Abstract: A freight carrying railroad car comprising a body supported at each end by wheel-containing trucks; the body having a vertical center beam extending longitudinally the length of the car between bulkheads at each end of the car; the center beam comprising a center sill, a top sill parallel to and spaced above the center sill, and a plurality of vertical spaced apart columns rigidly connected at their lower ends to the center sill and at their upper ends to the top sill; and at each end of the car, a vertical plate extending from the center sill to the top sill, and from the bulkhead at that end inwardly along the center sill; the vertical plate being joined to the center sill, top sill, bulkhead and a plurality of said columns and having a width no more than about one-fifth of the distance between the bulkheads.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a handbrake system for a railway car, such as an articulated car, having at least first, second and third trucks, each truck having a handbrake mechanism. The system comprises a handbrake and a force distributor including an input branch and first and second output branches. The system further comprises a first linkage connecting the handbrake to the input branch for moving the distributor when the handwheel is turned, a second linkage from the first output branch to the brake mechanism of the first truck, an automatic slack adjuster, a third linkage from the second output branch to the slack adjuster, a fourth linkage from the slack adjuster to the brake mechanism of the second truck, and a fifth linkage from the slack adjuster to the brake mechanism of the third truck.

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 gondola railway car having 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 pair of longitudinal trough portions between the trucks and the flat bottom portions, each trough portion having a side edge joined to a side panel bottom edge and a side edge joined to the center sill, and an end wall at each end of each trough extending to the adjacent flat bottom portion.

Abstract: An underframe arrangement for a railway vehicle and including a deep section center sill joined to a draft sill portion through use of a transition beam member. Both the transition beam member and the draft sill have overlapping flange portions in the area adjacent the car body bolster and center filler. Overlapping these flange portions increases the strength of the draft sill to transition sill connection to resist buff and draft forces by directing these longitudinal forces into the bottom web of the draft sill and transition sill and from there through the transition section and into the deep section center sill which is capable of absorbing and dissipating large longitudinal loads. The overlapping members also increase the strength of the center filler area to provide an improved bolster.