Abstract: A key retainer for retaining a draft key in the key slot of a railway car yoke is mounted on the outside of the sill of a railway car. Mounting the key retainer with a retainer key system on the outside of the sill, and aligned with the sill cutout, permits ease of visual inspection of the retainer from outside the railway car, and allows for repair of the key retainer without disassembling the coupler from the yoke, or the yoke from the railway car.

Abstract: A key retainer for retaining a draft key in the key slot of a railway car yoke is mounted on the outside of the sill of a railway car. Mounting the key retainer with a retainer key system on the outside of the sill, and aligned with the sill cutout, permits ease of visual inspection of the retainer from outside the railway car, and allows for repair of the key retainer without disassembling the coupler from the yoke, or the yoke from the railway car.

Abstract: A cushioning device for a railcar coupling that operates at a very high impedance when subjected to low level forces to thereby reduce the effect of slack between railcars while still providing an effective cushion for absorbing high levels of shock between the railcars. The cushioning device includes a cylinder containing a fluid of liquid and a gas under pressure for absorbing shock due to buff and draft movement and a piston carried in the cylinder. The gas pressure urges the piston toward the draft end of the cylinder while restoring from a buff shock. An internal positioning spring stops further restoring movement of the piston toward the draft end of the cylinder at a selected neutral position spaced from the draft end of the cylinder. The internal positioning spring allows the piston to move from the neutral position toward the draft end of the cylinder if a draft shock occurs of sufficient magnitude while the piston is in the neutral position.

Abstract: A shock absorber for a railcar locates within a center sill of the railcar. The shock absorber has a housing that moves relative to the center sill. A backstop is welded to the center sill for retaining the piston shaft. The backstop has a top, a bottom and two parallel sides. The height of the backstop from the bottom to the top is substantially less than the center sill. The sides of the backstop are welded to the sidewalls of the center sill in a position which provides an upper clearance between the top of the backstop and the top wall of the center sill and a lower clearance between the bottom of the backstop and the bottom of the center sill.

Abstract: A railcar shock absorber has neutral position in which the piston is spaced between buff and draft ends of the cylinder. An external spring is mounted to the shock absorber. A slider rod has one end mounted to the coupling to move relative to the frame of the railcar. The spring has retainers on each end, and the slider rod passes through the retainers. One of the retainers is stationary relative to the frame. The other retainer floats relative to the frame and will abut a neutral stop of the frame when the spring is in the maximum length position. An engagement member on the slider rod will further compress the spring if a draft shock occurs from the neutral position. If a buff shock occurs from the neutral position, the engagement member moves away from the floating retainer.

Abstract: A rail car cushion apparatus comprises concentric cylinder and housing members mounted at one end to a seat of a cushion apparatus body and at the other end to a cylinder head. The cylinder head includes a flow chamber and flow passages. A sleeve valve chamber is also included in the cylinder head adjacent to the flow chamber. A sleeve valve is provided in the sleeve valve chamber and is slidably mounted to slide along a piston rod telescopically received in the concentric cylinder and housing members. The sleeve valve is confined for limited movement by a sleeve retainer lip provided in the cylinder head. The retainer lip is discontinous to provide space for the sleeve valve to be inserted into the sleeve valve chamber. The sleeve valve retainer lip alternatively may be formed by a flexible retainer member retained in a groove formed in the cylinder head.

Abstract: A cushioning apparatus for a railway car includes a housing having a cylinder bore disposed therein with an end plate closing one end of the cylinder bore. A piston assembly includes a shaft extending through the end plate and a piston disposed on the shaft and slidably received within the cylinder bore. The piston is slidable between an axially innermost position furthest from the end plate and an axially outermost position closest to the end plate. A limit pin has an interference fit within a pin bore of the end plate and extends outward therefrom toward the piston for initially limiting axially outward movement of the piston short of its axially outermost position to thereby limit a length of the cushioning apparatus prior to installation of the cushioning apparatus in a railway car. To repair the cushioning apparatus, the cylinder, cylinder end plate and piston assembly are removed from the housing.

Abstract: A cushioning apparatus for a railway car includes a housing having a cylinder bore disposed therein with an end plate closing one end of the cylinder bore. A piston assembly includes a shaft extending through the end plate and a piston disposed on the shaft and slidably received within the cylinder bore. The piston is slidable between an axially innermost position furthest from the end plate and an axially outermost position closest to the end plate. A limit pin has an interference fit within a pin bore of the end plate and extends outward therefrom toward the piston for initially limiting axially outward movement of the piston short of its axially outermost position to thereby limit a length of the cushioning apparatus prior to installation of the cushioning apparatus in a railway car.

Abstract: Improved piston shaft seals for end-of-car hydraulic cushioning devices. Comprising an improved combination of annular oil scraper seals, and improved annular reinforced oil scraper seal, for use in an end-of-car hydraulic cushioning device.

Abstract: A fabricated backstop/buffstop comprising a pair of parallel, juxtaposed side plates, each side plate having a central opening therein, a forward transverse member having each end thereof freely positioned in a portion of the central opening of each side plate of the pair of side plates and having a slot located in the center of the forward transverse member, and a rear transverse member having each end thereof freely positioned in a portion of the central opening of each side plate of the pair of side plates.