A method for making a railcar having a span bolster is disclosed. The method involves fabricating and joining the components of the span bolster in a manner such that a camber is built into span bolster. A camber is cut into longitudinal supports that span the length of the bolster. A jig is used to shape top and bottom plates prior to attaching the plates to the longitudinal supports, thus forming the bolster. Truck assemblies are attached to the bolster and a railcar body mounted to the combined unit.

A rail-road intermodal freight system. In an embodiment, a conveyor system is provided for placing rail cars in a position for loading shipping containers thereon, while an over-the-road trailer is secured to the rail car. Rail cars have a frame with a front end and a rear end, and a bogie having at least four flanged rail wheels is pivotally mounted to the rear of the frame of the rail car. A method for unloading the rail cars includes lifting the front of the frame of the rail cars and pivoting the rail cars by an angle alpha from the track direction at an unloading area, and lowering the front end of the frame to the ground to allow truck access to trailers on the rail car. By utilizing the method, efficient loading and unloading of train involved in intermodal shipments may save considerable time, and thus reduce costs.

A funicular intended particularly for transporting heavy loads between an upstream station (10) and a downstream station (12), comprises a track (14), preferably a railway, connecting the upstream station (10) to the downstream station (12), a vehicle (16)running on the track (14) and at least one towing cable (30) in closed loop having a first towing section (32.1) passing over a first pulley (20.1) of the upstream station and over a first return pulley (26) fixed to the vehicle (16) and a second towing section (32.2), in all ways separate from the first towing section and passing over the return pulley (26) and over a second pulley (20.2) of the upstream station (10).

A system and method are used for transporting a plurality of tower sections of a wind turbine on beds of transport devices, such as flat railcars. Supports affix at support locations on beds to accommodate at least one of the tower sections on each of the transport devices. The supports can include bed supports, such as tabs, extending from the beds, and can include cradle supports with slots that engage on the tabs. A circumferential dimension of a cradle is adjusted on each of the supports against which the tower section rests. Each of the tower sections is then supported with at least two of the supports by loading the tower sections on the transport devices. An end of each of the tower sections is then affixed to a flange on at least one of the supports on each of the transport devices.

A saddle and foot stop mounting system for large tower sections transported by rail. A locating assembly, including a key rail assembly and a foot stop assembly are used in conjunction with movable saddles. The foot stop assembly includes a locating key for engaging one of plural key fixtures along the key rail, which defines plural mounting locations for the foot stop. Used in conjunction with the movable saddles, this system accommodates a wide range of tower section sizes and weights.

A system and method are used for transporting a plurality of tower sections of a wind turbine on beds of transport devices, such as flat railcars. Supports affix at support locations on beds to accommodate at least one of the tower sections on each of the transport devices. The supports can include bed supports, such as tabs, extending from the beds, and can include cradle supports with slots that engage on the tabs. A circumferential dimension of a cradle is adjusted on each of the supports against which the tower section rests. Each of the tower sections is then supported with at least two of the supports by loading the tower sections on the transport devices. An end of each of the tower sections is then affixed to a flange on at least one of the supports on each of the transport devices.

A system and method are used for transporting a plurality of tower sections of a wind turbine on beds of transport devices, such as flat railcars. Supports affix at support locations on beds to accommodate at least one of the tower sections on each of the transport devices. The supports can include bed supports, such as tabs, extending from the beds, and can include cradle supports with slots that engage on the tabs. A circumferential dimension of a cradle is adjusted on each of the supports against which the tower section rests. Each of the tower sections is then supported with at least two of the supports by loading the tower sections on the transport devices. An end of each of the tower sections is then affixed to a flange on at least one of the supports on each of the transport devices.

A rail-road intermodal freight system. In an embodiment, a conveyor system is provided for placing rail cars in a position for loading shipping containers thereon, while an over-the-road trailer is secured to the rail car. Rail cars have a frame with a front end and a rear end, and a bogie having at least four flanged rail wheels is pivotally mounted to the rear of the frame of the rail car. A method for unloading the rail cars includes lifting the front of the frame of the rail cars and pivoting the rail cars by an angle alpha from the track direction at an unloading area, and lowering the front end of the frame to the ground to allow truck access to trailers on the rail car. By utilizing the method, efficient loading and unloading of train involved in intermodal shipments may save considerable time, and thus reduce costs.

A transport system for transporting a wind turbine blade on first and second railcars that serve as load cars. A root end fixture on the first railcar is connected to a root end portion of the wind turbine blade. A mid-frame fixture on the second railcar supports a reinforced midsection of the wind turbine blade using a pair of support saddles. A tip end fixture restrains a tip end portion of the wind turbine blade against lateral movement outside of a preselected range of movement in opposite lateral directions and causing bending of the blade about the mid-frame fixture when the restraint device imparts sufficient restraining force to the tip end portion of the blade.

A system and method are used for transporting a plurality of tower sections of a wind turbine on beds of transport devices, such as flat railcars. Supports affix at support locations on beds to accommodate at least one of the tower sections on each of the transport devices. The supports can include bed supports, such as tabs, extending from the beds, and can include cradle supports with slots that engage on the tabs. A circumferential dimension of a cradle is adjusted on each of the supports against which the tower section rests. Each of the tower sections is then supported with at least two of the supports by loading the tower sections on the transport devices. An end of each of the tower sections is then affixed to a flange on at least one of the supports on each of the transport devices.