Abstract: A railroad vehicle truck having a single wheelset includes a pair of spaced side frames. The side frames are joined into a rigid unit by a pair of transversely positioned transom cross bars. The cross bars are positioned one each on each side of the wheelset which has its axle ends journaled in bearings carried in turn in a pedestal jaw centrally formed in each side frame. Projecting inwardly from each end of the side frames is a bracket which forms part of a set of upper pivot connections with an upper end of a swing arm. A laterally positioned crosstie assembly is joined through a pair of spaced end caps with a lower end of each swing arm to form a set of lower pivot connections. Each crosstie assembly end cap has a pair of spring cups containing a set of springs which operatively support a body of the railroad vehicle thereabove.

Abstract: An improved railway truck friction shoe is provided. The contact point of the shoe slope face with the bolster and the spring center line of the shoe are substantially coincident; the contact point is substantially equidistant from the top and bottom edges of the shoe column face. The convex sloped surface of the shoe has a reduced crown radius, and the vertical face of the shoe has an increased length. The shoe is designed to provide a more even distribution of contact pressures across its column face. This results in a longer wear life for the shoe by providing for more uniform wear.

Abstract: A human waste storage and disposal system for railroads including a toilet bowl, a discharge outlet connected to the bowl, a flushing fluid inlet for flushing the bowl and a vertically disposed receiver coupled to the outlet for receiving the contents discharged from the bowl. A macerator is coupled to both the receiver and a storage tank for withdrawing waste from the receiver, macerating the same and discharging it into the storage tank. Suitable controls are provided for disposing of the macerated waste in the tank in situ or on demand.

Abstract: A macerator pump is disclosed having a collector housing for receiving waste material therein, a positive displacement pump coupled to the housing with an apertured plate separating the same, and a motor coupled to the pump for actuating the same and terminating in the housing with a cutting blade rotatable over the plate. The blade may be continually biased against the plate and the plate may include means for cleaning the blade by kicking any waste material not cut by the blade to a size sufficient to pass through the apertures back into the interior of the collector housing. The blade may also have reversible cutting edges.

Abstract: Improvements in a recirculating toilet system wherein at least one human waste receiving receptacle, such as a urinal or toilet bowl, is provided coupled to a separating tank having a predetermined amount of a non-aqueous flushing fluid of a lower density and specific gravity than water therein. A flushing fluid intake floats on top of a layer of the flushing fluid in the tank with water and human waste below the layer. A motor-activated pump flushing fluid recirculating means is coupled to both the intake and the receptacle for withdrawing flushing fluid from the layer in the tank and flushing the receptacle. The float has a detector for detecting the presence of a predetermined amount of wastewater in the flushing fluid being withdrawn from the tank for flushing the receptacle and for detecting the level of the flushing fluid in the tank and deactivates the pump of the recirculating means when this predetermined amount of wastewater is detected.

Abstract: A toilet system for use on vehicles, such as railroad trains and boats, wherein the toilet contents are chlorinated and ground into a slurry of a predetermined size prior to pumping out. The system includes a grinder which recirculates the toilet contents through the grinder for a predetermined period of time. The system cannot operate until a chlorine tablet has been inserted into the toilet. A timer may be provided which shuts off the grinder after the aforementioned period of time. A valve may be provided in the system which can be activated to pump out the ground chlorinated contents of the toilet while grinding the same and will run until the holding tak of the toilet is emptied. The macerated and chlorinated waste treated in this system requires a relatively low amount of chlorine and has a bacteria count so low that the ground and chlorinated waste may be dumped in situ, such as along railroad tracks or in a harbor or the like.

Abstract: A pumping system for a plurality of recirculating toilets sharing a common tank is described. A variable volume pump has a by-pass valve which is controlled by a pressure sensor in the flush line, to prevent excessive fluid pressure at the toilets. For applications in which the total number of toilets in the system requires a flow exceeding the output of a single pump, additional, substantially identical pumps are provided. A time delay circuit is connected to a pressure switch for energizing a second pump, if the fluid pressure at the toilets does not exceed a predetermined pressure within a set time interval.

Abstract: A method for preventing a flushing oil used in recirculating toilets from turning yellow and having an offensive odor when contacted with animal waste products containing, among other things, water, carotene, bilirubin, oil soluble unsaturated fats, ammonia, amines and amides such as urea which includes the steps of mixing with said waste products a water-soluble compound having an active chlorine atom whereby said water-soluble chlorine compound is dissolved in the water contained in said waste products and reacts with the ammonia, amines and/or amides to form an oil soluble N-chloro-amine or amine (particularly NCl.sub.