RAILROAD CAR HANDLING AND CLASSIFICATION APPARATUS

A bridge movable in a pit transversely with respect to a plurality of parallel car receiving and classification tracks in a railroad yard is provided with a railroad track thereon extending parallel to the yard tracks and with a self-contained endless conveyor operable in opposite directions to pull cars onto the bridge and to push cars off of the bridge from and to receiving, classification or assembly tracks on either side of the bridge pit. A pair of oppositely directed coupling elements on the conveyor at such elevations and locations as to be engagable with standard, impact connection couplings on the opposite ends of a railroad car are used sequentially to engage one end of a car and to pull it onto the bridge from one direction and to engage the opposite end of the car and push it off of the bridge onto a classification or assembly track in the opposite direction; or, the car may be shuttled back to the same side of the pit from whence it came after the bridge is moved to a new track location, by simply reversing the direction of the coupling motion.