Abstract: An articulated railroad car for carrying container or trailer loads providing for improved weight distribution among all the trucks, comprising a forward end car unit, a rearward end car unit, a plurality of interior car units substantially linearly and adjacently disposed between the forward and rearward car units. Between each adjacent pair of car units, the car has a shared truck having axles for supporting one end of one car unit and one end of the other car unit. A central shared truck is centrally located along the length of the railroad car. Articulated connectors on the shared trucks join the interior car units to one another and to the end car units, and a hitch for a kingpin on each of the car units is placed over the truck associated with the car unit which is farther from the central truck, to facilitate relatively even load distribution among all the trucks.

Abstract: Railroad car for transporting transversely oriented cylindrical objects. The cargo bed of the car projects downwardly through the draft sills, interrupting the draft sills. The car has one or more troughs defined by pairs of facing cylindrical object support members. The support members at the front and rear of the car also transmit loads from the draft sills downwardly to lower longitudinal members which bridge between the respective draft sills. Also, a telescoping cover for a railroad car which covers the entire cargo bed during transport, and uncovers the entire cargo area at once without removing the covers from the car. Thus the entire car can be loaded or unloaded without shifting the covers. The front sections and rear sections of the cover telescope independently to the front and rear of the car, thus allowing the entire cover to be positioned outboard of the cargo bed when open while remaining on track means associated with the car. Removable one-piece and two-piece covers are also disclosed.

Abstract: Center beam railroad car having a top chord, a parallel center sill below the top chord, columns joining the top chord and center sill, and diagonal tension members connecting the upper joint between one column and the top chord to the lower joint between another column and the center sill. In one embodiment, the tension member is pivotally secured at each end to the respective upper and lower joints, preventing fatigue failure of the tension member where it is secured to the joints. In another embodiment, at least one end of the tension member is secured to a joint between one end of a column and the center sill or top chord only after the joints are defined by assembling and joining the top chord, center sill, and columns. This method allows the tension members to be installed and to function substantially without tension in the unloaded, unused car and to accept tension loads when the car is loaded and operated.

Abstract: An articulated railroad car, which includes an articulated connector, rail truck and car body units, has at least one standard short-travel railroad car side bearing which is designed to permit down travel of the car body unit of at least 5/8 inch. In a preferred embodiment, one rail truck portion includes a long-travel railroad car side bearing. The long-travel side bearing includes a top cap member and a bottom member with a resilient member interposed therebetween. The long-travel side bearing permits roll axis movement of one car body unit relative to another car body unit to reduce forces on the rail truck which would tend to prevent its successful negotiation of curves.

Abstract: A rail car having an end closure provided by a pair of sliding doors. Each side wall of the rail car has a main side wall portion which terminates adjacent one end of the rail car, and an upright ladder panel spaced from the main side wall portion to provide a vertical slot. The doors are guided for movement from a closed position across the end of the rail car to an open position in which the doors project through the slots. An upper ladder brace assembly mounted on the main side wall portion of each side wall is provided to support the upper end of the ladder panel. This upper ladder brace assembly has an elongated brace member which is rigidly connected to the upper ladder panel. The brace member is bowed outwardly to be entirely outside the path of the door so as not to interfere with the movement of the door to open position.

Abstract: A railroad gondola car having improved side sills, internal horizontal tension braces and diagonal braces with cast metal connectors at the ends of the braces and doubler plates on the side wall post flanges for reinforcement purposes where posts are connected to the ends of the body bolsters and where the braces are connected to the car side walls opposite a side wall post.

Abstract: An articulated railroad car, which includes an articulated connector, rail truck and car body units, has at least one standard short-travel railroad car side bearing which is designed to permit down travel of the car body unit of at least 5/8 inch. In a preferred embodiment, one rail truck portion includes a long-travel railroad car side bearing. The long-travel side bearing includes a top cap member and a bottom member with a resilient member interposed therebetween. The long-travel side bearing permits roll axis movement of one car body unit relative to another car body unit to reduce forces on the rail truck which would tend to prevent its successful negotiation of curves.

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 railroad car, for carrying shipping containers, having a car body with opposing side walls and an end wall near each end defining a well in which a container can be received; support for a container, when in the well, comprising a plurality of spaced metal castings joined to each side wall and spaced inwardly from the well end walls; and each casting being substantially L-shaped and having a substantially vertical leg joined at the bottom of a side wall and the casting having an arm extending laterally substantially horizontally inwardly toward the center of the car to aid in supporting a container in the well.

Abstract: A span bolster, for carrying a heavy load of a railroad car body and distributing the load to two four wheel two axle railroad bogies or trucks, is fabricated from steel plate and has top and bottom cover plates, top and bottom reinforcement doubler plates, longitudinal spaced apart webs separating the cover plates, body bolsters at each end and a central truck bolster, all formed of metal plate joined together by welding with all critical welds being full penetration welds, and with the span bolster being stress relieved after fabrication.

Abstract: A hopper vehicle body having an elongated shell internally reinforced by spaced apart lateral reinforcing members in the general shape of a horseshoe and which have a hat-shaped cross section.

Abstract: A railroad car for transporting horizontal shipping containers includes (1) a vertical transition box from the car center sill to the end wall of a well portion capable of receiving one or more shipping containers, (2) car body bottom side sills in the form of an inserted T-member, (3) shear plates at the bottom ends of the well portion, (4) a longitudinal plate in the car body well portion bottom joined to a shear plate at each end, and (5) reinforcement of the car body central portion so that it can transport two end-to-end abutting containers in the well.

Abstract: An aluminum hopper car having a center sill hood which uses aluminum collar castings to connect cross ridge hoods which intersect a center sill hood, and to connect the center sill hood with intersecting sloped car end walls.

Abstract: A railroad car for carrying containers comprising a car body supported by rail trucks adapted for movement over a railroad; the car body having opposing side walls and an end wall near each end connected to the side walls with said side walls and end walls defining a well in which a container can be received; supports for the bottom of a container, when in the well, comprising a plurality of metal castings joined to each side wall; and each casting having a substantially vertical leg joined at the bottom of a side wall and an arm extending substantially horizontally inwardly toward the center of the car on which a container bottom can be supported.

Abstract: A railroad hopper car having bottom discharge doors, an elongated beam assembly along the bottom of the car, door operating levers to open and close the doors connected to the beam assembly and doors, and lost motion timing connections in the beam assembly which permits displacement of beam sections to open and close pairs or sets of doors in a sequential but substantially simultaneous and automatic order so ast to permit reduction of air pressure required to open the doors, or permit use of smaller diameter air cylinder, a pneumatic drive to move the beam in opposite directions to open and close the doors, and a secondary lock to maintain the beam stationary unless pneumatic pressure intentionally operates the pneumatic drive, with the lock being positioned to be readily seen when locked and safely operated if necessary from the wayside.

Abstract: A railroad car for transporting horizontal shipping containers, the car having a novel stub center sill extending from a coupler to the end wall of a well portion capable of receiving one or more shipping containers, (2) a reinforcement assembly from the coupler to the end sill, (3) a reinforcement of the car body central portion so that it can transport two end-to-end abutting containers in the well and (4) lateral car body side wall tie braces having increased stiffness and which are easily attached by fasteners.

Abstract: Transportation equipment having at least one deck for supporting and transporting four-wheel vehicles such as automobiles and trucks; at least one track secured to the deck; the track having a pair of substantially upwardly extending spaced apart surfaces; chock blocks for a vehicle transported on the deck to secure the vehicle against longitudinal movement; each chock block having a horizontal first member which nests with the track and is quickly removable from such nesting arrangement by upward displacement; each chock block having a second member substantially horizontally positioned and permanently laterally joined to the first member; the second member having a sufficient length to extend along, and terminate beyond, the tread face of a tire of a vehicle located along side the track; and the chock block having a lock for removably securing the first member to the track, when in nesting position therewith, to prevent the chock block from horizontal movement along the track and upward movement from the tr

Abstract: A chock block for a vehicle transported on a deck to secure the vehicle against longitudinal movement; the chock block having a first member and a longitudinal second member lateral to the first member; the first member nesting with a track on the deck and removable from such nesting by upward displacement; the second member extending along and terminating beyond the tread face of a vehicle tire; a pin on the chock block for removably securing the first member to the track to prevent the chock block from horizontal and upward movement; the second member having a longitudinal center when viewed from the top; the chock block being essentially symmetrical about the second member longitudinal center; and the pin having a handle observable and manually operable from both sides of the second member longitudinal center to withdraw the pin forward end from a track hole to remove the chock block from the track and to help position the pin forward end in a track hole.