Abstract: A gondola-type railway car has an end structure supported on a frameless radial truck. The end structure includes a center sill and a bottom closure member. Side sill members are connected to the sides of the bottom closure member. The undersurface of the bottom closure member has eight wedge pockets thereon with reinforcement attached thereto for engaging eight support pads on the truck. The pads and the wedge pockets are arranged in four longitudinally-spaced pairs of laterally spaced pads. The bottom closure member has a reinforcement structure on its upper surface for transferring the weight of the car to the truck. The reinforcement structure includes three transverse reinforcement channels above the three inner pairs of wedge pockets. A pair of longitudinally extending channel members extend from above the outer wedge pockets to engage the outermost transverse beam to tie the outer wedge pockets into the car body structure.

Abstract: A railway car train includes five railway car units comprising two end units and three intermediate units. Each end unit is configured for coupler connection to conventional railway cars. The car units are connected to each other by articulated connections wherein the ends of adjacent car units are supported on a single truck. Mating male and female side bearing arm structures are provided on adjacent ends of car units. The end structures of the car units have reinforcement structures to support side bearing arms in either the male or female configuration so that a single design of end structure may be used for either a male or a female configuration. The end structures are provided with offset shear plates having an elevated center portion to allow clearance for large-wheeled trucks while keeping the side structures of the car low enough to provide clearance for unloading the car unit.

Abstract: The hatch of a lading container, such as the hopper of a covered hopper car, is sealed by a hatch cover having a locking arrangement which prevents the hatch cover from being blown open by pressure within the hopper when the locking arrangement is unlocked. An over-center locking arm has two spaced catches which co-act with two latches on a latching arrangement to selectively provide a sealed, a pressure blow-off, and a hatch open position. A rotative adjustment is provided to enable adjustment of the sealing pressure of the hatch cover on the hatch.

Abstract: The brake beams of a single axle railway car wheel truck are swingingly suspended from a body portion of the car and engage with the axle housings of the wheel and axle assembly to enable the brake beams to move laterally and longitudinally with the wheel and axle assembly when this assembly is forced to move with respect to the body portion of the car. Movement of the brake beams with the wheel and axle assembly enables the brake heads on the brake beams to be properly aligned with braking surfaces on the wheels under substantially all operating conditions of the wheel truck even though substantially all of the weight of the brake beam and actuator assemblies is borne by the body portion of the railway car.

Abstract: A brake cylinder lever on a railway car is supported in a substantially vertical orientation by a roller mounted on an inclined ramp to bias the brake system toward a "brake off" or nondrag condition.

Abstract: An arrangement for a foundation brake rigging on a railway car includes a dead brake lever anchoring arrangement which comprises a bracket supported in openings extending through the walls of the wheel truck bolster. The bracket includes hook-shaped elements which support a generally horizontal connector rod disposed below the bolster. One end of the connector rod is provided with a hinged linkage arrangement, which includes an eye portion which engages and supports a hook-shaped lower end portion of the dead brake lever.

Abstract: An automatic device for locking and unlocking a hopper door operating mechanism which prevents accidental opening of the hopper doors due to car oscillations and provides a protective lock while the car is in transit but which has a novel lock which is releasable by intuitional actuation of the operating mechanism.