Abstract: A door apparatus for a railway hopper car for discharging bulk material from the car has an elongated flexible hollow body positioned in a discharge opening. A pair of end walls are attached to opposite ends of the body. Each end wall has a first pivot point for rotary attachment to the body. The body is rotatable about the first pivot point between an opened position and a closed position. The body has an arcuate surface extending generally vertically when in the closed position to reduce the effort required to open the doors when the car is loaded. If the door apparatus is stuck in the closed position, such as when ice has formed between the longitudinal edge of the door apparatus and the edge of the discharge opening, a torque applied to one end of the door apparatus about the first pivot point tends to twist the door apparatus about the longitudinal axis.

Abstract: A door and operating apparatus for railway hopper cars includes a door having a first pivot point for rotary attachment to the hopper. A second pivot point is formed on the door and a cross beam is positioned adjacent to the door for movement in a vertical direction. The cross beam has a third pivot point formed thereon and a link arm has one end rotatably attached to the door at the second pivot point and an opposite end rotatably attached to the cross beam at the third pivot point. A screwjack is coupled to vertically move the cross beam in an upward direction for opening the doors and in a downward direction for closing the doors. The doors have an arcuate surface extending generally vertically when in the closed position to reduce the effort required to open the doors when the car is loaded.

Abstract: A pivoted drop end for a railway car which is adapted to be manipulated (lifted) by power equipment in the car to open or close the car end. The car end includes lower side posts, each having a cam follower running in a cam on the car frame which swings the car end about a pivot carried on each of the posts. The pivots are guided in a vertical slot and cooperates with the cam. The car end is opened outwardly of the car and rests in open horizontal position on a pedestal support of the frame so that adjacent open car ends form a bridge to move loads longitudinally of the train. The car end is dampened in lowering (opening) movement by dash-pots connected between the car end and car frame. A side dumping railway car tilts the car body to either side by sets of pneumatic cylinders, each set being alternatively under control of a valve.