Vehicle that can be driven on both roads and railroad tracks

Abstract

A vehicle, particularly a semitrailer, is adapted for driving on both a road and a railroad track. The semitrailer includes a traction vehicle, which is joined articulately to a trailer. The traction vehicle has a front rail-wheel unit and a rear rail-wheel unit, whereas the trailer includes only one rear rail-wheel unit. At least one of the two latter rail-wheel units includes drive means, and one or both of said units may consist of a bogie that includes two axles, or one or both of said units may be a single-axle unit. All rail-wheel units are vertically movable to enable the vehicle to be placed on the railroad and adjacent rubber wheel to be lifted.

1 . A vehicle, particularly a so-called semitrailer, for driving both on a road and a railroad track, said vehicle including a traction vehicle having a wheel chassis and front steerable wheel axles and a rear wheel axle, both having road wheels, and a front and a rear rail-wheel unit located respectively in front of the front wheels and behind the rear wheels, wherein at least one of said units can be swung about a vertical shaft and each of which units has at least one axle which carries rail wheels and which is movable vertically to bring the rail wheels into engagement with the railroad track, wherein a trailer provided at least with rear road wheels is pivotally connected to the traction vehicle via a vertical rotatable axle located in front of the rear rail-wheel unit of the traction vehicle; and wherein the trailer includes behind the rear road wheels a vertically movable third rail wheel unit which can swing about a vertical axle and which includes at least one axle carrying rail wheels.  
   
   
       2 . A vehicle according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the two rear rail-wheel units is comprised of a bogie that has two rail-wheel axles.  
   
   
       3 . A vehicle according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the two rear rail-wheel units has a drive motor for driving at least one rail-wheel axle.  
   
   
       4 . A vehicle according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one rail-wheel unit, preferably a single-axle rail-wheel unit, includes an outwardly pivotal support element having an axle carrying a rail wheel for engagement with the rails when driving the vehicle onto the railroad track.  
   
   
       5 . A vehicle according to  claim 4 , wherein the rail-wheel unit provided with said support element can be fixated in its position parallel with the railroad track and with the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.  
   
   
       6 . A vehicle according to  claim 1 , wherein all rail-wheel units are provided with drive means.