Abstract: The invention relates to a cross member for articulating a body of a rail vehicle to the bogie thereof; the upper face of the cross member is connected to the body, and a bogie pin-supporting plate comprising a bogie pin is secured to the lower face of the cross member with the aid of fastening means, the bogie pin being movably mounted in a bogie pin receptacle on the bogie in order to transmit pulling and braking forces.

Abstract: There is disclosed a light weight truck bolster for railway car trucks. Metal has been removed in the compression and tension members of the bolster near the center bowl. One longitudinal rib is located in each end of the bolster arms and a pair of transversely extending vertical ribs are located on opposing sides of the center bowl and extend from the tension member to the compression member. The disclosed light weight truck bolster satisfies the Association of American Railroads (“A.A.R.”) design qualifications for truck bolsters while weighing significantly less than traditional truck bolsters.

Abstract: The present invention provides a lightweight draft sill end casting for use with railroad cars. The cast draft sill has side walls, front and rear stops, front and rear rib sets and a center plate that are cast as a unit. The draft sill has an open area between the tops of the side walls between the front and rear stops, with a cast metal span connecting the two side walls. The cast metal span may comprise one or more spacer bars or part of a top wall. The cast metal span is in the area between the planes of the front stops and the rear stops. The front and rear stops are spaced below the tops of the side walls. In one embodiment, there are additional lightener holes in each side wall between the ribs in the rear rib set and in the pocket. The total weight of the cast draft sill is not substantially greater than the weight of a comparable fabricated draft sill of substantially the same size, and has a greater fatigue life.

Abstract: There is disclosed a light weight truck bolster for railway car trucks. Metal has been removed in the compression and tension members of the bolster near the center bowl. One longitudinal rib is located in each end of the bolster arms and a pair of transversely extending vertical ribs are located on opposing sides of the center bowl and extend from the tension member to the compression member. The disclosed light weight truck bolster satisfies the Association of American Railroads (“A.A.R.”) design qualifications for truck bolsters while weighing significantly less than traditional truck bolsters.

Abstract: There is disclosed a light weight truck bolster for railway car trucks. Metal has been removed in the compression and tension members of the bolster near the center bowl. One longitudinal rib is located in each end of the bolster arms and a pair of transversely extending vertical ribs are located on opposing sides of the center bowl and extend from the tension member to the compression member. The disclosed light weight truck bolster satisfies the Association of American Railroads (“A.A.R.”) design qualifications for truck bolsters while weighing significantly less than traditional truck bolsters.

Abstract: An improvement in cast metal bolsters for railway trucks is disclosed. The bolster has a top wall, a bottom wall and sidewalls. All of the walls have interior and exterior surfaces. Two transverse ribs extend between the top wall and bottom wall and two spaced longitudinal ribs extend from the top wall to the bottom wall. The bolster has a top portion, a bottom portion, a central vertical longitudinal plane between the sidewalls and a perpendicular vertical transverse plane. The transverse ribs have opposite faces in the top portion and in the bottom portion. A vertical plane extends between the opposite faces of the transverse ribs in the top portion and in the bottom portion. The opposite faces of the transverse ribs in the top portion do not diverge from a vertical plane in the same direction and opposite faces in the bottom portion that do not diverge from a vertical plane in the same direction. The transverse ribs may have a vertical plane of symmetry.

Abstract: A span bolster, for carrying a heavy load of a railroad car body and distributing the load to two four wheel two axle railroad bogies or trucks, is fabricated from steel plate and has top and bottom cover plates, top and bottom reinforcement doubler plates, longitudinal spaced apart webs separating the cover plates, body bolsters at each end and a central truck bolster, all formed of metal plate joined together by welding with all critical welds being full penetration welds, and with the span bolster being stress relieved after fabrication.

Abstract: A combined center plate/center filler construction for the underframe of a railway car is provided with sloped, corner circumferential sections at the upper portion of the center plate to allow for the complete welding of the center plate to the undersurfaces of a pocket-receptacle of the underframe, so that one continuous welding operation may be performed. The upper portion of the center plate has four corner positioning projections the upper horizontal surfaces of which are coplanar with the horizontal plane containing the joinder of the center plate to the center filler.

Abstract: A gondola tub type railway car having an arrangement for transferring payloads from the car side panels more directly to the bolsters. The car at each end has a lower bolster for support by a car truck, and an upper bolster secured to the lower bolster preferably through a shear plate. A center plate unit extends upwardly from the lower bolster into the upper bolster and is secured to the latter. The car, at each end, is provided with a reaction beam located inboard of the associated bolster, and is secured to the shear plate and to side members, and cooperates with the bolster in resisting the couple created by draft and buff forces acting in offset relation to the plane of the shear plate.

Abstract: A modular center filler for railway vehicles comprising an inverted U-shaped core member fitted between front and rear cover plates and securely attached to a bottom cover plate to which a center plate is attached. Downwardly extending legs of the core are aligned with corresponding inner, beveled edges of the center plate which receive high forces during transit as a car rocks back and forth. The core member is positioned to receive these forces and transmit them into the center filler structure, car bolster and car body framing for even distribution throughout the vehicle.

Abstract: A tank car stub sill support structure is provided in which a half ring is attached to the inner end of a stub center sill at each end of the car. The half ring includes a top cover plate which engages the lower half of the tank, and a lower cover plate which is vertically spaced below the top cover plate. A vertical web joins the top cover plate and the bottom cover plate. The height of the vertical web and the distance between the top cover plate and the bottom cover plate varies in accordance with the bending moment applied to the ring by the tank and lading in the car. Thus the height of the vertical web is maximum at the centerline of the car and decreases to a minimum at the sides of the car. The stub sill is welded to the upper cover plate, bottom cover plate and to the vertical web on the outboard side of the vertical web. The coupler impact loads are thus transmitted into the upper cover plate and into the tank substantially entirely in shear.

Abstract: A tank car stub sill underframe is assembled by welding together a pair of angles to opposite edges of a longitudinally extending curved plate to form a generally channel-shaped section. The channel-shaped section includes a concave top plate and a pair of vertically extending legs welded to the concave top plate. Each leg includes an outwardly extending, horizontal flange at the base of each leg. The curved plate includes a first portion extending from the end of the car inboard to a point adjacent, but outboard of, the car body bolster in which the curved plate spans the distance between the vertical legs and each of the plate's transverse outer edges engage the upper end of one of the vertical legs. The curved portion includes a second or intermediate portion extending from the inner end of the first portion through the body bolster area and continuing considerably inboard of the bolster area.

Abstract: A modular center filler and center plate may be constructed as a unit away from the car and adapted for connection to the center sill webs of a railway vehicle. The center filler has a thick bottom plate which extends beneath the center sill and has pairs of interconnected longitudinal and transverse sill reinforcing plates arranged in a double I-beam manner. The center plate has longitudinally extending attached skirts, and bevels are provided which allow the car to rock at the bevel lines. Forces transmitted through the center plate at the bevels are absorbed and distributed by the associated longitudinal plates and other bolster and center filler structural elements.

Abstract: An elongated unitary center-sill-and-center-brace member for use with sectionalized railroad car center sills is disclosed herein. The member includes reduced wall portions at each end for telescopic engagement with an inboard center sill section and an outboard center sill section, either of which may be of the double-Z or Wierton-type. In either case, the top surfaces of the sill sections and the top surface of the member lie in the same plane so as to define a flat upper surface for the sill assembly.

Abstract: A body bolster center filler-center plate assembly having a center plate containing a lower cap and upwardly extending sidewalls which extend into and are secured within a bottom-open pocket formed by center sill sidewalls and shear plates, the shear plates and center plate walls having a stop lug and a complementary notch, respectively, for polarizing the center plate within the pocket.