Abstract: A brake beam wear plate assembly for a railway car truck sideframe is provided. A brake beam wear plate is provided and adapted to be inserted in a brake beam guide which is typically an integral component of a railway car truck sideframe. The brake beam wear plate itself is comprised of a channel shaped body having an upper wall, a lower wall, and a bottom wall. The brake beam wear plate is typically comprised of a polymer or a high density plastic. The brake beam wear plate also includes a projecting locating tab and the brake beam guide itself includes a complimentary cutout section.

Abstract: Center filler plates for mounting on draft sills of railway car underframes are disclosed. The center filler plates have four pockets surrounding a hub. The pockets are shallower than in the prior art, and the walls defining the pockets meet in radii having larger radii of curvature than in the prior art. The shallower pockets and larger radii of curvature facilitate removal of the casting from the molding sand in the cope and drag sections of the mold. The formation of burned-in sand is limited in the present invention, and any burned-in sand that does form is also more easily removed from the center filler plates of the present invention. The base portion of the center filler plates is not as high as in the prior art. The ribs of the center filler plate and the walls of the hub are thicker than in the prior art to provide the needed strength to the center filler plates.

Abstract: The present invention provides a lightweight draft sill end casting for use with railroad cars. The cast draft sill has side walls, front and rear stops, front and rear rib sets and a center plate that are cast as a unit. The draft sill has an open area between the tops of the side walls between the front and rear stops, with a cast metal span connecting the two side walls. The cast metal span may comprise one or more spacer bars or part of a top wall. The cast metal span is in the area between the planes of the front stops and the rear stops. The front and rear stops are spaced below the tops of the side walls. In one embodiment, there are additional lightener holes in each side wall between the ribs in the rear rib set and in the pocket. The total weight of the cast draft sill is not substantially greater than the weight of a comparable fabricated draft sill of substantially the same size, and has a greater fatigue life.

Abstract: The present invention provides a lightweight draft sill end casting for use with railroad cars. Weight reductions are achieved and adequate strength is maintained by using a set of front ribs and back ribs, with angled top and bottom ribs. The back rib set has a single central rib along the central plane of the draft sill. A single horizontal center plate rib is also used in the area of the center plate. The side ribs at the center plate have larger lightener holes. Holes are also provided in the bottom wall of the casting. Larger lightener holes are provided in the area of the draft sill pocket. These holes are moved upwardly to lower the center of gravity of the draft sill. The draft stops may be spaced from the top wall of the draft sill and from the bottoms of the side walls.