A conveyor includes carriers supported on a carrier track, pushers supported on an adjacent power track, and a work station located along the carrier track. Each carrier is propelled to a pick-up station in advance of the work station by engagement of one of the pushers with a driving dog on the carrier. A carriage, movable between the pick-up station and a discharge station following the work station and having releasable coupling devices adapted to engage carriers at the pick-up and work stations, is reciprocatably driven on forwarding and return movements by a linear motor. On the forwarding carriage movement, carriers at the pick-up and work station are rapidly advanced to the work and discharge station, respectively, and the coupling devices are released prior to the return movement of the carriage. A carrier advanced to the discharge station is re-engaged by one of the pushers of the conveyor.