Patents Examined by Dennis C. Rodgers
  • Patent number: 4594948
    Abstract: A dual lading railroad car which can carry solid, granular lading in hoppers at each end of the car and a liquid lading in a tank located in the center of the car between the hoppers. Only liquid lading can be carried in one direction and only solid, granular lading can be carried in a different or return direction, or both such ladings can be carried simultaneously in the same direction. Phosphate rock can be carried in the hoppers and molten sulfur in the tank. The exterior of the car looks substantially like a conventional covered hopper car since the tank is fully enclosed by the car walls and roof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 1984
    Date of Patent: June 17, 1986
    Assignee: Thrall Car Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Kenneth H. Smith, Walter J. Marulic
  • Patent number: 4594949
    Abstract: A holddown bar for a hatch cover of a railroad car, the holddown bar having opposed ends one of which is adapted to be pivotally mounted to the car and the other of which is adapted to be releasably latched to the car while a medial portion thereof intermediate the opposed ends is adapted to extend across the hatch cover and carries a sealing gasket in a channel thereof that is adapted to engage against the hatch cover. The medial portion of the holddown bar has a surface adapted to engage a certain structure of the car outboard of the hatch thereof when the holddown bar is pivoted to a hatch opening position thereof. The surface of the medial portion of the holddown bar comprises a resilient bumper carrier by the holddown bar for engaging the structure of the car when the holddown bar is pivoted thereagainst whereby the bumper tends to prevent damage to that structure of the car when the holddown bar is pivoted to the open position thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 1983
    Date of Patent: June 17, 1986
    Assignee: Dayco Corporation
    Inventor: Donald L. Kleykamp
  • Patent number: 4593624
    Abstract: A releasing device and dog member for a power and free type of conveyor is described. The releasing device includes a rod (105, 205) which is linearly moveable upon engaging a stop or a truck (17) with a buttress plate (105a, 205a) on the rod to disengage a retaining plate (100a, 200a) on a pivotal dog (100, 200), thereby allowing the dog to pivot away from a pusher member (12). An extending device, such as spring (108) or camming member (209), urges the rod to an extended position when the stop or forward truck is removed from engagement with the buttress plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 1985
    Date of Patent: June 10, 1986
    Assignee: Planet Corporation
    Inventor: Michael G. Spiker
  • Patent number: 4593827
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a drawbar railway coupler connection. The drawbar contacts a follower block which in turn contacts a wedge shaped shim. Such shim provides an essentially slackless feature to the coupling connection. Further, surfaces of the follower block and the shim or of the shim and the rear cavity wall are modified such that alignment of the shim within the cavity is assured despite any angling or slight rotation of the drawbar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1983
    Date of Patent: June 10, 1986
    Assignee: AMSTED Industries Incorporated
    Inventor: Russell G. Altherr
  • Patent number: 4593829
    Abstract: The present invention relates to articulated railway coupler connections. The butt end of the male articulating connection contacts a follower block which in turn contacts a wedge shaped shim. Such shim provides an essentially slackless feature to the coupling connection. Further, surfaces of the follower block and the shim or of the shim and the rear cavity wall are modified such that alignment of the shim within the cavity is assured despite any angling or slight rotation of the male connection member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1983
    Date of Patent: June 10, 1986
    Assignee: AMSTED Industries Incorporated
    Inventor: Russell G. Altherr
  • Patent number: 4591059
    Abstract: A draft gear assembly to cushion and absorb impacting forces on a railroad car coupler system includes a housing containing a spring package. Through a follower the spring package interacts with a set of friction shoes. The shoes are positioned in friction shoe seats in a friction bore section of the housing. Each seat includes a wear liner in a recess formed on an inner surface of the housing friction bore section. The shoes in turn engage a wedge which extends from the housing to connect with other elements of the coupler system. The liners are made of a selective steel initially deformed by the impacting forces. This deformable quality allows wider dimensional variations between the shoes, liners, and the housing recesses. After deformation the liners fit properly in the recesses and the shoes in the seats to optimize areas of contact therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 1984
    Date of Patent: May 27, 1986
    Assignee: Miner Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard C. Hammarlund
  • Patent number: 4589343
    Abstract: The machine is intended for the displacement of open track sections and switch gear. For this purpose, it is provided, for each line of rails, with a shifting roller (17), a hook (11) for the lifting of the switch gears and roller (12) for the lifting of the open sections, these tools being mounted on a tool holder (9, 10) moved by lifting (22) and shifting (23) jacks connected to the chassis (3) of the machine. The lifting hook (11) and the lifting roller (12) are mounted movable in rotation in a plane parallel to the track around a shaft (29) and are moved around said shaft by a jack (32) having two end-of-stroke positions corresponding to the operating position of one and the other of these two tools respectively. Other mountings permitting similar effects are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 1984
    Date of Patent: May 20, 1986
    Assignee: Matisa Materiel Industriel S.A.
    Inventor: Hans Hurni
  • Patent number: 4587907
    Abstract: This invention relates to a railroad car for use in transporting railroad ties. A flat bed is provided with siderails which extend upwardly along each side of the bed. Each of the siderails comprises vertically extending posts and horizontally extending rails with some of the rail sections being removable to accommodate unloading of the ties. The removable rail sections are disposed so that upper and lower rails on one sidewall are removable while an intermediate rail section on the opposite sidewall is removable. This helps to insure the structural integrity of the car.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1983
    Date of Patent: May 13, 1986
    Assignee: The Kansas City Southern Railway Company, Inc.
    Inventor: T. L. Haney
  • Patent number: 4583465
    Abstract: For mounting to the frame of a road vehicle, a railway wheel apparatus comprises an axle, a pair of flanged wheels mounted in spaced relation on the axle, a first pair of laterally spaced toggle structures pivotally connected at the lower ends thereof to the axle, a second pair of spaced toggle structures pivotally connected at one end thereof respectively to the upper ends of the first pair of toggle structures and pivotally connected at the other ends thereof to the frame, so that extension of said toggle structures into substantial alignment with each other effects a downward lowering of the axle and wheels and so that bodily angular movement of the toggle structures effects upward raising of the axle and wheels, and a pair of fluid motors for extending and retracting the toggle structures respectively whereby the wheels are lowered and raised relative to the vehicle frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 1984
    Date of Patent: April 22, 1986
    Inventor: Parks L. Powell, Sr.
  • Patent number: 4583463
    Abstract: A deviation device for laterally deviating the haul rope of a ropeway along a curvature including a revolving carrier, preferably an endless roller chain, which is guided by rails. The part of the roller chain which is situated nearer to the center of curvature follows the proposed curvature of the rope. A plurality of pivotal rope guiding levers, projecting from the roller chain, and provided with support members on their underside, supports the rope laterally in the direction towards the center of curvature and, when a rope grip engages a lever, this lever is displaced upwardly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1982
    Date of Patent: April 22, 1986
    Inventor: Josef Nejez
  • Patent number: 4580501
    Abstract: Apparatus for removing elastic rail fasteners of the kind that are applied transversely of the rail. The apparatus removes two fasteners simultaneously from a rail seat. The apparatus comprises a carrier frame (10) having a pair of opposed abutment plates (14 and 15) which move arcuately parallel to the rail (12). Associated with each plate (14 or 15) is an extraction lever (26a and 26b) which moves arcuately transverse to the rail. The abutment plates align the apparatus with the fastener (40), compress the arms (44) of the fastener (40) and the extraction levers (26a and 26b) pull the fasteners (40) from the rail seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1983
    Date of Patent: April 8, 1986
    Assignee: Ralph McKay Limited
    Inventors: John L. Collins, Wally A. Remes
  • Patent number: 4579065
    Abstract: An arrangement of stiffening elements, in particular for a railway goods car with a longitudinal beam on both sides of a trough under a base plate which supports sidewalls connected by a lower truss and end walls of a car superstructure with upper truss, the interior (J) of the car superstructure featuring a plurality of cross-ties. Said arrangement is such that a cross beam is connected to an end face of the trough and to the base plate, the longitudinal beam meeting said cross beam and forming an abutting surface with it. Resting on the cross beam are two lengths of hollow sections which project a length (i) into the lower truss. The trough features a floor and an additional floor which are joined by strips of material in a corrugated manner. The cross-ties are tubular shaped and feature towards their ends squashed regions which are accommodated in pairs of fish-plates to which the said cross-ties are releasably attached by suitable facilities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1983
    Date of Patent: April 1, 1986
    Assignee: Swiss Aluminium Ltd.
    Inventor: Jurg Zehnder
  • Patent number: 4579060
    Abstract: Railroad right-of-way maintenance equipment and method for removing old ties from beneath railroad rails and replacing them with new ties, characterized by a compound clamping head. The compound clamping head simultaneously grips a new tie and an old tie while withdrawing the old tie from beneath the rails, releases or discards the old tie at the end of the withdrawal stroke, and inserts the new tie in place of the old on the consecutive reciprocal return stroke. The invention also includes a kick-out feature for moving the old tie beyond the end of the withdrawal stroke for release or discard of the old tie.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1983
    Date of Patent: April 1, 1986
    Assignee: Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc.
    Inventors: Frank J. Nameny, Lenard L. Lawrence
  • Patent number: 4579062
    Abstract: An automatic latching assembly is provided for retaining vehicle bodies upon conveyor carriers during conveyance into and out of treatment baths. The assembly includes a carrier having latches mounted thereon which selectively engage the vehicle body securing it to the carrier. The latches comprise pivoting hooks rotatably mounted upon the carrier. Generally, gravity actuates pivoting of the hooks, biasing them into latching orientations. Unlatching orientations are achieved by a stationary, upward biasing cam operating upon the hooks. A downward biasing cam aids in the gravity actutation of the hooks into the latching orientation. The assembly selectively, automatically secures the vehicle body to the conveyor carrier, or releases it therefrom, as desired during transport of the vehicle body by the conveyor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 1984
    Date of Patent: April 1, 1986
    Assignee: Mid-West Conveyor Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert B. Clark, Erik M. Andersen
  • Patent number: 4576294
    Abstract: In a rail vehicle with anticlimb equipment, the occurring normal shocks are absorbed by draw and buffer devices which are provided in tandem with the central buffer couplers. To take up excessive impacts, an excess-impact safety effective through deformation is built into the coupler bar of the central buffer coupler. The purpose of the inventive arrangement with an additional excess-impact safety is to be able, upon a collision accident, to take up further excess impacts, in addition to those which are absorbed by the excess-impact safety of the coupler bar. The additional excessive-impact safety is so disposed that it remains unaffected during the response of the excess-impact safety of the coupler bar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1983
    Date of Patent: March 18, 1986
    Assignee: Scharfenbergkupplung GmbH
    Inventor: Hilmar Forster
  • Patent number: 4576295
    Abstract: A draft gear to absorb and cushion impacting forces on a railroad car coupler system includes a spring package in an inner section of a housing of the gear. The spring package connects with a set of friction shoes carried in friction shoe seats formed in an outer friction bore section of the housing. The shoes in turn engage with a wedge which extends from the housing outer end. In each friction shoe seat is a grooved recess having an inner, outer, and connecting groove portion arranged in an H-like shape. In each grooved recess in turn is a metallic insert to provide a film of lubricant between the shoes and friction shoe seats respectively. During operation the impacting forces on the coupler system drive the wedge and shoes inward to compress the spring package. This movement is restrained by friction between the shoes and friction shoe seats.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1984
    Date of Patent: March 18, 1986
    Assignee: Miner Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard A. Carlstedt
  • Patent number: 4573414
    Abstract: Device (1) for fixing a telpher chair or a telpher car to a cable (2), of the type comprising a part (5,6,8) extending along the cable and forming a travelling surface (12) on which rollers (13) are made to travel, the part having at each of its ends an extension (14,15) comprising an arm (16) which extends laterally relative to the cable and along the latter and which forms a travelling surface (22) or ramp which extends the travelling surface (12) of the part in such a way that the rollers (13) mount or leave by means of tangential contact the travelling surface of the extension (14) at its end or in the vicinity thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1984
    Date of Patent: March 4, 1986
    Assignee: Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble
    Inventors: Michel Cantin, Pierre Jaussaud, Roger Olivella
  • Patent number: 4573594
    Abstract: A railway car underframe includes a sill structure having at one end a cushion pocket disposed rearwardly of a draft structure which is readily adapted to support a drawbar assembly having at its rear end an impact head extending into the pocket and engaging a cushion. The cushion is spaced from one end of the pocket by a removable spacer assembly which is removed when a larger cushion is disposed in the pocket and a shank coupler assembly is utilized. The draft structure includes attaching means to which a bell mouth housing is removably secured when the coupler assembly replaces the drawbar assembly. The structure includes a member which is a combination having a draft lug function, for coupler application, and a draft keyslot function for drawbar application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1983
    Date of Patent: March 4, 1986
    Assignee: Pullman Standard, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert J. Kunst, Gerald F. Lahey, Herbert S. Wille
  • Patent number: 4572432
    Abstract: A substantially load free anchor lock fastening assembly for fastening a floating rail to a railroad tie which comprises an anchor lock plate which is adapted to be attached to an existing railroad tie plate or rail support, the tie plate having a rail support central channel area and shoulder areas which extend in opposite directions from the rail support central channel area, at least one of the shoulder areas being provided with an anchor lock plate which extends beyond the side of the tie, and above the base of the rail, and a rail anchor of unitary construction containing a first portion adapted to wedge against the base of the rail and a second portion adapted to take leverage against the side of the tie, the rail anchor being overlapped by the anchor locks outside the base edge of the rail with a small gap being maintained between the anchor and the anchor lock whereby rail rotation and rail uplift are controlled without adding strain to that portion of the anchor which is in contact with the tie and l
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1984
    Date of Patent: February 25, 1986
    Inventor: Hans-Heiner Moehren
  • Patent number: 4570545
    Abstract: A stub post is connected between the roof and ceiling of a railway car. A stanchion is fixed to the stub post and slip fitted into a cup secured to the top of an aisle seat. An adapter unit attached to the stub post is provided to receive the top end of the stanchion and permit it to be pivoted in position to drop into the cup member before it is fixed in place to the adapter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 1983
    Date of Patent: February 18, 1986
    Assignee: The Budd Company
    Inventor: Lionel Sherrow