Abstract: A railroad car arranged to transport automobiles comprises a floor, a roof, a pair of spaced sidewalls, and at least one door assembly that is guided to a position adjacent a sidewall to enable loading and unloading of the rail car. A rail guides the lower end of the door assembly. The rail is positioned along the floor of the rail car. A plurality of fingers attached to the door assembly and extend to a sliding engagement with the rail. The rail has uninterrupted sections and extends substantially entirely across the floor between the sidewalls and has two spaced depressible sections that are pushed down by the tires of automobiles rolling thereover. Each depressible section comprises a predetermined length of guide rail, springs for biasing said guide rail upwardly, and preferably, a slotted channel through which said guide rail partially extends.

Abstract: An assembly for securing a standard bridge plate to the upper deck of a railroad car arranged to carry automobiles on at least two levels, said railroad cars having a track member from which a sliding door is hung positioned adjacent the edge of the deck at the end of the railroad car comprises a fixed leaf secured to the surface of the deck and spaced gudgeons mounted to an end of said fixed leaf. A rotating leaf has spaced gudgeons mounted thereto for being positioned between the spaced gudgeons secured to the fixed leaf. Pins pass through the gudgeons and secure the leaves together such that the rotating leaf may be turned back onto the surface of the deck or may be rotated to bridge the track member from which the door is hung. The rotating leaf has an offset therein so that a portion of said rotating leaf extending away from the deck and beyond the track member is positioned downwardly of the top of said track member.

Abstract: A rail car having a bed, sidewalls and a curbed roof defined by at least one slope on each side connecting the flat top of the roof with the sidewalls and an end opening. Substantially symmetrical doors close the end opening. The doors are hung such that each can be moved from a position closing a portion of the end opening to a stowed position substantially along the inside of a sidewall. The doors have upper gable portions that substantially entirely fill the upper portion of the end opening. The doors, when in the closed position, substantially stand in one plane. First and second sloped end portions of the roof at each side and near the end opening are arranged with the lower edge thereof parallel to the top edge of the sidewall and spaced a short distance therefrom. When a door is moved to the stowed position it extends upwardly through the space between the sloped portion and the sidewall.

Abstract: A railroad car arranged to transport automobiles comprises a floor, a roof, a pair of spaced side walls, at least one door assembly and means for guiding the door assembly to a position adjacent a side wall to enable loading and unloading of the railroad car. A rail secures the lower end of the door assembly, the rail being positioned along the floor of the railroad car. Extensions are attached to the door assembly and are in sliding engagement with the rail. The rail has two interrupted portions through which the tires of an automobile will pass during loading and unloading. The extensions attached to the door assembly are aligned onto the rail after passing through the interrupted portions during opening and closing by a pair of rail segments. The rail segments are spaced at an angle towards the rail and away from the interrupted portions and are attached to the floor at both ends of each interrupted portion.