increased population, improved housing and a multitude of other factors have caused many communities and centres of commerce to move away from their earlier positions. For these reasons railway stations are now usually at an appreciable distance from many of the potential customers for the railways. Passengers or shippers of goods must now use some type of private or public transport to travel between a railway station and the start or finish of their journeys. The need to use private or public transport introduces additional complications.For example, a car driver wishing to catch a train must find somewhere acceptably close to the railway station where it will be safe to leave the car. n purpose made car park will invariably incur financial expense. n traveller by bus will usually have to wait for some indeterminate period at the roadside until the bus arrives. During the wait the traveller by bus will have little shelter from the weather. The traveller by bus will also find carriage of baggage or other packages a great inconvenience.

Another disadvantage of railway transport is that a train which stops at many halts on a particular length of railway track will show a slower average speed than a similar train which passes along the same track with fewer halts or without stopping at all. Rs it is an objective of the railway track operator to try to meet the needs of as many of its users as possible the operator must run as many different types and speeds of train as practicable along each railroad. However, running a mixture of different train services on the same railroad can cause conflicts. For example, a train which is travelling fast and which is making few stops along its route so that it can cover a long distance in an acceptably short period may catch up a much slower train occupying the same railroad which is stopping at every halt on the route.

Of course, the fast train will have to slow down so as to avert a collision and is therefore obstructed and delayed by the slower train.

In practice this circumstance is usually avoided by providing what are described as Passing Loops at regular intervals along the track. There are several different methods for providing Passing Loops, of which two are the chief methods. In the first method the Passing Loop is formed by incorporating two track switches in the main railway line. Track switches are also known as points or turnouts. When suitably set, the first track switch may divert traffic onto a bypass line which, after a suitable distance, eventually rejoins the main line at the second track switch. By operating the two track switches at opportune moments trains may be allowed to continue on the main track or be diverted onto the bypass line, to rejoin the main line at the second track switch, so to continue on their way.Thus, by means of Passing Loops a fast train may overtake a slow train, so assuring that the fast train is not delayed.

g second method for providing Passing Loops for fast trains to overtake the slower variety occupying the same railroad is possible when there are two or more coincident railway tracks laid in the same railroad.

For example, when the two rails constituting the track of a broad gauge railway track are placed either side of two rails forming a narrower gauge railway track. In this arrangement the larger and smaller gauge railway tracks might be laid upon the same sleepers or similar rail support devices, but not necessarily so. For this second method for providing means for one train to overtake another it is necessary that one train, be it the faster or slower of the two, runs on one or other railway tracks of one gauge and on that track gauge alone. The second train must be similarly confined to the other track, be it the larger or smaller gauge track.For this second method it is also necessary that at suitable intervals, say, at every 5 kilometres, one or other of the tracks meanders, to an extent sufficient for the whole of the track to depart the path of the other so that a gap of, say, 6 metres exists between the centre lines of the two tracks. The meander will require the rail of the railway track of one gauge to cross the rails of the other track by means of suitable devices commonly known as frogs. The meander will allow the two tracks to run parallel, or almost parallel for a distance, say, 1 kilometre before a second meander returns the two tracks to their former coincidence. By means of the Passing Loop so formed one train running on one of the tracks will have the opportunity to overtake a slower train running on the other track.

Notwithstanding the benefits of Passing Loops they offer only a partial answer to the problem of operating railway traffic of mixed speeds and characteristics on a common line. For example, if future railways are to give a service which will compete with personal or collective road transport the railway service must be much more accessible to the public than it is now. This accessibility will be assured by introducing new railway rolling stock which has characteristics resembling more closely those of the road vehicles with which it will be competing. Like buses, the new rolling stock will stop routinely or upon request at halts placed more frequently than has hitherto been the case with railway stations. Ns the new rolling stock may make many stops in the distance between two ordinary railway stations, with a greater proportion of the time taken while passengers board and alight, the average speed shown by such new rolling stock will be very much less than the conventional rolling stock running on railway track, with which it will have to mix. Thus, if the new rolling stock were to be operated in the same fashion as if it were conventional rolling stock many more Passing Loops of the types described above would be needed, placed at much shorter intervals than has hitherto been the case for Passing Loops provided for conventional railway rolling stock.There would also be need for a great number of track switches and rail crossing frogs which are at the start and finish of Passing Loops. A11 these track switches would incur substantial capital and subsequent maintenance expenditure and would add to complexity of track control systems, with an ensuing loss of safety and reliability. When the rail crossing frogs are on a high speed railway track there is an additional problem. This is that the crossing frogs must be long so that the vertical acceleration of the train wheels resulting from the vertical displacement necessary for them to ride over the crossing rail head is not excessive. Otherwise the high speed train would suffer mechanical shock and its passengers experience discomfort.

Many very long crossing frogs would increase complexity of rail layout geometry and add to the capital and upkeep cost of the track. Thus, such schemes which required a large number of track switches, crossing frogs and Passing Loops to will prove impracticable to implement.

The consequence of all these and many other factors is that there is no incentive for a car owner to use any other form of transport for making journeys of up to, say, 40 miles. It is much more comfortable, speedy and convenient to use the car for travelling from door to door. Now it is vital to begin making the changes needed to combat the consequences of pollution and uncontrolled release of man-made Greenhouse Gases which contribute to Global Warming. From among the range of changes which are desirable is reduction of the products and emissions harmful to the natural environment which are attributable to private cars. However, few car drivers will relinquish the advantages that cars offer when faced with the alternative methods for mobility available at present.

The objective of the invention described herein is to provide a new form of public transport device. This device will have the route flexibility and ease of access by the public of collective road transport, yet have the energy efficiency and long distance speed of railway transport. The invention will therefore be able to offer a service of appeal to the car user. The invention will also overcome the technical and economic problems outlined above which inhibit more general use of railways.

The Invention The invention is a novel form of railway rolling stock. For brevity the invention is also termed hereinafter a "Railcab". The invention may convey passengers or freight or both simultaneously in any proportion.

One of the features of the invention is that it is able to run on railway track of any gauge, yet is also able to depart railway track and continue on its way supported on one or more alternative support media, including another railway track, metalled roads, rough lanes or liquid, in accord with the construction details of the many possible embodiments of the invention. This capability to leave railway track and continue supported by some other medium removes the necessity for track switches or crossing frogs in the main line, except where needed for other types of rolling stock. Nor are Passing Loops formed of railway track needed for the purpose of letting one or more of the inventions overtake slower rolling stock, or being overtaken by faster rolling stock, which is sharing the same railway track or railroad.

Instead, the Railcab may leave the main line of railway track when it meets one or more alternative support media, whereupon the Railcab uses the alternative support medium or media to lift itself bodily from the main railway track. Once the wheels of the invention are free of the rails comprising the railway track the Railcab may continue for any distance in any direction, so far that the alternative support medium or media extends. Then conventional railway rolling stock may continue along the railway track unobstructed by the Railcab.

The Railcab may join railway track by the following method. The Railcab will steer a path in or on the alternative support medium or media which carries it as it moves towards the rails of the railway track which it is to join. Rs the Railcab approaches the rails of the railway track devices steer the Railcab so that its railway wheels become coincident with the rails of the railway track. The Railcab continues towards the rails of the railway track until its wheels and the rails make contact, whereupon the weight of the Railcab is transferred progressively to the rails of the railway track, so that eventually the alternative support medium or media are no longer carrying the whole weight of the Railcab.

Once a Railcab is on railway track it may travel at any reasonable speed until it is required to stop or leave the railway track again. For example, if no other railway traffic is expected soon on the railway track the Railcab may simply stop at some suitable place on the railway track so that passengers and/ or freight may join or leave the Railcab.

Or, if arrival of any other form of railway rolling stock on the railway track is imminent the Railcab may leave the railway track in the manner described above, steering away from the railway track so as to give clear way for the expected rolling stock. Rafter the expected railway rolling stock has passed through the track section and provided the track is clear the Railcab may then return to the track to continue on its way in the fashion described in the preceding paragraph. Such action by the Railcab to vacate the railway track and so provide clear way for the other users of the railway track may be loosely termed "Rabbitholing".

The Railcab may also leave the railway track for other reasons. For example, it may have to halt at a suitable location, say, 0.1 to 15 metres from the railway track rails so that passengers and/ or freight may join or leave the Railcab. Or, the Railcab may continue for a greater distance than 15 metres away from the railway track rails supported by road or other supportive medium, such as water. In one embodiment of the Railcab it may travel upon thoroughfare through town centres, stopping at intervals along the roads so that passengers and/ or freight may join or leave the Railcab. If required the Railcab may eventually return to the railway track. Or, the Railcab may leave the railway track because some type of malfunction is sensed by control systems or operators controlling the Railcab.

n feature of the Railcab is an ability to connect with any number of others of its own kind to form an assembly. In most respects this assembly comprised of a number of the Railcabs will appear to an ordinary observer to resemble what is described in common parlance as a train. The Railcab assembly will be able to run at a speed comparable with the other rolling stock using the railway track and will be able to use associated facilities such as stations and sidings. Rlso, the Railcab assembly will have the characteristics so that it behaves in such a manner that it resembles the other users of ordinary railway track and is compatible with them.

In operation the Railcab will be able to offer a wide range of services to its users. For example, at a given time several individual Railcabs may each wait in the centre of several different towns a reasonable distance from each other and from railway track. While the Railcabs are waiting passengers may board or alight the Railcabs and/ or freight be loaded or unloaded, or the Railcabs may remain as they were laden upon arrival. At a suitable moment the first of the several Railcabs will start to move, making its way supported by the road surface over which it is moving. The Railcab will continue away from the town centre towards the nearest convenient place where it may join the railway track. Meanwhile, one or more of the remaining Railcabs will also start to move, with the remainder starting to move at intervals thereafter.

They will also make their way supported by road surface towards the places where they will join railway track in the manner described above.

Once the several Railcabs are on the same railway track they will continue on it, "Rabbitholing" as needed to allow faster rolling stock which is sharing the track to overtake, or to overtake slower rolling stock which is sharing the same track. The several separate Railcabs will be controlled so that they catch up each other, whereupon they will connect together so that they will have eventually all connected together to form a single assembly. The performance of the Railcab assembly will be almost indistinguishable from that of other fast moving rolling stock using the railway track. Thus, the Railcab assembly will join the other users of the railway line, stopping and starting at stations as required to allow passengers and/ or freight to leave or join the assembly.

an an option, after the Railcab assembly has been formed, it may proceed direct to a single terminal destination, at which location the assembly will halt so that passengers may leave and/ or freight be unloaded.

Rfter an appropriate delay and after passengers and/ or freight has been loaded for the outward bound journey, the Railcab assembly will begin to move back towards the area whence it came along the track by which it arrived at the destination. On its return journey the Railcab assembly will travel fast until it approaches the region of track in which the assembly must begin to separate. Ns each of the Railcabs leaves the assembly in small groups or as individuals they make their own way back by road to the town centres from whence they started.

It is evident that there are many possible variations and permutations in the behaviour of the Railcab described in preceding examples. So many different operating modes are imaginable that to describe them all herein would be impractical. For an example, any particular Railcab need not return whence it came but could go to a new destination.

another example, as each Railcab continues by road towards the point where it will join railway track one Railcab may encounter one or more of its fellows whereupon, though not necessarily, they may be caused to connect together by action of the control systems regulating their actions. Yet another example, when the Railcabs are assembled and running on railway track the assembly may split in two or more parts, with each part making its own way towards a separate destination alone or connected with similar parts of other Railcab assemblies which have split up in likewise fashion.

The invention may be powered by any suitable means. When it is on or near railway track it may draw power from the supplies which are provided for propulsion of the conventional trains which are using the railway track. When it is too far from the railway track to use this source any other form of energy pickup or storage may be employed, for example oil fuel for internal combustion engines, electro chemical cells or devices to store mechanical energy.

The invention may be control led by any suitable means or combination of means. The invention may be equipped with manual controls so that a human operator may drive it and control auxiliary systems such as those for lights, heating and braking, necessary for correct operation of the invention under normal or abnormal circumstances. The invention may also be provided with an automatic control system so that in normal circumstances there is no need for intervention by a human operator for satisfactory operation of the invention. The automatic control system regulating the invention with or without human intervention may be wholly on board the invention, wholly remote from the invention or part on board and part remote from the invention.When the invention is not on the railway track its course will be controlled with the aid of any suitable navigation system or combination of navigation systems.

It is desirable that the invention is made both strong and light so that it will withstand the rigours of day and night operation without failure, yet has an efficient use of energy. Light weight will also enable speedy and safe removal of defective Railcabs from railway tracks shared by other users by means of lifting helicopter.

Description of the Invention Figures 1 and 2 are sketches showing simplified views of one of many possible embodiments of the invention termed the Railcab. This embodiment is suited to provide a service between London and the numerous smaller towns and communities which surround it. For example, this embodiment of the invention may give a service by which residents living to the east of London in places such as Southend, Thurrock, Medway Towns, Dartford, Erith and Thamesmead may board single Railcabs in the morning so that they may commute to Canary Wharf in London. For the first part of the journey the Railcabs will run on road, later to combine to form assemblies which will run on railway track which is at present part of the British Rail network, or on new railway tracks to be provided for the new Jubilee tube lines.The Railcab assemblies will be able to run over the entire extent of Jubilee line track. They will be able to behave in a manner resembling that of the dedicated rolling stock used on London underground network lines. Nt some time later the Railcab assemblies will leave on journeys outward from London and return the commuting passengers to the places whence they came.

Figure 1 is a simplified side view of this embodiment of the invention.

In this view the Railcab is supported by wheels of very elastic material item 1 so that it may travel on the road 2. The construction of the wheel units is shown in greater detail in figure 2. The wheels 1 also allow the invention to ride up onto ramps of hard standing situated at intervals along the route of the railway track. Rs the wheels 1 engage the ramps the wheels 1 take the weight of the invention so that at the end of the ramps the invention has lifted free of the rails upon which it was running previously. The invention may then use its wheels 1 to steer away from the railway track onto hard standing by the railway track or towards road so that it may continue its journey by that supporting medium. The ramps may be made of any suitable material, for example, sheet metal or concrete.Wheels 1 are also used to carry and steer the invention back towards the railway track when it is to return to run on the railway track. In this case the invention drives down a ramp situated on the railway track. The wheels 1 are carefully guided so that the railway wheels item 9 in figure 2 accurately re-engage the railway track rails.

In figure 2 item 9 indicates the railway wheels which allow the Railcab to run on railway lines. Each railway wheel item 9 and its associated elastic wheel item 1 together form a separate composite unit, several of which units are connected to suspension mountings which convey the forces acting through the wheels to the body of the Railcab. The suspension mountings may be of any suitable form for the application.

They are not shown in figures 1 or 2 to preserve clarity of the drawings. The invention is propelled preferably by drive devices fitted within the wheel units or close by them so that there is little need for large drive shafts to carry mechanical power to drive the wheels. Some or all of the wheel units may be so driven. In figure 1 the left hand side of the drawing corresponds to the front of the Railcab and in this embodiment of the invention only the front wheels steer. Other embodiments of the invention are possible in which all the wheels 1 steer, or there are more wheels than those indicated in figures 1 and 2, some or all of which steer.

In figure 1 item 4 is the door for passengers joining or leaving the invention when it is running on roads. The door is near to the driver so that fares may be collected and travel passes inspected for validity.

If other more sophisticated travel payment schemes are brought into use proximity of item 4 to the driver will no longer be essential, so that item 4 may be located in other positions. When the invention is running upon roads the floor of the invention behind the door 4 is arranged to be as low as practicable so that when the door is open the floor is close to the level of the pavement upon which passengers are waiting or will alight. This feature makes it easier for the elderly or infirm to climb on and off, or for wheelchairs and shopping baskets to be rolled on or off the invention at stops by the road side. When the invention is running upon roads it will possess all, or almost all, of the features needed for it to conform to regulations in force at the time relevant to public service passenger transport vehicles.

When the invention has left the road and is running on its railway wheels upon railway track the level of the platforms at railway stations will correspond approximately to that indicated by 3. This level may be be as much as 500 millimetres above the rail head. As a result, one or more measures must be taken singly or in combination so that passengers may safely board or leave the invention at railway stations. One such measure is the provision of doors 5 in both sides of the invention. The bottom edges of doors 5 are contiguous, or almost contiguous, with the platforms on the railway route.

Another option is to arrange for the bottom edge of the road doors 4 and the floor behind to have their height adjusted by means of a mechanism provided for the purpose. When the invention is running on roads the door bottom edge and floor will be in the lowest position so that access to and from pavements is relatively easy. When the invention joins the railway track the door bottom edge and the floor behind will be raised to a level which matches that of the platforms. Rs the platforms at some stations are at slightly different heights above the railhead the floor level adjustment mechanism could be used to compensate for any misalignment at such stations.Another option is to provide ramps and elevated platforms on road side pavements so that only doors 5 are needed for safe passenger and goods access to and from the invention.

Many other alternative strategies are possible for compensating for the difference in height when the invention is running on road or railway.

For example, the invention may be fitted with variable height suspension between wheels and the floor which carries the passengers. Ns an option the wheels may be connected to one or more chassis frames provided to assure correct mechanical alignment of the wheels in all circumstances, upon which frame or frames the passenger carrying body of the vehicle may be supported at a height which may be adjusted to suit the particular requirements at any given moment.

The rectangular areas items 6 and 7 represent space allocated for mechanisms by which two or more of the inventions couple together to form a Railcab assembly. The representations 6 and 7 are illustrative and bear no resemblance to the actual size of the operational units.

The coupling or uncoupling operation may be made with one or more of the Railcabs stationary or when they are all moving.

In addition to parts which assure that the Railcabs are mechanically linked together securely, coupling mechanisms 6 and 7 also have parts which provide paths for electrical power, control signals, public address circuits and any other form of energy which must be conveyed between Railcabs. Rll Railcabs are also equipped with a communication link using radio or some other signalling system. This link assures that at all times a central control system is informed of all movements and operational status of the individual Railcabs pertinent to satisfactory working of the Railcab transport system. The communication link may be employed to send signals between Railcabs before, during and after they connect up to form a Railcab assembly.

When a sufficient number of individual Railcabs have joined to form an assembly, the assembly may run on the railway track and in other ways behave as if it were an ordinary train. The items 8 represent windows provided to illuminate the interior of the invention by artificial or natural light. The windows also allow the driver and passengers clear view of their surroundings. When two or more Railcabs have been united to form an assembly windows immediately adjacent may be opened to provide a path for passengers throughout the length of the assembly.

Windows at the front and rear ends of a single Railcab, or a Railcab assembly, may also serve as emergency escape doors. If a Railcab or Railcab assembly breaks down in a confined space the front and rear windows of each Railcab may be opened to provide a continuous passage from one end to the other for the escape of passengers and access by staff of the emergency services.

In figure 2 item 10 indicates the simplified outline of the cross section view of the body shell of the invention at X-X. In this embodiment of the invention the passenger space is about 2 metres high, about 2.4 metres wide and about 6 metres long. This will allow roughly 20 seats, plus standing room for a similar number. Item 11 indicates the floor upon which goods or passengers stand or walk to seats fixed to the floor. There is ample clearance beneath the floor 11 for electrical pick-up shoes which collect electricity from the conductor rails located between the load bearing rails of the railway track. In this particular embodiment of the invention power for road driving is obtained from a battery of electrical storage cells located in the voids between the wheels 1 and beneath the floor 11.When the invention is running on railway track these cells are recharged using electricity obtained from the railway track conductor rails or catenary wires.

Existing regulations for road vehicles designed for carrying passengers restrict them to a maximum width of 2.5 metres. However, Jubilee line trains must be about 2.7 metres wide at platform level so that at stations the gap between the edges of platform and train is sufficiently small to prevent accidents to passengers joining or leaving the train.

In figure 2 the body 10 of the invention is shown to be approximately 2.7 metres wide, so that at stations the gap between platform edge and the invention is sufficiently small. When it is on the road, drivers of the invention should not find that this small increase in width bars them from following the majority of bus routes in current use. If this width increase is impracticable for any reasons it will be necessary to fit the invention with extensible ledges beneath each door.

When the invention is on roads the ledges will be retracted so that they do not protrude too far from the general profile of the body. The ledges may be extended all the while the invention is on railway track or only when the invention stops at railway stations.

In operation, each Railcab will usually be driven by a suitably qualified person when it is on the roads. Whether on road or railway, when two or more Railcabs join together to form a Railcab assembly the driver of the leading Railcab will remain in charge of the assembly, control signals being passed to trailing Railcabs by means of links comprising the coupling mechanisms 6 and 7, already described. After two or more Railcabs have joined to form a single assembly the drivers of trailing Railcabs may leave the assembly at the earliest opportunity.

They may wait at a convenient location so that they may join a Railcab assembly travelling in the opposite direction. When the time comes for this Railcab assembly to begin to dismantle the drivers will be on board, ready to take control of their particular charge as soon as it leaves the assembly.

In some circumstances Railcabs may be made completely automatic so that there is no need for a driver at any stage in its operation. In these circumstances guidance of each Railcab on the road will need a suitable navigating system. All other aspects of operation will require a high level of automatic control so that passengers are conveyed in safety and comfort.

Claims (1)

1. CLAIM5

   1) R special form of railway rolling stock which can carry passengers or freight or both in any proportion.

   2) A special form of railway rolling stock as claimed in claim 1 which is equipped with means for running on railway track and in or on any other support medium for which it has been designed, such as water or Tarmacadam road.

   3) A special form of railway rolling stock as claimed in claim 2 which is capable of connecting with others of its kind to form an assembly, whether it is running upon rails or upon the other support medium or media that it has been designed to run upon 4) A special form of railway rolling stock as claimed in claim 3 which, when it is running upon roads, will provide members of the public with a passenger transport service resembling that given by Public Service Vehicles like Omnibuses.

   5) A special form of railway rolling stock as claimed in claim 4 which, when it is running upon roads, conforms largely, if not wholly, with the statutory requirements for Public Service Vehicles for passengers. When the invention is running in or upon some other support medium it will conform largely, if not wholly, to the statutory requirements for vehicles operating in or upon that medium.

   6) R special form of railway rolling stock as claimed in claim 5 which, when it is running upon railway track, has the characteristics of a conventional railway train running upon the same railway lines and which is compatible with them.

   7) A special form of railway rolling stock as claimed in claim 6 which, when it is running upon railway track, will provide members of the public with a service resembling that of the conventional railway trains running upon that railway track.

   8) n special form of railway rolling stock as claimed in claim 7 which offers passenger access compatible with railway station platforms and the pavement at road side passenger stops.

   9) A special form of railway rolling stock as claimed in claim 3 which, when it is running on roads, railway track or in or on an alternative medium or media to road or railway track will provide a passenger and/ or freight service competitive with transport devices already operating on roads, railway track or in or on that medium or media.

   10) A special form of railway rolling stock as claimed in 8 and 9 which is propelled using its own energy source or sources on board and/ or from energy supplies external to the invention collected by means of pick-up devices.

   11) n special form of railway rolling stock as claimed in claim 10 which may be under the control of a human driver for all or part or none of the time that it is in operation. In those periods when the invention is in operation without a human driver the invention will be controlled by automatic control systems of whatever form are suited for the purpose.