Has anyone ever used elevators to lift and lower railroad cars or locomotives from one level to another? One would push a railcar or drive a locomotive
onto a section of track set into the elevator platform, the platform would
move up or down, and the car or locomotive would be rolled off onto a track
at the new level. This would seem to be technically feasible; rail cars and locomotives are commonly rolled on and off barges, and fifty years ago
the Seabee barge carrier ships had elevators of 2,000 ton capacity to lift barges into and out of the water.

The rail industry does use devices such as transfer tables to handle
cars and locomotives on sites too small for conventional track and switches
so I wondered if they had ever used elevators for the same purpose. I have
been unable to find anything about this in an Google search. I would
appreciate any information.

Thank you,

Peter Wezeman
anti-social Darwinist

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On Sat, 19 Jan 2019 17:53:50 -0800 (PST), [email protected]
wrote:

Has anyone ever used elevators to lift and lower railroad cars or locomotives >from one level to another? One would push a railcar or drive a locomotive >onto a section of track set into the elevator platform, the platform would >move up or down, and the car or locomotive would be rolled off onto a track >at the new level. This would seem to be technically feasible; rail cars and >locomotives are commonly rolled on and off barges, and fifty years ago
the Seabee barge carrier ships had elevators of 2,000 ton capacity to lift >barges into and out of the water.

The rail industry does use devices such as transfer tables to handle
cars and locomotives on sites too small for conventional track and switches >so I wondered if they had ever used elevators for the same purpose. I have >been unable to find anything about this in an Google search. I would >appreciate any information.

http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites/b/bishopsgate_goods_station/index1.shtml

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<[email protected]> wrote:

Has anyone ever used elevators to lift and lower railroad cars or locomotives from one level to another? One would push a railcar or drive a locomotive onto a section of track set into the elevator platform, the platform would move up or down, and the car or locomotive would be rolled off onto a track at the new level. This would seem to be technically feasible; rail cars and locomotives are commonly rolled on and off barges, and fifty years ago
the Seabee barge carrier ships had elevators of 2,000 ton capacity to lift barges into and out of the water.

The rail industry does use devices such as transfer tables to handle
cars and locomotives on sites too small for conventional track and switches so I wondered if they had ever used elevators for the same purpose. I have been unable to find anything about this in an Google search. I would appreciate any information.

They certainly have been built and operated, although situations where it would be useful aren’t that common. There used to be one at Waterloo
station in London for getting rolling stock on and off the Waterloo and
City underground line.

Robin

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On Saturday, January 19, 2019 at 8:49:13 PM UTC-6, Charles Ellson wrote:

On Sat, 19 Jan 2019 17:53:50 -0800 (PST), [email protected]
wrote:

Has anyone ever used elevators to lift and lower railroad cars or locomotives
from one level to another? One would push a railcar or drive a locomotive >onto a section of track set into the elevator platform, the platform would >move up or down, and the car or locomotive would be rolled off onto a track >at the new level. This would seem to be technically feasible; rail cars and >locomotives are commonly rolled on and off barges, and fifty years ago
the Seabee barge carrier ships had elevators of 2,000 ton capacity to lift >barges into and out of the water.

The rail industry does use devices such as transfer tables to handle
cars and locomotives on sites too small for conventional track and switches >so I wondered if they had ever used elevators for the same purpose. I have >been unable to find anything about this in an Google search. I would >appreciate any information.

http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites/b/bishopsgate_goods_station/index1.shtml

Thank you for posting this. Seeing from the article that these elevators
were called "track lifts" or "wagon lifts" I was able find several other references to them. This is the most detailed picture, showing a track
lift that moves diagonally:

http://www.norgrove.me.uk/hoist.html

From various references, steam powered track lifts were in use by
the 1850's. Some hydraulic track lifts used an accumulator that was
pressurized by a counterweight, a simple and reliable way to reduce
the power needed and get some energy recovery. Goods warehouses
up to seven stories tall used track lifts, turntables, and powered
capstans to move freight cars around in the upper levels.

Peter Wezeman
anti-social Darwinist

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On Saturday, January 19, 2019 at 8:53:51 PM UTC-5, [email protected] wrote:

Has anyone ever used elevators to lift and lower railroad cars or locomotives from one level to another?

Many years ago, when Duquesne Light Co. had a big coal fired generating plant on Brunots Island, in the Ohio River west of Pittsburgh, there was an elevator which lowered cars one-by-one from the Ohio Connecting RR bridge to ground level. There, the cars
were moved on in-plant tracks to the coal receiving yard. Empty cars and cars loaded with ashes went up by the same route.

I'm not certain of the arrangements "up stairs". I think there was a siding several cars long running parallel to the main track on the bridge.

Bob Netzlof

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