Abstract: A method of modification of a railcar to form a modified railcar can be described as comprising the steps of i) providing an existing aluminum body steel underframe donor railcar supported on a pair of trucks; ii) removing a donor car floor construction including either a) hopper discharge gates, and the outside hopper sheets, lower hopper floor and the partition floors forming the hopper chutes of the hopper style donor railcar, or b) the floor sheets and tubs of the gondola style donor cars; iii) forming a floor construction of the modified railcar which includes one of a) triple hopper independent transverse door floor construction, b) quad hopper independent transverse door floor construction, c) dual hopper independent longitudinal door floor construction, or d) flat bottom gondola floor construction, and iv) attaching the floor construction to the car to form the modified railcar.

Abstract: A method of modification of a railcar to form a modified railcar can be described as comprising the steps of i) providing an existing small cube covered hopper donor railcar supported on a pair of trucks; ii) removing a donor car floor construction including hopper discharge gates, and the outside hopper sheets, lower hopper floor and the partition floor forming the hopper chutes of the donor railcar; iii) forming a floor construction of the modified railcar which includes one of a) triple hopper independent transverse door floor construction, b) dual hopper independent longitudinal door floor construction, c) flat bottom gondola floor construction, d) dual hopper ballast car floor construction, and e) twin hopper taconite ore car floor construction, and iv) attaching the floor construction to the car to form the modified railcar.

Abstract: Rail car modularized modification programs altering the nature of the center sill in the modified railcar yield a greater variety of car types that can be placed into service. The present invention provides method of modification of a railcar to form a modified railcar comprising the steps of: providing an existing railcar with a center sill design of one of i) a stub sill and ii) a through sill; removing an upper portion of the existing railcar; forming an underframe construction including bolsters configured to be above truck assemblies and coupled to the center sill design, and a center sill design of one of i) a stub sill ii) a through sill, and iii) a fish-belly center sill; forming an upper body of the modified railcar; and attaching the upper body of the modified railcar to the underframe construction.

Abstract: A sand car modification program including removing a center section at cut-lines between the trucks and maintaining two repurposed end sections for the modified railcar. Each end section including a center sill section, side sill sections; top chord sections, side wall sections, and a sloped end floor section extending between the pair of side wall sections and extending down at least to the pair of side sill sections. An underframe construction of the modified railcar is formed between the repurposed end sections, including a center sill construction coupled to the end section center sill sections, a plurality of hopper gate openings, and at least one hopper divider. A pair of sidewall constructions are formed between the end sections, each including a side sill section, a top chord section, and a side wall section.

Abstract: A reinforced railcar side stake configured to be mounted to the underframe of a rail car and extend upwardly therefrom, the side stake comprises: a main body which is a U shaped channel that includes a flat back generally parallel to the side wall and a pair of legs extending generally perpendicular to the back and the side wall structures, the legs of the main body having cutouts at a lower portion thereof; a connection plate coupled to the side sill main body within the cutouts wherein the connection plate surface is flush with the upper ends of the legs above the cutouts; and a reinforcing plate within the interior of the main body near the coupling of the side stake to the underframe wherein the reinforcing plate overlaps the area of the connection plate by extending both below and above the cutouts in the legs.

Abstract: A railcar modification comprises a pair of spaced trucks; a multiple bay hopper railcar body on the pair of trucks; a hopper floor in the railcar body, wherein each bay of the hopper railcar body has hoppers formed of sloped floor sheets having a hopper floor slope; a plurality of gate adaptors, each gate adapter coupled to the floor sheets of a hopper, wherein the gate adapter includes a plurality of floor sheet panels, a plurality of transition panels and a plurality of gate panels, and wherein a difference in slope angles between the floor sheet panels, transition panels and gate panels combine to form a vertical offset; and a plurality of gates, each gate coupled to one gate adapter.

Abstract: A transverse trough coil car includes a plurality of transverse troughs, a pair of trucks, a center sill supported on the trucks, a pair of side walls extending the length of the car coupled to the center sill, and a plurality of trough forming assemblies. At least one trough includes integrated manually operated adjustable coil stops configured to prevent lateral shifting of coils carried within the trough. At least one trough includes a vertically adjustable trough height. An upper surface of the troughs are coplanar for selective receipt of slabs, and at least one trough includes integrated fixed side stanchions which includes width adjustment members thereon.

Abstract: An open top gondola car includes top chord sections; a pair of end walls and side walls coupled to the top chord structure, wherein each sidewall includes a side sheet a plurality of side stakes and side sill; and an underframe construction including a center sill running the length of the car, bolsters configured to be above truck assemblies and coupled to the center sill and a plurality of lateral I-Beam cross bearers that extend from the center sill toward and stopping short of the inside of the side sheet, and wherein the cross bearers include vertical connection plates configures for coupling to side stakes which are positioned between the bolsters.

Abstract: A reinforced railcar side stake configured to be mounted to the underframe of a rail car and extend upwardly therefrom, the side stake comprises: a main body which is a U shaped channel that includes a flat back generally parallel to the side wall and a pair of legs extending generally perpendicular to the back and the side wall structures, the legs of the main body having cutouts at a lower portion thereof; a connection plate coupled to the side sill main body within the cutouts wherein the connection plate surface is flush with the upper ends of the legs above the cutouts; and a reinforcing plate within the interior of the main body near the coupling of the side stake to the underframe wherein the reinforcing plate overlaps the area of the connection plate by extending both below and above the cutouts in the legs.

Abstract: A reinforced railcar side stake configured to be mounted to the underframe of a rail car and extend upwardly therefrom, the side stake comprises: a main body which is a U shaped channel that includes a flat back generally parallel to the side wall and a pair of legs extending generally perpendicular to the back and the side wall structures, the legs of the main body having cutouts at a lower portion thereof; a connection plate coupled to the side sill main body within the cutouts wherein the connection plate surface is flush with the upper ends of the legs above the cutouts; and a reinforcing plate within the interior of the main body near the coupling of the side stake to the underframe wherein the reinforcing plate overlaps the area of the connection plate by extending both below and above the cutouts in the legs.

Abstract: A transverse trough coil car includes a plurality of transverse troughs, a pair of trucks, a center sill supported on the trucks, a pair of side walls extending the length of the car coupled to the center sill, and a plurality of trough forming assemblies. At least one trough includes integrated manually operated adjustable coil stops configured to prevent lateral shifting of coils carried within the trough. At least one trough includes a vertically adjustable trough height.

Abstract: A transverse trough coil car includes a plurality of transverse troughs, a pair of trucks, a center sill supported on the trucks, a pair of side walls extending the length of the car coupled to the center sill, and a plurality of trough forming assemblies with each trough forming assembly including at least one floating floor sheet. Each one floating floor sheet is structured to allow for thermal expansion in a first direction along a longitudinal axis of the car body and in a second direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the car body.

Abstract: A transverse trough coil car includes a plurality of transverse troughs, a pair of trucks, a center sill supported on the trucks, a pair of side walls extending the length of the car coupled to the center sill, and a plurality of trough forming assemblies with each trough forming assembly including at least one floating floor sheet. Each one floating floor sheet is structured to allow for thermal expansion in a first direction along a longitudinal axis of the car body and in a second direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the car body.

Abstract: A transverse trough coil car includes a plurality of transverse troughs, a pair of trucks, a center sill supported on the trucks, a pair of side walls extending the length of the car coupled to the center sill, and a plurality of trough forming assemblies with each trough forming assembly including including at least one floating floor sheet.

Abstract: A reinforced railcar side stake configured to be mounted to the underframe of a rail car and extend upwardly therefrom, the side stake comprises: a main body which is a U shaped channel that includes a flat back generally parallel to the side wall and a pair of legs extending generally perpendicular to the back and the side wall structures, the legs of the main body having cutouts at a lower portion thereof; a connection plate coupled to the side sill main body within the cutouts wherein the connection plate surface is flush with the upper ends of the legs above the cutouts; and a reinforcing plate within the interior of the main body near the coupling of the side stake to the underframe wherein the reinforcing plate overlaps the area of the connection plate by extending both below and above the cutouts in the legs

Abstract: A transverse trough coil car includes a plurality of transverse troughs, a pair of trucks, a center sill supported on the trucks, a pair of side walls extending the length of the car coupled to the center sill, and a plurality of trough forming assemblies with each trough forming assembly including including at least one floating floor sheet.

Abstract: Novel N-heterocyclic bicyclic lactone compounds of formula I and its novel hydroxyamide precursors of formula IV, 1