| 摘要 |
Each passenger car is suspended by a Cardan joint from a powered carriage having four rubber-tired wheels rolling inside an elevated track comprising two C-section rails, facing each other on either side of a vertical plate, on which run guide rollers. The track rises and falls at ground-level stations, to follow ground level changes or to clear obstacles. The on-board prime mover is only rated for on-the-level propulsion, and on inclines the carriage transfers, without re-alignment, to an externally powered endless haulage loop. The loop comprises a series of vertical plates (1), ribbed (3) for adhesion, and articulated, to form a chain, on horizontal pivot pins (2), near each end. For flexibility on curves, each plate comprises two halves united centrally by a resilient connecting band (7). Each plate runs on four rollers (5) inside a hollow rail (4) and returns, inverted, to complete the loop. Guide rollers (6) run along the sides of the rail cavity. At the incline summit, the plates pass between paired motor-driven rollers providing the tractive effort. The carriage guide rollers are immobilized as they run on to the plate chain, which replaces the static central guide plate in the carriage track. The transition is made either at rest or in motion.
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