The challenge
Since the container revolution, to this day more and more goods are being transported in containers. This is due to the fact that containerised transport is currently the most economical type of transport for goods over long distances, which in turn also causes a trend for more and more goods to be adapted to containerised transport. However, despite a well-developed railway network, goods are still transported overland predominantly by road. This is due to the high availability of road transport, the possibility to load it not only from the end, but also from the top and side, and the lack of need for special fastening of goods. In addition, the handling of road transport does not require any special infrastructure, as is the case, for example, with the handling of railway trains. At the same time, container transport requires additional organisational steps for loading and unloading. As the volume of freight traffic increases, the number of vehicles on the road increases, leading to higher levels of pollution and congestion. Therefore, more and more attention is being paid to optimising road transport.
Analysis
When analysing long-haul trucking, it can be seen that the main freight flows are concentrated on the same major highways. Everyone who drives on motorways observes long convoys of trucks, which often interfere with passenger car traffic. Given that many major routes already have railway tracks, it is logical to assume that the transport of semi-trailers or entire road trains on railway wagons could be an efficient alternative.
Problematics
Simple railway wagons are not designed to carry semi-trailers or road trains. In addition, semi-trailers are not designed for any other operations that involve moving them by means other than a truck tractor.
Solutions
For loading road trains, there is practically only one possible solution – to drive onto the railway wagon from the side or rear. Loading semi-trailers, on the other hand, requires a more complex approach. To handle semi-trailers, a special load handling device, the Piggyback, has been developed and semi-trailers with four special load pockets on the support frame, two on each side. The Piggyback equipment consists of four vertical tines with horizontal load-carrying platforms at the bottom for picking up the semi-trailer by the load pocket. These semi-trailers are equipped with special pockets for which they are picked up by the Piggyback equipment tines. Special railway wagons have also been developed for this type of transport, adapted for both semi-trailers and containers.
The first Piggyback mechanisms were integrated into container spreaders, which increased their weight and reduced the overall lifting capacity due to their own weight. The Piggyback was optimally designed as an attachment type, allowing the lifting equipment to be quickly fitted with the Piggyback and dismantled again if necessary. It also made it possible to retrofit machines that were not originally designed for this purpose with the Piggyback.
To handle semi-trailers that are not equipped with special load pockets, special frames have been developed, which are already equipped with load pockets. The semi-trailers are loaded into these frames and can then be loaded onto a railway wagon.
Applications
Apart from some special applications, Piggyback equipment is currently used to handle semi-trailers, tank containers, flatcars, containers and swap bodies.
Our projects
Our company has supplied several units of Piggyback attachments to CIS countries, provided consultations on operation technology and implementation, as well as assisted in the development of a special frame for semi-trailers. The attachments were delivered to several destinations, and schemes were developed to install Piggyback on Kalmar and Sany equipment. Thanks to these projects, pilot trains with semi-trailers have been launched in several destinations. This successful project was another of our contributions to improving the environment and optimising logistics.
