Abstract: Devices to shift the stops (8) of rail vehicle bodies or coaches with bogies on curves and rail vehicle body with bogies. The devices are provided in an interior cavity of the frame of the bogies whose lateral edges each have a separate stop (9, 10) and that houses a lower projecting part (4) of the body. In one embodiment, on the front edge of the interior cavity of the frame (1) of the bogie, there is a pair of joints (11) from each of which a rod (5, 6) leads backwards and each of these is joined to a separate slider (7) by means of joints. The sliders (7) are able to move on guides located on the respective lateral surfaces of the lower projecting part (4) of the body, and the sliders (7) are wedge shaped with a guide located on their surface in the form of an inclined plane. The stops (8) of the body are coupled, at their respective inside surfaces, to the guides located on the respective sliders (7); the stops (8) of the body are joined together by transversal connection means (15).

Abstract: A the low floor vehicle includes a journal member which couples a pair of wheels and is attached to a truck frame; and a truck frame lateral beam arranged along a vehicle width direction closer to the center of the truck frame than the journal member. The journal member is turnable with respect to the struck frame. A pair of left and right stub links extending between the journal member and the truck frame lateral beam, are provided. Axes passing both ends of the pair of stub links are arranged to tilt so as to widen a space between the ends in the vehicle width direction with going from the truck frame lateral beam toward the journal member. Both the ends of the stub links are attached to be pivotable respectively around axes which extend in a height direction to the journal member and the truck frame lateral beam.

Abstract: A rail road freight car truck has a truck bolster and a pair of side frames, the truck bolster being mounted transversely relative to the side frames. The mounting interface between the ends of the axles and the sideframe pedestals allows lateral rocking motion of the sideframes in the manner of a swing motion truck. The lateral swinging motion is combined with a longitudinal self steering capability. The self steering capability may be obtained by use of a longitudinally oriented rocker that may tend to permit resistance to self steering that is proportional to the weight carried across the interface. The trucks may have auxiliary centering elements mounted in the pedestal seats, and those auxiliary centering elements may be made of resilient elastomeric material. The truck may also have friction dampers that have a disinclination to stick-slip behavior. The friction dampers may be provided with brake linings, or similar features, on the face engaging the sideframe columns, on the slope face, or both.

Abstract: A bogie for a low floor type railway vehicle, in which the accuracy of the distance between left and right wheels is enhanced and which enables a vehicle body to be low-floored. The bogie has a bogie frame for supporting the body of the railway vehicle, a main axle and an auxiliary axle arranged so as to laterally extend at the front and rear in the traveling direction of the bogie frame, wheels attached to both the left and right sides of each of the axles, shaft boxes attached to both the left and right sides of each of the axles and supporting the axle, and shaft box support devices respectively supporting each of the shaft boxes by elastically joining the shaft boxes and the bogie frame together. The wheels attached to the main axle are large-diameter wheels, and the wheels attached to the auxiliary axle are small-diameter wheels having a smaller diameter than the large-diameter wheels.

Abstract: A low floor vehicle reduces, when the vehicle enters a curved track, the lateral force of the vehicle, prevents occurrence of vibration and creaking sounds of the vehicle, improves riding quality of passengers, and reduces wear of wheel flanges. A low floor vehicle includes a bogie frame 9 of a bogie 7, a pair of bogie frame cross beams 9a arranged along a vehicle lateral direction in the middle of a vehicle longitudinal direction of the bogie frame 9 and arranged spaced apart from each other in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a pair of wheels 8 provided in each of a vehicle front edge direction and a vehicle rear edge direction with respect to the pair of bogie frame cross beams 9a of the bogie frame 9 and configured to travel on a track 1.

Abstract: A low floor vehicle reduces, when the vehicle enters a curved track, the lateral force of the vehicle, prevents occurrence of vibration and creaking sounds of the vehicle, improves riding quality of passengers, and reduces wear of wheel flanges. A low floor vehicle includes a bogie frame 9 of a bogie 7, a pair of bogie frame cross beams 9a arranged along a vehicle lateral direction in the middle of a vehicle longitudinal direction of the bogie frame 9 and arranged spaced apart from each other in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a pair of wheels 8 provided in each of a vehicle front edge direction and a vehicle rear edge direction with respect to the pair of bogie frame cross beams 9a of the bogie frame 9 and configured to travel on a track 1.

Abstract: A railroad car truck for a railroad freight car, such as an autorack car, has a bolster mounted cross-wise between two sideframes. The bolster ends are mounted on respective spring groups carried by the sideframes. The bolster can translate laterally relative to the sideframes. The side frames are mounted to swing laterally relative to the wheel sets, and hence relative to the rails. Resistance to lateral deflection is provided by the resistance of the sideframes to the pendulum swinging motion, and by shear in the spring groups. The truck has a doubled damper arrangement of dampers in a four-cornered layout at each end of the bolster, giving a flexing resistance to yaw between the sideframes and the bolster ends. The doubled damper arrangement works against large wear plates mounted on the sideframe columns. The large wear plates are mounted normal to the dampers and square to the sideframes.

Abstract: A rail road freight car truck has a truck bolster and a pair of side frames, the truck bolster being mounted transversely relative to the side frames. The mounting interface between the ends of the axles and the sideframe pedestals allows lateral rocking motion of the sideframes in the manner of a swing motion truck. The lateral swinging motion is combined with a longitudinal self steering capability. The self steering capability may be obtained by use of a longitudinally oriented rocker that may tend to permit resistance to self steering that is proportional to the weight carried across the interface. The trucks may have auxiliary centering elements mounted in the pedestal seats, and those auxiliary centering elements may be made of resilient elastomeric material. The truck may also have friction dampers that have a disinclination to stick-slip behavior. The friction dampers may be provided with brake linings, or similar features, on the face engaging the sideframe columns, on the slope face, or both.

Abstract: A suspension for a rail vehicle includes a bogie pedestal 10, an axle box 11 and suspension springs 16, 18 and 19 arranged such that the axle box supports load exerted on the pedestal via the springs. The suspension includes a pair of wedge elements 20 urged, by means of springs 18 and 19, into engagement with faces 30 of the pedestal and faces 21 of the axle box. This engagement causes damping of axle box movements. Wedge elements 20 are urged resiliently in opposing directions A and B into frictional slidable contact at the faces 21 by means of additional preset springs 40 mounted at the pedestal 11. This further urging is independent of the load carried by the springs and provides improved suspension characteristics.

Abstract: A swing motion rail road freight car truck is provided that does not have lateral underslung cross bracing in the nature of a transom, a frame brace, or lateral rods. The truck has a truck bolster and a pair of sideframes, the truck bolster being mounted transversely relative to the sideframes. The sideframes have spring seats for the groups of springs. The springs seats may be on rockers, or may be rigidly mounted in the sideframes. Friction dampers are provided in inboard and outboard pairs. The biasing force on the dampers urges then to that act between the bolster ands and sideframes to resist parallelogram deflection of the truck.

Abstract: A rail road car truck has side frames mounted to rock on the wheelsets. A bolster is mounted cross-wise on the sideframes, each end of the bolster being seated on a spring group, each spring group being seated in one of the sideframe windows. The bolster has damper groups mounted at each end to work between the end of the bolster and the columns of the sideframe windows. The truck has a dynamic response to lateral perturbations that includes a first component due to the swinging of the sideframes on the sideframe pedestal rockers, and a second component that is due to lateral shear in the main spring groups. The pendulum action may tend to be softer than the lateral shear in the springs, and so therefore may tend to dominate the lateral response. This swing-dominant lateral response may be combined with a multiple damper arrangement.

Abstract: A swing motion rail road freight car truck is provided that does not have lateral underslung cross bracing in the nature of a transom, a frame brace, or lateral rods. The truck has a truck bolster and a pair of side frames, the truck bolster being mounted transversely relative to the side frames. The side frames have spring seats for the groups of springs. The springs seats may be on rockers, or may be rigidly mounted in the side frames. Friction dampers are provided in inboard and outboard pairs. The biasing force on the dampers urges then to that act between the bolster ands and sideframes to resist parallelogram deflection of the truck.

Abstract: A bolster 14 for a bogie of an articulated railway wagon is shown including supports for constant contact sidebearers in the form of two pairs of brackets such as 26A and 26B being integral with the bolster 14 at its opposing respective ends. The brackets such as 26A are each adapted for fixing of the constant contact sidebearers which in turn are arranged to contact a corresponding wear plate mounted to an articulated connector 50. In a preferred example the corresponding wear plates are mounted to corresponding brackets 52A, 52B which are cast integral with respective male or female articulated connector components 54 or 56. Each bracket 26A/B extends laterally from the bolster 14 and, when viewed in plan, each bracket 26A/B has a longitudinal axis of symmetry which is orthogonal to a radius from a central rotational point of the articulated connector 50 of the railway wagon.

Abstract: The invention provides a multiple axle rail vehicle wherein the car body of the rail vehicle is provided with multiple center plate members at each end of the car body. Multiple trucks are attached to each end of the car body with each truck individually connected to a respective center plate. Connecting each truck to an individual center plate on the car body eliminates the span bolster permitting the rail vehicle to weigh less and have a lower deck height.

Abstract: Sole-bars (1) bear on axles by elastic suspensions (12) with frictional damping. The bolster (18) bears by elastic blocks (32) on the lower side of a window (24) through each sole-bar. Each elastic block (32) bears on a face (31) of the sole-bar which has, in relation to the longitudinal direction (L) of the bolster (18), an inclination (A) such that the compressive force (F) of the elastic block has a horizontal component (F.sub.HT) which pushes the sole-bar so as to bear by its reference face (26) against a parallel reference face (28) belonging to the bolster. Thus, the sole-bars (1) are constantly returned to a favored configuration of perpendicularity in relation to the bolster. Use for effectively combatting parasitic deformations and sideways movements of deformable-frame bogies.

Abstract: A bogie or truck for high-speed rail vehicles or railway cars includes an H-shaped bogie or truck frame, primary springs cushioning the bogie frame, and a lateral bolster being movable relative to the bogie frame, receiving a coach or car body and being cushioned relative to the bogie or truck frame by air springs. The object is to provide a bogie with a low number of contact points with the coach body, which allows a configuration for rotational retardation, which has a minimum structural width and low weight, which permits small air spring bellows, which allows the installation of additional air reservoirs for the air springs below the lateral bolster and which has additional assemblies disposed at locations which keep the bearing components free from bending or torsional stresses. According to the invention, each air spring is supported directly on the side wall of the bogie frame.

Abstract: Prior art railcar bolsters and friction shoe assemblies were constructed such that the friction shoe was tightly restrained within the friction shoe pocket. The present invention utilizes a friction shoe sled for promoting lateral sliding of the friction shoe assembly within a laterally wider bolster friction shoe pocket. The sliding mechanism incorporates the use of an pad is countersunk into the floor of the friction shoe pocket and the base of the sled. The sled is fitted underneath the friction shoe to support the friction shoe biasing spring as well as the friction shoe. The top of the sled has a post attached to it, for insertion into the bottom of the friction shoe biasing spring. The bottom of the sled preferably has the elastomeric pad attached to it, although it can be smoothly machined, so that the bottom surface of the sled slides along the elastomeric pad anchored to the friction shoe pocket floor.

Abstract: A vehicle driven on rails includes a vehicle frame, a wheel set, a pivotable truck and at least one drive unit being disposed in the pivotable truck for acting upon the wheel set. An intermediate support is connected to the pivotable truck and to the drive unit. The intermediate support is also connected to the vehicle frame, such as by a threaded spindle connecting the vehicle frame to the intermediate support during assembly.

Abstract: A vehicle truck embodying articulated subtrucks or steering arms having a plurality of wheelsets, with steering arm interconnections establishing coordinated steering motions of the wheelsets, the truck also having elastic restraining devices for stablilizing steering and other motions of conventional rotating axle wheelsets and still further having linkage interrelating relative lateral motions of the truck and body of the vehicle, which add to the stability and steering to trucks having rotating axle wheelsets and which will provide steering for wheelsets equipped with independently rotatable wheels. A method and structure is provided for adapting or "retrofitting" existing equipped truck structures with rotating axle wheelsets in a manner to enhance the steering and stablilizing characteristics. Four-point suspension of car bodies and truck side frames adapted to function as swing hangers in truck equipped with steering is disclosed.

Abstract: A railway truck has a unitary cast steel frame with a primary wheel-set-to-frame suspension formed by chevron shaped metal/elastomeric pads between the journals and the frame pedestals, a secondary frame-to-bolster suspension formed by rectangular elastomeric pads in rectangular configuration, and a tertiary suspension between the bolster and the car. The primary suspension units are mounted by L-shaped members permitting ready vertical adjustment. An anti-roll torsion bar is provided between the bolster and the car body despite the limited available space by disposing it inside the bolster. Closer clearances are possible between the truck components by providing a cam and cam follower between the car body and the truck frame, in this embodiment between the bolster and the truck frame, that limits the possible lateral displacement of the car body as the steering angle of the car body on the truck frame increases.

Abstract: A rail bogie for a convertible rail-highway vehicle system having an overall height of approximately thirty inches so that the bogie can fit under the rear of a semi-trailer body, all necessary braking equipment, except for air hose connections; a structure which maintains the axle alignment "square" at all times, includes air springs so as to improve ride quality and to enable the bogie height to be altered via pneumatic controls and takes downward loads outboard at the air spring locations rather than through the connection of the bogie to an associated vehicle; duplicate pneumatic controls and air hose connections on both sides of the vehicle so that the vehicle body can be coupled to the bogie from either direction; and can be lifted by an attachment device used to attach the bogie to an associated vehicle body.

Abstract: A self-steering railway truck having interconnected steering arms associated with the axled wheelsets and having mechanism for yieldingly resisting yawing motion of the wheelsets including at least two devices, at least one of which provides a relatively high rate of increase of resistance per unit of deflection in the initial portion of the yaw motion and at least another of which provides a relatively low rate of increase of resistance per unit of deflection in a portion of the motion beyond the initial portion.

Abstract: This application discloses a railway vehicle truck of a general configuration having independently movable side frames, wherein the side frames are provided with resilient connections with the wheel-axle units which allow universal turning movement but substantially inhibit relative axial movement; wherein the side frames are connected at longitudinally spaced points by transverse cross-frame or transom bar members which are rigidly connected to the side frames at one end and connected to opposite side frames by true turning shaft-bearing joints which also, when needed, provide limited axial movement, the shaft-bearing joints having axes disposed on a line passing through the vertical axis of turning of the truck whereby the transom bars positively maintain the truck in tram; wherein a center frame is mounted at longitudinally spaced laterally central points on the transom bars by resilient joints which are spaced approximately the same distance from the transverse vertical central plane of the truck as the s