Abstract: A low-level freight car for carrying trailers and containers at a low overall height combines a low center sill with relatively light side sill assemblies to provide a rigid structure having low deflection characteristics under the expected buff, draft and vertical load combinations, while keeping overall tare weight to reasonable levels and providing an adequate safety factor.

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: The railcar includes two car units interconnected by a drawbar. The drawbar and conventional outboard end couplers are mounted at the locations spaced apart along the longitudinal center lines of the car units. Each car unit is made up of a gondola carbody and two single axle trucks which support the carbody at four vertical load support points. Each carbody includes a depressed center section and a through sill which extends between the drawbar and the coupler within the center section for transmitting buff and draft forces along a rectilinear load path which coincides with the longitudinal center line of the car unit. Essentially all vertical loads imposed on the center section are transmitted to and borne by the side walls. The railcar may be of nonarticulated construction, but in either case is particularly suited for fabrication from aluminum.

Abstract: A railway car underframe includes a centersill having a central section and opposite end sections. The sill includes spaced vertical walls, and upper and lower walls which are slotted and in registry the length of the central section, and which form in cross section a spaced I-beam construction. The construction provides a sill having high torsional flexibility which is necessary to accommodate the railway car to track conditions tending to derail the car when single axle trucks with two wheels are utilized.

Abstract: A railway car underframe includes a center sill having a central section and opposite end sections. The sill includes spaced vertical walls, and upper and lower walls which are slotted in registry the length of the central section, and which form in cross section a spaced I-beam construction. The construction provides a sill having high torsional flexibility which is necessary to accommodate the railway car to track conditions tending to derail the car when single axle suspensions with two wheels are utilized. The sill also includes a separator in the form of a channel which includes flanges at its sides which are secured to the vertical walls of the sill. The separator extends substantially the length of the slots and is effective to resist lateral forces tending to buckle during operation while not adversely affecting the high torsional flexibility which is required in the sill structure.

Abstract: A railway car underframe includes a center sill having a central section and opposite end sections. The sill includes spaced vertical walls, and upper and lower walls which are slotted in registry the length of the central section, and which form in cross section a spaced I-beam construction. The construction provides a sill having high torsional flexibility which is necessary to accommodate the railway car to track conditions tending to derail the car when single axle suspensions with two wheels are utilized. The sill also includes a separator in the form of a channel which includes flanges at its sides which are secured to the vertical walls of the sill. The separator extends substantially the length of the slots and is effective to resist lateral forces tending to buckle or permanently deform the sill during operation, while not adversely affecting the high torsional flexibility which is required in the sill structure.

Abstract: A center sill for accommodating coupling facilities on a railcar comprises two substantially Z-shaped hollow sections each having an upper section strip and a lower section strip joined by a connecting member. The Z-shaped hollow sections are arranged mirror image to each other and joined at the upper section strips. Each hollow section part features a connecting member having a pair of sidewalls joining the upper and lower strips and hollow chambers formed by transverse struts running between the sidewalls. To improve its rigidity, fatigue and tensile strength and to make assembly of the sill easier, the hollow section is cut away close to one end of the railcar and a reinforcing tubular shaped part is inserted into this recess. The cut runs preferably along the lower side of the transverse strut next to upper section strip, along the upper side of the lower section strip, and between these cuts approximately perpendicular across the chambers.

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: The flatcar is made up of multiple articulated units fabricated from severed portions of conventional 85 foot or 89 foot flatcars. These units may be supported by double axle trucks salvaged from the original 85 foot or 89 foot flatcars, or by new single axle trucks having new or salvaged components. Portions of the deck and center beam are removed in order to lighten each unit, but without exceeding the stability limits of the original car beam structure.

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.

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: Disclosed is an articulated rail car for transporting two large wheeled vehicular truck trailers in "piggyback" fashion. The articulated rail car comprises two separate car bodies each supported by single axle railroad wheel truck assemblies mounted at each end of each body. A semi-permanent coupling joins the two car bodies so that the car can articulate around curves and bends in the railroad track. Utilization of the single axle trucks permits the rail car to maintain the normal number of axles (four) for rail cars even though the car is articulated in the center. The car bodies comprise a central spine extending upwardly along the length of the car for providing vertical strength. A tire support surface extends outwardly from each side of the central spine below the level of the central spine so that the vertical height of the wheel vehicular trailers transported by the articulated rail car is reduced allowing easier passage under structures and through tunnels.

Abstract: A drop center railway car is provided with a continuous center sill having a depressed portion between the wheel assemblies. The continuous center sill is disposed between a pair of light weight side walls which include side sills that are connected to transverse bolsters for proportionally distributing longitudinal and vertical loads between the two walls and the continuous center sill with the center sill supporting about three-quarters of the longitudinal load. Crossbearers cooperate with the bolsters to prevent injurious bowing of the commodity confining surfaces of the light weight side walls, side sills and bolsters, which light weight is made possible by the forces being proportionally distributed between the three, rather than two, longitudinal members.

Abstract: A quenching car comprises an open-topped body arranged to carry a load to be quenched. At least a part of the body is composed of walls of hollow construction to receive a liquid cooling medium, such as water. The hollow walls comprise inner and outer plate-like layers separated by reinforcing members which lie internally of the hollow walls, whereby the exposed surfaces of the inner and outer layers are substantially smooth and self-draining. The body is supported by girders of box-section extending along the length of the car.

Abstract: The railcar includes a low profile skeletal frame having a depressed midsection with supporting surfaces extending therefrom and a four point truck suspension. Vertical loads are applied to the frame so that opposed bending moments are established with respect to one or both pairs of suspension load support points. The railcar is capable of transporting conventional trailers, semi-trailers or containers through existing tunnel clearances.

Abstract: A gondola railway car having a car truck attached to each end of a continuous center sill, a pair of generally vertical end panels, a pair of generally vertical side panels joined to the end panels, a plurality of cross bearers extending from the center sill to a longitudinal chord at the bottom of each side panel, a car bottom between the end and side panels having substantially flat portions over the trucks and a pair of longitudinal trough portions between the trucks and the flat bottom portions, each trough portion having a side edge joined to a side panel bottom edge and a side edge joined to the center sill, and an end wall at each end of each trough extending to the adjacent flat bottom portion.

Abstract: A reinforcing structure for a railway car having a fishbelly type underframe including a center sill having tapered transition sections connected between the center section of the sill and each end section. At each transition section a pair of longitudinally extending horizontal plates are provided which are contiguous and affixed to the respective vertical webs of the sill and extend from the center section through the transition section and into the end section, thereby directing structurally deleterious fatiguing loads away from the bent portions of the sill at the junctures of the transition section and the center and end sections.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention a railway hopper car is provided having an enclosed quadrilateral tube as a through sill. The enclosed tube through sill has end portions which are welded to the car end sills at opposite ends of the car. The end sills are integrally attached to the side sills. The end sections also have attached thereto a center plate and a bolster cover plate. The bolster cover plate extends from the center sill to the side sill. At least one bolster web extends vertically from the bolster cover plate to the end sheet of the car. The hopper slope sheets are reinforced by means of generally triangular shaped members attached to the through sill and attached to the hopper slope sheets.

Abstract: An underframe arrangement for a railway vehicle and including a deep section center sill joined to a draft sill portion through use of a transition beam member. Both the transition beam member and the draft sill have overlapping flange portions in the area adjacent the car body bolster and center filler. Overlapping these flange portions increases the strength of the draft sill to transition sill connection to resist buff and draft forces by directing these longitudinal forces into the bottom web of the draft sill and transition sill and from there through the transition section and into the deep section center sill which is capable of absorbing and dissipating large longitudinal loads. The overlapping members also increase the strength of the center filler area to provide an improved bolster.