Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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AUTORACK RAILROAD CAR HAVING
CONVERTIBLE DECK STRUCTURE
Field of the Invention
[0001] This invention relates to the field of railroad freight cars, and, in
particular to the field
of railroad freight cars for carrying automotive vehicles, this kind of car
being referred to in
the industry as an "autorack" car.
Background
[0002] Modern autorack cars, which is to say autorack cars built since about
1975, have
typically had the structure of a flat car underframe covered by a surface
defining a main deck
for supporting automotive vehicles. Most typically an upstanding elevated-deck
supporting
framework is mounted to the underframe. Since about 1975 the framework has
usually been
enclosed within, or used also to support, a large, rather barn-like housing
with end doors, the
better to discourage thieves and vandals. This superstructure is typically
referred to
collectively as the "rack" or "racks" of the autorack. Most typically the
framework structure
includes a series of vertical posts spaced along the sides of the car, and one
or two additional
decks spaced upwardly from the main deck upon which respective second and
third layers of
automotive vehicles may be transported. That is, the rack may be a bi-level
rack (i.e., a single
elevated deck spaced upwardly above the main deck of the underframe) or a tri-
level rack (two
upper decks rather than one). The framework typically includes an array of
sideposts spaced
along the car, with diagonal bracing or shear web panels between the posts, as
may be. The
cars tend to be as tall as permitted under AAR Plate T, namely 19'- 0" or
plate `lc, namely
20' ¨ 2" maximum height above Top of Rail. This housing may tend to have gable
ends and
bridge plates that are moved to an extended position to span the gap between
cars during
loading and unloading. Those ends, when open to permit circus loading of the
cars, i.e.,
sequential loading of the automotive vehicles by driving in one end, and out
the other on
arrival. Although other kinds of doors are known, most typically radial arm
doors are mounted
at the gable ends and are movable between open and closed positions to govern
loading and
unloading of the cars. The racks are typically replaced twice during the
economic life of the
autroack car underframe. That is, the old rack is removed from the underframe
and replaced
with a new set of racks.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
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[0003] Autorack cars are usually found in either a bi-level configuration
(i.e., the main deck,
plus a single upper deck suspended above the main deck) or in a tri-level
configuration (i.e.,
the main deck and two decks suspended one above the other upwardly of the main
deck).
Summary of the Invention
100041 In an aspect of the invention there is a deck height adjustment drive
transmission, for an
autorack railroad car having a first height-adjustable deck and a second
height-adjustable deck
mounted thereabove. The deck height adjustment drive transmission has a first
array of
threaded output shafts mounted to drive motion of the first height-adjustable
deck; and a
second array of threaded output shafts mounted to drive motion of the second
height-adjustable
deck.
[0005] In a feature of that aspect of the invention, the transmission has an
input, the input being
track-level accessible. In another feature, the track level input includes
first and second input
ports. The first input port is mounted on one side of the autorack railroad
car, and the second
input port is mounted on a second, opposite, side of the autorack railroad
car. Each of the input
ports is accessible for operation by trackside personnel; and each of the
ports is independently
operable to drive the transmission. In a further feature, the transmission is
connected to drive
the output shafts of the first array and the output shafts of the second array
at the same time.
In another feature, the threaded output shafts of the first array are of
opposite hand to the
threaded output shafts of the second array. In still another feature, the
first and second input
ports are linked by shafting to a common gearbox. The gearbox has an output
connected to
drive the first and second arrays of output shafts, and the gearbox has an
output torque limiter.
[0006] In still another feature, there is a combination of the deck height
adjustment
transmission and a deck counterbalance apparatus, the counterbalance apparatus
is mounted to
react the weight of the height-adjustable decks, and the deck height
adjustment transmission is
free of deck weight static loading. In another feature, the drive transmission
includes an array
of riser shafts mounted to drive the first array of threaded output shafts. In
a further feature,
each riser shaft of the array of risers shafts is mounted to drive a
corresponding one of the first
output shafts and one of the second output shafts. The input shaft and the
output shaft are of
opposite hand. The respective riser shafts and first and second output shafts
are mounted in
series. In yet another feature, the transmission has at least one distribution
shaft running along
the car, the distribution shaft having an array of off-takes spaced apart
along the car to drive
members of the first and second arrays of output shafting.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
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[0007] In another aspect of the invention there is an autorack railroad car
having a first height-
adjustable deck and a second height-adjustable deck. The second height-
adjustable deck
overlies the first height-adjustable deck. It includes an height adjustment
drive transmission
having the features of the previous aspect of the invention. In further
features of this aspect of
the invention, the autorack railroad car includes the further features of the
previous aspect of
the invention. In another feature, the railroad car has a deck counterbalance
apparatus to react
the weight of the height-adjustable decks against each other such that the
deck height
adjustment transmission is free of deck weight static loading. In a further
feature, the
counterbalance apparatus links the first height-adjustable deck to the second
height-adjustable
deck. The weight of the first height-adjustable deck is opposed to the weight
of the second
height-adjustable deck. In another feature, the counterbalance apparatus
includes a set of
chains. The set of chains has at least first, second, third, and fourth
chains. Each of the chains
has first and second ends. Each of the chains passes over a respective idler.
The first end of
each chain is mounted to the first height-adjustable deck and the second end
of each chain is
mounted to the second height-adjustable deck.
[0008] In another feature, the drive transmission includes an array of riser
shafts mounted to
drive the first array of threaded output shafts. In yet another feature, each
riser shaft of the
array of risers shafts is mounted to drive a corresponding one of the first
output shafts and one
of the second output shafts. The input shaft and the output shaft are of
opposite hand.
Respective ones of the riser shafts, the first output shafts, and the second
output shafts are
mounted in series. In another feature, the transmission has at least one
distribution shaft
running along the car. The distribution shaft has an array of off-takes spaced
apart along the
car to drive members of the first and second arrays of output shafting.
[0009] In another aspect of there is an autorack railroad car. It has a fixed
main deck; a first
movable deck and a second movable deck. It has a deck drive transmission. The
first and
second movable decks both overlie the main deck. The second movable deck
overlies the first
movable deck. The main deck is a depressed center deck. An array of posts is
mounted along
left and right hand sides of, and stands upwardly of, the main deck. The first
and second
movable decks are supported by the posts. The first and second decks are
counterbalanced
against each other. The deck drive transmission includes upstanding drive
shafts. The
upstanding drive shafts include threaded rod portions operably connected to
impose
displacement upon at least one of the first and second movable decks.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
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[0010] In a feature of that aspect of the invention, the decks are constrained
to a single degree
of freedom of motion, that degree of freedom is up-and-down translation. In
another feature,
the decks are counterbalanced against each other. In another feature, the
decks have a drive
transmission having tracksi de access.
[0011] In another aspect of the invention, there is an autorack railroad car.
It has a fixed-
position main deck and at least a first movable deck overlying the main deck.
There is a deck
drive transmission. The first movable deck is constrained to motion in a
single degree of
freedom of upward and downward translation relative to the main deck.
[0012] In a feature of that aspect, the autorack car includes a second movable
deck overlying
the first movable deck. The second movable deck also is constrained to a
single degree of
freedom of upward and downward translation relative to the main deck. In
another feature, the
first and second movable decks are counterbalanced against each other. In
still another feature,
the autorack railroad car has a second movable deck, the second movable deck
overlying the
first movable deck. There is an array of posts mounted along left and right
hand sides of, and
standing upwardly of, the main deck. The first and second movable decks are
supported by
the posts. The first and second decks are movable throughout a range of
motion. The first and
second decks are counterbalanced against each other. The deck drive
transmission occupying
a constant space envelope during motion of the decks throughout the range of
travel.
[0013] In another aspect of the invention, there is an autorack railroad car.
It has a main deck;
a first movable deck; and a second movable deck. It has a deck drive
transmission. The first
and second movable decks both overlie the main deck. The second movable deck
overlies the
first movable deck. An array of posts is mounted along left and right hand
sides of, and stands
upwardly of, the main deck. The first and second movable decks are supported
by the posts.
The first and second decks are movable throughout a range of motion. The first
and second
decks are counterbalanced against each other. The deck drive transmission
occupies a constant
space envelope during motion of the decks throughout the range of travel.
[0014] In a feature of that aspect, the drive transmission includes upstanding
threaded rods
connected to threaded followers mounted to the first and second movable decks.
In another
feature, the array of posts includes a first post and a second post next
adjacent thereto. The
array of posts includes a third post adjacent to the second post, the second
post is between the
first post and the third post. The drive transmission includes a first
upstanding shaft mounted
between the second post and the third post. The autorack car includes a wheel
chock storage
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
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space between the first post and the second post. In another feature, a shear
transfer member
is mounted between the second post and the third post. An enclosure member is
mounted
between the first post and the second post, the enclosure member defining an
outside surface
of the autorack railroad car. The wheel chock storage space is defined inboard
of the enclosure
member.
[0015] In another aspect of the invention there is an autorack railroad car
having decks
convertible between a bi-level and a tri-level configuration. The convertible
decks of the
railroad car have a range of motion in a single degree of freedom in linear
translation upward
and downward.
[0016] In another aspect of the invention there is a roller-mounted adjustable-
height deck for
an autorack railroad car.
[0017] In a feature of that aspect, the deck has a decking array extending
cross-wise between
first and second lengthwise extending margins. There are deck carriages spaced
along the
lengthwise extending margins. The carriages have rollers mounted thereto. In
another feature,
the carriage has a vertical height drive input. In a further feature, the
carriage has a lengthwise
motion inhibitor as well as at least one roller-mounted to inhibit cross-wise
motion of the
adjustable weight deck. In still another feature, the deck has first and
second lengthwise
extending side beams running along the first and second margins. Each of the
first and second
side beams has a first leg underlying the decking array, and a second leg
defining a vertical leg
extending away from the first leg to form an angle. In another feature, the
deck carriages are
mounted to the vertical leg. In still another feature, the decking array has a
raised central
crown, and a vertical height rise measured from the margins thereof to the
crown. The vertical
leg has a greater vertical extent than the vertical height rise. In another
feature there is an
autorack railroad car having the roller-mounted adjustable-height deck noted
above, and any
of the other, further, or additional features thereof.
[0018] In another aspect there is an autorack railroad car having a rack
structure and at least a
first adjustable-height deck mounted between members of the rack structure.
The first
adjustable-height deck has rollers mounted to engage the rack structure.
[0019] In a feature of that aspect, the rollers are constant contact rollers.
In another feature,
the first adjustable-height deck has carriages mounted along left and right
hand margins
thereof, and the rollers are mounted to the carriages. In a further feature,
the rollers define a
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
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first degree of freedom restraint, and the carriages also have a second degree
of freedom
restraint. In still another feature, the carriages have a displacement input
drive connected
thereto. In a yet further feature, the carriages are connected to a
counterbalance transmission.
In still another feature, the autorack railroad car is convertible between bi-
level and tri-level
positions. In a further feature, the railroad car has a second adjustable
height deck mounted
upwardly of the first adjustable-height deck. In another feature, the first
and second adjustable
height decks are both mounted upwardly of a main deck, and the first and
second adjustable-
height decks are movable between bi-level and tri-level conditions. In another
feature, the first
and second adjustable-height decks are counterbalanced against each other.
[0020] In another feature, the autorack railroad car has a first drive
transmission connected to
apply drive directly to the first and second decks; and a second drive
transmission connected
to counterbalance the first and second adjustable-height decks against each
other. The second
drive transmission is separate from the first drive transmission. In another
feature, the railroad
car has a first drive transmission connected to drive the first and second
adjustable height decks
simultaneously in opposite directions. In another feature, the rack structure
includes an array
of sidewall posts. The rollers co-operate with the posts. The sidewall posts
function as guides;
and the rollers function as guide followers riding along the posts.
[0021] In another aspect of the invention, a convertible deck autorack
railroad car has a first
height-adjustable deck and a drive transmission operable to move the first
height-adjustable
deck. The height-adjustable deck has decking and a first beam running along a
side margin of
the decking. The beam has a flange underlying the margin of the decking, and a
web standing
upwardly of the flange outboard of the margin of the decking.
[0022] In a feature of that aspect, the railroad car has a second height-
adjustable deck, the first
and second height-adjustable decks is mounted one above the other, and the
second height-
adjustable deck has decking and a second beam running along a side margin of
the decking
thereof, the second beam having a flange underlying the side margin of the
decking of the
second deck, and a web standing downwardly of the flange of the second beam.
In another
feature, the first and second height-adjustable decks are counterbalanced
against each other.
In another feature the first decking has a vertical crown height relative to
the side margins
thereof, and the web of the first beam has a vertical depth that exceeds the
vertical crown
height. In a further feature, the first height-adjustable deck is carried on
carriages mounted to
the upstanding web of the first beam, the web having a vertical depth at least
as great as the
carriages. In another feature, the first beam is an angle iron of open
section.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
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[0023] In an aspect of the invention there is an autorack railroad car deck
assembly for
mounting to a framework of a rack of an autorack railroad car. The deck
assembly has a first
suspended deck and a second suspended deck. The second suspended deck is
suspended above
the first suspended deck. The first and second suspended decks are movable
relative to each
other. A counterweight transmission connects the first and second suspended
decks. A drive
transmission, separate from the counterweight transmission, is operable to
move the first and
second suspended decks.
[0024] In a feature of that aspect of the invention, the decks are movable
between a first
position in which they are upwardly closely adjacent, and a second position in
which they are
upwardly distantly apart. In another feature, the counterweight transmission
includes at least
one pulley and at least one flexible draft member run over the pulley. The
flexible draft
member has a first end mounted to the first suspended deck. The flexible draft
member having
a second end mounted to the second suspended deck. In another feature, the
assembly includes
at least two such pulleys and at least two such flexible draft members, the
first flexible draft
member being fed left-handed over the first pulleys, and the second flexible
draft member
being fed right-handed over the second pulley. In another feature, the drive
transmission
includes at least one screw mounted to drive the first and second suspended
decks in opposite
directions. In a further feature, at least one screw is mounted to drive a
scissor jack. In a still
further feature, the assembly includes a plurality of the scissor jacks driven
from a common
shaft. In yet another feature, the first and second suspended decks are
constrained to move
only in vertical translation. In still another feature, the deck assembly
includes stops positioned
to support the suspended decks when the decks are not being moved relative to
each other. In
another feature, there is an autorack railroad car incorporating any
combination of features of
the foregoing deck assemblies.
[0025] In another aspect of the invention there is an autorack railroad car
deck assembly that
includes at least one scissor jack operable to convert the deck assembly from
a bi-level
configuration to a ti-level configuration.
[0026] In a feature of that aspect of the invention, the deck assembly
includes a plurality of
the scissor jacks and a common drive connected to operate the scissor jacks
from a single input.
In a further feature, the drive has a trackside accessible manually operable
input. In another
feature, the assembly includes at least a first scissor jack and a second
scissor jack for mounting
on one side of the railroad car, and a common shaft linking the first and
second scissor jacks.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
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In another feature, the deck assembly has a first suspended deck and a second
suspended deck.
The second suspended deck is suspended above the first suspended deck. The
first and second
suspended decks are movable relative to each other. A counterweight
transmission connects
the first and second suspended decks. The at least one scissor jack is a
component of a drive
transmission, that drive transmission being separate from the counterweight
transmission. In
another feature, the decks are movable between a first position in which they
are upwardly
closely adjacent, the first position corresponding to the bi-level
configuration; and a second
position in which they are upwardly distantly apart, the second position
corresponding to the
tri-level configuration. In another feature, the counterweight transmission
includes at least one
pulley and at least one flexible draft member run over the pulley, the
flexible draft member
having a first end mounted to the first suspended deck, and the flexible draft
member having a
second end mounted to the second suspended deck. In still another feature, the
first and second
suspended decks are constrained to move only in vertical translation. In yet
another feature,
the deck assembly includes stops positioned to support at least one of the
suspended decks
when the decks are not being moved relative to each other. In another feature,
there is a drive
transmission, and said drive transmission including a torque limiter. In still
another feature,
there is a deck level indicator. The deck level indicator is visible from
trackside. In still
another feature there is an autorack railroad incorporating any of the
combinations of features
of the foregoing deck assemblies.
[0027] These and other aspects and features of the invention may be understood
with reference
to the description which follows, and with the aid of the illustrations.
Brief Description of the Figures
[0028] The description is accompanied by a set of illustrative Figures in
which:
[0029] Figure la is a general arrangement, side view of an
autorack railroad car
according to an aspect of the invention;
[0030] Figure lb is a perspective view of the autorack railroad can of
Figure la with
end doors removed;
[0031] Figure lc shows the autorack railroad car of Figure lb with
housing side panels
and roof panels removed to show internal structure;
[0032] Figure id is an enlarged detail of the autorack railroad
car structure of Figure
lc in the tri-level configuration;
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
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[0033] Figure le shows a corresponding an enlarged detail of the
autorack railroad car
structure of Figure id in the bi-level configuration;
[0034] Figure 2a is an end view of the autorack railroad car of
Figure la with decks
shown in the tri-level configuration;
[0035] Figure 2b is an end view of the autorack railroad car of Figure la
with decks
shown in the bi-level configuration;
[0036] Figure 2c is an end view of the autorack railroad car of
Figure la with decks
shown in a configuration for loading or unloading the main deck;
[0037] Figure 2d is an enlarged detail of Figure 2a;
[0038] Figure 3a is a perspective view of a portion of the autorack
railroad car of Figure
lc viewed from the opposite side;
[0039] Figure 3b is a perspective view of the autorack railroad
car of Figure 3a, viewed
predominantly from one end;
[0040] Figure 3c is a detail showing a deck securement apparatus
of the autorack
railroad car of Figure la or 6a in the bi-level configuration;
[0041] Figure 3d shows the detail of Figure 3c in the lower deck
loading configuration;
[0042] Figure 3e shows the detail of Figure 3c in the tri-level
configuration;
[0043] Figure 3f shows an enlargement of a handle of the
securement apparatus of
Figure 3c in a locked position;
[0044] Figure 3g shows the handle of Figure 31 in an unlocked position;
[0045] Figure 3h shows the handle of Figure 31 turned to disengage
the deck
securement;
[0046] Figure 3i shows the handle of Figure 3c in a lowered,
temporary securement
position with the pins disengaged to permit movement of the decks;
[0047] Figure 4 is a perspective view of a detail of the rigging of the
deck assembly of
Figure 3a;
[0048] Figure 5a shows a view of a deck level indicator of the car
of Figure la; and
[0049] Figure 5b shows a view of the deck level indicator of
Figure 5a with the cover
panel removed to reveal internal details;
[0050] Figure 5c shows the deck status indicator of Figure 5b in tri-level
low deck
loading position, with side panel removed to show internal details;
[0051] Figure 5d shows the status indicator of Figure 5c in tri-
level position;
[0052] Figure 5e shows the status indicator of Figure 5c in the bi-
level position;
[0053] Figure 6a is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment
of autorack rail car
to that of Figure la;
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
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[0054] Figure 6b is an opposite end perspective view of the
autorack car of Figure 6a
with doors, side skins, and roof removed to reveal interior structure;
[0055] Figure 7a is an end view of the autorack railroad car of
Figure 6a;
[0056] Figure 7b is an end view of the autorack railroad car of
Figure 7a with doors
removed, shown in bi-level configuration;
[0057] Figure 7c shows the autorack car of Figure 7a in tri-level
configuration;
[0058] Figure 7d shows the autorack railroad car of Figure 7a in
lower deck loading
configuration;
[0059] Figure 7e is a partial perspective view of a portion of the
inside of the autorack
railroad car of Figure 7a showing a storage space for equipment;
[0060] Figure 8a shows the autorack railroad car of Figure 6a
stripped to its frame,
showing the location of the deck-drive gearboxes;
[0061] Figure 8b shows a main deck bridge plate fitting of the
autorack railroad car of
Figure 8a in a deployed position;
[0062] Figure 8c shows the bridge plate fitting of Figure 8b in a storage
position;
[0063] Figure 8d shows an upper deck bridge plate fining of the
autorack railroad car
of Figure 8a in a deployed position;
[0064] Figure 8e shows the fitting of Figure 8d in isolation;
[0065] Figure 8f shows the upper deck bridge plate fitting of
Figure 8d in a storage
position;
[0066] Figure 8g shows the fitting of Figure 8e in isolations;
[0067] Figure 9a is a partial perspective view of the autorack
railroad car of Figure 6a,
with side panels removed to reveal features of the structure and deck drive
transmission;
[0068] Figure 9b shows an enlarged detail of the autorack railroad car of
Figure 9a
with decking removed to reveal details of underfloor structure and deck drive
transmission features;
[0069] Figure 9c is a further enlarged detail view as Figure 9b,
but with longitudinal
floor stringers, draft sill webs, and transmission housing members removed to
reveal the moving parts of the transmission;
[0070] Figure 10a is a perspective view through the autorack car
of Figure 6a, with
side screens removed, to show the drive transmission arrangement;
[0071] Figure 10b is an enlarged detail of the drive transmission
of Figure 10a;
[0072] Figure 10c is an enlarged detail of the drive transmission
of Figure 10a;
[0073] Figure 10d shows the same detail as Figure 10c, but with the side
post removed
to reveal hidden detail;
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
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[0074] Figure 10e is a general arrangement view of the decks of
the autorack railroad
car of Figure 6a showing the relative location of carriage elements thereof;
[0075] Figure 10f is an enlarged detail of the carriage elements
of Figure 10e;
[0076] Figure lOg is an enlarged detail of the carriage elements
of Figure 10e from
another perspective and with the counterbalance chain and threaded rods
removed;
[0077] Figure ha is a view of a roller assembly of the carriage
elements of Figure 10f;
[0078] Figure lib is an exploded view of the elements of Figure
11a;
[0079] Figure 12a is an exploded view of the universal threaded
bronze ball of the deck
drive transmission of the carriage elements of Figure 10f; and
[0080] Figure 12b is an assembled view of the features of Figure
12a;
Detailed Description
[0081] The description that follows, and the embodiments described therein,
are provided by
way of illustration of an example, or examples, of particular embodiments of
the principles,
aspects or features of the present invention. These examples are provided for
the purposes of
explanation, and not of limitation, of those principles and of the invention.
In the description,
like parts are marked throughout the specification and the drawings with the
same respective
reference numerals. The drawings may be taken as being to scale unless noted
otherwise.
[0082] The terminology used in this specification is thought to be consistent
with the
customary and ordinary meanings of those terms as they would be understood by
a person of
ordinary skill in the railroad industry in North America. The Applicant
expressly excludes all
interpretations that are inconsistent with this specification, and, in
particular, expressly
excludes any interpretation of the claims or the language used in this
specification such as may
be made in the USPTO, or in any other Patent Office, other than those
interpretations for which
express support can be demonstrated in this specification or in objective
evidence of record,
(for example, earlier publications by persons not employed by the USPTO or any
other Patent
Office), demonstrating how the terms are used and understood by persons of
ordinary skill in
the art, or by way of expert evidence of a person or persons of at least 10
years' experience in
the railroad industry in North America or in other former territories of the
British Empire and
Commonwealth.
[0083] In terms of general orientation and directional nomenclature, for
railroad cars described
herein the longitudinal or lengthwise direction is defined as being coincident
with the rolling
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
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direction of the railroad car, or railroad car unit, when located on tangent
(that is, straight)
track. In the case of a railroad car having a center sill, be it a stub sill
or a straight-through
center sill, the longitudinal direction is parallel to the center sill, and
parallel to the top chords
and side sills, as may be. Unless otherwise noted, vertical, or upward and
downward, are terms
that use top of rail, TOR, as a datum. In the context of the car as a whole,
the terms cross-
wise, lateral, or laterally outboard, or transverse, or transversely outboard
refer to a distance or
orientation relative to the longitudinal centerline of the railroad car, or
car unit, or of the
centerline of a centerplate at a truck center. The term "longitudinally
inboard", or
"longitudinally outboard" is a distance taken relative to a mid-span lateral
section of the car,
or car unit. The directions correspond generally to a Cartesian frame of
reference in which the
x-direction is longitudinal, the y-direction is lateral, and the z-direction
is vertical. Pitching
motion is angular motion of a railcar unit about a horizontal axis
perpendicular to the
longitudinal direction. Yawing is angular motion about a vertical axis. Roll
is angular motion
about the longitudinal axis. Given that the railroad car described herein may
tend to have both
longitudinal and transverse axes of symmetry, a description of one half of the
car may generally
also be intended to describe the other half as well, allowing for differences
between right hand
and left hand parts. In this description, if used, the abbreviation kpsi
stands for thousands of
pounds per square inch.
[0084] In this discussion it may by understood that persons of ordinary skill
in the art are
familiar with the Rules and Standards of the Association of American Railroads
(the AAR),
which govern interchange service in North America. This specification or the
accompanying
illustrations may refer to standards of the Association of American Railroads
(AAR), such as
to AAR plate sizes. To the extent necessary or appropriate, those references
are to be
interpreted in a manner consistent with the Rules and Standards as extant on
the earliest of the
date of filing of this application or the date of priority of the earliest
application from which
this application claims priority, as if they formed part of this specification
on that date.
[0085] Also for the purposes of the present discussion, it may be taken as a
default that the
structure of the car is of all-welded mild steel fabrication except as
otherwise shown in the
illustrations or indicated in the text. This need not necessarily be the case.
Other materials,
such as aluminum or stainless steel might be used. The rack structure may also
be taken as
being of steel fabrication, although, again, aluminum or stainless steel might
be used, and the
side web panels of the car, which may be made of mild steel, stainless steel,
or aluminum might
also be made from plastic composite material, which may be reinforced
composite. The
commonly used engineering terms "proud", "flush" and "shy" may be used herein
to denote
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
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items that, respectively, protrude beyond an adjacent element, are level with
an adjacent
element, or do not extend as far as an adjacent element, the terms
corresponding conceptually
to the conditions of "greater than", "equal to" and "less than".
[0086] In Figures la ¨ le, an autorack railroad car is shown generally as 20.
It has an
underframe, or underframe assembly, indicated generally as 22, that is carried
upon railroad
car trucks 24 for rolling motion in a longitudinal or lengthwise direction
along railroad tracks.
Underframe 22 is surmounted by an overspanning housing structure indicated
generally as 26,
and which may be referred to as "the rack" or "racks" of the car. The ends of
housing structure
26 are open to permit loading and unloading of automotive vehicles. Ingress
and egress of
those vehicles is governed by a pair of end doors, 28, such as may be radial
arm doors or may
be multiply-folding doors, movable between open and closed positions.
[0087] Underframe 22 has a center sill 30. Center sill 30 is a "straight
through" center sill that
runs substantially along the entire length of the car between first and second
ends 32, 34 at
which strikers 36 are mounted. The main deck 40 extends to either side of the
center sill to the
sides of the car at side sills 42, 44. The term "straight through" is used in
distinction to stub
center sills such those as used in, e.g., grain cars, where the center sill at
each end of the car is
truncated inboard of the center plate to leave a "stub", namely the center
plate and draft sill
assembly. In a straight through center sill, the center sill extends from one
truck center to the
other. The outboard portions of the center sill may be identified as the draft
sills 38 in which
the draft gear and couplers are mounted. Draft sills 38 are extensions of
center sill 30 that
extend longitudinally outboard of (and often include) the truck center to the
striker 36.
[0088] Side sills 42, 44 run lengthwise along either side of underframe
assembly 22, and are
structurally connected to center sill 30 by an array of laterally extending
structural members
which may include cross-bearers 46 and cross-ties (not shown). A cross-bearer
is a beam
having a first end connected to the center sill at a connection that is
intended to be capable of
transmitting a bending moment, such that the cross-bearer is also a cantilever
that has its root,
or built-in end at the center sill. The second end or distal end or
transversely outboard end of
each cross-bearer is connected to the associated side sill running along that
side of the car. The
side sills are themselves beams, typically of hollow or open section, formed
with an upper
flange, a lower flange, and a medial portion that functions as a web to carry
shear between the
upper and lower flanges. Side sills may sometimes have a somewhat C-shaped
section, with
the open part of the C facing toward the center sill and the webs of the cross-
bearer and cross-
ties extending into the C and forming a connection.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
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[0089] Main deck 40 typically extends across the car from side sill to side
sill and from end to
end of the car, and provides a driving pathway for wheeled vehicles, i.e., the
lading for this
kind of car. Main deck 40 is supported by side sills 42, 44, center sill 30,
cross-bearers 46 and
such cross-ties as may be, and may form the top flange of one or more of them.
In the example
illustrated, for example, main deck 40 forms, or is substantially flush with,
the top cover plate
(i.e., top flange) of center sill 30, over most or all of its length e.g.,
excluding draft sills 38.
The main deck may also form the top flange of the cross-bearers 46 and cross-
ties (if any).
The main deck is open at the ends (i.e., the curbs defined by the side sills
only run along the
sides) such that wheeled vehicles may be end-loaded. The main deck 40 may be
carried at a
lower level in the mid-car regions and a somewhat higher level over trucks 24.
[0090] The framework of, or that is defined by, housing structure 26 includes
an array, or a
series, of upstanding posts 50, that are spaced along the left and right hand
sides of the car, that
is, along, and standing upwardly of, side sills 42 and 44 respectively. There
is an end framing
structure, indicated as 52, that extends upwardly from the ends of the end
sill, and which
defines the shape of the gable end. Next inboard is "the first post" or "No. 1
post", an upright
side post 54 that runs between the side sill and the top chord at the station
of the first lateral
undelfiame cross-members. Next inboard are posts 56, (the "No. 2 post")
mounted at the ends
of the next adjacent lateral frame (i.e., next outboard of the truck center),
and posts 58, mounted
near the ends of the second lateral frame member inboard of the truck center.
Several further
posts 60 are mounted further inboard at the ends of the respective cross-
bearers 46 that extend
laterally of central portion 48 of center sill 30. Diagonal shear bracing 61,
62 is mounted
between main posts 58 and next longitudinally inboard posts 60. Longitudinally
running left
and right top chords 64 run along, and tie together, the tops of all of posts
54, 56, 58, and 60
as may be. The roof structure 66 is mounted atop top chords 64 and restrains
them in the lateral
direction, and provides a lateral shear connection between the left and right
hand side walls 67,
68 of the car. The roof structure includes a framework of lateral frames and
longitudinal
stringers (not shown). This framework and the longitudinal stringers form a
truss structure that
cooperates with the truss structure of the sidewall posts. The framework
defined by the post
array skeleton of housing structure 26 may support one or more elevated decks,
such as a
second or mid-level deck 70, and a third or upper deck 72. The entire
structure includes
sidewall panels 74 that are mounted between the various posts, and that may
tend to act as
shear panels between those posts and between the side sills 42, 44 and the
respective top chords
64. Sidewall panels 74 are mounted on cleats 76.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
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[0091] When the replaceable rack structure of posts and braces and top chords
is in place, the
high longitudinal members act as chords of a truss more than 10 ft. distant
from the side sills.
This deep truss structure aids in providing the car with the resistance to
vertical bending
required when carrying lading in service. As noted above, the underframe is
intended to define,
and to be, permanent structure of the autorack car, whereas the racks may have
roughly one
third the life of the underframe. That is, the underframe may have a first set
of racks when
new, and two sets of replacement racks during the car's lifetime.
[0092] The rack structure of the elevated deck or decks includes a set of deck
panels, or deck
panel assemblies, of which a representative one is indicated as deck panel
assembly 80. Other
than as noted, assembly 80 is symmetrical about the longitudinal vertical
(i.e., x¨ z) centerline
plane of the rack, and spans the open space between the left and right hand
sidewall support
structure of car 20. It may also be noted that deck panel assembly 80 may be
manufactured in
different lengths, and a set of deck panels 80 is installed to define a full
length deck of car 20,
be it deck 70 or deck 72. As may be appreciated, each of deck panels 80 may be
replaced as
an individual module if damaged or corroded, or in need of replacement or
repair for whatever
reason. Deck panel assembly 80 includes a main, or first, decking panel 82,
first and second,
(or left and right) side beams or rails 84, 86, first and second, or left and
right, upper
longitudinally running members 88, 90; a vehicle placement securement fitting,
or fitting array.
[0093] Main decking panel 82 may include a central portion 104 and left and
right hand edge
or margin portions 106, 108. Main decking panel 82 may have an upper surface
112 which
defines a roadway, or pathway, or track 114 over which wheeled vehicles may be
conducted
in the lengthwise direction (or x-direction) in the normal procedure of
loading and unloading
vehicles in autorack cars. Main decking panel 82 may also have an underside,
or downwardly
facing surface 116 that faces toward the next lower deck, be it the middle
deck (in the case of
an upper decking panel) or the railroad car main deck 40 of underframe 22. As
installed, main
decking panel 82 is spaced upwardly from the next lower deck by a distance
commensurate
with the carrying of another layer of vehicles on the deck therebelow. Main
decking panel 82
may have an undulating form, with up-and-down undulations or corrugations in
the vertical
direction made to increase its effective depth of section and therefore its
second moment of
area for resistance to bending. The undulations may run generally cross-wise,
namely in the
lateral, transverse, left-to-right, or y-direction. The undulations run in the
direction generally
cross-wise to the lengthwise running direction of main decking panel 82
generally, and also of
pathway 114. The undulations may have the form of corrugations 118.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
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[0094] Central portion 104 may be formed as a single section, or may be formed
by welding
two left and right halves together. In that context, the left and right halves
may be identical,
but reversed and welded together along a central seam. Central portion 104 may
be formed on
a curvature such that it has an arcuate crown 120, of which the crest is at,
and runs along, the
longitudinally running centerline. The downwardly and outwardly sloped margins
or edges of
central portion 104 meet, and are joined to, left and right hand margin
portions 106, 108. The
junction of these components may be formed by welding. Margin portions 106 and
108 are
oriented horizontally. That is, if decking panel 82 is placed on a flat
surface, margin portions
106 and 108 will lie in a common horizontal plane, which central portion 104
deviates convexly
arcuately away from that plane.
[0095] Side beams, or rails, 84, 86 run in the lengthwise direction along
margin portions 106,
108. Each side beam 84, 86 has a first leg 122 that extends substantially
horizontally, a second
leg 124 that extends substantially vertically, and a roll-formed closure leg
126 which is folded
to return to first leg 122, and thereby form a closed hollow section. While
the section may be
round or square or rectangular, in the embodiment illustrated it is
triangular. First leg 122
functions as a horizontal flange, and second leg 124 functions as a vertical
shear web. First
leg 122 overlaps, and is welded to, a respective one of margin portion 106 or
108. In the case
of mid-level deck 70, first leg 122, and beam 84 or 86 more generally, is
mounted to the
underside of margin 106 or 108. In the case of upper level deck 72, first leg
122 (and beam 84
or 86 more generally) is mounted to the upper side of margin 106 or 108 as the
case may be.
The corrugations of margins 106, 108 extend upwardly or downwardly away from
first leg
122. The ends of portions 106, 108 terminate inboard well clear of second leg
124, and are
offset laterally inboard relative to flange 126.
[0096] Longitudinally running members 88 and 90 are mounted to the upwardly
facing
surfaces of the corrugations, symmetrically to either side of the centerline
of crown 120.
Members 88 and 90 may have the form of open structural section members, and in
one form
may be inverted channels or top-hat sections with the toes of the legs mated
to surfaces 112 of
the successive corrugations. Members 88 and 90 may function as upper,
longitudinal flanges
of deck panel assembly 80. They may also function as upstanding guideways, or
curbs, for
wheeled vehicles being conducted along deck panel assembly 80. To the extent
that the open
section faces downward, and is self-draining, it is not a place where
moisture, dirt, or other
material may tend to collect. Wheel track gratings or sheets 92 are placed
laterally outboard
of longitudinally running members 88 and 90.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
- 17 -
[0097] As shown and discussed in USSN 13/666,830 filed November 1, 2012,
securement
fittings may be provided that have the form of a locking rail spaced laterally
outboard from
member 90 (or 88, as may be). Securement fittings may be placed on both sides
of the
centerline of deck panel assembly 80. Hinge fittings 94 and 96 may mate with
corresponding
hinge fitting of adjacently placed movable decks or bridge plates, as may be.
[0098] Movable mounting bracket assemblies 98 are provided. Mounting bracket
assemblies 98
may also be termed carriages, or shoes, that are formed to mate with their
respective mounting
posts in a sliding, translational relationship, and thereby to define a motion
restraint or motion
governor. Mounting bracket assemblies 98 define the mounting interfaces at
which deck panel
assembly 80 (of deck assembly 70 or 72, as may be) is connected to the side
post array, and
thus suspending it in an overhead spanning position relative to any lower deck
or decks.
[0099] Mounting bracket assemblies 98 may include fittings such as mounting
plates 130,
which may be substantially rectangular with chamfered corners and which may
define a
mounting foot of deck panel assembly 80. Mounting plates 130 may be welded to
side beams
84 and 86, as indicated. Mounting bracket assemblies 98 may also include one
or more guides
134. Each guide 134 may have the form of an angle bracket, or angle iron, and
may include
horizontal gussets or webs 136 running as stiffeners between the legs of the
angle and plate
130. Each assembly 98 could have two such guides 134, spaced to seat about the
inside face
and walls such one of the respective posts as may be. However, it may also be
noted that the
mounting of a single guide 134 on a first plate 130, and a corresponding
opposed guide 134 on
the next adjacent plate 130 mounted to another post (such as the next adjacent
post) will yield
a pair of guides restricting motion in the degree of freedom of the +x and ¨x
directions. Since
the width of the deck assembly, be it 70 or 72, is bracketed laterally by
posts on either side of
the car, motion in the horizontal degree of freedom in the +y and ¨y-
directions is also
constrained, leaving deck assemblies 70 and 72 with only a single
translational degree of
freedom, namely in the z-direction. The various posts may be provided with a
friction reducing
coating or surface or treatment, such an UHMW polymer, such as a nylon (t.m.)
surface or
skin, indicated generally as 138, which may extend around such of the surfaces
of the post as
may define the sliding interface between assemblies 98 and such posts as may
be. As shown,
a pair of assemblies 98 on upper deck assembly 72 have opposed angle irons 134
that straddle
two adjacent posts; whereas another pair of assemblies 98 have opposed angle
irons that nest
between a pair of adjacent posts. The choice may be arbitrary, and, in any
case, where mid-
level deck 70 and upper level deck 72 have several pairs of such guides along
their lateral
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
- 18 -
margins along the length of the car, the orientations may alternate, the next
result being that
each deck is constrained to translation along a single degree of freedom, in
this case the vertical
direction.
[0100] Deck assemblies 70 and 72 may have substantial weight. To ease their
motion, a
transmission may be provided in the nature of a counterbalance transmission,
indicated
generally as 140. Counterbalance transmission 140 may have the form of a chain-
and-pulley
arrangement, or assembly, indicated generally as 142. This arrangement may
include a pulley
or sheave, or gear, or idler, or wheel, 144 such as may be mounted to a
respective one of the
posts at some level higher than the uppermost position of upper deck 72, i.e.,
as deployed in
the tri-level configuration when deck 72 is vertically distantly spaced apart
from deck assembly
70. Wheel 144 may, for example, be mounted at the top of its respective post,
adjacent to top
chord 64. Wheel 144 may be a toothed wheel, i.e., a gear, but need not be.
Wheel 144 may
be an idler, That is, a non-driven member. Assembly 142 may also include a
flexible draft
member, or suspension member, or tension member 146, such as may have the form
of a wire
or cable or belt, or chain, 148. Chain 148 may have a first end 150 mounted to
the first
suspended deck assembly, i.e., mid-level deck assembly 70; and a second end
152 attached to
the second suspended deck assembly, namely upper-deck assembly 72. The
connection at one
or the other ends may be adjustable. It may be more convenient for the
connection to upper
deck assembly 72 to be the adjustable connection.
[0101] As may be understood from, for example, Figure id, there may be several
such
assemblies 142 mounted along the car from the various posts. They may be
mounted from the
same posts to which the guide assemblies, or mounting bracket assemblies 98,
are also
mounted, although this is not necessarily so. Some of chains 148 may be fed
right-handed (or
clockwise) over their pulleys (i.e., wheels 144), and some may be fed left-
handed, or counter-
clockwise. In one embodiment, the orientation may vary alternately clockwise
and counter-
clockwise (or left-hand and right-hand) along the car to obtain a balanced or
symmetrical
arrangement. The designation of left-hand and right-hand is arbitrary. Left
hand may be
associated with counter-clockwise rotation of the respective wheel 144 when
upper level deck
72 is rising, right hand may be associated with clockwise rotation under the
same condition.
Each end of tension member 146 is mounted to an associated one of assemblies
98 on a side
of assembly 98 that includes a mounting bracket angle iron 134. As so mounted,
and
considering the effect of an array of such assemblies mounted along opposites
sides of car 20,
as mid-level deck 70 moves in one direction (i.e., upwardly or downwardly),
upper-level deck
72 moves in the opposite direction (i.e., downwardly or upwardly). Inasmuch as
mid-level deck
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
- 19 -
70 and upper level deck 72 have substantially the same weight of structural
elements, the two
decks counterbalance each other through the medium of counterbalance
transmission 140. The
net force required to move the decks from one position to another is intended
to be small, that
is, zero or substantially zero. Counterbalance transmission 140 may be termed
a passive
transmission: It is not directly driven, but merely moves in response to a
driving motion
imposed upon the deck assemblies by other means. It is a passive, or slave,
system. In the
embodiment shown, each post from the No. 1 post at one end of the car to the
No. 1 post at the
other end of the car has a passive counterbalance transmission 140. Inasmuch
as there are 10
such posts along each side of the car, the weight of the decks is thus spread
between 20 points.
[0102] Car 20 has a second transmission 158, which may be a deck drive train,
or drive
transmission, indicated generally as 160. Drive transmission 160 is an active,
or positively
driven, transmission. Transmission 160 may include a scissor jack, or scissor
jacks, 162 such
as may be mounted along the sides of car 20. In the embodiment shown, there
are six such
scissor jacks, there being three on the left hand side of the car and three on
the right hand side.
Each side has one set of scissor jacks mounted centrally between the middle
pair of posts (i.e.,
then No. 5 post and No. 6 post). There is also a scissor jack at each corner
of the car, mounted
between the No. 1 and No. 2 posts.
[0103] Scissor jack 162 may include first and second threaded yokes 164, 166
that are matingly
engaged to a threaded rod or shaft 168. Threaded shaft 168 has a first portion
with Acme
threads of one hand for engaging the mating threads of the same hand of yoke
164, and a
second portion of threads of the opposite hand for engaging the mating threads
of that same
opposite hand of yoke 166. Rotation of shaft 168 in one direction drives yokes
164, 166 toward
each other; rotation in the other direction drives them apart. Symmetrically
mounted first and
second upper and lower strut pairs 170, 172, and 174, 176 extend from yokes
164, 166 to upper
and lower deck carrier plate fittings 178, 180 respectively. The approach of
yokes 164, 166
together will then separate fittings 178, 180 (and so therefore deck
assemblies 70, 72), whereas
the spreading of yokes 164, 166 apart will draw them together. In the
embodiment illustrated
shaft 168 runs horizontally and is mounted at the level of the bi-level
position. When yokes
164,166 are at their most proximate, the deck assemblies are at their most
distant, in their tri-
level, spaced apart condition or position.
[0104] Car 20 also has stops, or abutments 182, 184 mounted to the respective
posts. When
suspended deck assemblies 70 and 72 reach the fully separated condition or
position, mid-level
deck assembly 70 will stop on lower abutments 182. It may be noted that
abutment 182 has a
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
- 20 -
large radius upper crown, and is fit in place on assembly, such that each deck
assembly will,
as manufactured, bottom out on the abutments (be they 182 or 184) at the same
position. It
may also be noted that each of abutments 182 and 184 may have a lip, or lead-
in, or trap, such
that when plate 130 descends into engagement with abutments 182 or 184, as may
be, plate
130 may then tend to be urged snug against whichever post of array 50, as seen
in the
engagement of mid-level deck assembly 70 in Figure 2d. Scissor jack 162 has a
torque limiter
186 that prevents shaft 168 from being over-driven once this abutting
condition has occurred.
In essence, torque limiter 186 is an automatically disengaging clutch or
coupling. Similarly,
in the other direction, when the bi-level position is reached, upper-level
deck assembly 72
bottoms out on upper abutments 184. Again, torque limiter 186 prevents shaft
168 from being
over-driven. Car 20 may have more than one scissor jack 162 on each side. To
the extent that
several such scissor jacks are mounted on the same side, they are linked by
interconnecting
torque drives, or shafts 168 that are carried through bushings mounted in the
various side posts
on a common drive axis. As noted, there may be, for example, three or four
such scissor jacks
162 per side.
[0105] Transmission 160 has an input section that includes a track level input
interface 190,
which may have the form of a key or socket 192 such as may be engaged by a
powered external
drive (not shown) such as a drill or rotating shaft. Alternatively, as the
need may arise, the
external drive may be driven by a hand crank or wheel or other apparatus
mounted to engage
socket 192. Interface 190 may be located near the No. 2 post, and may be
accessible from
trackside by yard personnel. A mechanical transmission is shown. It is also
possible to make
multi-port hydraulic transmissions. However, the range of travel might tend to
imply large
cylinders or reservoirs, or both, and extensive hydraulic piping. Hydraulic
systems may tend
to develop leaks, which may be undesirable, and which may require a higher
level of
maintenance. A shaft-driven transmission does not require hydraulic lines, and
is unlikely to
be prone to dripping hydraulic fluid.
[0106] Input interface 190 drives a transmission distributor 194 that carries
torque to both sides
of car 20. (There may be a key or socket 192 on each end of distributor 194,
so that the drive
can be operated from either side of the car, or both at the same time.) Torque
distributor 194
may have the form of a laterally extending shaft 196 that passes through the
draft sill
longitudinally outboard of the main bolster. At either end of shaft 196 there
is a drive gear 198
and a further transmission member in the form of a chain 200 that drives a
pinion 202 with a
smaller number of teeth. A further transmission member in the nature of a
quarter-turn twisted
drive chain 204 carries the transmission upward to the height of the input end
gear 206 of the
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
- 21 -
torque shafts of the various scissor jacks 162. Twisted drive chain 204 and
end gear 206 are
housed in a predominantly vertically oriented generally square or rectangular
sectioned guard,
or cowling, or shroud 210. As may be understood, turning socket 192 in a first
direction (e.g.,
counter-clockwise) will cause suspended deck assemblies 70 and 72 to spread
apart; motion in
the other direction (e.g., clockwise) will cause them to come together. As may
be noted, the
drive transmission is separate and independent of the counterweight
transmission. However,
the operation of the counterweight or counterbalance transmission is intended
substantially to
reduce the torque required to move the deck assemblies by taking the weight
off the scissor
jacks.
[0107] As noted, deck assemblies 70 and 72 are driveable between the tri-level
and bi-level
positions or conditions, such as shown in Figures 2a and 2b. They are also
drivable to, and
positionable in, an intermediate position, shown in Figure 2c. As noted above,
the main deck
level may tend to be higher over trucks 24 than in the middle of the car. That
is, the central
portion 348 of the main deck inboard of (i.e., between) the truck centers is
carried at a lower
height on the side sills. Expressed differently, the main deck is lower, or
depressed in the
center. During loading it may be desirable to increase the clearance height
between main deck
40 and mid-level deck 70, to some distance that is greater than the clearance
height when the
decks are in the tri-level position. Thus car 20 (and 320, below) has the
intermediate, loading,
position or condition of Figure 2c. The position of Figure 2c may tend not to
be a position in
which decks 70 and 72 remain during motion of the train. The intermediate
position of Figure
2c provides clearance without having the end portion of mid-level deck 70
being hinged to
provide temporary clearance, as in the prior art of US 4,252,482 of Naves,
issued February 24,
1981, and without the use of springs. When the main, or lowest, deck 40 has
been loaded,
deck assembly 70 is then placed in the tri-level position, and loaded,
followed by loading of
deck assembly 72. Unloading occurs in reverse manner, the upper decks being
unloaded first,
then being moved to increase clearance height over the end portions of main
deck 40, then the
decks are returned to the correct position. It is, of course, possible to move
the car with the
upper decks being in an empty condition while the decks are in the position
shown in Figure
2c.
[0108] An access ladder 212 may be mounted between the No. 1 post and the end
of car 20.
On the laterally inboard side of the No. 1 post 54 there is a secondary lock
assembly 220. As
seen in Figures 31 ¨ 3i, each of deck assemblies 70 and 72 has a respective
first indexing
member 222, 224, which may have the form of oval sockets, as illustrated.
Secondary lock
assembly 220 may include a shaft 226 that is turned by a crank or handle 228
mounted at its
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
- 22 -
lowermost end. At locations corresponding to the respective fully raised or
lowered positions
of assemblies 70, 72, shaft 226 has protruding indexing members 230 formed to
engage with
the corresponding indexing members 222, 224 of deck assemblies 70, 72. Members
230 may
be stubs or fingers that fit within the oval peripheral walls of members 222,
224. There may
be three lower indexing members, 232, 234, 236, corresponding to the positions
of mid-level
deck 70 in the tri-level, main deck loading or unloading, and bi-level
positions respectively.
Similarly there may be three upper indexing members 238, 240, 242
corresponding to the
positions of upper level deck 72 in the bi-level, main deck loading, and tri-
level positions.
When the decks are to be moved, crank handle 228 is lifted and turned 90
degrees to disengage
secondary lock assembly 220, moving indexing members 230 out of engagement
with indexing
members 222, 224. The decks are driven to a new position. Then crank handle
228 is turned
back to its original position, and those others of indexing members 230
corresponding to the
new position of the deck assemblies engage with indexing members 222, 224,
inhibiting the
decks from moving. Crank handle 228 also has a semi-secured disengaged
position. That is,
the handle mounting has a tab 244 that protrudes laterally. When handle 228 is
disengaged
such that the decks can move, it is placed behind (i.e., outboard of) tab 244.
This prevents the
indexing members from accidentally impeding motion of the decks. Once the
decks have been
moved to their new position, handle 228 is disengaged from tab 244 and the
indexing members
are pivoted to engage the decks, as before. Secondary lock assemblies 220 may
be mounted
at all of the four "points" (i.e., corners) of car 20.
[0109] Car 20 may also have a deck position indicator, identified generally as
250. There may
also be a deck position indicator at each corner of the car. Deck position
indicator 250 may
include a hanging annunciator, or bob, 248 that depends from mid-level deck
assembly 70, and
that is visible to trackside personnel through high, medium, or low level
apertures 252, 254,
256. Figures 5a and 5b show another embodiment of deck level indicator having
a drag link
262 attached as a follower of assembly 98 of mid-level deck 70 on the No. 2
post 56. As deck
assembly 70 rises and falls, drag link 262 turns an input crank 264. A co-
axially mounted
pointer 266 turns when crank 264 turns. High (i.e., bi-level), medium (i.e.,
loading and
unloading), and low (i.e., tri-level) positions are indicated on the outside
of shear panel 270.
The adjacent left-side drive transmission input interface socket 192 is also
seen in Figure 5a,
with corresponding markings indicating the direction of cranking for the
respective tri-level
and bi-level positions. Position indicator 250 is located adjacent to track-
side input fitting or
input interface 190, such that an operator moving the decks may also observe
their position on
indicator 250.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
- 23 -
[0110] In another embodiment, there may be an autorack railroad car 320, as
shown in Figures
6a ¨ 6b, 7a ¨ 7e, 8a ¨ 8d, 9a ¨ 9d, 10a ¨ 10g. Unless otherwise noted, car 320
may be
understood to have the same features and structure as autorack car 20. It has
an underframe,
or underframe assembly, indicated generally as 322, that is carried upon
railroad car trucks 24
for rolling motion in a longitudinal or lengthwise direction along railroad
tracks. Underframe
322 is surmounted by an overspanning housing structure 326, and which may be
referred to as
"the rack" or "racks" of the car. The ends of housing structure 326 are open
to permit loading
and unloading of automotive vehicles. Ingress and egress of those vehicles is
governed by a
pair of end doors, 328, such as may be multiply-folding movable between open
and closed
positions.
[0111] Underframe 322 has a center sill 330. Center sill 330 is a "straight
through" center sill
that runs substantially entire length of the car between first and second ends
332, 334 at which
strikers 36 are mounted. The main deck 340 extends to either side of the
center sill to the sides
of the car at side sills 342, 344. In a straight through center sill, the
center sill extends from
one truck center to the other. The outboard portions of the center sill may be
identified as the
draft sills 38 in which the draft gear and couplers are mounted. Draft sills
38 are extensions of
center sill 30 that extend longitudinally outboard of (and often include) the
truck center to the
striker 36. Side sills 342, 344 run lengthwise along either side of underframe
assembly 322,
and are structurally connected to center sill 330 by an array of laterally
extending structural
members which may include cross-bearers and cross-ties (not shown). The main
deck 340
may be carried at a lower level in the mid-car regions and a somewhat higher
level over trucks
24, and accordingly is, as before, a depressed center deck.
[0112] The framework of, or that is defined by, housing structure 326 includes
an array, or a
series, of upstanding posts 350, that are spaced along the left and right hand
sides of the car,
that is, along, and standing upwardly of, side sills 342 and 344 respectively.
There is an end
framing structure, indicated as 352, that extends upwardly from the ends of
the end sill, and
which defines the shape of the gable end. Next inboard is "the first post" or
"No. 1 post", an
upright side post 354 that runs between the side sill and the top chord at the
station of the first
lateral underframe cross-members. Next inboard are posts 355, (the "No. 2
post") mounted at
the ends of the next adjacent lateral frame (i.e., next outboard of the truck
center), and posts
356, mounted near the ends of the second lateral frame member inboard of the
truck center.
Several further posts 357, 358, 359 are mounted further inboard at the ends of
the respective
cross-bearers that extend laterally of center sill 330. The diagonal shear
bracing 61, 62 of car
20 is replaced by shear panels 362 between posts 356 and 357. As before,
longitudinally
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
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running left and right top chords 364 run along, and tie together, the tops of
all of posts 354,
356, 357, 358 and 359, as may be. Roof structure 366 is mounted atop top
chords 364 and
restrains them in the lateral direction, and provides a lateral shear
connection between the left
and right hand side walls 367, 368 of the car. The roof structure may be taken
as being the
same as above. The post array supports elevated decks, namely second, or mid-
level, deck
370, and a third or upper deck 372. The entire structure includes sidewall
panels 374 that are
mounted between the various posts, and that may act as screens or shields
protecting the lading,
yet allowing ventilation. Sidewall panels 374 are mounted on cleats 375
attached to the various
posts (Figure 5e).
[0113] The rack structure of the elevated deck or decks includes a set of deck
panels, or deck
panel assemblies, of which a representative one is indicated as deck panel
assembly 380. Other
than as noted, assembly 380 may be understood to be the same as deck panel
assembly 80
described above, and is symmetrical about the longitudinal vertical (i.e., x ¨
z) centerline plane
of the rack, and spans the open space between the left and right hand sidewall
support structure
of car 320.
[0114] Other than the differences described, main decking panel 382 may be
understood to be
substantially the same as decking panel 82 described above, and may include a
central portion
104 and left and right hand edge or margin portions 106, 108. Main decking
panel 382 may
have an upper surface 112 which defines a roadway, or pathway, or track 114
over which
wheeled vehicles may be conducted in the lengthwise direction (or x-direction)
in the normal
procedure of loading and unloading vehicles in autorack cars. Main decking
panel 382 may
also have an underside, or downwardly facing surface 116 that faces toward the
next lower
deck, be it the middle deck (in the case of an upper decking panel) or the
railroad car main
deck 40 of underframe 322. As installed, main decking panel 382 is spaced
upwardly from the
next lower deck by a distance commensurate with the carrying of another layer
of vehicles on
the deck therebelow. Main decking panel 382 may have an undulating form, as
described
above. The undulations run in the direction generally cross-wise to the
lengthwise running
direction of main decking panel 382 generally, and also of pathway 114. The
undulations may
have the form of corrugations 118.
[0115] Central portion 104 may be formed as a single section, or may be formed
by welding
two left and right halves together. In that context, the left and right halves
may be identical,
but reversed and welded together along a central seam. Central portion 104 may
be formed on
a curvature such that it has an arcuate crown 120, of which the crest is at,
and runs along, the
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
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longitudinally running centerline. The downwardly and outwardly sloped margins
or edges of
central portion 104 meet, and are joined to, left and right hand margin
portions 106, 108. The
junction of these components may be formed by welding. Margin portions 106 and
108 are
oriented horizontally. That is, if decking panel 82 is placed on a flat
surface, margin portions
106 and 108 will lie in a common horizontal plane, which central portion 104
deviates convexly
arcuately away from that plane.
[0116] Side beams, or rails, 384, 386 run in the lengthwise direction along
margins 106, 108.
Each side beam 384, 386 has a first leg 376 that extends substantially
horizontally, and a second
leg 378 that extends substantially vertically. Side beams 384 and 386 may have
the form of
large angles, rather than the roll-formed hollow section of side beams 84 and
86, above. In
this way first leg 376 functions as a horizontal flange, and second leg 378
functions as a vertical
shear web. First leg 376 overlaps, and is welded to, a respective one of
margins 106 or 108.
In the case of mid-level deck 370, first leg 376 of beam 384 or 386 is mounted
to the underside
of margin 106 or 108. In the case of upper level deck 372, first leg 376 (and
beam 384 or 386
more generally) is again mounted to the underside of margin 106 or 108 as the
case may be,
i.e., so that in both cases the deck sheet is carried on top of the supporting
flange. The
corrugations of margins 106, 108 extend upwardly away from first leg 376. In
this
embodiment, the vertical leg 378 is substantially longer than leg 124
described above, and
corresponds to the vertical depth of plate 410 of chassis 402 of mounting
brackets 398. In one
embodiment the depth of vertical leg 378 is greater than the crown depth of
the decking of
deck assemblies 370 or 372. That is, in the case of upper deck 372, when the
deck is horizontal,
the upper tip of leg 378 is higher than the crest of the central crown of deck
372. That is, the
vertical depth of leg 378 is equal to or greater than the vertical extent of
the mounting footprint
of mounting plate 410 of chassis 402. The horizontal extent of leg 376 is also
substantial,
being substantially the same as the vertical extent of leg 378 (+1- 25%). The
ends of margins
106, 108 terminate inboard of second leg 378. Triangular reinforcement gussets
388 are
mounted to legs 376 and 378, generally in line with mounting brackets 398,
between the groups
of mounting hardware.
[0117] Movable mounting bracket assemblies 398 are seen in Figure 10e. They
are mounted
by threaded fasteners to the outboard faces of the longitudinal side beams
384, 386 of deck
assemblies 370 and 372. They are mounted beside respective associated deck
drive output
fitting assemblies 400, in six instances along each side of each deck 370,
372, described below.
Mounting bracket assemblies 398 may also be termed carriages, or shoes, that
are formed to
mate with their respective mounting posts 354 to 359 in a movable engagement
relationship
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
- 26 -
having a single degree of freedom, namely vertical translation, and thereby co-
operably
defining a motion restraint or motion governor. Mounting bracket assemblies
398 define the
mounting interfaces at which deck panel assembly 380 (of deck assembly 370 or
372, as may
be) is connected to side post array 350, and thus by which they are suspended
in an overhead
spanning position relative to any lower deck or decks.
[0118] The assembled arrangement of mounting bracket assembly 398 is seen in
larger detail
in Figures 10c and 10d, and in the assembled and exploded component views of
Figures 11a
and 11b, mounting bracket assemblies 398 may include fittings such as a first
or main member,
or frame, or plate, or base or shell, or chassis 402; a second member such as
may be a back
shell, or enclosure, or opposed member or opposed wall, or closing member, or
housing back
plate 404 such as is mated thereto to define a box or chamber in which to
accommodate, or
house, a roller fitting 406, and a roller adjustment fitting or bracket 408.
As seen in Figures
ha and 11b, the main plate or chassis 402 may have the form of a formed plate
410 having a
generally V-shaped profile when viewed from above, the ends or toes of the V,
412, 414 being
flat and co-planar and having apertures 416 for mechanical fasteners. Central
portion 418,
being the flattened bottom of the V, has a large generally rectangular
aperture or
accommodation 420 formed therein. Aperture 420 provides a port through which
the rolling
contact elements, or rollers 422, 424 protrude. Rollers 422, 424 are carried
on bushings 426
mounted on opposite ends of a common shaft 428. Roller shaft 428 is captured
within
adjustment bracket 408 mounted centrally on the inside of housing 404, with an
adjustable
screw 436 and contact tab 435 that bears against shaft 428. Housing back plate
404 has a main
back portion that is flat and that, on assembly (i.e., by welding along the
side edges), mounts
in a generally co-planar manner with wings or toes 412, 414. The upper portion
of housing
back plate 404 is bent or curled forwardly, with side edges trimmed on a
taper, such that the
topmost forward edge picks up on, and is welded to, the back of the central
tab of the main
chassis. When deck 370 or 372 is installed, screw 436 is adjusted to urge
rollers 422,424 into
a no-slack softly touching fit against the respective posts. That is, the
rollers are in a "constant
contact" relationship with the posts. Rollers 422, 424 may be UHMW polymers
that have a
soft (i.e., non-metallic, non-rattling) mating surface. The rollers can be
adjusted to minimize
lateral slack as between the left and right hand sides of the car. The various
posts may likewise
be provided by with a friction reducing coating or low-friction surface or
treatment, such an
UtIMW polymer, such as a nylon (t.m.) surface or skin coating.
[0119] On one side or the other (there being left and right hand versions) a
lateral restraint
guide 430 is welded to one wing or the other of the assembly (there being left
handed and right
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
- 27 -
handed versions for use on alternate posts). Lateral restraint guide 430 may
have the form of
a flat plate welded square to the face of the central portion of the V,
thereby defining an
abutment face that, as installed, inhibits motion of carriage assembly 398
transverse to the post
in the longitudinal direction of the cu. The flat plate is backed up by a
plate 432. To the extent
that a left handed version is mounted to one post, and a right hand version is
mounted to the
next adjacent post, the deck assembly, be it 370 or 372, is inhibited from
motion in either
direction longitudinally. That is, as above, each deck has two such guides
spaced to seat about
the inside face and walls of such pair of the respective posts as may be,
yielding a pair of
guides restricting motion in the degree of freedom of the +x and ¨x
directions. Since the width
of the deck assembly is bracketed laterally by posts on either side of the
car, motion in the
horizontal degree of freedom in the +y and ¨y-directions is also constrained,
leaving deck
assemblies 370 and 372 with only a single translational degree of freedom,
namely in the z-
direction. In any event, the side posts 355 ¨ 359 then each function as a
guide, or track, or
path, or rail, and the carriages each function as followers.
[0120] Plate 432 has a mounting fitting, such as a hole 434, for engagement or
attachment, to
one end of the counterbalance chain 148 of counterbalance transmission 140, as
described
above. This fitting defines a motion attachment interface, and carries the
vertical load of the
deck section, and, accordingly, plate 432 may be of substantial robustness. As
above, decks
370, 372 may have a counterbalance transmission, indicated above as generally
as 140. The
description provided above applies equally to car 320.
[0121] Car 320 may also be provided with a second transmission 450, such as
may be in the
nature of a deck drive train, or drive transmission, indicated generally as
460. Drive
transmission 460 is an active, or positively driven, transmission. However,
rather than
employing the scissor jack, or scissor jacks, 162 as above, car 320 employs a
system of torque
shafts such as may be mounted along the sides of car 20.
[0122] Figures 9b and 9c show the transition region of the underframe of car
320 with the near
side sill, and sloped deck plates removed to reveal the longitudinal stingers
440. The cover
plate of the center sill is also removed to reveal the main bolster webs 442
and the truck center
fitting 444 at the right center. The draft sill top cover plate is removed
also to reveal the long-
travel cushioning draft gear 446. As before, there is, or are, track level
accessible input drive
shafts 448, either of which can be driven. The input shafts run to a gearbox
452 which is
mounted between the draft sill webs, inboard of the draft gear and outboard of
the truck center.
A torque limiting clutch, or torque limiter, 456, is mounted between gearbox
452 and output
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
- 28 -
shaft 454. The gearbox output shaft 454 extends along the draft sill toward
the truck center to
an output drive splitter 458, in the nature of two sets of pinions for driving
left hand and right
hand output drive chains 462, 464. The drive chains are carried laterally
outboard to the side
sills where they pass over lead and return idler sprockets 466, 468, and pass
over an output
pinion 472 mounted to a longitudinally extending outputs shaft, or torque tube
470. Clearly,
the terms "lead" and "return" are arbitrary, given that the chain can run in
either direction. The
lateral run chain drive run from the center sill to the side sill is carried
though grommetted
penetrations 474 (only the grommet being shown in Figure 9c) through the
center sill webs
438, and within a housing, or chase, or raceway, or channel-shaped conduit 476
out to the side
sills. One of the other of idlers 466, 468 is adjustable to maintain
appropriate tension, or
appropriate slack, in chains 462, 464. It is arbitrary which idler is
adjustable.
[0123] Output shaft 470 is carried above the side sill, inside of the screens
374 and shear panels
362. Output shaft 470 is multi-segmented. It has a stub shaft 480 to which
output pinion 472
is directly mounted. Stub shaft 480 is mounted in a sheet-metal dog-house 478,
or dog-leg,
formed at the outboard end of conduit 476. Stub shaft 480 is connected to an
intermediate
shaft 482 through a releasable universal coupling 484. Another such coupling
484 is found at
the far end of intermediate shaft 482, and is the means by which shaft 482 is
connected to a
further stub shaft 486 that passes through the next post 356. On the far side
of post 356 is a
drive-splitting set of bevel gears 490 (Figure 10b), with an output riser
torque shaft 492, and a
straight-through main shaft 494 that carries on to the next post, 357. In each
case, the
successive elements are connected though a releasable coupling 484. At the
next post, the riser
shaft 492 is on the near side of the post, such that symmetry is maintained.
The drive is thus
carried through the successive posts down the length of the car. Further
paired drives are found
in the centermost spacing between paired centermost posts 359. Accordingly
there are three
pairs of double vertical shaft drives (i.e., six torque shaft off-takes) on
each side of the car, for
a total of six sets, or twelve driven shafts. A different number could be
employed, and they
need not be symmetrically arranged. However, it is nonetheless convenient that
they be
symmetrical such that forces may tend to be balanced and evenly distributed.
[0124] The riser shaft terminates at yet another releasable coupling 484,
where it connects with
a threaded rod 500. It is arbitrary whether this rod is a left hand thread or
a right hand thread.
As noted above, a deck drive output fitting 400 is mounted to the outside face
of intermediate
deck 370. Threaded rod 500 passes through, and engages, deck drive output
fitting 400.
[0125] As seen in Figures 12a and 12b, deck drive fitting 400 has a base or
foundation plate
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
- 29 -
502 that bolts to the side of the deck assembly. It also has an input arm, or
input plate, 504
that is rooted to foundation plate 502, including stiffeners or reinforcements
in the nature of
diagonal stem gussets 506. Input plate 504 has a socket 508 defined therein
for receiving a
threaded bronze ball 510. Ball 510 has an internally threaded bore 512 that is
oriented
substantially vertical on installation, and that is of the same hand for
engagement with the
threads of threaded rod 500. Ball 510 also has a cross-bore 514 formed in the
outside wall.
There is a corresponding accommodation 516 in the periphery of socket 508. A
torque transfer
member, or indexing member in the nature of a stub, of finger, or pin 518,
seats commonly in
cross-bore 514 and accommodation 516, and, as so installed prevents ball 510
from rotating
within socket 508. A top plate or cover plate 520 has the negative form, or
opposite half, of
socket 508 formed therein such that when installed it forms a cap on the
cavity, capturing
bronze ball 510. Note that bronze ball 510 has a float, or tolerance inside
the socket cavity
permitting self-adjustment. As installed, the ball transmits upward and
downward motion to
input plate 504, and therefore to the deck assembly to which it is mounted.
Given the
counterbalancing, the force required is intended to be low as compared to the
weight of the
deck.
[0126] Threaded rod 500 terminates at a height corresponding to the neutral
mid-height of the
decks, i.e., the mid-point between the decks when they are in the bi-level
position. There is a
further releasable connector 522 at that height, followed by a further
threaded rod 524 that
engages the input drive fitting 400 of upper deck 372. Threaded rod 524, and
the associated
bronze ball of the upper fitting 400, are of the opposite hand to threaded rod
500. Thus rotation
of rods 500 and 524 in one direction will drive deck 370 and 372 further
apart, and rotation in
the other direction will drive them closer together. At the upper end of post
356, 357 or 359,
as may be, there is a guide, or keeper, or retainer arm 526. It has a bushing
that captures the
upper end of rod 524 and permits it to turn.
[0127] As above, the range of motion of the movable decks in the vertical
direction is limited
by stops or abutments at the end-of-travel heights of the ranges. The stops
are mounted to the
various posts at the correct heights corresponding, for example, to the bi-
level and tri-level
deck height positions. In this case there is a lower stop 496, a middle stop,
497, and an upper
stop 498 (Figure 7d). Deck assembly 370 moves between lower stop 496 and
middle stop 497;
deck assembly 372 moves between middle stop 497 and upper stop 498. When the
movable
decks are in the bi-level position, lower deck 370 bottoms out on lower stop
496; and the range
of upward displacement of upper deck assembly ends at upper stop 498. In the
bi-level
position, upper deck 372 bottoms out on middle stop 497, and the range of
upward
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
- 30 -
displacement of lower deck assembly 370 likewise ends at middle stop 497. The
decks cannot
be over-driven in view of torque limiter 456.
[0128] As above, like transmission 160 , transmission 460 has an input section
that includes a
track level input interface 190, which may have the form of a key or socket
192 such as may
be engaged by a powered external drive (not shown) such as a drill or rotating
shaft.
Alternatively, as the need may arise, the external drive may be driven by a
hand crank or wheel
or other apparatus mounted to engage socket 192. Interface 190 may be located
near the No.
2 post, and may be accessible from trackside by yard personnel. The deck drive
assembly, and
the decks themselves, have the same ability to move between bi-level, tri-
level, and lower deck
loading positions as described above, and the operator may observe the deck
level indicator at
the same time while standing at trackside.
[0129] As may be noted, and in contrast to the scissor jack installation of
autorack car 20, the
vertical torque shaft installation of autorack car 320 leaves an envelope
bounded by two
adjacent posts, the outside screen, and the vertical plane defined by the
clearance line of the
moving decks. This alcove, or accommodation or spatial envelope is roughly the
same depth
as the side posts. As seen in Figure 7e, that space provides a location in
which to store wheel
chock apparatus 360 when the wheel chocks are not in use.
[0130] As above, autorack car 320 has a secondary lock assembly 220, and each
of deck
assemblies 370 and 372 has the same first indexing members 222, 224, as
described above in
the context of autorack railroad car 20.
[0131] Drive transmission 160 is used to place the decks in position, and then
the decks are
locked in place for loading in such configuration as may be. When the doors
are opened, bridge
plates can be put in place to permit circus loading. The bridge plates have a
set of movable
pins at one end, by which the bridge plate is hingedly mounted to one carbody.
The opposite
end of the bridge plate is a free end that lies on the deck surface of the
next adjacent car body
deck. The free end is sized to overlap the next deck at the maximum extension
of the long
travel draft gear. When the railcars are ready, the bridge plates are
installed.
[0132] To permit bridge plates to be installed, the decks of the cars have
bridge plate
engagement fittings, or bridge plate anchor fittings, on each of the decks.
The bridge plate
engagement fittings, or anchor fittings generally have the form of a pair of
axially spaced apart
short pipes that accept the pins of the ends of the bridge plates. That is,
the end of the bridge
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
-31 -
plate has a tube. Inside the tube are two pins. When the bridge plate is in
place, the pins extend
out of the tube and into the pipe fittings of the deck. Since the pins are
axially aligned in the
tube, they act as hinges, or trunnions, and the short pipes act as the
stationary members of the
hinge. The engagement fittings stand lengthwise proud of the respective decks.
This space
must be allowed when the doors are closed. In one type of installation, the
doors have cut-outs
or accommodations into which the deck end fittings sit. In the view of the
inventors, these cut-
outs tend not to be desirable. They weaken the overall door structure, and may
provide a
further unintended access opening.
[0133] In the embodiment of Figures 8a ¨ 8g, car 20, or car 320, may have main
deck bridge
plate engagement fittings, or anchor fittings 530, and upper deck bridge plate
engagement
fittings, or anchor fittings 550 that are movable between a first, or
deployed, position in which
to matingly engage with a bridge plate, as in Figures 8b and 8d; and a second,
or retracted or
storage position, in which to sit when not in use, as when the doors are
closed, as in Figures 8c
and 8d.
[0134] Looking at these figures, and looking at main deck anchor fitting
assembly 530 first,
there is a first member, or main member 532 that, in end view has a Z-shape or
S-shape. That
is, it has a first portion or leg 534, a second portion or leg 536, and a
third portion or leg 538.
First leg 534 and third leg 538 may each be substantially planar plates or
plate portions, that
lie in parallel offset planes. Second portion or leg 536 is an intermediate
leg that joins a margin
of first leg 534 and a margin of third leg 538 together to form the crooked-
leg shape. Second
leg 536 may be a short leg that is substantially perpendicular to legs 534 and
538. At the near
edge or margin of first leg 534, assembly 530 has a pivot fitting or hinge
fitting that may have
the form of a rod, or rods, 540, welded along the end and having axially
extending pins. Along
the distal edge of third leg 538, assembly 530 has bridge plate anchor
fittings, in the form of
short sections of cut pipe, or pipe nipples 542, 544, that are axially spaced
apart to accept the
retractable pins of the bridge plates. Assembly 530 is secured to main deck 40
by left and right
hand cleats 546, 548 that define accommodations or sockets for male and female
engagement
of the hinge pin ends defined by welded rods 540.
[0135] In the deployed position, shown in Figure 8b, assembly 530 has been
moved in a first
degree of freedom, namely pivoting rotational movement fully clockwise about
the axis of rods
540, to a first or deployed or extended or active position in which first leg
534 lies substantially
flat upon the upper surface of main deck 40 outboard of cleats 544, 546, and
leg 532 hangs
down over the end of the deck, with the axis of rotation of pipe nipples 542,
544 either flush
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
- 32 -
with, or shy of, the plane of deck 40. This may tend to result in the bridge
plate surface also
being flush with, or close to flush with, deck 40 when installed, thereby
perhaps reducing the
tendency of vehicles driven thereover to bounce when they hit the transition.
As may also be
noted, in the deployed position cut pipes 542, 544 are fully and easily
exposed, thereby tending
to facilitate mounting of bridge plates thereto. It does not matter which
adjacent car body is
used, since the far end (i.e., the free end) of the bridge plate overlaps the
end of deck 40 of the
next car body, and, in the process lies flat upon the upturned face of first
leg 534, and therefore,
since it lies generally flush with or slightly shy of the plane of the wheeled
track-way gratings
of deck 40, substantially flat on deck 40.
[0136] In the retracted, or storage, or passive position, shown in Figure 8c,
assembly 530 has
been moved in that single degree of freedom fully counter-clockwise, 180
degrees of arc away
from the first position. In this position the other side of first leg 534 lies
against deck 40,
inboard of cleats 546, 548 with the cut pipes 542, 544 lying on top of the
deck gratings. In this
position, assembly 530 is effectively drawn backward, or inboard, permitting
the car doors to
be closed closely against the ends of the deck, without obstruction by the
bridge platen anchor
fittings.
[0137] Considering now the upper deck bridge plate anchor fitting assembly 550
of Figures
8d, 8e, 8f and 8g, upper decks 70, 72, 370 and 372, the upper decks may have a
central track
plate 552 aligned with the track gratings 554. Track plate 552 seats generally
centrally in an
accommodation, or well, 556 formed in the end of the deck, for example as the
down-turn in
the last corrugation of the deck. Track plate 552 may have the form of a U-
shaped inverted
channel, placed toes-down in the well. The top, or back of the U, is generally
substantially
flush with the deck surface, or with the surface of the wheel-path gratings,
to give a relatively
smooth roadway. The center of the back may have an accommodation or depression
or
aperture 556 formed therein. When track plate 552 is in place, it leaves two
smaller depressions
or accommodations, or wells, 558, 560 to either side thereof.
[0138] Assembly 550 may include a first member 562, and a second member 564
movably
connected thereto, as by a motion permitting connector, such as hinge 566.
First member 562
may be a base, or stationary, member that is rigidly mounted (e.g., welded) to
the deck
assembly (be it 70, 72, 370 or 372 as may be), such as in the hollow defined
underneath plate
552. First member 562 has an engagement fitting, which could be a welded pipe,
but, in the
embodiment shown is a folded over margin 568, with a central stop block 570
that creates a
passage for hinge 566. At either end of hinge 566, second member 564 includes
left and right
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
- 33 -
hand wings or bridge plate anchor fittings 572, 574. Each anchor fitting 572,
574 has a main
member or plate, which may be bent into a first portion 576, a second portion
578, a third
portion 580, and a fourth portion 582. Second portion 578, third portion 580
and fourth portion
582 may be substantially the same as first leg 534, second leg 536, and third
leg 538 described
above. Cut pipe sections 542, 544 are mounted to fourth portion 582 as before,
and function
to mate with the pins of bridge plates as previously described. First portion
576 defines a leg
or stop that, when assembly 550 is rotated fully clockwise, bears against the
end face of the
deck, against which it stops. In this position, the deployed or extended
position of assembly
550, the sections 542 and 544 are positioned to receive the bridge plate. When
assembly 550
is moved to the second position, i.e., rotated fully counter-clockwise, the
body of wings 572,
574 and pipe sections 542, 544 sit in wells 558, 560. A second rod 584 is
welded across the
back of wings 572, 574, and, in the closed position crosses accommodation 556,
thereby
serving as a grip or hand-hold.
[0139] The foregoing text describes an autorack car having adjustable height
decks. Unlike
some previous types of adjustable height decks, the decks do not swing-out
longitudinally
during repositioning, but rather are restricted to a single degree of freedom
of motion, that
motion being translational motion in the vertical or z-direction. Moreover,
the decks are
counterbalanced, the counterbalancing being derived from the weight of the
decks working
against each other. Accordingly, the motive drive to move the decks from one
position to
another does not have to fight against the weight of the decks. In the
embodiments shown and
described, the passive counterbalance transmission is entirely separate from
the drive
transmission that imparts translation to the decks. The drive transmission is
mounted to, and
works directly against, the movable deck structure. Further, the apparatus
described above
eliminates the hinged end deck portions previously used, and, instead, may
employ full-length
decks that run from end-to-end of the car. When using vertical threaded rods,
the deck drive
transmission itself occupies a constant space envelope, permitting the alcove
between the posts
to be used as a storage space, e.g., for wheel chocks.
[0140] Various embodiments have been described in detail. Since changes in and
or additions to
the above-described examples may be made without departing from the nature,
spirit or scope of
the invention, the invention is not to be limited to those details but only in
by a purposive
construction of the claims as required by law.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-07
