Abstract: A safety vent for a railroad tank car has a housing mounted about an opening on the top of the car. The housing body defines a cavity which contains a surge protector and a rupture disk. The rupture disk is designed to open at a known pressure and allow controlled venting of the pressure in the car. A securement cap threaded into the cavity centers the rupture disk in a seat formed in the surge protector. Removal of the securement cap provides quick, easy access to the rupture disk and surge protector for inspection and replacement without removing the housing body.

Abstract: A refrigerated railcar having a bunker for holding CO.sub.2 snow generated by a spray manifold temporarily hooked up to a supply of liquid CO.sub.2, the bunker allowing the gaseous CO.sub.2 sublimated from the formed snow to pass down through vents and into an improved underfloor flow channeled floor which provides a maze-like structure to cool an underside of the cargo. Additionally, an improved insulated manifold pipe hanger is described. Additionally, an improvement in the venting arrangement of the bunker area and an improved configuration of the manifold orifices to provide a more evenly deposited snow thickness throughout the bunker during charging is described.

Abstract: A novel purge system for a string of tank cars wherein purge gas is directly introduced into the vapor space of each tank above the cargo in the tank and wherein the purge gas is not bubbled through the cargo but is supplied directly to the vapor space above the cargo and forces the cargo out the vent pipe at the end of the car to the next car to successively assure that the proper level of cargo and the proper pressure of the purge gas is maintained in all of the cars. Since the gas is not bubbled through the cargo, gas will not be stored in the cargo and the pressure requirements will be substantially reduced as compared to bubbling through the commodity and the volume of gas required will be reduced due to the lower pressure and elimination of potential absorption which may occur when the bubbling method is utilized.

Abstract: One or a series of wheeled tank cars for carrying a commodity which must be heated for effective handling and which produces noxious gases when heated is provided with a closed vapor recovery system, including valved lines respectively associated with each tank car, for safely venting said gases to a remote recovery sink away from operating personnel as the commodity is heated in the one or more tank cars prior to unloading or during the filling operation. An upper heating coil system is also disclosed for melting away solidified commodity from upper tank fittings prior to operation of said fittings in the unloading or loading operation for reliable flow handling therethrough and operation of their valves.

Abstract: The tank of a railway tank car has two top-mounted lading conduits coupled thereto in fluid communication therewith. One of the lading conduits has the inner end thereof disposed at the minimum fill level of the tank. A vapor vent fitting is also formed in the tank, to which any one of a plurality of different-length vent pipes can selectively removably be mounted with the inner ends thereof disposed at different levels between the maximum and minimum fill levels of the tank. The vent pipe communicates with the one lading conduit above the maximum fill level of the tank. An access opening is provided so that the vent pipe can be reached and changed from outside the tank.In one embodiment the vent pipe communicates with the one lading conduit inside the tank and access thereto is had through the one lading conduit. In another embodiment the vent pipe communicates with the one lading conduit inside the tank, but access thereto is had through a separate access opening in the tank.

Abstract: A railway car for transporting pulverulent lading includes a fluid-tight container, slope sheets mounted within the container defining two troughs leading to a sump in the lower portion of the container, two aligned permeable conveyors in the bottom of each trough, an apparatus for alternately aerating each permeable conveyor in each trough for fluidizing the lading to facilitate movement thereof into the sump. Discharge valve structure is provided below the sump for pneumatically unloading the container pipe for pressurizing the space between the slope sheets and the container, and a pipe interconnecting the top of the container and the discharge valve structure for conveying air from within the container to the discharge valve structure during unloading of the container, are also provided.

Abstract: A railway train including a plurality of interconnected tank cars, each car comprising a tank with a lading conduit extending the length thereof and having first and second pipes communicating with the interior of the tank with one of the pipes extending to the bottom of the tank and the other terminating adjacent to the top of the tank, the lading conduits of adjacent cars being interconnected by flexible connecting conduits; valve mechanism in the lading conduits and the first and second pipes for closing the lading conduit between the first and second pipes and opening the first and second pipes during loading of fluid lading into the tank and during unloading of fluid lading from the tank and for closing the first and second pipes during transporting of the tank; also disclosed is a loading system and an unloading system for a train of such tank cars.

Abstract: A railway train includes a plurality of interconnected tank cars, each car comprising a tank provided with two lading conduits in the top thereof extending thereinto for communication with the interior thereof and each having an outer end extending above the tank and toward the adjacent end thereof and terminating inboard of the adjacent tank car end, the lading conduits of adjacent cars being interconnected by flexible connecting conduits; one lading conduit extends diagonally downwardly and terminates near the bottom of the tank for filling and/or eduction unloading thereof with the other lading conduit terminating near the top of the tank for venting and filling of an adjacent tank and for automatically determining the outage of the tank. An inlet and outlet assembly may be mounted in the bottom of the tank providing a sump in registry with the bottom terminal portion of the eduction conduit.

Abstract: A railway train made up of individual tank cars for interconnection and fluid communication with associated-like tank cars by flexible connecting conduits, wherein each tank car includes a wheeled chassis structure provided with coupling means for coupling adjacent tank cars. A tank is mounted on the chassis structure and has two lading conduits respectively coupled to the tank and in fluid communication therewith, each of the lading conduits having an outer end extending outwardly from the tank adjacent to the top thereof. Each of the lading conduits is connected to a vent conduit and to an eduction conduit with the vent conduit extending into the tank and having the inner end thereof terminating a predetermined distance from and near the top of the tank and with the eduction conduit extending into the tank and having the inner end thereof terminating near the bottom of the tank.

Abstract: A railway train includes a plurality of interconnected tank cars, each car comprising a tank provided with two lading conduits in the top thereof extending thereinto for communication with the interior thereof and each having an outer end extending above the tank, and toward the adjacent end thereof, the lading conduits of adjacent cars being interconnected by flexible connecting conduits. A crane is pivotally mounted on the top of one of the lading conduits on each car for maintaining the associated flexible connecting conduit at an elevation higher than that of the associated conduit coupling means to cause drainage of all the lading from the flexible conduit into the associated tanks.

Abstract: An intermodal tank container for use interchangeably in railroad, highway, marine and terminal modes, including a tank for containing lading and having means for loading lading thereinto and means for unloading lading therefrom, two spaced-apart end frames mounted respectively on the opposite ends of the tank, each end frame including a rigid framework surrounding an area greater than that of the adjacent end of the tank, and a tank support ring surrounding and rigidly secured to the adjacent end of the tank and rigidly secured to the framework for transmitting forces therebetween, the tank comprising the only connection between the end frames and having all parts thereof contained within an envelope defined by the peripheries of the end frames.

Abstract: A novel hopper vehicle, illustratively a freight hopper car, has a floor with two longitudinal hoppers and a pair of side-opening doors on opposite sides of the center line of the vehicle. Each door provides a part of one of the hoppers and is pivotally mounted on a side sill of the vehicle. Preferably each door is a wrap-around door to provide also a lower part of a side of the body of the vehicle and its pivotal mounting is on an intermediate side sill that extends between the sloping end walls of the body of the vehicle at an intermediate elevation. The body of the vehicle has fixed side walls. For the central portion of the floor of the car body there is a longitudinally-extending, inverted V-shaped panel that is mounted above the intermediate portion of the center sill of the car and that provides by its sloping walls the other part of the hoppers. In the construction with wrap-around doors the fixed side walls form only a part of the sides of the body.