A rail transport system comprising at least two runners having a shaped profile, a transport rail, and a transport carriage, the runners with a shaped profile being extended over a staircase or over a flat section and the transport carriage being moved along the transport rail. The transport carriage is provided with at least one electric motor. The runners having a shaped profile and the transport rail are stored in the transport carriage. A method for constructing a rail transport system and for transporting at least one container for loading or unloading the galley of an airplane, and a system for simultaneously loading and/or unloading the galley of an airplane.

A portable lift is provided. The portable lift includes a top frame assembly, a carriage frame, a base frame, and a hoist mechanism. The top frame assembly is secures top ends of a pair of stringers together. The base frame assembly secures bottom ends of the pair of stringers together forming the portable lift frame. The carriage frame includes a plurality of wheel assemblies each having a plurality of wheels. The plurality of wheels releasably retain to and slidably engage with a stringer of the pair of stringers. The hoist mechanism includes a motor, a spool rotatable by the motor, a pulley secured to the top frame assembly, and a hoist cable wrapped around the spool and running from the spool through the pulley and secured to the carriage frame.

A portable lift is provided. The portable lift includes a top frame assembly, a carriage frame, a base frame, and a hoist mechanism. The top frame assembly is secures top ends of a pair of stringers together. The base frame assembly secures bottom ends of the pair of stringers together forming the portable lift frame. The carriage frame includes a plurality of wheel assemblies each having a plurality of wheels. The plurality of wheels releasably retain to and slidably engage with a stringer of the pair of stringers. The hoist mechanism includes a motor, a spool rotatable by the motor, a pulley secured to the top frame assembly, and a hoist cable wrapped around the spool and running from the spool through the pulley and secured to the carriage frame.

A drive for a material hoist system can include a housing configured to be slidably coupled to a track of the system; a motor positioned inside the housing; a gearbox positioned inside the housing and coupled to the motor; and a spool positioned inside the housing between the motor and the gearbox, the spool configured to: selectably wind and unwind a flexible connecting element coupled to the track; and drive movement of the drive along a longitudinal direction of the track.

A material hoist system includes a drive; and a carriage, wherein the drive is configured to be coupled to the carriage and to move the carriage of with respect to a track of the material hoist system configured to raise a load to an elevated surface; wherein each of the drive and the carriage are configured to be separately coupled to the track and then to each other to slideably lock in a locked position of each of the drive and the carriage with respect to the track.

A carriage includes a frame comprising: a first portion configured to slidably secure to a track; and a second portion coupled to the first portion and configured to automatically rotate with respect to the first portion depending on a position of the frame on the track; and a plurality of moving elements secured to the frame.

A method of using a material hoist system includes slidably moving a carriage of the material hoist system with respect to a track, movement of the carriage with respect to the track driven by a drive of the material hoist system; and stopping the movement of the carriage automatically when a motor controller of the drive senses: a current of the drive that reaches a current threshold; and a rotational speed of the drive that reaches a rotational speed threshold.