Intermodals go on trial
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• Following the growing interest in combined road/rail transport across the EC, two intermodal trailer prototypes have entered trials in the Netherlands and the UK.
Dutch company Stork Alpha Engineering has teamed up with trailer builder Contar to launch a 13.6m intermodal semi-trailer with specially developed doublestroke Rubery Owen-Rockwell Flexair suspension.
The CODA-E trailer, which can be suspended between two railway bogies, is undergoing development trials with the Dutch Railways.
The top air bags of the double air bag system are connected to the trailer frame. To transfer the trailer from road to rail they are inflated to raise the rear of the trailer. A rail bogie is then positioned beneath the trailer and engaged by an adaptor. Then the landing legs are raised at the front while the top air bags are deflated and a second bogie moved under the front of the trailer.
The trailer's chassis has been reinforced to handle the road/rail transfer. On the road it runs on RO-R's TMS 22510/QMX axles with a 2,045mm track. The CODA-E air suspension took four months to develop; it has a full working stroke of 400mm.
LI The latest version of the Trailer Train intermodal semitrailer has been undergoing trials with BR. The 12.2m triaxle trailer has been built by NEI Thompson Tankers which has bought the UK licensing and design rights to the Trailer Train trailer.
The Trailer Train prototype was shown at the recent IRTE Show. It has a specially developed integral chassis and steel bodywork along with BPW suspension.
When switching to rail the semi-trailer is reversed on to rail bogies that link it to other trailers. Once it is suspended between the bogies the wheels are raised up.
Unlike other bimodal designs the Trailer Train trailer forms the railcar.