Abstract: A three-piece railcar truck assembly is disclosed. The truck assembly has two side frames and a bolster extending between the side frames. Each side frame has spaced columns defining an opening which receives one end of the bolster. Each side frame also has forward and rearward lugs at the columns, both on the inboard side and the outboard side. Each side frame lug has a stop surface that is aligned in a facing relationship with a stop surface of one bolster gib. There is a gap between the opposed side frame lug and bolster gib stop surfaces. The gap distance is limited to limit the truck warp angle. The neighboring side frame lugs and bolster gibs may be sized, shaped and spaced so that the truck warp angle may be limited to an angle of less than two degrees. The various stop-surfaces may be hardened to a desirable range of hardness over at least the contact portion of either contacting lug or gib, or both contacting surfaces may be hardened above the as-cast hardness.

Abstract: A three-piece railcar truck assembly is disclosed. The truck assembly has two side frames and a bolster extending between the side frames. Each side frame has spaced columns defining an opening which receives one end of the bolster. Each side frame also has forward and rearward lugs at the columns, both on the inboard side and the outboard side. Each side frame lug has a stop surface that is aligned in a facing relationship with a stop surface of one bolster gib. There is a gap between the opposed side frame lug and bolster gib stop surfaces. The gap distance is limited to limit the truck warp angle. The neighboring side frame lugs and bolster gibs may be sized, shaped and spaced so that the truck warp angle may be limited to an angle of less than two degrees.

Abstract: A railway truck assembly has an arrangement for constraining the free travel clearance between the mated bolster and side frame at the side frame window, and more particularly for reducing or eliminating the clearance or separation gap between the bolster lands and the side frame column wall at the outer edges of the bolster lands and the column wall for reduction of truck warping during service.

Abstract: A freight railcar undercarriage constant-contact sidebearing arrangement provides a load force transfer mechanism with a more direct or less redundant force transfer path between the railcar body with its lading and the sideframe and wheels of a truck assembly, which system obviates the present use of a bolster center plate structure for load transfer, carries all the load forces through the side bearing assemblies, fulfills the dynamic operating requirements of the American Association of Railroads standards, reduces the weight of the railcar while maintaining the load-carrying capacity, and is particularly adaptable to three-piece truck assemblies in broad use on freight railcars.

Abstract: An integrally cast bearing adapter arrangement is provided in the pedestal of a railcar truck side frame, which side frame is cast with a pedestal jaw having a roof, and vertical walls of a first and second leg which roof and walls operate as a bearing adapter to receive and grasp a bearing assembly outer surface at a horizontal diameter of the bearing assembly for an axle end without introducing the manufacturing and assembly tolerances from discrete component assemblies, thereby avoiding the lateral displacement associated with the added tolerances and operating to minimize angular displacement between each mated axle and side frame.

Abstract: A sideframe pedestal jaw accommodates a bearing adapter which locks the adapter to the sideframe, thereby preventing it from all forms of movement within the pedestal jaw opening. Locking the bearing adapter forces the truck axles to remain at a right angle with respect to the sideframes. Maintaining this right angular relationship substantially curtails truck warpage, which induces wheel misalignment that leads to undesirable truck hunting and high speed instability.

Abstract: When slack-free railcar connector assemblies are placed under very high tensile loading, the connector assembly components will stretch and allow a typical "rigid" gravity wedge to descend into a fully seated position between the components and lock-in the tensile loads. The locked-in loads become additive in nature when successively encountered compressive loads are experienced by the connector assembly, thereby increasing the lateral drawbar angling forces, as well as accelerating coupling component wear. The wedge component of the present invention includes a means for vertically supporting and retaining the wedge in a holding position slightly above the normally fully seated position during the tensile loading, thereby eliminating the build up of tensile forces in the connector assembly.

Abstract: A lightweight, cast steel railcar truck sideframe is the result of matching stress levels within each of the sideframe components with an amount of metallic mass necessary to maintain structural integrity during railcar loading. Areas on each component which were found to be low stress accumulation areas have removed mass from them, reducing sideframe weight. The removal of mass is accomplished by adding lightener holes to and/or reducing thickness of the particular component. Areas on each component found to be high stress areas have added mass in order to strengthen the sideframe. Areas with reduced mass far exceed those increased. The lightener holes are uniquely used in the casting mold such that only nine cores are needed when casting the entire sideframe. By using only a total of nine cores instead of twenty-eight, substantial manhour and production costs savings are realized.

Abstract: An improved articulated railcar connection and wedge shim wherein the wedge shim has a plurality of steps formed in the sides thereof upwardly from the narrow wedge bottom to present successive lifting surfaces accessible from inspection portals formed in the connection.

Abstract: Friction shoes are immobilized within the pockets of a railcar truck bolster by threaded pins that are inserted through apertures in the pocket walls and friction shoes and guided into the inboard pocket wall apertures by a concentric tapered surface within the pockets on the inboard pocket walls.

Abstract: A constant contact side bearing or railcar trucks utilizes wedges or rollers to adjustably separate opposing and converging surfaces of a base member and a vertically biased cap member.

Abstract: An improved railway truck is provided having an elastic and internal grounding connection for creating an electrical path from the side frame, around the elastomeric suspension pad, to the bearing adapter allowing the static electricity of the railway vehicle to be discharged at the rail.

Abstract: An improved fifth wheel structure for over the road tractors wherein a resilient elastomer pad placed between a fifth wheel pocket surface and a bearing surface includes non-extrudable end members to prevent extrusion of the pad from the pocket and wherein the pocket surface and corresponding shoe surface may also be undulated to better retain the elastomer pad.

Abstract: Friction shoes are preassembled in each end of a railcar truck bolster by providing openings in the bolster and in the shoes and passing a restraining member through the openings at each bolster end and tensioning and securing the restraining members so as to hold the shoes within respective pockets in the bolster. The shoes and pockets are further provided with cooperating anti-ejection features to prevent ejection of shoes after installation.

Abstract: The present invention provides a friction shoe for use in a railway freight car truck. The friction shoe consists of a cast metal body having a generally flat vertical surface adapted to abut a column on the truck side frame and sloped surfaces adapted to abut a corresponding sloped surface of the truck bolster. Resilient, elastomeric pads are adapted to be received on each sloped surface of the friction shoe. The sloped surface of the friction shoe has either a slot or a protrusion running lengthwise parallel to an outer edge of the sloped surface, and the elastomeric pad has either a correspoding protrusion or slot adapted to fit in the complementary sloped surface. The elastomeric pad may be wedge shaped tapering in reduced thickness from its bottom edge toward its top edge, or the pad may comprise two components each of which tapers from its top edge toward its bottom edge with a complementary adapted sloped surface on the friction shoe.