Abstract: A rotary dump railway gondola car that includes troughs which extend downwardly from the midpoint of the car toward the trucks. End members for the troughs extend at an enlarged angle relative to the car's center sill to increase the carrying capacity of the car. The end members have been further modified to include a bracket which attaches each end member to the center sill. A chamfer is located near the lower portion of each end member to allow drainage from the associated trough. Sections of the floor in the car adjacent to the troughs have been modified to increase load carrying capacity. The troughs may also include a longitudinal radius to further increase the load carrying capacity of the car.

Abstract: In a railroad auto rack car having an array of side panels with horizontal air gaps between vertically adjacent panels, a strip of continuous flexible resilient plastic material, preferably vinyl having a white color, is fitted onto and adhesively secured to horizontal flanges of vertically adjacent upper and lower side panels to function both as a seal to close the horizontal air gap against swirling road dirt and also as a protective bumper to protect the automobiles from damage from being bumped during loading and unloading of the rack car. The bumper seal in preferred form has upper and lower legs each having a channel which faces the center axis of the bumper for receiving the vertical flanges found along the horizontal edges of the side panels of the rack car. The portion of the bumper seal along the center axis is designed to provide a spring action to accommodate for variations in the width of the air gaps.

Abstract: A railroad freight car including a cargo well for carrying optionally either intermodal cargo containers or highway semitrailers has a side sill structure including a deep rectangular top chord and a depending web, supporting a well floor structure. The well floor structure includes reinforcing longitudinal and transverse channel members and horizontal top and bottom plates attached to the channels. Large circular openings, aligned with one another, are defined in both the top and bottom plates, and a peripheral ring of vertical material interconnects the margins of the top and bottom plates around the openings, providing a light but stiff floor structure with a small vertical height.

Abstract: A gap sealer for covering the gaps between horizontally extending and vertically spaced apart sidewall panels on auto rack railroad cars and between sidewall panels and the floor, roof or vertical posts. The gap sealer is a single piece of extruded plastic having a head attachable to a flange of a sidewall panel and a tail or flap biasing against the flange of a vertically adjacent sidewall panel, the floor, roof or post, such that the body of the gap sealer covers the gap to prevent air passage. The gap sealer may also include a bumper which protects vehicle doors from contacting the sidewall panels and risking damage. An individual bumper may also be used to protect vehicle doors, and be attached to a sidewall panel by a unique fastener.

Abstract: A rotary dump gondola railway car that includes troughs which extend angularly from the centerline of the car toward the trucks and thereby lower the center of gravity of the car, increase the capacity of the car, or provide the same capacity with lowered overall height, thereby reducing the wind resistance or drag of the car and providing more efficient operation.

Abstract: A multi-unit articulated railway freight car defining a container well in each of the several units, with container support members attached to the side sills of each unit to support standard intermodal cargo containers at a location low enough to permit a second tier of containers to be stacked atop a bottom tier without exceeding the maximum height restrictions of most main railroad lines, although ample clearance is preserved beneath the bottom of the car when fully loaded. Each container support member is constructed of thick plate steel of high strength, formed cold to include residual internal stresses in order to resist failure when subjected to the loads imposed by supporting loaded containers carried in the container well. The side sill structures are of box tube and formed sheet construction of small enough width to permit carriage of newer, larger, sizes of intermodal cargo containers without the car or containers protruding outside the clearance available along most railroad lines.

Abstract: A container floor restraint for a freight rail car is provided. The car has a longitudinally extending center sill and a plurality of cross beams extending transversely thereof. The car further has a load supporting assembly at one end and a load supporting deck at the other. The container floor restraint includes a first pair of arms extending generally outwardly and perpendicularly from the center sill at a predetermined distance from the load supporting assembly, each arm being substantially opposed to one another. A second pair of arms extend generally outwardly and perpendicularly from the center sill spaced apart from the first pair of arms. The arms have outer ends extending substantially equidistantly from the center sill and are attached to first and second brace members. The brace members extend longitudinally alongside and generally parallel to the center sill.

Abstract: A stake cap is provided for covering the upper opening of an outside stake of a railroad hopper car. The stake cap has a retainer plate having front and rear surfaces which define top, bottom and side edges. The side edges are beveled such that the front surface of the retainer plate is wider than the rear surface. A top sheet is joined at a right angle to the top edge of the retainer plate. Gussets strengthen the connection of the top sheet and retainer plate. When the stake cap is installed in the upper opening of a stake, the beveled side edges of the retainer plate form themselves to the stake and are wedged between the stake and the hopper car outside shell. The top sheet overlies the opening and prevents entry of contaminants and water.

Abstract: A railway well car for carrying containers of selected alternative lengths has a center crossbearer having a support for supporting the inner corners of two tandem containers, the support having side connections of sandwich construction with a flanged portion of a side sill, the sandwich construction being formed of inner and outer "L" shaped brackets disposed above and inside and below and outside a side sill of the car, respectively, and being fixed to the sill at respective upper and lower horizontal portions, the crossbearer being a tube formed of a lower channel closed by a top plate and the plate being at the level of the inner bracket, and the crossbearer extending from one side wall to a bracket on the opposite wall, and the inner bracket being wider than the outer bracket for improving distribution of loads to the side sills and the side walls.

Abstract: A sidewall and top chord member for an open top gondola or hopper railway car. The top chord member is a lightweight rectangular tubular extrusion of aluminum having a pair of spaced wear pads on the top surface thereof to contact rotary or shaker type car unloading equipment.

Abstract: A railway car side panel assembly with upright support posts forming the side walls of the car wherein painted or galvanized panels are protected from rusting by plastic inserts positioned between the corners of the panels and metal brackets on the posts to prevent vibration-abrasion of the galvanizing or paint and of the corners to rust, the plastic inserts being of flexible plastic material and formed as envelopes pocketing the corners and fitting into the complementary brackets, the envelopes each having a side wall with a retainer bottom snapped over flange edges of the panel to hold the envelope from falling off during assembly with the brackets.

Abstract: A railway car side panel assembly with upright support posts forming the side walls of the car wherein painted or galvanized panels are protected from rusting by plastic inserts positioned between the corners of the panels and metal brackets on the posts to prevent vibration-abrasion of the galvanizing or paint and of the corners to rust, the plastic inserts being of flexible plastic material and formed as envelopes pocketing the corners and fitting into the complementary brackets, said envelopes each having a side wall with a retainer bottom snapped over flange edges of the panel to hold the envelope from falling off during assembly with the brackets.

Abstract: A railroad car for carrying containers has a car body mounted on trucks. The car body includes two side sills connected to two end frames. The side sills and end frames define an open well which is adapted for receiving a container. The floor of the well is defined by a container support frame assembly which is hung from the side sills by four hanger straps. The container support frame assembly includes two transverse support beams. The hanger straps are pivotally connected by transverse pins to the side sills and the transverse support beams such that the hanger straps are stressed primarily in tension only and they transfer tensile loads but not bending loads to the side sills.

Abstract: An end structure for a railway car, and more particularly a covered hopper railway car, is disclosed which has side sill extensions extending diagonally inwardly from the ends of the side sills to the center stub sill for transmitting substantially all of the longitudinal, horizontal loads between the center stub sill and the side sills. A generally vertically extending truss is provided between the center stub sill and the end of the car above the center stub sill so as to withstand overturning moments and vertical loads between the end of the car and the center stub sill. A connector casting rigidly interconnects the side sills and the side sill extensions. A transition plate is in face-to-face engagement with the side sheets at the outer ends of the side sills so as to facilitate the transfer of load between the side sills and the side sheets. A cutout is provided in the bottom of the side sills at the ends thereof so as to enable interior welds to be made.

Abstract: A railroad car for transporting horizontal shipping containers includes (1) a vertical transition box from the car center sill to the end wall of a well portion capable of receiving one or more shipping containers, (2) car body bottom side sills in the form of an inverted T-member, (3) shear plates at the bottom ends of the well portion, (4) a longitudinal plate in the car body well portion bottom joined to a shear plate at each end, and (5) reinforcement of the car body central portion so that it can transport two end-to-end abutting containers in the well.

Abstract: A container carrying rail-highway vehicle in the form of a semitrailer chassis including an elongated center sill box extending longitudinally of the vehicle, a front box-type transverse sill attached to a forward portion of the center sill and a rear box-type transverse sill attached to a rearward portion of the center sill member. Two side beams are further provided and are attached at each end thereof to the front sill and rear sill, respectively, on either side of the center sill. The side beams are disposed from a generally higher position in the front of the vehicle to a lower level at the rear of the vehicle and are further attached to the center sill by a plurality of transverse outrigger members which extend between the center sill and each of the side beams.

Abstract: A railroad car for transporting horizontal shipping containers includes (1) a vertical transistion box from the car center sill to the end wall of a well portion capable of receiving one or more shipping containers, (2) car body bottom side sills in the form of an inverted T-member, (3) shear plates at the bottom ends of the well portion, (4) a longitudinal plate in the car body well portion bottom joined to a shear plate at each end, and (5) reinforcement of the car body central portion so that it can transport two end-to-end abutting containers in the well.

Abstract: A railway well car for the transport of containers has a depressed floor section supported between lateral side structures and longitudinal end structures. Each end structure is supported on a frameless radial truck. The frameless radial truck has four longitudinally spaced resilient support elements on each lateral side thereof. The end structure has a reinforcement structure for transferring loads from the car body to the support elements. The reinforcement structure includes a pair of transverse beams extending from a stub center sill to respective side structures. Longitudinal beams extend from the transverse beams to an end sill structure and to a girder structure at the end of the well portion of the car. Each longitudinal beam supports a pair of box structure truck engagement means engaging the resilient support elements. The transverse beams and the longitudinal beams are comprised of channel members attached to the undersurface of a shear plate forming tubular torque box structures therewith.

Abstract: This invention relates to centre beam freight cars. The purpose of these freight cars is to carry large, bulky freight which does not require much protection from the elements. Thus, any freight car must have wide utility and sufficient rigidity but a tare mass which does not constitute a high proportion of the fully laden mass of the freight car. The prior art freight cars suffer from a high tare mass proportion in order to provide sufficient rigidity. In this invention, a freight car is provided with a centre beam structure in the form of a vertical truss having a horizontal truss mounted on the top of it. Either of the trusses, or both, are in the form of an open truss. This centre beam structure provides a freight car which has adequate resistance to normal lateral and compressive stresses but has a relatively low tare mass in relation to its fully laden mass.

Abstract: A railway idler car used as a spacer car between loaded cars that carry very long objects, such as plates, girders, structural steel, pipe, poles and the like. The car is of a skeleton design and is incapable of carrying freight.

Abstract: A freight carrying railroad car including a body supported at each end by wheel-containing trucks; the body having a vertical center beam extending the length of the car between bulkheads at each end of the car; the center beam having a center sill, a top sill parallel to and spaced above the center sill, and a plurality of vertical spaced apart columns connected at their lower ends to the center sill and at their upper ends to the top sill; a vertical plate at each end of the car extending from the center sill to the top sill, and from the respective bulkhead at that end inwardly along the center sill; each vertical plate being joined to the center sill, top sill, bulkhead and a plurality of said columns such that opposed facing ends of said vertical plates are spaced from each other a distance of at least about 60% of the length of said car between the bulkheads; and between the facing end of each of the vertical plates and the car length center, at least one bracing bar extending diagonally downwardly, tow

Abstract: A gondola car for hauling bulk cargo has a stub sill for receiving longitudinal loads. A shear plate is connected with the stub sill, and longitudinal side sills and connected as by welding to side portions of the shear plate. Side walls extend upwardly from the side sills. The shear plate has an opening therein adjacent the longitudinally inward end of the weld to the side sill for reducing stress in the end of the weld. Cover structure overlies the opening, and side wall support structure is connected with the cover structure and engages the side walls to support them.

Abstract: A railroad car for carrying a container comprising a car body supported by rail trucks adapted for movement over a railroad; the car body having opposing side walls and an end wall near each end connected to the side walls with said side walls and end walls defining a well in which a container can be received and supported; and guides mounted along each side wall for effectively reducing the width of the well space so as to center in the well a container having a width significantly less than the well width so as to limit sideward movement of the container in the well when the car rocks.

Abstract: A railway car having an optimum length of 500 feet comprising two end walls, two side walls and a floor forming one continuous trough. The trough being supported at each end wall by wheel-containing truck means and at an intermittent section by a plurality of wheel containing truck means. The side walls consist of a plurality of side panels. The side panels are provided with overlapping means to permit relative motion between adjacent panels for maneuvering curves and hills. The floor includes a plurality of laterally and longitudinally extending slope sheets. The laterally extending slope sheets are provided with overlapping means to allow relative motion therebetween. A flexible center sill extends continuously the entire length of the railway car.

Abstract: A freight carrying railroad car including a body supported at each end by wheel-containing trucks; the body having a vertical center beam extending the length of the car between bulkheads at each end of the car; the center beam having a center sill, a top sill parallel to and spaced above the center sill, and a plurality of vertical spaced apart columns connected at their lower ends to the center sill and at their upper ends to the top sill; a vertical plate at each end of the car extending from the center sill to the top sill, and from the respective bulkhead at that end inwardly along the center sill, each vertical plate being joined to the center sill, top sill, bulkhead and a plurality of said columns such that opposed facing ends of said vertical plates are spaced from each other a distance of at least about 60% of the length of said car between the bulkheads; and between the facing end of each of the vertical plates and the car length center, at least one bracing bar extending diagonally downwardly, tow

Abstract: A covered, dual hopper car made by converting a rail car having three or more covered hoppers suitable for carrying a large volume of a relatively low density commodity, to a car having a fewer number of hoppers suitable for carrying a smaller volume of a higher density commodity. This is done by internally bracing an interior portion of one end of one hopper end section; severing an unwanted center hopper section from two end hopper sections; removing the unwanted section; and then reassembling and welding the free end sections to each other. The vertical cutting and welding is horizontally offset at the side plate and the sill to provide tab and notch locking arrangements for reinforcement. Preferably, the roof loading hatches are also modified to include downwardly extending collar portions which limit the maximum loading height within the hoppers.

Abstract: In a stub sill type railway hopper car the shear plate is eliminated and a truss arrangement is located in the end structure resulting in less weight.

Abstract: A freight carrying railroad car including a body supported at each end by wheel-containing trucks; the body having a vertical center beam extending the length of the car between bulkheads at each end of the car; the center beam having a center sill, a top sill parallel to and spaced above the center sill, and a plurality of vertical spaced apart columns connected at their lower ends to the center sill and at their upper ends to the top sill; a vertical plate at each end of the car extending from the center sill to the top sill, and from the respective bulkhead at that end inwardly along the center sill; each vertical plate being joined to the center sill, top sill, bulkhead and a plurality of said columns such that opposed facing ends of said vertical plates are spaced from each other a distance of at least about 60% of the length of said car between the bulkheads; and between the facing end of each of the vertical plates and the car length center, at least one bracing bar extending diagonally downwardly, tow

Abstract: A freight wagon is assembled from a set of building blocks together forming a superstructure mounted on a skeletal underframe having at least one axial beam and an upper surface with a modular bearing pattern. The building blocks are selected from a set of building blocks of corresponding modular dimensions, there being a plurality of species of building blocks and sets of congruent building blocks of each species whereby the underframe is usable with alternative superstructures for carrying alternative types of goods and which alternative superstructures are assemblable from alternative selections and combinations of building blocks. The wagon is particularly useful as a railway wagon in a system of wagons having bearing patterns which are unified in the sense that the modular dimensions are the same although not necessarily having the same number of modules. The wagon is assembled using simple slotted joints for automated assembly.

Abstract: A railroad track trailer for carrying replacement rail sections along a railroad track, which reduces the problems of having a trailer which will tend to jump off the track, when going around curves, and which includes support systems that ease the ability of workers to load and unload rail sections from the trailer.

Abstract: An open sided trailer construction in which a roof structure (4) is supported between front and rear frames (30,31) by a central fore and aft spine or web (5,21); the spine or web has lateral supports (8,26,27) extending either side of the web or spine which support a roof covering (4,28) and preferably extend to cantrails (7,20) from which hang curtains (3). The arrangement has the advantage that intermediate supports between the front and rear frame for the roof are not required and the cargo space within the trailer is easy to access and has a greater volume for a given trailer dimension than previous open sided trailer constructions.

Abstract: A railway flatcar for carrying a highway trailer, the flatcar having been converted from a conventional railway box car. The sides, ends and roof of a conventional box car are cut and removed therefrom substantially at the floor line. The side sill assemblies of the car are reinforced substantially throughout their length. At the bogie end of the car, those portions of the out-board floor stringers spanning between adjacent cross ties and cross bearers are reinforced. The cross ties are also reinforced and/or additional cross ties added at the bogie end of the car. At the hitch end of the car, appropriate reinforcement and mounting means are located along the bolster and center sill to which a conventional trailer hitch is affixed.

Abstract: A freight carrying railroad car comprising a body supported at each end by wheel-containing trucks; the body having a vertical center beam extending longitudinally the length of the car between bulkheads at each end of the car; the center beam comprising a center sill, a top sill parallel to and spaced above the center sill, and a plurality of vertical spaced apart columns rigidly connected at their lower ends to the center sill and at their upper ends to the top sill; and at each end of the car, a vertical plate extending from the center sill to the top sill, and from the bulkhead at that end inwardly along the center sill; the vertical plate being joined to the center sill, top sill, bulkhead and a plurality of said columns and having a width no more than about one-fifth of the distance between the bulkheads.

Abstract: An improved container for bulk cargo is provided with a peripheral wall, a top, and a bottom. The top defines a longitudinally extending central ridge and the bottom defines two spaced, parallel, longitudinally extending skirts separated by a central recess. The contour of the top generally corresponds to the contour of the bottom such that multiple containers can be stacked one over the other. The container is provided with a perforated floor which simultaneously braces the peripheral wall against spreading and provides a support surface for palletized cargo and the like. The floor perforations allow bulk cargo to fall from the upper portions of the container to the lower portions of the container. A bulk cargo loading door is provided in the top along the uppermost portion of the central ridge, and two bulk unloading doors are provided along the lowermost portions of the skirts. In addition, end doors are provided for moving palletized cargo into and out of the container.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a dismountable car for the technical coordination of rail-highway transport, wherein the car is adapted to support two identical loads and its chassis is in two elements respectively borne by the end bogies and provided with traction and buffer members, these two elements being connected in the median zone of the car by disconnectable connection means and their corresponding ends being adapted to be supported by retractable support devices which may rest via lower rail wheels on the rails and abut on these elements to maintain them substantially horizontal and lift or lower their free ends slightly.

Abstract: A partition sheet structure for covered hopper railway cars providing for even fill of commodity between compartments. The structure facilitates the filling operation, and prevents buckling caused by the uneven fills of the cars, while allowing the partition sheet structures to act in its capacity as a structural member of the car.

Abstract: The subject invention relates to the corner construction of a railway car, wherein the end wall, vertical reinforcing plate, side wall corner post and side plate are arranged with associated parts in a manner permitting an assembly without rotation of the car during manufacture. The structure provided includes a rigid connector plate which is attached to the end wall and forms a sandwich type transition member for attaching a flanged end of the side wall sheet.

Abstract: Disclosed is a corner connection for open top type rail cars such as gondolas, hoppers, etc. The top side chords of the rail cars have plates mounted to the upper and lower surfaces thereof which extend beyond the end of the top side chords. Circular openings are formed through the extending ends of the plates which align with a circular opening through the end of the top end chord when the end chord is positioned between the plates. A pin is positioned through the opening in the plates and the opening in the end chord so that a flexible corner connection is formed between the side chord and the end chord that will absorb stresses such as those occurring during loading, humping, or load shifts, without fixed end moments or failure at the upper corner connection of the rail car.

Abstract: The subject invention relates to the corner construction of a railway car, wherein the end wall, vertical reinforcing plate, side wall corner post and side plate are arranged with associated parts in a manner permitting an assembly without rotation of the car during manufacture.

Abstract: A structure for a load carrying vehicle and the track therefor. The load carrying vehicle includes a load carrying platform and a pair of side plates, one plate located adjacent to each of the platform sides. The side plates are structurally weakened, that is, the rigidity of the side plates is controlled by, for example, fabricating them to include grooves, apertures, etc., so that the vehicle may deflect longitudinally. This is done so that all the wheels of the vehicle will be in contact with the track, and thereby serve to support at least part of the load being carried, thus improving the weight distribution of the vehicle load on the wheels and on the track. The track provided for supporting the load carrying vehicle, which track may be fabricated by roll forming a sheet of steel, includes four sections, two of which sections join the other two at an obtuse angle thereby providing a pivot point or flexure.

Abstract: A load carrying vehicle such as a truck trailer or a railroad car has a generally flat, horizontal loading surface which is supported by an underframe which in turn is mounted to and carried by wheel assemblies, kingpin-saddle plate arrangement and the like. The underframe extends over the full length and width of the load carrying vehicle and each of its transverse cross-sections is of a substantially constant height while in a longitudinal direction the center portion of the underframe is of a relatively greater height than portions of the underframe adjacent the wheel assemblies. The underframe is constructed of a first corrugated plate in which the corrugations run longitudinal of the vehicle. A second corrugated plate is secured to the underside of the first mentioned plate and the plates are arranged so that the corrugation troughs of the upper plate are in longitudinal alignment with corrugation peaks of the lower plate to define a hollow core honeycomb pattern between the plates.

Abstract: A high cubic capacity railroad boxcar that is provided with a longitudinally extending depressed nailable steel floor section disposed on each side of a longitudinally extending center sill structure, the top surface of the floor sections being at the same elevation as the surface of a plate over the center sill structure, the outside lateral margins of each floor section having a removable inverted filler channel member positioned in a longitudinal runner recess adjacent a car angle member and side sill. Each filler channel member may be replaced with a bulkhead floor track in the form of a slotted runner member or a rack gear member and cooperate with a similar overhead track for receiving, locating and restraining removable bulkheads later added to the car by a lading shipper as may be required.