Abstract: A railcar connector assembly includes an elastic pad held in a cage that is interposed between parts of the assembly to provide limited slack of an amount approximately equal to a dimension that the pad extends from the cage.

Abstract: The present invention provides a single axle railway truck. An axle box with journal bearings is provided at each axle end. Each axle box includes a spring support from which two springs extend upwardly wherein their upper ends are received in spring retainers. The spring retainers extend from a lower surface of suppport beams and, accordingly, the support beams are themselves supported by the springs. A cylindrical dampening device has its lower end connected to the axle box and its upper end to a bracket extending outwardly from the support beam. A traction rod, or alternatively a shock absorber, extends from a side of the axle box to a mounting bracket near an end of the support beam.

Abstract: An improved fifth wheel structure for over the road tractors wherein a resilient elastomer pad placed between a fifth wheel pocket surface and a bearing surface includes non-extrudable end members to prevent extrusion of the pad from the pocket and wherein the pocket surface and corresponding shoe surface may also be undulated to better retain the elastomer pad.

Abstract: A diagonally braced railway truck comprising a pair of longitudinal side frames, a bolster extending therebetween and cast support brackets extending downwardly from lower tension members of the side frames and the pedestal jaws. The support brackets have three sides which receive a mounting plate with a precision drilled hole therein to receive the diagonal braces. The mounting plates are connected to flanges on the sides of the support brackets by welding.

Abstract: A fifth wheel for an over the road tractor having an operating rod for the locking mechanism which requires only longitudinal and rotary motion thus facilitating operation thereof in the space between tractor frame and trailer and permitting that space to be reduced in that no vertical lifting motion is imparted to the operating rod.

Abstract: Ends of two adjacent railroad cars may be joined by an articulating device when a series of such cars comprises a semi-permanent unit. The articulating device includes a male member which is connected to a sill of the first car and a female member connected to a like sill of the second car. Each connecting member has an inner end portion disposed within the respective sill. The structure of the inner end portion allows it to be joined to the sill by a select pattern of welds. These welds join the connecting member to the sill to form a connection therebetween which may withstand the high static and dynamic forces transmitted from the railroad cars to the articulating device during travel of the unit.

Abstract: A fatigue detector for detecting potential fatigue failure of a bolster and/or side frames of a railway car truck. The fatigue detector comprises one or more redundant designed members located in areas of critical stress loadings of the truck, wherein the fatigue detectors are structured to fail under a stress loading less than that causing the failure of the bolster and/or side frames in which they are located. The fatigue detector is located in an opening so as to be easily inspected visually to determine its condition and particularly whether or not it has failed.

Abstract: A dual rate spring device particularly adapted for use in a suspension system of a railroad car truck includes a vertically mounted light duty spring means positioned, for example, between a side frame of the truck and a load carrying bolster of the truck to support the bolster when in a lightly loaded condition. Positioned around the light duty spring means is a shorter heavy duty spring which with the light duty spring supports the bolster when in a heavily loaded condition. To insure that the device functions properly under varying load conditions, a lower end of each spring is connected by a spring retainer.

Abstract: A friction shoe is provided on a railway car truck to frictionally engage both the side frame column and bolster in order to control the oscillating movement of the latter. The interfaces between the friction shoe and its reaction surfaces on the side frame and bolster are arranged so that initial contact is made against surfaces adjacent the lateral ends of the shoe, thereby providing the maximum restraining moment to resist lozenging of the truck.