Abstract: A rail road car such as a double tub coal gondola car has a center sill that is narrow in the middle between the two tubs, and wider at the draft arms. The center sill has a transition section that provides a smooth, gradual transition between the respective bottom flange portions of the two without sharp changes in direction in the stress fields in tension and compression, and with little or no out of plane eccentricities in load path, and with a tendency to minimize or avoid local stress concentrations. The center sill includes a set of access apertures and corresponding bridges or ties that maintain the lateral halves of the center sill flange main portion in appropriate relationship to each other with respect to resistance to buckling. The tubs fasten mechanically to the sides of the center sill.

Abstract: A center sill for inclusion in a center sill assembly of a railroad freight car. The center sill includes a first main structural member of metal plate bent to a three-sided shape including a bottom cover and a pair of side web portions, and a top cover plate fastened to the side web portions to form a box beam structure. Horizontal filler plates that may be of thicker material are fastened to the bottom cover portion at the ends. Stub sills may be attached to the ends of the center sill to form a center sill assembly for a freight car such as a hopper car.

Abstract: A door apparatus for a railway hopper car for discharging bulk material from the car has an elongated flexible hollow body positioned in a discharge opening. A pair of end walls are attached to opposite ends of the body. Each end wall has a first pivot point for rotary attachment to the body. The body is rotatable about the first pivot point between an opened position and a closed position. The body has an arcuate surface extending generally vertically when in the closed position to reduce the effort required to open the doors when the car is loaded. If the door apparatus is stuck in the closed position, such as when ice has formed between the longitudinal edge of the door apparatus and the edge of the discharge opening, a torque applied to one end of the door apparatus about the first pivot point tends to twist the door apparatus about the longitudinal axis.

Abstract: A door and operating apparatus for railway hopper cars includes a door having a first pivot point for rotary attachment to the hopper. A second pivot point is formed on the door and a cross beam is positioned adjacent to the door for movement in a vertical direction. The cross beam has a third pivot point formed thereon and a link arm has one end rotatably attached to the door at the second pivot point and an opposite end rotatably attached to the cross beam at the third pivot point. A screwjack is coupled to vertically move the cross beam in an upward direction for opening the doors and in a downward direction for closing the doors. The doors have an arcuate surface extending generally vertically when in the closed position to reduce the effort required to open the doors when the car is loaded.

Abstract: A railway hopper car has a through center sill including an elongated central section substantially A-shaped in transverse cross section, two end sections substantially hat-shaped in transverse cross section and two transition sections respectively connecting said end sections to the adjacent ends of the central section. The central section has upper and lower parts, each of which may comprise a plurality of subsections arranged in end-to-end relationship. Each transition section includes a transition member rectangular at one end for mating with the end section and trapezoidal at the other end for mating with the lower part of the central section. Each transition section also includes an inverted V-shaped top reinforcing member and a horizontal bottom reinforcing plate. Alternative forms of the lower part of the central section are disclosed.