Abstract: A rail car with a double longitudinal tub floor. The car may comprise a car body supported on a frame, the principal element of the frame being a longitudinal center sill assembly. The frame is in turn supported on a pair of wheel trucks. The car body includes a pair of generally vertical end wall assemblies joined to a pair of generally vertical side assemblies. The box is closed on the bottom by a floor assembly. The floor assembly includes a pair of longitudinal tubs. The longitudinal tubs are divided into tub segments and supported by cross-bearer assemblies. The cross-bearer assemblies are joined to the center sill assembly. The longitudinal tubs are supported primarily by the center sill assembly, both directly by joining each tub's lateral inboard edge to the center sill, and indirectly by joining the tub's chord end edges to the cross-bearer assemblies. Diagonal braces may be attached to the cross bearer assemblies and the side assemblies to help prevent bowing of the sides.

Abstract: A rail road freight car may have a body for carrying lading. The body may be a gondola car body. The car body may include a decking or floor structure, and may include longitudinally extending side beams bordering the floor structure. The connection of the side beams to the floor structure may be may without the use of a dedicated side sill. The car body structure may include cross-bearers and side beam stiffeners that are joined together by structural knees. The car body may also include clean out ports to facilitate cleaning of the lading receptacle.

Abstract: A rail road freight car, which may be a gondola car, may have a flat deck, and a peripheral wall structure. The peripheral wall structure may include arcuate sidewalls and arcuate endwalls. The car body may include internal stiffeners having an arcuate outside sidewall profile. Those stiffeners may be lined up with cross-bearers and bolsters, such that large spring-like frames are formed. The car may include stations at which there are cross-bearers, but no corresponding upstanding wall reinforcement posts mounted outside the car walls. The end top chords may be curved and may be pin jointedly connected to the side top chords. The side top chords may have a central portion that has a substantially greater second moment of area for resisting lateral deflections than adjacent end portions. The arcuate form of the endwalls may provide additional space in which to mount safety appliances.

Abstract: A gondola railway car includes a pair of draft sills and a pair of end panels extending downwardly and terminating in a flat edge portion. The flat edge portion of the end panel is connected to a shear plate by a welded connection. A shed plate is included between the side panel and the shear plate. A support bracket is included between the tub and the draft sill. Gussets are attached between the side panels and the shear plate. A top corner cap is connected to the side top chord by a welded connection and to an end top chord by a bolted connection.

Abstract: A gondola tub type railway car having an arrangement for transferring payloads from the car side panels more directly to the bolsters. The car at each end has a lower bolster for support by a car truck, and an upper bolster secured to the lower bolster preferably through a shear plate. A center plate unit extends upwardly from the lower bolster into the upper bolster and is secured to the latter. The car, at each end, is provided with a reaction beam located inboard of the associated bolster, and is secured to the shear plate and to side members, and cooperates with the bolster in resisting the couple created by draft and buff forces acting in offset relation to the plane of the shear plate.

Abstract: A gondola railway car comprising a car truck attached to each end of a continuous center sill, a pair of generally vertical end panels, a pair of generally vertical side panels joined to the end panels, a plurality of cross bearers extending from the center sill to a longitudinal chord at the bottom of each side panel, a car bottom between the end and side panels having substantially flat portions over the trucks and a longitudinal trough portion between the trucks and the flat bottom portions, the trough portion having side edges joined to the side panel bottom edges and extending beneath the center sill, and an end wall at each end of the trough extending to the adjacent flat bottom portion.

Abstract: A railway gondola car suitable for rotary unloading. The floor of the car comprises a pair of concave troughs which extend between the center sill and the sides of the car having their axes parallel to the axis of the center sill along that portion of the car between the trucks. The car has an increased lading capacity and lower center of gravity than conventional gondola cars.

Abstract: An open top gondola railway car of depressed center design having stub sills and an end panel at each end of the car body which slopes outwardly and upwardly from an intersection with a generally permanently closed bottom having horizontal plate portions and at least one centrally located depressed curved portion in cross-section. Wheeled multi-axle trucks adjacent each end are provided with the horizontal plate portions extending over them. An upwardly directed step portion located intermediate the ends of the curved portion and reinforced openings having a smoothly curved perimeter in the horizontal plate portions located over the wheels, provide an increase in the clearance distance between the bottom and any concave or convex contoured portion of track upon which the car is located. The openings may be circular with rings or flanged conical members bolted to them to provide the reinforcing. The sloped ends have support sheets directing lading forces exerted on the ends to the stub sills.