Abstract: A car positioning device for dumping of random cars in a rotary car dumper, and a method for directly positioning cars within a rotary dumper, where the car positioning device, movable on a trackway parallel to a track portion carrying railroad cars, has a carriage base and a pivoted car positioning arm thereon, the car positioning arm being L-shaped with a long section extending parallel to the trackway and a short section carrying a coupling apparatus, transverse the track portion, such that the long section extends beyond the carriage and beyond the guideway for the carriage, with the short section of the arm positionable within the car dumping apparatus to directly position a car within the confines of the dumper.

Abstract: There is disclosed a train positioner for sequentially advancing a string of railroad cars to a rotary car dumper in a step-by-step and a car-by-car sequence. Each of the cars has rotatable couplings permitting the rotation of each car about a longitudinal axis. The rotary car dumper is adapted to invert a railroad car about that axis. Two car-pushing members are provided which are adapted to sequentially engage a car and advance the car toward the dumper. A drive arrangement is provided which is adapted to drive at least one of the pushing members forwardly toward the dumper a distance corresponding to about the length of a car while that pushing member is engaged with a car while retracting at least one other member rearwardly away from the dumper a distance corresponding to about the length of the car while being disengaged from a car.