Patents Assigned to Rails Company
  • Patent number: 11225271
    Abstract: A damping system for a truck assembly of a rail vehicle includes a first friction shoe configured to engage a first portion of a side frame of the truck assembly, and a first lever pivotally coupled to the first friction shoe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: Amsted Rail Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Paul Steven Wike
  • Patent number: 11225273
    Abstract: A truck assembly is configured to travel along a track having rails. The truck assembly includes a bolster that includes a first flange, a second flange, and a web connecting the first flange to the second flange. The first flange, the second flange, and the web form an I-beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: Amsted Rail Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Paul Steven Wike
  • Patent number: 11220279
    Abstract: In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a wear ring assembly is provided for a railway roller bearing. The wear ring assembly includes a wear ring having a central opening for receiving a journal of a railway wheel assembly and an insert including a plurality of spacers configured to extend in the opening of the wear ring to separate the wear ring from the journal. The spacers are spaced apart from each other about the wear ring. The insert may include one or more flanges that separate the wear ring from a bearing cone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: Amsted Rail Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Lumpkin, Michael Mason
  • Patent number: 11207722
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a ring includes clamping a first region of a metal sheet against a mandrel, and, while the first region of the metal sheet is clamped against the mandrel, bending the metal sheet around the mandrel to join opposite end faces of the metal sheet and form the ring shaped to the mandrel. A system for manufacturing a ring from a metal sheet includes (a) a mandrel having a ring-shaped surface, (b) a clamp facing the ring-shaped surface and configured to clamp a first region of a metal sheet to the mandrel, and (c) a plurality of dies configured to bend the metal sheet around the mandrel, while the clamp clamps the first region to the mandrel, to join opposite end faces of the metal sheet and form a ring shaped to the ring-shaped surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Amsted Rail Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Ford, James Myers, Edgar Hernandez
  • Patent number: 11198457
    Abstract: A friction assist side bearing assembly for a truck assembly of a rail vehicle includes a first friction member, a second friction member that opposes the first friction member, and a cap coupled to the first friction member and the second friction member. The cap is configured to contact a portion of a car body coupled to the truck assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: Amsted Rail Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Steven Wike, Igor Aleynikov, Jared Doerr, Tom Petrunich
  • Publication number: 20210362755
    Abstract: A force analysis system and method include a truck assembly that is configured to travel along a track having rails. The truck assembly includes a first side frame, a second side frame, a bolster extending between the first side frame and the second side frame, a first wheel set coupled to the first side frame and the second side frame, a second wheel set coupled to the first side frame and the second side frame, and one or more load cells disposed within the first side frame and/or the second side frame. The load cell(s) are configured to detect forces exerted in relation to the first side frame, the second side frame, and/or the bolster.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2019
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Applicant: Amsted Rail Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Steven Wike, Thomas Petrunich
  • Patent number: 11155283
    Abstract: In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a wear ring assembly is provided for a railway roller bearing. The wear ring assembly includes a wear ring having a central opening for receiving a journal of a railway wheel assembly and an insert including a plurality of spacers configured to extend in the opening of the wear ring to separate the wear ring from the journal. The spacers are spaced apart from each other about the wear ring. The insert may include one or more flanges that separate the wear ring from a bearing cone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: Amsted Rail Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Lumpkin, Michael Mason
  • Publication number: 20210300444
    Abstract: A truck assembly of a rail vehicle includes a side frame including a spring seat below an opening. The spring seat includes a locating pocket. An end guide system is coupled to the side frame. The end guide system includes a central base configured to be received and retained by the locating pocket. At least one end guide extends outwardly and upwardly from the central base.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Applicant: Amsted Rail Company, Inc.
    Inventor: John Arthur Coseglia
  • Publication number: 20210284205
    Abstract: A dual friction draft gear assembly for a car coupling system of a rail car includes a housing having an internal chamber. One or more friction shoes are disposed within the internal chamber. A first load block has, defines, or otherwise provides a first angled interface with the one or more friction shoes. A second load block has, defines or otherwise provides a second angled interface with the one or more friction shoes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2020
    Publication date: September 16, 2021
    Applicant: Amsted Rail Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Igor Aleynikov, Zachary B. Harris
  • Patent number: 11091179
    Abstract: In one aspect of the present disclosure, a side bearing is provided for supporting a body of a rail car. The side bearing includes a base for being mounted to a truck of the rail car, a support configured to contact the body of the rail car and move along a vertical axis relative to the base with movement of the body, and at least one resilient foam member configured to deform with movement of the support. The side bearing further includes at least one friction damping member configured to be urged in a direction transverse to the vertical axis against the base by the support and resist movement of the support relative to the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: Amsted Rail Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Zachary B. Harris
  • Patent number: 11030568
    Abstract: Bulk goods are transported on a rail network to a terminal which includes a loading with a metering device for measuring an amount of the bulk goods loaded or unloaded. At the terminal there is a control hub connecting to a plurality of portable hand held field computers and a communication system for communication with the rail network to obtain a Car Location Message (CLM), a way bill and mechanical data for each of the railcars. An input to the hub is provided by a plurality of self-powered scanning stations each including an RFID reader having an antenna for reading the RFID tag of an adjacent rail car where each scanning station has two radar proximity transducers responsive to presence of a rail car where the RFID reader has a quiescent mode and the radar proximity detectors activate the reader from the quiescent mode on detection of a railcar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Amsted Rail Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Albert James Benedict
  • Publication number: 20210061319
    Abstract: A damping system for a truck assembly of a rail vehicle includes a first friction shoe configured to engage a first portion of a side frame of the truck assembly, and a first lever pivotally coupled to the first friction shoe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2019
    Publication date: March 4, 2021
    Applicant: Amsted Rail Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Paul Steven Wike
  • Publication number: 20210053548
    Abstract: Systems for monitoring brake systems on railway assets include a load measuring device. The load measuring device includes an instrumented coupling configured to be connected to the rigging of a brake system of the railway asset; and to an underframe of the railway asset. The load measuring device also includes a data collection unit configured to process an output of a sensor of the instrumented coupling and, based on the sensor output, determine the force being transmitted between the brake rigging and the underframe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2020
    Publication date: February 25, 2021
    Applicant: Amsted Rail Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Michel, Peter Novellino
  • Publication number: 20210039687
    Abstract: A hatch cover assembly for a rail car includes a gasket including a sealing wedge extending downwardly from a lower surface of the gasket. The sealing wedge is configured to sealingly engage a lip of a hatch ring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2020
    Publication date: February 11, 2021
    Applicant: Amsted Rail Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael List
  • Patent number: 10850755
    Abstract: Railyard management system for managing, assembling, disassembling and validating train consists and monitoring railcars in the railyard. The system provides for the collection of data and the movement of data from lower processing levels to higher processing levels, where an inference engine draws inferences regarding the current state of railcars and train consists within the railyard. The inferences are assigned confidence levels based on the methods and available data used to draw the inferences. The system can be used to track the location and orientation of railcars in the railyard and to validate order and orientation of assets in a train consist.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: Amsted Rail Company, Inc.
    Inventors: William Lefebvre, Matthew Bonnes, Darren Dragish, Andrew Martin, Thomas P. Fuhs
  • Patent number: 10746228
    Abstract: A temperature-robust polymer shroud for a roller bearing seal includes a shroud body and an inner diameter leg defining respective portions of a single continuous part. The shroud body encircles a rotation axis of the polymer shroud and extends predominantly in directions orthogonal to the rotation axis from an inner diameter to an outer diameter. The inner diameter leg connects to the shroud body at the inner diameter, encircles the rotation axis, and is oriented at an oblique angle to the rotation axis to extend both (a) radially inward from the inner diameter and (b) axially away from the inner diameter along a first direction parallel to the rotation axis. A roller bearing seal includes a seal case, an elastomer lip, and the temperature-robust polymer shroud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: Amsted Rail Company, Inc.
    Inventors: James A. Hargraves, Michael A. Mason
  • Patent number: 10711842
    Abstract: In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a roller bearing seal assembly is provided that includes a seal case and a rotor having a unitary, one-piece construction. The rotor is connected to the seal case and is rotatable relative to the seal case about an axis. The seal case and rotor include interfering portions that limit axial separation of the rotor and the seal case. In one embodiment, the rotor and seal case include at least one snap-fit connection that permits the rotor and seal case to be readily assembled. The at least one snap-fit connection includes the interfering portions which inhibit axial separation of the rotor and seal case after the rotor and seal case have been assembled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: Amsted Rail Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy M. Liebe, Michael A. Mason
  • Patent number: 10710619
    Abstract: A rail yard management system that takes advantage of infrastructure installed in rail yards and on railcars to allow the management of the railcars within a rail yard. The invention is also applicable to yard management for vehicles other than railcars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: Amsted Rail Company, Inc.
    Inventors: William LeFebvre, Matthew Bonnes, Darren Dragish, Andrew Martin, Edward J. Mansfield
  • Publication number: 20200198670
    Abstract: A knuckle of a coupler of a rail vehicle includes a leading beam having a pulling face, a lateral offset beam extending from the leading beam, a tail extending from the lateral offset beam, an extension wall extending from the lateral offset beam towards an end of the tail, and a tapered lock engagement wall extending from the extension wall to the end of the tail. The tapered lock engagement wall is angled in relation to the extension wall. The tapered lock engagement wall is configured to engage an interior face of a main body of a lock of the coupler. The interior face defines a knuckle-engaging surface that is configured to bear against the tapered lock engagement wall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Applicant: Amsted Rail Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Todt, Timothy Dumey
  • Publication number: 20200132537
    Abstract: A truck assembly for a rail vehicle includes at least one side frame including at least one lightener hole. At least one strain gage is disposed within the lightener hole(s). The strain gage(s) is configured to detect forces exerted into or onto the truck assembly. A method of detecting forces exerted into or onto a truck assembly of a rail vehicle includes disposing at least one strain gage within at least one lightener hole of at least one side frame of a truck assembly of the rail vehicle, and detecting the forces by the strain gage(s).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2019
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Applicant: Amsted Rail Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Paul Steven Wike