Abstract: A coupler is provided for a railroad rotary dump car. The coupler comprises a coupler housing, a coupler head, a buff loading shim, and as most preferred, a plurality of spring tabs, and spring tab fasteners. The coupler housing defines a coupler cavity with a cavity end. The coupler head has a spindle, is mounted to the coupler housing, and is adapted for rotary movement relative to the housing. The spindle has a spindle end adjacent the cavity end. The shim interposes the spindle end and the cavity end. The spring tabs are spaced one from another. Each includes a spring portion and a fastener portion. The fastener portions provide for removable fastening of the spring tabs to the coupler housing. The spring portions bias the shim against the cavity end and away from the spring tabs. The spring portions are curved relative to the fastener portions. The spring tab fasteners removably fasten the spring tabs along the fastener portions to the coupler housing adjacent the shim.

Abstract: A coupler yoke for a coupler of a railway vehicle is constructed with a nose portion which is reinforced by a raised region which surrounds the forward end of the key slot. A tapered buttress extends along the length of both sides of the key slot. The width and depth of the buttress increase from minima at the rearward end of the key slot, and merge with the raised region reinforcing the nose of the yoke.

Abstract: An integral yoke member casting having a back wall portion, a first side wall portion formed integral with the back wall portion adjacent a first outer edge thereof. The first side wall portion has a front face portion which is engageable with a rear face portion of a front stop secured within a center sill member. A second side wall portion is formed integral with the back wall portion adjacent a second outer edge thereof. The second side wall portion includes a front face portion which is engageable with a rear face of another front stop secured within such center sill member. A top wall portion extends between inner surfaces of the first and second side wall portions and outwardly from such rear wall portion past the front faces of both the first and second side wall portions. There is a bottom wall portion which extends between such inner surfaces of such first and second side wall portions and outwardly from such rear wall portion past the front faces of both the first and second side wall portions.

Abstract: A railway car yoke having a rear end portion, a body portion, a top forward portion and a bottom forward portion. Each of the top forward portion and the bottom forward portion include a thickened portion through which one aperture is formed to receive a connecting pin therein. A bottom strap portion of such body portion includes an aperture therein to enable adjustment of a blockout device contained within such yoke.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a railway car coupler arrangement whereby a standard yoke, follower, and draft gear are removed from the center sill and replaced with a short yoke member, a spacer block member and slackless drawbar arrangement, namely, a pocket casting wedge shim, and follwer, easily converting the coupler arrangement to a drawbar arrangement without modifying the center sill. The short yoke member, spacer block and slackless arrangement fit exactly within the space formerly occupied by the draft gear pocket casing. The drawbar arrangement maintains the same degrees of angling freedom as the coupler since the drawbar is connected and pivoted from the same pin location as when the coupler was installed. The short yoke member is also designed to more uniformly distribute draft loads to the center sill by transferring forces from the connecting pin into the short yoke member, which in turn transfers those forces into abutting center sill front stops, left intact from the coupler arrangement.

Abstract: A coupler yoke for an E-Type coupler is constructed with a blunt nose by foreshortening the length of the nose. The nose length is 3 inches as measured from a point at the forward most part of a semicircular end of the keyslot to the forward most end of the nose portion. The walls of the nose portion are solid with a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape. The nose wall extend rearwardly where they merge with keyslot ribs at each side of the keyslot in the head portion of the yoke.

Abstract: A rotary F-type railroad car coupler is described as having a rotary connector which is mounted for rotation within a cylindrical opening in the front end of the yoke. The rotary connector has an opening which extends longitudinally through the connector for receiving the butt end of the coupler shank. A horizontal key/slot arrangement, rather than a vertical pin/pinhole-type connection, is provided to attach the car coupler to the rotary connector. The key has an oblong cross-section defined by two pairs of opposing surfaces which are convexly curved outwardly from the center axis of the key which also has a pair of opposing ends that are cylindrically shaped and not spherical, as are the ends of conventional cylindrical pins presently used to attach the butt end of the coupler shank to the rotary connector.

Abstract: A rotary type railroad car coupler is provided with a symmetrical and invertible yoke. A yoke collar, constructed so as to be capable of being reversible, is disposed within a cavity of the yoke. In one preferred embodiment, a pin connecting a shank of the coupler to the yoke collar is positioned so as to be equidistant from both ends of the yoke collar. Thus, as one end of the yoke collar becomes worn, the collar can be reversed. Improved yoke collar service life is obtained.