Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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RAILROAD GONDOLA CAR STRUCTURE
AND MECHANISM THEREFOR
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of railroad freight cars, and, in
particular to railroad
gondola cars such as may employ bottom unloading gates or doors.
Background
There are many kinds of railroad cars for carrying particulate material, be it
sand or
gravel aggregate, plastic pellets, grains, ores, potash, coal or other
granular materials. Many of
those cars have an upper opening, or accessway of some kind, by which the
particulate is loaded,
and a lower opening, or accessway, or gate, or door by which the particulate
material exits the
car under the influence of gravity. While the inlet opening need not
necessarily have a movable
gate, the outlet opening requires a governor of some kind that is movable
between a closed
position for retaining the lading while the lading is being transported, and
an open position for
releasing the lading at the destination. The terminology "flow through" or
"flow through
railroad car" or "center flow" car, or the like, may sometimes be used for
cars of this nature
where lading, typically particulate lading, is introduced at the top, and
flows out at the bottom.
Discharge doors for gondola cars or other bottom dumping cars may tend to have
certain
desirable properties. First, to the extent possible it is usually desirable
for the door opening to be
large so that unloading may tend to be relatively fast, and for the sides of
any unloading chute to
be relatively steep so that the particulate will tend not to hang up on the
slope. Further, to the
extent that the door can be large and the slope sheets steep, the interior of
the car may tend to
have a greater lading volume for a given car length. Further still, any
increase in lading achieved
will tend to be at a relatively low height relative to Top of Rail (TOR) and
so may tend to aid in
maintaining a low center of gravity. A low center of gravity tends to yield a
better riding car that
is less prone to derailment, and perhaps less prone to cause as much wear or
damage to tracks.
For a given length of car, hopper volume, and hence overall car volume, can be
maximized by reducing the proportion of the length of the car occupied by the
trucks, and
occupied by the door opening drive mechanism. Furthermore, where the lading to
be carried by
the car is of greater than usual density, it may often be helpful for the
truck center length to be
relatively short such that the length of the span between the trucks is
smaller, and the weight of
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the structure may be correspondingly decreased relative to the maximum
permissible gross
weight on rail for the car. In some instances, as with iron ore or other high
density lading, that
truck center distance may be very short.
It may also be that in some circumstances ore cars are used in quasi-permanent
sets that
form a unit train. The unit train may tend to follow a single route for
substantially its entire
operational service life. In the case of an ore car, that operational route
may be from a mine or
concentrator facility, at which the cars receive the lading; to a discharge
facility, whether a mill
or a break of bulk terminal at a port. In these circumstances the line may be
owned by the mine
or mill, and the cars may not necessarily be used for interchange service. To
the extent that they
are not used for interchange service they may not necessarily comply with all
AAR standards.
The cars may have short, possibly non-standard draft sills, draft gear, and
couplers, or a
combination thereof.
The cars may have tightly limited space envelopes over the end shear plates,
and yet
these spaces may nonetheless be intended to accommodate, for example, the
brake reservoir and
pneumatic gear for operating the gondola discharge doors.
Summary of the Invention
In an aspect of the invention there is a railroad hopper car. It has at least
one hopper
having a bottom discharge, the bottom discharge including a door movable
between a closed
position for retaining lading and an open position for permitting egress of
lading. The hopper is
carried on spaced apart railroad cars trucks for rolling motion along railroad
tracks in a
lengthwise direction of the car. The hopper has at least a first end slope
sheet inclined
downwardly in the lengthwise direction toward the door. There is a linkage
connected to the
door. The linkage is oriented lengthwise with respect to the car. A drive is
connected to the
linkage. The drive is operable to move the linkage and thereby to urge the
door to a closed
position. The linkage is movable from a first position corresponding to the
open position of the
door to a second position corresponding to the closed position of the door.
The linkage includes
at least a drag link. When the linkage moves from the first to the second
position one of (a) the
overall motion from the first to the second position includes displacement of
the drag link in a
direction having a predominant component of motion parallel to the first end
slope sheet; and (b)
the motion of the drag link is at least instantaneously parallel to the first
end slope sheet.
In another feature of that aspect of the invention the linkage includes a
first pivot arm
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pivotally connected to a datum structure at a first pivot connection. The
drive is also mounted to
the datum structure. The linkage includes a second pivot arm pivotally
connected to the datum
structure at a second pivot connection. The second pivot arm has the door
mounted thereto. The
first pivot arm has a second connection distant from the first pivot
connection. The second pivot
arm has a second connection distant from the second pivot connection. A
mechanical
transmission is mounted between the second connection of the second pivot arm
and the second
connection of the first pivot arm. The mechanical transmission includes the
drag link. The drive
is connected to move the first pivot arm, and, in moving from the first
position to the second
position, each position of the first pivot arm being associated with a unique
position of the drag
link. In a further feature, the linkage includes left and right hand first
pivot arms pivotally
connected to a datum structure at respective first pivot connections, the
respective first pivot
connections being co-axial. The linkage includes left and right hand second
pivot arms pivotally
connected to the datum structure at respective second pivot connection. The
door is a left hand
door of a pair of co-operable right and left hand doors, the left hand door
being mounted to the
left hand second pivot arm and the right hand door being mounted to the right
hand second pivot
arm. Each first pivot arm has a respective second connection distant from its
respective first
pivot connection, the respective second connections being pivot connections
and being mutually
co-axial. Each second pivot arm has a respective second connection distant
from the respective
second pivot connection. A mechanical transmission is mounted between the
respective second
connections of the second pivot arms and the respective second connections of
the first pivot
arms. The drag link is a left hand drag link, and the mechanical transmission
includes a mated
parallel right hand drag link. The left and right hand drag links each have a
first end mounted to
one of the respective second connections of the first pivot arms. The left and
right hand drag
links have second ends yoked together distantly from the first ends. The
transmission member
includes left and right hand slave links extending between and connecting the
second ends of the
drag links to the second connections of the second pivot arms respectively.
In still another feature, the linkage includes left and right hand first pivot
arms pivotally
connected to a datum structure at respective first pivot connections, the
respective first pivot
connections being co-axial. The linkage includes left and right hand second
pivot arms pivotally
connected to the datum structure at respective second pivot connection. The
door is a left hand
door of a pair of co-operable right and left hand doors, the left hand door
being mounted to the
left hand second pivot arm and the right hand door being mounted to the right
hand second pivot
arm. Each first pivot arm has a respective second connection distant from its
respective first
pivot connection, the respective second connections being pivot connections
and being mutually
co-axial. The left and right hand pivot arms co-operate to define a bifurcated
lever straddling the
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drive. In yet another feature, the drive includes an actuating cylinder having
an axially
reciprocating member, the axially reciprocating member being inclined relative
to horizontal. In
still another feature the drag link lies between the actuating cylinder and
the first end slope sheet
of the hopper. In another feature the railroad hopper car includes a first end
section, the first end
section includes a draft sill and a substantially horizontal shear plate
mounted over the draft sill,
the drive includes an actuating cylinder having an axis of reciprocation lying
in a central vertical-
lengthwise plane of the car, the actuating cylinder is mounted above the shear
plate, the first end
slope sheet at least partially overhangs the actuating cylinder; and the drag
link is located
between the actuating cylinder and the first slope sheet.
In another aspect of the invention there is a railroad hopper car. It has at
least one hopper
having a bottom discharge, the bottom discharge including a gate movable
between a closed
position for retaining lading and an open position for permitting egress of
lading. The car
includes structure by which the hopper is carried on spaced apart railroad
cars trucks for rolling
motion along railroad tracks in a lengthwise direction of the car. A door
operating linkage is
connected to the gate, the door operating linkage being oriented lengthwise
with respect to the
car. An actuating cylinder connected to drive the door operating linkage, the
actuating cylinder
also being oriented to act lengthwise with respect to the car, the actuating
cylinder having an axis
of reciprocation. The axis of reciprocation being tilted such that
displacement of the actuating
cylinder includes a vertical component of motion.
In another feature of that aspect of the invention, the hopper car includes an
end section
mounted over one of the trucks, the end section includes a substantially
horizontal shear plate,
and the actuating cylinder is mounted on a pedestal mounted to the shear
plate, the pedestal
including an inclined mounting for the cylinder. In a further feature, the
railroad hopper car has
a longitudinal-vertical central plane, and the axis or reciprocation lies in
the longitudinal-vertical
plane. In a still further feature, the hopper includes at least a first end
slope sheet extending
longitudinally and being inclined longitudinally inboard and downwardly toward
the gate, and at
least part of the actuating cylinder is overhung by at least part of the first
end slope sheet. In a
yet further feature, the hopper car includes an end section having a
substantially horizontal shear
plate mounted over a draft sill. The hopper includes a first end slope sheet,
the first end slope
sheet at least partially overhanging the horizontal shear plate. The actuating
cylinder is mounted
above the shear plate, centrally aligned over the draft sill. The actuating
cylinder is at least
partially overhung by the first end slope sheet. In still yet anther further
feature the first slope
sheet is substantially planar and has a first angle of inclination relative to
horizontal. The
actuating cylinder is inclined longitudinally inboard downwardly, and is
inclined at a second
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angle. The second angle lies between horizontal and the first angle. In yet
another feature the
car has an underframe and the door operating linkage includes a first linkage
component, a
second linkage component, a third linkage component, and a fourth linkage
component. The
first linkage component is a reference datum component and includes structure
immovable
relative to the underframe. The second linkage component is a first pivot
linkage mounted to the
first linkage component at a main pivot connection, the first pivot linkage
being a first pivot arm
constrained to pivot on an axis of rotation oriented horizontally cross-wise
relative to the
underframe. The fourth linkage component is a second pivot linkage pivotally
mounted to the
first linkage component and includes at least the gate. The third linkage
component includes a
drag link element connected to the first pivot arm, the drag link element
having at least a first
pivotal attachment to at least a portion of the fourth linkage component,
whereby input motion of
the second linkage component uniquely determines position and motion of the
third and fourth
linkage components relative to the first linkage component. Motion of the
second linkage
component is driven by the actuator. In still another feature the main pivot
connection of the
first pivot arm to the first linkage component is located lower than the
actuating cylinder. In yet
still another feature, the drag link element is connected to the first pivot
arm at a distal pivot
connection relative to the main pivot connection, and, when the gate is in the
closed position and
the car is viewed in side view, the actuating cylinder is located between the
main pivot
connection and the distal pivot connection.
In another aspect there is a railroad hopper car. It has at least one hopper
having a
bottom discharge, the bottom discharge including a gate movable between a
closed position for
retaining lading and an open position for permitting egress of lading. It has
first and second end
sections to which the hopper is mounted, the first and second end sections
being mounted to
respective first and second railroad car trucks for rolling motion along
railroad tracks in a
lengthwise direction of the car. There is a door operating linkage connected
to the gate, the door
operating linkage being oriented lengthwise with respect to the car and
connected. An actuating
cylinder is connected to drive the door operating linkage. The actuating
cylinder is also oriented
to act in a lengthwise extending plane with respect to the car. The actuating
cylinder has an axis
of reciprocation. The door operating linkage includes a first pivot arm
pivotally mounted to the
first end section at a first pivot connection. There is a mechanical
transmission connected
between the first pivot arm and the gate. The mechanical transmission includes
at least a drag
link movably connected to the first pivot arm at a location distant from the
first pivot connection.
The first pivot connection is lower than the actuating cylinder as seen when
viewing the first end
section in side view.
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In another feature of that aspect of the invention, when the gate is in the
closed position
and the car is viewed in side view, the actuating cylinder is located between
the main pivot
connection and the distal pivot connection. In still another feature, the
actuating cylinder drives
an intermediate lever that is connected to drive the first pivot arm.
In another aspect of the invention there is a railroad hopper car. It has a
hopper carried
between a pair of trucks, the hopper having first and second upstanding
sidewalls running
lengthwise therealong. The hopper has a lower discharge and convergent slope
sheets giving
onto the discharge. The railroad car has a side sill and a top chord. The
first upstanding sidewall
extends from the side sill to the top chord. The first upstanding sidewall has
a predominantly
upwardly running sidewall stiffener mounted thereto. The sidewall stiffener is
located at a
longitudinal station intermediate the trucks. The first upstanding sidewall
has a first region, the
first region being a lower region thereof. The first upstanding sidewall has a
second region. The
second region is an upper region thereof. The sidewall stiffener has a first
portion, the first
portion being a lower portion thereof. The first portion is mounted to the
first region of the first
upstanding sidewall. The sidewall stiffener has a second portion, the second
portion being an
upper portion thereof. The second portion is mounted to the second region of
the upstanding
sidewall. The first portion of the first upstanding sidewall stiffener is
laterally outboard of the
first region of the first upstanding sidewall. The second portion of the
sidewall stiffener is
laterally inboard of the second region of the first upstanding sidewall. The
sidewall has a
continuous section between the first and second regions thereof. The sidewall
stiffener has web
continuity between the first and second portions thereof.
In a feature of that aspect of the invention, the first and second portions of
the sidewall
stiffener are substantially co-planar, and are substantially vertically
aligned when seen in a
sectional view looking along the car. In another feature, the first upstanding
sidewall has a third
region intermediate the first and second regions. The third region includes a
side sheet transition
portion passing across the sidewall stiffener from an inboard margin thereof
to an outboard
margin thereof, and the stiffener has vertical web continuity through the
transition portion. In
another feature, the first upstanding sidewall has a third region intermediate
the first and second
regions. The third region includes a side sheet transition portion passing
across the sidewall
stiffener from an inboard margin thereof to an outboard margin thereof. The
hopper includes
first and second sloped side sheets. The first sloped side sheet meets the
first sidewall at the
transition portion. In another feature, the first sidewall has an overall
height from the side sill to
the top chord, L, and the transition is located a distance above the side sill
that is in the range of
1/4 to 2/3 L. In a still further feature the first sidewall has an overall
height from the side sill to
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the top chord, L, and the first sloped sheet meets the transition at an height
that is in the range of
1/4 to 2/3 L above the side sill.
In a further aspect of the invention there is a railroad hopper car. It has at
least one
hopper having a bottom discharge, the bottom discharge having a bottom
discharge governor
movable between a closed position for retaining lading and an open position
for permitting
egress of lading. The car has structure by which the hopper is carried on
spaced apart railroad
cars trucks for rolling motion along railroad tracks in a lengthwise direction
of the car. The
hopper has a door operating linkage oriented lengthwise with respect to the
car. There is an
actuating cylinder also oriented to act in a lengthwise extending plane with
respect to the car, the
actuating cylinder being connected to drive the door operating linkage. The
door operating
linkage includes a pair of first and second linkage members co-operably
mounted to either
transverse side of the actuating cylinder, whereby the actuating cylinder is
bracketed by the
linkage members.
In another feature of that aspect of the invention, the car has an underframe
and the
linkage is a closed loop bar linkage in which there is a first linkage
component, a second linkage
component, a third linkage component, and a fourth linkage component. The
first linkage
component is a reference datum component and includes structure immovable
relative to the
underframe. The second linkage component is a first pivot linkage mounted to
the first linkage
component at a main pivot connection, and which includes the first and second
linkage members,
the first and second linkage members being a matched pair of left and right
hand pivot arms
constrained to pivot on a common axis of rotation relative to the underframe.
The fourth linkage
component is a second pivot linkage pivotally mounted to the first linkage
component and which
includes at least one pivotally mounted door assembly defining the bottom
discharge governor.
The third linkage component includes a drag link element having at least a
first pivotal
attachment to at least a portion of the fourth linkage component, whereby
input motion of the
second linkage component uniquely determines position and motion of the third
and fourth
linkage components relative to the first linkage component. Motion of the
second linkage
component is driven by the actuator.
In another feature the hopper includes a hopper end slope sheet. The end slope
sheet
extends substantially in a plane inclined downwardly and lengthwise inwardly
toward the bottom
discharge. Displacement of the third linkage component associated with motion
of the door
assembly between the open position is predominantly in a direction generally
parallel to the end
slope sheet. In another feature the hopper includes a hopper end slope sheet.
The end slope
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sheet extends substantially in a plane inclined downwardly and lengthwise
inwardly toward the
bottom discharge. During at least an instantaneous portion of motion of the
third linkage
component while the door assembly is in a position between the open position
and the closed
position the third linkage component moves parallel to the end slope sheet. In
still another
feature the third linkage component includes at least a first element and a
second element
mounted thereto. The first element is pivotally mounted to the first linkage
component, and is
constrained to move in a lengthwise-vertical plane relative to the first
linkage component. The
second element has a first connection to the first component the first
connection being a pivot
connection. The second element has a second connection to the fourth linkage
component, the
second connection having at least one degree of freedom of motion. The second
element is
constrained always to be co-planar with the first connection, the second
connection, and the main
pivot connection. In yet still another feature, the bottom discharge governor
includes a door,.
The actuating cylinder is connected to drive the door operating linkage
through a lever assembly.
The lever assembly has an over-center lock that is operable to prevent release
of the bottom gate
to the open position when the actuating cylinder is inactive. In yet a further
feature, motion of
the first pivot linkage occurs in a longitudinal-vertical plane. The second
pivot linkage moves in
a plane generally cross-wise to the longitudinal-vertical plane. In still a
further feature the main
pivot connection is beneath the actuating cylinder when the hopper car is seen
in side view. In
again another feature one of (a) the main pivot is beneath the drag link
element; and (b) the
actuating cylinder is between the main pivot and the drag link element. In a
yet still further
feature, the hopper includes at least a first end slope sheet, and the bottom
discharge governor
includes a door. The first end slope sheet is inclined longitudinally
downwardly and inboard
toward the door. The drag link element is inclined on a slope predominantly
parallel to, and
adjacent to, the first end slope sheet. The actuating cylinder is oriented
along the lengthwise
direction, and is also tilted longitudinally downwardly and inwardly toward
the door.
In another aspect of the invention there is a railroad hopper car. It has at
least one hopper
carried by railroad car trucks for motion in a lengthwise direction of the car
along railroad tracks.
The hopper has a bottom discharge. The bottom discharge has a door movable
between a closed
position for retaining lading and an open position for permitting egress of
lading. A mechanical
transmission is connected to the door. The mechanical transmission is oriented
lengthwise with
respect to the car. A door actuator is connected to the mechanical
transmission and is operable
to urge the door from the open position toward the closed position, the door
actuator being
oriented to reciprocate in a first direction. The hopper car has a first lock
operable to prevent
movement of the door from the closed position to the open position when the
door actuator is
inactive. The hopper car has a second lock operable to prevent movement of the
door from the
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closed position to the open position when the door actuator is inactive if the
first lock should fail.
The second lock is movable between an engaged position in which it prevents
movement of the
door to the open position thereof. In moving between the engaged and
disengaged positi ons, the
second lock has a displacement that is predominantly cross-wise to the first
direction of the
reciprocation of the door actuator.
In another feature of that aspect of the invention, the car has a central
lengthwise-vertical
plane, the door actuator is positioned to reciprocate in the central
lengthwise-vertical plane, and
the second lock is movable between the engaged and disengaged positions in
motion
predominantly transverse to the central lengthwise-vertical plane. In another
feature, the second
lock is mounted on an hinge and pivots in a circumferential direction between
the engaged and
disengaged positions. In still another feature the second lock is mounted on
an hinge, the hinge
has an axis lying parallel to the lengthwise vertical plane, and the second
lock pivots
circumferentially between the engaged and disengaged positions. In another
feature, the second
lock is biased toward the engaged position. In still another feature, the
second lock is biased
toward the engaged position. In yet another feature the apparatus is one in
which one of: (a) the
second lock has a cam and the actuator has a mating cam follower; and (b) the
second lock has a
cam follower and the actuator has a mating cam. The cam and cam follower are
co-operable,
and are oriented to deflect the second lock away from the engaged position as
the door moves
from the open position to the closed position thereof.
In another aspect of the invention, there is a lock mechanism for a door
actuating
transmission of a railroad gondola car, the door actuating transmission
including a reciprocating
actuating cylinder mounted to a datum structure, the cylinder being movable
forward and
backward in an axial direction. The lock mechanism has a body having a first
fitting, a second
fitting and a third fitting. The first fitting is a mounting by which to
connect the lock mechanism
to the datum structure. The second fitting is one of (a) a cam for co-
operation with a member of
the door actuating transmission, that member being a cam follower; and (b) a
cam follower for
co-operation with a member of the door actuating transmission, that member
being a cam. The
third fitting includes an abutment for co-operation with a mating fitting of
the door actuating
transmission. The third fitting is movable between a first position and a
second position, in the
first position the abutment being presented to obstruct motion of the mating
fitting of the door
actuating transmission and thereby to prevent the door from moving to an open
position thereof.
The second fitting is movable between a first position and a second position,
in the first position
thereof the second fitting being positioned to intercept the member of the
door actuating
transmission and to be deflected away from the first position toward the
second position thereby.
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The first fitting has a first degree of freedom of motion permitting the first
and second fittings to
move between their respective first and second positions. The degree of
freedom constrains the
third fitting to motion predominantly cross-wise to the axial direction.
In another feature, the lock mechanism there has a bias member oriented to
urge the third
fitting toward the first position thereof. The bias member is a spring having
a first end and a
second end, the first end being mounted to bear against the body of the lock
mechanism, the
second end having a foot for reaction against the datum structure. In another
feature, the first
degree of freedom of motion is an angular degree of freedom, and the
predominantly cross-wise
motion is predominantly circumferential motion about an axis of rotation. In a
feature the first
fitting is an hinge, the axis of rotation is an axis of rotation of the hinge,
and the axis of rotation
of the hinge is substantially parallel to the axial direction of the door
actuating transmission. In
still another further feature, the first fitting of the lock mechanism
includes an hinge and a
footing of the hinge for mounting to the datum structure. The axis of rotation
is an axis of
rotation of the hinge, and the footing has a substantially planar footprint.
The axis of rotation of
the hinge is angularly inclined relative to the substantially planar
footprint. In yet another
feature, the lock mechanism has all or any combination of the forgoing
additional features.
In still another aspect of the invention there is a railroad hopper car for
carrying
particulate material. The hopper car there has a hopper and first and second
end sections for
carriage by respective first and second railroad car trucks for rolling motion
along railroad tracks
in a longitudinal direction. The hopper is suspended between the first and
second end sections.
The hopper has a discharge section through which to release lading, and first
and second end
slope sheets oriented toward the first and second end sections, the slope
sheets being inclined in
the longitudinal direction to feed the discharge section. The first end
section includes a draft sill
extending in the longitudinal direction, a main bolster extending cross-wise
to either side of the
draft sill, and a shear plate mounted to the draft sill and to the main
bolster. The shear plate
extends lengthwise along the draft sill and cross-wise from side to side of
the hopper car. The
first end slope sheet of the hopper overhangs the shear plate of the first end
section. The hopper
car is free of primary structure directly above the shear plate of the first
end section under the
overhang of the first slope sheet of the hopper.
In another feature of that aspect of the invention, there is one of: (a) the
first slope sheet
has an upper margin and the hopper car includes an end post extending upwardly
from the draft
sill to the upper margin of the slope sheet; and (b) the first slope sheet has
an upper margin
terminating at an end wall, and the hopper car includes an end post extending
upwardly from
draft stub sill to the end wall. In another feature, the shear plate has a
longitudinally outboard
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margin and the draft sill has a striker located outboard of the longitudinally
outboard margin of
the shear plate, and the end post is one of: (a) rooted to the draft sill
adjacent to the striker; (b)
rooted to the shear plate adjacent to the longitudinally outboard margin of
the shear plate. In a
further feature, the bolster has first and second laterally outboard distal
ends, and the hopper car
has comer posts extending upwardly from the distal ends of the hopper to the
first slope sheet.
In still another feature, the bolster has first and second laterally outboard
distal ends, and
the hopper car has comer posts extending upwardly from the distal ends of the
hopper to the first
slope sheet. In another feature, one of: (a) the first slope sheet has an
upper margin and the
hopper car includes an end post extending upwardly from the draft sill to the
upper margin of the
slope sheet; and (b) the first slope sheet has an upper margin terminating at
an end wall, and the
hopper car includes an end post extending upwardly from draft stub sill to the
end wall; the shear
plate has a longitudinally outboard margin and the draft sill has a striker
located outboard of the
longitudinally outboard margin of the shear plate, and the end post is one of:
(a) rooted to the
draft sill adjacent to the striker; (b) rooted to the shear plate adjacent to
the longitudinally
outboard margin of the shear plate. The bolster has first and second laterally
outboard distal
ends, and the hopper car has comer posts extending upwardly from the distal
ends of the hopper
to the first slope sheet. The hopper car has a machinery space bounded by (a)
the first slope
sheet; (b) the shear plate of the first end section; (c) the end post; and (d)
the corner posts, and
the machinery space is free of any other primary structure.
In yet another feature the hopper car has at least one longitudinally hinged
discharge
door, the discharge door being movable cross-wise between open and closed
positions. A
longitudinally acting pneumatic actuator is at least partially lodged in the
machinery space
directly above the draft sill. In still yet another feature a brake reservoir
is also at least partially
lodged in the machinery space. In a yet further feature the shear plate is
mounted above and to
the main bolster and defines an upper flange thereof. The main bolster has a
lower flange
downwardly spaced from the upper flange, the lower flange terminating at
respective distal end
portions at either side of the car. The car includes a side sill running along
the car between the
first and second end sections. The side sill has an upper flange, the upper
flange of the side sill
being substantially co-planar and connected to the shear plate. The side sill
has a lower flange,
the lower flange of the side sill being substantially co-planar with a
respective one of the distal
end portions of the lower flange of the main bolster. In another further
feature, the shear plate
defines an upper flange of the draft sill whereby the draft sill upper flange,
the shear plate and
the side sill upper flange are all substantially co-planar. In another feature
the machinery space
is free of elephant ears.
Date recue/Date received 2023-04-05
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In a further aspect of the invention there is a railroad freight car having a
freight car body
for carrying lading, the body being mounted on railroad car trucks for rolling
motion in a
longitudinal direction along railroad tracks. The car body includes a draft
sill having a draft gear
pocket for accommodating draft gear, and a shear plate overlying the draft
sill and functioning as
an upper flange of the draft sill. The draft sill has an inboard end oriented
toward a truck center
of one of the trucks, and an outboard end terminating at a striker. The draft
sill has an underside
and an access opening formed in the underside to admit entry of draft gear
into the draft gear
pocket from below. The car has a draft gear carrier plate. The carrier plate
is mounted to the
underside of the draft sill beneath the draft gear pocket. The carrier plate
is removable to permit
installation of the draft gear into the draft gear pocket. The car body has
one of (a) an aperture
formed in the shear plate over an inboard end region of the draft sill, the
aperture permitting a
portion of the draft gear to protrude upwardly therethrough during
installation in the draft gear
pocket; and (b) a coupler carrier seat defined in the draft sill
longitudinally inboard of the striker,
and a coupler carrier co-operable therewith, the coupler carrier being
removable to permit
installation of draft gear in the draft pocket, and, when the coupler carrier
is installed, the coupler
carrier providing a support for a coupler shank when the coupler shank is
connected to the draft
gear within the draft sill.
In another feature of that aspect of the invention the freight car has both
(a) and (b). In
another feature, there is a cover plate for the aperture of the shear plate,
the cover plate being
removable to permit installation of the draft gear. In still another feature,
the draft sill has a pair
of vertically oriented, longitudinally running spaced apart side webs. The
webs have a greater
depth of section adjacent to the striker. The webs have respective first and
second apertures
formed therein. The first and second apertures define the draft gear retainer
seat, and the retainer
is a sideways slidable shaft that is movable to extend across the draft sill
between the first and
second apertures in the draft sill side webs. In a further feature there is a
cover plate for the
aperture of the shear plate, the cover plate being removable to permit
installation of the draft
gear. In another further feature the draft sill has a center plate centered on
the truck center, rear
draft stops are welded within the draft sill, and at least a portion of each
of the rear draft stops
extends longitudinally inboard of the truck center. In still another further
feature, the car is one
in which at least one of (a) the freight car has a truck center to striker
plate draft sill length of
less than 50 inches; and (b) the freight car has a truck center to coupler
pulling face length of less
than 65 inches when the draft gear is fully extended in draft. In another
feature, the railroad
freight car is one in which at least one of (a) the freight car has a truck
center to striker plate draft
sill length of about 38 inches (+/- 2"); and (b) the freight car has a truck
center to coupler pulling
Date recue/Date received 2023-04-05
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face length of about 53 inches (+1- 2") when the draft gear is fully extended
in draft.
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
The description is accompanied by a set of illustrative Figures in which:
Figure 1 is a general arrangement, isometric view of a railroad freight car
according to
an aspect of the invention with all ancillary systems removed to leave only
primary structure visible;
Figures 2a is an isometric view of a sidewall of the gondola car of Figure 1;
Figure 2b shows a side view of the sidewall of Figure 2a;
Figure 2c shows an end view of the sidewall of Figure 2a;
Figure 3a shows a perspective view of the end structure of the railroad
freight car of
Figure 1;
Figure 3b is a side view of the structure of Figure 3a;
Figure 3c is a detail of the end structure of Figure 3b, with the near side
web of the draft
sill removed to show the draft stop, center plate, and coupler relationship.
Figure 4a is an isometric view of a portion of the door opening mechanism for
the
railroad car of Figure 1 in a fully open position;
Figure 4b is an isometric view of a portion of the door opening mechanism for
the
railroad car of Figure 1 in an intermediate position;
Figure 4c is an isometric view of a portion of the door opening mechanism for
the
railroad car of Figure 1 in a fully closed position;
Figure 5a is a side view of the door opening mechanism of Figure 4a;
Figure 5b is a side view of the door opening mechanism of Figure 4b;
Figure 5c is a side view of the door opening mechanism of Figure 4c;
Figure 6a is an end view of the door opening mechanism of Figure 4a;
Figure 6b is an end view of the door opening mechanism of Figure 4b; and
Figure 6c is an end view of the door opening mechanism of Figure 4c;
Figure 7a is a perspective view of a secondary lock mechanism for the door
opening
mechanism of Figure 4a;
Figure 7b is a plan view of the mechanism of Figure 7a;
Figure 7c is a perspective view of the mechanism of Figure 7a when the doors
are open
Date recue/Date received 2023-04-05
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Figure 7d is a view similar to Figure 7c, of the mechanism of Figure 7a in a
deflected
condition; and
Figure 7e is a perspective view of the mechanism of Figure 7a in a locked
position;
Detailed Description
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.
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. Following from decision of the CAFC
in Phillips v.
AWH Corp., 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 in accordance with In re Lee,
(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 industry
in North America or in other former territories of the British Empire and
Commonwealth.
In terms of general orientation and directional nomenclature, for railroad
cars described
herein the longitudinal direction is defined as being coincident with the
rolling 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.
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 term 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 center plate at a truck center.
The term "longitudinally
inboard", or "longitudinally outboard" is a distance taken relative to amid-
span lateral section of
Date recue/Date received 2023-04-05
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the car, or car unit. 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, the abbreviation
kpsi stands for
thousand of pounds per square inch. To the extent that this specification or
the accompanying
illustrations may refer to standards of the Association of American Railroads
(AAR), such as to
AAR plate sizes, those references are to be understood as at the earliest date
of priority to which
this application is entitled.
Bottom dumping hopper cars, of which ore cars and coal cars may be examples,
may tend
to have either longitudinal doors or transverse doors. Longitudinal doors are
oriented such that
the doors operate on hinges or axes of rotation that are parallel to the
direction of travel of the
railroad car generally. US Patent 4,250,814 of Stark et al., issued February
17, 1981 and US
Patent 3,800,711 of Tuttle, issued April 2, 1974 show cars with longitudinal
doors. By contrast,
transverse doors are ones in which the axes of rotation of the hinges or other
pivots tend to be
predominantly cross-wise to the direction of travel, most often perpendicular
to it. An example
of a transverse door car shown in US Patent 4,843,974 of Ritter et al, issued
July 4, 1989.
Figure 1 shows an isometric view of an example of a railroad freight car 20
that is
intended to be representative of a range of railroad cars in which one or more
of the various
aspects of the present invention may be incorporated. While car 20 may be
suitable for a variety
of general purpose uses, it may be taken as being symbolic of, and in some
ways a generic
example of, a flow through car, in which lading is introduced by gravity flow
from above, and
removed by gravity discharge through gated or valved outlets below. Flow
through, or center
flow cars may include open topped hopper cars, grain cars, plastic pellet
cars, potash cars, ore
cars, coal gondolas, and so on. In one embodiment car 20 may be a hopper car
such as may be
used for the carriage of bulk commodities in the form of a granular
particulate, be it in the nature
of relatively coarse gravel or fine aggregate in the nature of fine gravel or
sand or various ores,
ore concentrate or coal. The principle, or primary, structure of car 20 may be
symmetrical about
both its longitudinal and transverse, or lateral, centreline axes.
Consequently, it will be
understood that the car has first and second, left and right hand side beams,
bolsters and so on.
By way of a general overview, car 20 may have a car body 22 that is carried on
trucks 24
for rolling operation along railroad tracks. Car 20 may be a single unit car,
or it may be a multi-
Date recue/Date received 2023-04-05
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unit car having two or more car body units, where the multiple car body units
may be
substantially permanently connected at an articulated connector, or by draw
bars, as opposed to
by ordinarily releasable AAR couplers. Car body 22, and the various structural
members and
fittings described herein may be understood to be typically of metal
construction, whether
welded or Huck(t.m.) bolted, or riveted together, the metal members being most
typically steel,
stainless steel, or aluminum, as may be appropriate. Some car builders have
also used reinforced
plastic composites for car elements, and those materials could also be
employed where suitable.
The default construction may be taken as being steel, of which the majority
may be mild steel
having, typically, a 50 kpsi yield. Car body 22 may have a lading containment
vessel or shell 26
such as may include an upstanding wall structure 28 which may have a pair of
opposed first and
second end walls 30, 32, that extend cross-wise, and a pair of first and
second sidewalls 34, 36
that extend lengthwise, the end walls 30, 32 and sidewalls 34, 36 co-operating
to define a
generally rectangular form of peripheral wall structure 28. Wall structure 28
may include top
chords 38 running along the top of the walls, and side sills 40 running fore-
and-aft along lower
portions of the side sheets or side sheet assemblies 42 of sidewalls 34, 36.
In some instances,
such as that of the illustration of Figure la, car 20 may have stub center
sills 44 at either end, in
which case sidewalls 34, 36 may act as deep beams, and may carry vertical
loads to main
bolsters 90 that extend laterally from the center plates. In the case of a
single, stand alone car
unit, draft gear and releasable couplers may be mounted at either end of the
stub center sill. In a
center flow, or flow through car, the upper portion of the car may typically
include means by
which to admit lading under a gravity drop system. Such an intake 46, or
entryway may be a
large rectangular opening such as that bounded by top chords 38.
Car body 22 may include end sheets 48 and side sheets 50. Car 20 of Figures 1
et seq., is
illustrated as a car having a single hopper 52, a single hopper discharge
section 54, and an
outflow or discharge governor in the nature of a discharge door assembly 56.
However, car 20
could, alternatively, be a multiple hopper car. In a multiple hopper car, the
car may have
laterally extending members or reinforcements, which may be cross-bearers, or
cross-bearers
with shrouds, or merely shrouds, particularly where the car is a multiple
hopper car. These
cross-members may run fully across the car from side sill to side sill, and
may intersect the
center sill, or the center sill shroud as may be. The car may also include
upper wall bracing, in
the nature of diagonal struts which extend diagonally upwardly and outwardly
from the apices of
the respective cross-members at the centerline of the car to upper regions of
the sidewalls near or
at the top chords; and lateral ties or struts that run across the car from
sidewall to sidewall to
meet the upper ends of the diagonal struts at their wall brackets. Those
brackets may be aligned
Date recue/Date received 2023-04-05
- 17 -
with, and mated through the wall to, the vertical exterior posts that run from
the side sill to the
top chord and reinforce the walls.
End sheets 48 may be substantially planar slope sheets or slope sheet
assemblies that are
inclined downwardly in the longitudinally inboard direction to feed the
discharge section. Not
atypically, each pair of fore-and aft opposed slope sheets may be inclined at
equal and opposite
angles, and the angles of those sheets may be selected to be somewhat steeper
than the free slope
angle, or natural talus slope angle of the lading for which the car is
designed, such that, when the
gates are opened, the lading may tend to flow out, rather than sit at rest.
The primary structure of body 22 of car 20 includes lading containment vessel
26 which
is in the nature of hopper 52. Hopper 52 has an upper portion 58 with
substantially vertical wall
panels defined by the side sheet 50 of the sidewalls 34,36, and a lower
stationary portion defined
by a set of converging sloped walls, namely the side and end slope sheet
assemblies 48 and 50.
At the lower margin of the sloped walls there is the outflow governor, namely
door assembly 56,
which, in this instance, may have the form of a pair of first and second, or
left and right hand
doors 62, 64. This containment structure seats on, and is carried by, a pair
of first and second
end structures, 66, 68, at either end of the car. End structures 66, 68 are in
turn carried by trucks
24. A door operating apparatus or mechanism, or drive train, or transmission,
however it may be
termed, and identified generally as 70, is provided to move doors 62, 64
between open and
closed positions.
Considering this structure in greater detail, trucks 24 are most immediately
surmounted
by center plates 72 of longitudinally extending stub sills 44. Stub sills 44
in turn carry laterally
extending main bolster arms 74 of main bolster 90. Arms 74 extended
perpendicularly away
from the center plate 72, i.e., they are centered on the truck center, CL -
Truck. Side sills 40 run
lengthwise along the car between, and tie together, the most laterally
outboard extremities of
main bolster arms 74. A shear plate 76 is mounted in an x-y horizontal plane
defining the top
cover plate of stub sill 44. Shear plate 76 extends laterally from side sill
to side sill, and
longitudinally from the fore-and-aft end slope sheet 48 to the laterally
extending end sill 78 of
the car, which, in this instance may be an upturned flange formed on the
longitudinally outboard
margin of shear plate 76. In car 20, the primary structure includes an end
post 80 and a pair of
side or corner posts 82, 84.
End post 80 is rooted in shear plate 76 in line with center sill 44, and may
have lateral
webs or gussets aligned with the webs of stub sill 44 to provide vertical web
continuity across
shear plate 76. End post 80 then extends fully between shear plate 76 and top
chord 86 of end
Date recue/Date received 2023-04-05
- 18 -
wall 30 or 32, as may be. Corner posts 82 and 84 are rooted to, and stand
upwardly from, the
junction of the laterally outboard ends of left and right hand main bolster
arms 74 and side sills
40. Posts 82 and 84 extend upwardly from this junction to mate with various
elements of the end
and sidewalls, as may be described below.
As described in additional detail below, car 20 has an abnormally short
distance from the
striker 88 to the truck center, i.e., the CL of center plate 72. Striker 88 is
the vertical planar
surrounding face plate at the outboard end of the stub sill 44. In the
terminology of the industry,
the portion of the center sill 44 (be it a stub center sill or a straight
through center sill) that lies
longitudinally outboard of the truck center CL -Truck may also be referred to
as the draft sill.
In car 20, the short draft sill length, identified as L88, leaves an
anomalously small space in
which to install other systems, such as the brake reservoir and the door
operating pneumatic
cylinder. Car 20 has an end of car machinery space, indicated generally as 75,
that is bounded
by shear plate 76 on the bottom, the sloped end wall assembly 30 or 32 of the
car on the top,
main vertical central end post 80, and main side posts 82,84 at the ends of
main bolster 90. This
space may be referred to as having the shape, generally, of a triangular prism
and is substantially
unobstructed by the primary structure of the car. For the purposes of this
description, primary
structure is defined as the underframe, including side sills and center sill
(i.e., including the draft
sill), the sidewalls, the slope sheets and top chords, the hopper construction
including the
stationary parts of the discharge section, as well as any cross-bearers, cross-
ties, bolsters, shear
plates and so on. Primary structure excludes secondary or ancillary structure
or systems such as
ladders, cat-walks and other safety appliances, brakes, brake rods and brake
fittings, air hoses,
reservoirs and pneumatic fittings, movable door members, door operating
linkages, and so on.
In existing cars, this space, 75, is often occupied or otherwise obstructed by
other primary
structure, such as so-called "elephant ears". In this context, "elephant ears"
are large,
substantially triangular planar plates, sometimes provided with central
lightening holes, that
have one edge fixed along the junction of the center sill webs and the center
sill cover plate, and
another edge welded to the end slope sheet. The third edge is typically a free
edge. Often these
plates lie in a plane that is oriented at an angle to the vertical ¨ i.e., it
leans laterally outboard.
Car 20 avoids the use of these "elephant ears" and so provides the large
unobstructed space
shown in Figure lb.
Figures 1 and 2a, 2b and 2c, all show the sidewall of the car, indicated
generally as 34 or
36. Sidewall 34 and 36 function as short beams of low (e.g., less than 4:1,
possibly less than 3:1)
length-to-depth ratio. Sidewall 34 or 36 can be seen to have a bottom flange
or chord member,
Date recue/Date received 2023-04-05
- 19 -
namely side sill 40, a top flange or chord member, namely top chord 38, which
may have the
form of a square or rectangular hollow structural steel tube; and an
intermediate shear force
transfer web, namely side sheet assembly 42. Side sheet assembly 42 may
include an upper sheet
portion or member 92 that is welded to the outside face of top chord 38 at a
lap joint, and that
extends downwardly therefrom; and a lower sheet portion or member 94. Member
94 may have
the form of a Z-section, having a first portion, namely an upper flange or leg
or margin 96 that
extends in a substantially vertical plane and has an uppermost margin that
overlaps the
lowermost edge or margin of member 92; a second or intermediate portion 98
that runs in an
inclined plane sloping inwardly and downwardly on the slope of the hopper side
sheets
generally, and a third or bottom portion, namely bottom flange, or leg, or
margin 100 that
extends in a substantially vertical plane downwardly. Sidewall 34 or 36 also
includes a central
post, or web stiffener, 102 that has a lowermost first portion 104 an
intermediate second portion
106, and an uppermost third portion 108.
Side sill 40 includes a channel 110 that is welded toes-inward against the
lowermost
marginal portion of lower leg 100 to form a closed section. The first or
lowermost portion 104
of web stiffener 102 has the form of a quadrilateral gusset having a first
edge welded to the
upper leg of channel 110, a second edge welded to the vertical margin 100, a
third edge welded
to the sloping portion 98, and the fourth, laterally outboard, edge being
free. As may be noted,
portion 104 stands outboard of the sidewall sheet.
Portion 108 is a rectangular web stiffener that is welded to, and extends
downwardly
from, the underside of top chord 38 along the inside face of upper sheet
portion 92. Intermediate
portion 106 is a web, or plate, or gusset, that is also a quadrilateral,
having a first edge that
overlaps, and is welded to, the lower margin of portion 108. A second edge is
welded to the
lower region of upper sheet portion 92, and to the upper flange or leg 96. A
third edge is welded
along the sloped portion 98 of member 94. The fourth edge is free, and faces
inwardly into the
lading containment space of the hopper. Portions 104 and 106 are co-planar, or
substantially co-
planar, such that stiffener 102 has web continuity through member 94. The
upper margin of the
side slope sheet 50 of the hopper discharge section is welded to the lower
margin of the inclined
or sloped portion 98, such that the structure presents a continuous sloped
surface for containing,
and then slidingly discharging, particulate lading. Expressed differently, the
web of the sidewall
traverses the sidewall stiffener, commencing on its inboard margin at side
sill 40, traverses the
web mid-way up the post, and ends along its outboard margin at top chord 38.
In this
arrangement, the vertical stiffener, 102, acts as the web of a T-section, and
the local region of the
wall section to which it is joined functions as the flange of that T-section.
Date recue/Date received 2023-04-05
- 20 -
In this example, the locus of intersection of the side slope sheet plane P94
with the plane
of the sidewall sheet P92, lies above the level of side sill 40 by a
substantial distance, indicated as
L94. This distance may lie in the range of 1/4 to 2/3 of the distance Lsw from
side sill 40 to top
chord 38, and, in the particular may be about 1/3 of that distance. Further,
although the post has
stiffening member web continuity in a vertical plane, the wall sheet traverses
the stiffening web
intermediate the top chord and the side sill, and does so obliquely on the
slope of plane P94.
The upper leg of channel 110 forms the upper flange of side sill 40, and the
lower leg of
channel 110 forms the lower flange of side sill 40. Shear plate 76 forms the
top flange of main
bolster 90. Main bolster 90 also has a lower or bottom flange 91. In car 20
the upper leg of
channel 110 is co-planar or substantially co-planar with, and is connected in
flange continuity
with, shear plate 76. Similarly, the lower leg of channel 110 is co-planar or
substantially co-
planar with, and connected in flange continuity with, bottom flange 91 of main
bolster 90.
Continuing with the sidewall assembly, the main sheet, namely upper sheet
portion 92,
ends at the corners, and there are respective first and second end upper web
stiffener portions and
inwardly stepped plate members 112, which may be termed "elephant ears". The
top edge of
each ear is welded to the inside face of top chord 38 in a lap joint. The
longitudinally outboard
end edge forms a plane to which the vertical end sheet of the end slope sheet
wall abuts and is
welded. The bottom edge follows the slope of, and is welded to, end slope
sheet 48. The
forward, transversely outwardly bent edge is welded to the upper end portion
of side sheet
assembly 42. The lower region of the main sidewall sheet also includes
lightening apertures 114,
in the space between the corner posts and the slope of the end slope sheets.
Finally, the lower
portion of margin 100 of the main sidewall sheet has longitudinal extensions
116 that are welded
to the side edges of the shear panel, namely shear plate 76, outboard of main
bolster 90, thereby
forming a portion of the peripheral flange of the shear plate.
End walls 30, 32 each include upper and lower sloped surface members 122 and
124,
which could be made as a single piece, or as two pieces butt-welded together,
as here. Upper
member 122 has notches 126 formed therein to accommodate corresponding corner
posts 82,84
as may be, with local reinforcement doublers 128 at the junction. Lower member
124 tapers in
width to match the narrowing width between the sloped side sheets with which
it mates. At the
upper end of end wall 30 the end wall assembly includes a laterally extending
first formed
member 130 that has a first, vertical leg 132 that laps the inside face of the
top chord 86, and a
bent flange 136 that extends initially horizontally, with a distal lip bent
upward to mate
Date recue/Date received 2023-04-05
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perpendicularly with the upper margin 138 of the end slope sheet 48. The
distal tip of end slope
sheet 48 is fillet welded to vertical leg 132. This results in a substantially
triangular closed
section defining a laterally extending end slope sheet reinforcement beam 140.
The ends of this
beam abut, are welded to, and are capped by elephant ears 112. Vertical leg
132 also lies
against, and is welded to, end post 80.
A formed angle 142 is mounted toes-in at an intermediate height on sloped end
wall 48,
forming thereby another hollow section laterally extending end sheet
reinforcement or beam 148.
Vertical leg 144 of angle 142 is substantially aligned with the central web of
the corner post (be
it 82 or 84) and therefore also with the central web of the main bolster.
Another formed angle
150 is welded toes-in to the back of sloped end wall 30 at the level of shear
plate, thereby
forming yet another slope-sheet reinforcement in the form of a laterally
extending beam.
The corner posts 82 and 84 each have a lower corner post flange plate 160
(that includes
a lifting lug aperture) that has a bottom tab welded to the outside, or back,
of the end of side sill
40 in line with the main bolster, then an angled portion following the angle
of the outside edge of
the vertically extending sidewall reinforcements, 161, to an upper end at the
juncture of the side
slope sheet with the sidewall vertical leg of the lower sidewall sheet. Each
end post has two
internal reinforcements 154. Each corner post also includes an intermediate
member, or web, or
gusset, or plate 162, which is considerably wider than intermediate portion
106, and a
substantially triangular inside edge web stiffener 164. Plate 162 is a
quadrilateral. A first edge
of plate 162 runs along the upward and outward slope of wall extension 166. A
second edge
runs vertically against the upper leg of wall extension 166. A third upper
edge adjacent runs
horizontally along lateral reinforcement beam 148. The fourth edge runs
vertically downward to
and along edge stiffener 164. As such, a vertical post is established.
Considering Figures 3a, 3b and 3c, center sill 44 includes a bottom flange or
bottom
cover plate 165, and a pair of spaced apart webs 168. The central region of
shear plate 76 forms
the top flange, or top cover plate of the center sill. At its inboard end, the
center sill terminates
centrally under the bottom lateral reinforcement of the end slope sheet 48. A
draft pocket 175 is
defined between webs 168, shear plate 76 and bottom cover plate 165
longitudinally inboard of
the striker plate.
Center plate 72 is mounted at truck center CL-Truck, in line with main bolster
90 and
the corner posts 82, 84. Rear draft stops 172 are welded within the center
sill above center plate
72. As seen in Figure 3c, the inboard end of rear draft stop 172 extends
longitudinally inboard of
Date recue/Date received 2023-04-05
- 22 -
the truck center. While this is known to have been used in at least one single
piece, integrally
cast draft sill, the inventor is unaware of such a construction in an all-
welded fabrication draft sill
assembly. The removable draft sill access cover plate, or draft gear carrier
plate 174, which is
bolted to the draft sill (i.e., the stub sill) bottom flange margins, is
mounted immediately
longitudinally outboard of center plate 72. Front draft stops 176 are, in
turn, mounted
longitudinally outboard of carrier plate 174. In this embodiment there is also
a removable
member, such as a top leeway or access plate 178, mounted to shear plate 76.
Plate 178 is
removed when draft gear 180 is removed or installed. On installation, draft
gear 180, to which
yoke 188 is already mounted, is fed into draft pocket 175 from below, on an
angle, whereby the
rear corner protrudes upwardly through the opening that is otherwise covered
by plate 178. The
front end of draft gear 180 is rotated into place, and the rear end is rotated
downward. As this
occurs, yoke 188 is also raised into place. Plates 178 and 174 are then
reinstalled. The shank
182 of the coupler, 184 is inserted, and the coupler key 186 is fed through
the slot in front draft
stops 176 to link coupler 184, and yoke 188 in the customary manner. It may be
noted that
coupler 184 combines an AAR Type E shank with and AAR Type F knuckle with a
bottom
shelf. Draft gear 180 itself has abnormally short travel, namely about 2 1/2
inches deflection
before going solid, as compared to a "normal" deflection of over 3" before
going solid.
Draft sill webs 164 have, at their longitudinally outboard end an end portion
190 of
increased depth of section with a downwardly protruding bulge or horn, such as
might be termed
a "chin". End portion 190 has an aperture or slot 192 formed therein to permit
lateral sliding
insertion of a coupler support, carrier or bar 194 immediately behind striker
plate 88. Removal
of bar 194 permits yoke 188 to be swung into place during installation of
draft gear 180. When
coupler 184 is installed, the shank may rest on bar 194. Bar 194 is held in
place by bolts that
secure it relative to webs 164. Overall, a coupler installation of very short
length is achieved. In
this example, L88 may be in the range of less than 50 inches, and in one
embodiment may be
about 38" +/- 2", from the truck center to the outboard face of striker plate
88. An alternative
expression of the relative compactness of the draft gear is that the length
from the truck center to
the pulling face of the coupler, when the draft gear is extended in tension,
is in the range of less
than 65 inches, and in one embodiment is in the range of 53" +/- 2".
Car 20 may also include a door opening mechanism 200. There are left and right
hand,
or first and second, doors 62, 64. Each door has a proximal, hinged edge 206,
and a distal free
edge 208. The hinges are carried on hinge fittings welded to mounting brackets
depending from
the slope sheets and side sills. The hinges run parallel to the longitudinal
or lengthwise axis of
the car, generally such that doors 62, 64 are longitudinal doors. Each door
has the form of a
Date recue/Date received 2023-04-05
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hollow section beam, having a proximal beam 210 along the hinge side, a distal
beam 212 along
the free edge, internal cross-braces, not shown, and front and back skins or
sheets or plates 214,
216. The hinges are indicated as 220, the end closure plates as 222, 224. The
doors have door
seal members 226, 228 that mutually engage when the doors are moved to a
closed position.
Seal members 226,228 are sprung, such that when they are closed they deflect
somewhat and in
so doing take on a spring pre-load against each other. The door mechanism
includes a pair of
first and second, matched left and right hand pivot arms 230, 232; a
corresponding pair of first
and second drag links 234, 236; a shared yoke 238, and a pair of slave links
240, 242 that each
pick up on a knuckle fitting 244, 246 of each of respective doors 62, 64. The
whole assembly
has left and right hand symmetry.
Inasmuch as, when tripped, doors 62, 64 open under the influence of gravity,
particularly
when assisted by the weight of the lading being discharged, one may consider
the motion that
occurs as the doors are closed in the sequence of views 4a, 4b, and 4c; 5a,
5b, and 5c; and 6a, 6b
and 6c. Knuckles 244 and 246 are constrained by geometry to move in circular
arcs of fixed
radii in planes perpendicular to the respective axes of rotation of doors 62
and 64, those axes
being the hinge axes of their respective hinges 220, which each lie in a plane
parallel to the x-z
plane of the car centerline. The plane of rotation of knuckles 244, 246 will
then tend to be
perpendicular to the central x-z plane. Slave links 240 and 242 are each of
fixed length; each has
an end pivotally connected at a two rotational degree of freedom knuckle, be
it 244 or 246, as
may be; each of slave links 240 and 242 has another end pivotally connected at
a second pivot
connection at yoke 238; and slave links 240 and 242 do not transmit a bending
moment, and so
therefore pull in pure tension. The upper, or near (i.e., proximal), ends of
drag links 234, 236 are
connected to the distal ends of pivot arms 230,232 at pivot connections 248,
250, which may, if
desired, share a common axis of rotation or pivot pin.
Yoke 238 is constrained by symmetry to pull in an x-z plane, which in the
embodiment
illustrated is the vertical plane of the centerline of the car. As such,
movement of yoke 238
away from the plane of motion of knuckles 244 and 246 will necessarily draw
knuckle fittings
244 and 246 closer together, and toward the vertical centerline plane of the
car, eventually
causing resilient door seals 226, 228 mutually to engage, thus closing the
opening. This motion
can be achieved by pulling on drag links 234, 236. Each pivot connection of
slave links 240,
242 has a single angular degree of freedom. Similarly yoke 238 has an angular
degree of
freedom about the axis of rotation of the axle, or trunnions, by which it is
pivotally mounted to
the drag link, or drag links 234, 236. This gives the drag link connection two
angular degrees of
freedom in total. As the drag links are withdrawn, the slave links pull in
tension, finding the
Date recue/Date received 2023-04-05
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natural hypoteneuse between the plane of the arc of motion of knuckle fittings
244, 246 and the
plane of motion of drag links 234, 236. Since this mechanism operates in
tension, pivot
connections 248, 250 and knuckle fittings 244, 246 are co-planar, with drag
links 234, 236, yoke
238, slave links 240 and 242, and their associated pivot connections also
lying in that same plane
as well. (See Figures 5a, 5b, 5c).
Driving force for this system is provided by an actuator, identified as 260.
Actuator 260
may be a pneumatic actuator, which may be charged by the pneumatic system of
the train
generally, as supplied through the pressurized air connection of the train
line. Actuator 260 may
include its own reservoir and check valve. Actuator 260 is connected to move a
first member, in
the nature of a primary driven pivot arm or lever, 262, which is in this
instance actually a pair of
matched lever arm members, which in turn is pivotally connected to, and
drives, a second
member in the nature of, a push rod, or, given the symmetrical nature of the
assembly, a pair of
left and right hand push rods 264 and 266. One or both of push rods 264, 266
may have a
secondary member, such as may be an extending arm, or detent, or stop, or
abutment, identified
as an over-center travel limiter or governor, 268. The far ends of push rods
264, 266 may be
connected to either pivot arms 230 (or 232, as may be), or to drag link 234
(or 236, as may be).
It may be convenient to connect the far end of push rods 264, 266 at the same
pivot connection,
or connections 248, 250.
Lever 262 has a first end pivotally mounted to primary structure of car 20 at
footings,
identified as mounting fixtures, fittings or brackets 270. The drive rod of
actuator 260 picks up
on lever 262 at an intermediate location, such that lever 262 provides
magnification of
displacement. Similarly, pivot arms 230, 232 have a first or base end
pivotally connected to
primary structure at mounting fixtures, fittings, or brackets 272. Actuator
260 is located on the
centerline (i.e., in the central x-z plane) of car 20, between and in
substance below pivot arms
230, 232. "Below" in this context may be thought of as radially more proximate
to the pivot axis
P270 of brackets 270 than is the pivot axis of connections 248, 250, as well
as in the context of
being lower than as in closer to Top of Rail. In the past the lever fitting
has more commonly
been mounted to the slope sheet such that the output pin is lower than the
pneumatic cylinder.
Turning this arrangement upside down, in effect, and fitting the cylinder may
then permit a more
compact installation than otherwise. Similarly, the pivot axis, P230, of
driven arms 230, 232 is
below the output knuckle, i.e., at P250, and is below the actuator cylinder as
shown in Figure 5b
in which P250 lies below the center line CL260 or actuator 260. This may be
taken in the sense of
being further from the plane of the end slope sheets, identified as Pas.
Expressed differently,
actuator 260 lies between the base or datum pivot point P250 of driven arms
230, 232 and the
Date recue/Date received 2023-04-05
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plane P48 of end slope sheet 48.
As may be noted, the line of action of drag links 234, 236 has a predominant
component
that is substantially parallel to plane P48. Expressed differently, at some
point during mid-
stroke, the line of action will be at least instantaneously parallel to plane
P48. Finally, it may be
noted that rather than placing actuator 260 on shear plate 76, and orienting
actuator 260 such that
its longitudinal axis (i.e., the working axis or axis of reciprocation of the
actuator), that actuator
is itself raised upwardly from the shear plate and oriented to work along a
line of action that is
tilted downward and longitudinally inboard, the angle of tilt being identified
as Ia1pha1260. This
angle of inclination lies in the range from horizontal to the angle of
inclination of end slope sheet
48, identified in Figure 5c as Ia1pha148. Placing the mounts and pivot points
under the apparatus,
raising the actuator cylinder, orienting it on an incline, and making the line
of action or the zone
swept by the draglinks in the progressions of Figures 4a, 4b and 4c (or 5a, 5b
and 5c) tend to
correspond to a displacement substantially or predominantly parallel to plane
P48, all aid in
providing a more compact installation, in particular one that is
longitudinally short as may suit
the short distance from the truck center to the striker. It is also an
installation that may tend to
leave space for other car systems, such as the brake system.
This arrangement may be thought of in terms of a four bar, or multi-bar,
linkage. The
first bar of the linkage may be thought of as being the underframe, and
structure rigidly mounted
to the underframe. This is the datum, or frame of reference member of the
linkage. The second
member or linkage component is the first pivot arm, 230 (or 232) having a
fixed main pivot
point, and an output distal pivot point constrained to move on a fixed radius
about main pivot
point P230. The fourth component or element of the linkage is the second pivot
arm, namely 62
or 64, each of which is a second lever or pivot arm mounted to a pivot axis
fixed with respect to
the first or datum link, and having a distal connection, in this case also a
pivot connection,
constrained to move in an arc of constant radius about the base pivot axis.
The third linkage is
the drag link. Although the drag link is made of two portions that are held
together at yoke 238,
the geometric symmetry of the assembly constrains both the upper portion of
the drag link, (i.e.,
drag link 234, 236) and the lower portions, (i.e., slave links 240, 242) to be
co-planar during
closing of the doors. In any case, the single input of the actuator cylinder
acting through the
over-center links against the first pivot arm (at the distal pivot connection)
produces a unique
output geometry such that position of the elements is determinate as if it
were a four bar linkage.
When the door opening apparatus is retracted to the position shown in Figures
4c, 5c and
6c, driven primary pivot arms and the over-center links are driven to a
slightly over-center
relationship such that the pivot connection between the primary pivot arms and
the over center
Date recue/Date received 2023-04-05
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arms lies below a line drawn from the primary pivot axis and the over-center
link output
connection as axis P250. In this condition tensile force on drag links 234 and
236 (as from weight
placed on doors 62, 64, for example) will tend to urge the main driven pivot
arms, namely lever
262, counter-clockwise as viewed in Figure 4c. Motion in this direction is
prevented by the over
center stop, 268, thereby defining a first lock that prevents inadvertent
opening of doors 62, 64
from moving to the open position when actuator 260 is dormant, i.e., inactive.
This first lock is
released by reversing actuator 260 to open the doors.
Car 20 has a secondary door mechanism, or secondary latching system,
identified
generally as 300. This secondary latch system, and, indeed, the door closure
linkage apparatus
of Figures 7a¨ 7e, are slightly different from those shown in Figures 4a, 5a,
and 6a. In latching
system 300 there is a latch assembly 302, shown in Figures 7a and 7b. Assembly
302 includes a
first member, or main member, or plate 304, which performs the function of a
body or armature
or spider that ties the other various physical elements of the assembly
together. Along one edge
plate 304 has physical motion constraint fittings, identified as hinge
fittings 306, that limit plate
304 (and assembly 302 more generally) to a single degree of freedom, that
single degree of
freedom limiting plate 304 to motion of any point to motion in a plane
perpendicular to the hinge
axis, and in particular to pivotal motion in that plane about that axis. To
the extent that the
hinge axis is substantially or predominantly parallel to the axis of
reciprocation of pneumatic
actuator 260, that motion can be said to be sideways, or predominantly
transverse of cross-wise
to that direction of reciprocation.
Plate 304 has a portion or finger, or arm member 308 extending away from the
hinge. In
this case, arm member 308 extends arcuately away, and has a bent termination,
or end, or lip, or
tip, indicated at 310. Another member 312 in the form of a block is mounted,
e.g., welded, at the
distal end of arm member 308. Member 312 has the same general shape, a dog-leg
bend, as tip
310. Member 312 has a first, generally inwardly (i.e., away from the tip)
facing surface 314 that
defines an abutment 316. Member 312 also has an oblique surface 318 that
defines a wear or
cam surface, which may be termed a reset cam, or return cam.
Another member 320, which may have the form of a plate or block, is welded to
the
major portion of the body of plate 304 relatively close to the hinge axis. The
axially foremost
face of member 322 is relieved ¨ i.e., it does not define a face in a plane
perpendicular to the
hinge axis ¨ or to the axis of reciprocation of the pneumatic actuator clevis.
This face may be
arcuate or chamfered, and so defines a first or deflection cam 324. That is,
as installed, it lies in
the path of actuator clevis 330. When the leading corner of clevis 330
encounters cam 324, plate
Date recue/Date received 2023-04-05
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304 will tend to be urged to rotate, i.e., pivot, about its axis in the
clockwise direction as viewed
looking from actuator 260 toward hopper 52. Assembly 302 also includes a
motion resisting, or
return biasing member in the form of a spring, identified as leaf spring 326
that is anchored at the
proximal end to stationary structure of the secondary lock footing, or base,
328 which is welded
to shear plate 76. The footprint of base 328 against shear plate 76 is planar.
The hinge axis is
inclined relative to the plane as shown, the angle of inclination being
substantially similar to, and
possibly the same as, the mid-stroke angle of inclination of actuator 260
(which, itself, varies
slightly during operation). The distal end of spring 326 bears against plate
304 distant from the
hinge. Finally, assembly 302 includes reaction force transmission members
332,334 in the form
of welded flat bars that bear against, i.e., abut, the longitudinally outboard
face of mounting
fitting 270 when the latch is in the engaged position.
In operation, as actuator 260 works, lost motion is taken up in slot 336 of
the clevis 338
of the reciprocating actuator ram. Eventually the end of slot 336 engages a
pivot pin 340 of bell
crank arm 342 and causes driven member 344 (analogous to lever 262), causing
it to rotate
counterclockwise as viewed in Figure 7a. This forces push rods 346, 348
(analogous to push
rods 264, 266) to act against connections 248, 250, and hence to force drag
links 234, 236 along
their retracting path. Since 262, 264, 230 and the car body form a four bar
linkage, the output
path of connections 248, 250 is determinate and unique.
While this happens, clevis 338 keeps moving rearward to engage reset cam
surface 318,
with the effect that assembly 302 is urged to rotate out of the way, against
the resistance of
spring 326 (Figure 7d). Eventually the trailing portion of clevis 338 clears
cam 324, and soon
thereafter the most longitudinally inboard edge of driven member 344 clears
abutment 316.
Assembly 302 then moves under the influence of spring 326 into the locked
position shown in
Figure 7e. In this locked position, any moment tending to pivot driven member
344 clockwise is
reacted not by the hinge fittings, but rather by the reinforcements, namely
members 332, 334. In
this locked position driven member 344 and push rods 346, 348 are drawn to,
and locked in, their
over center position.
When the doors are to be released, actuator 260 moves in the opposite
direction. The lost
motion of the length of slot 336 reverses, such that the end of clevis 338
bears against the release
cam, namely cam surface 324, which causes plate 304 to pivot away, and thus
disengages
abutment 316, moving it out of the path of driven member 262 against which it
would otherwise
abut. The outboard end of slot 336 then engages pin 340, releasing the over-
center hold of
driven member 344, and permitting the doors to open under the influence of
gravity.
Date recue/Date received 2023-04-05
- 28 -
The cams need not necessarily be on the plate, i.e., the latch body, but could
be on the
clevis, as shown at 350 in Figure 4c. That is, it is to some extent arbitrary
which part is
identified as the cam, and which part is identified as the cam follower. The
point is that the parts
mutually engage such that the one intercepts the other during motion of the
actuator cylinder to
trip the door opening condition, with the result that the secondary latch is
urged to deflect out of
the way sideways. In the other direction, of course, the abutment relationship
of lever 262 and
abutment 316 prevents the doors from opening. The apparatus of Figure 4c works
in
substantially the same way, and combines both arms of the bell crank driven
member 344 into a
single driven lever, namely lever 262.
In summary, car 20 has a first lock, the over center lock, operable to prevent
movement
of the door from the closed position to the open position when the door
actuator is inactive. Car
also has a second lock, symbolized by latching system 300, operable to prevent
movement of
15 the door from the closed position to the open position when the door
actuator is inactive if the
first lock should fail. The second lock is movable between an engaged position
in which it
prevents movement of the door to the open position thereof. In moving between
the engaged and
disengaged positions, the second lock has a displacement that is predominantly
cross-wise to the
first direction of the reciprocation of the door actuator. Actuator 260 is
positioned to reciprocate
20 in the central lengthwise-vertical plane of car 20. Latching system 300
is movable
predominantly transverse to the central lengthwise-vertical plane as it pivots
in a circumferential
direction between the engaged and disengaged positions. The hinge axis lies
parallel to the
lengthwise vertical plane, and the second lock pivots circumferentially. The
second lock is
biased toward the engaged position. The lock mechanism can be thought of as
having a first
fitting, a second fitting and a third fitting. The first fitting is the
mounting, 328 by which to
connect the lock mechanism to the datum structure. The second fitting is one
of a cam or a cam
follower for co-operation with a member of the door actuating transmission.
The third fitting is
the abutment, i.e., 316, that co-operates with a mating part of the door
actuating transmission, in
this case the side of lever 262. The third fitting is movable between a first
position and a second
position, in the first position the abutment being presented to obstruct
motion of the mating
fitting of the door actuating transmission and thereby to prevent the door
from moving to an
open position thereof. The second fitting is movable between a first position
and a second
position, in the first position thereof the second fitting being positioned to
intercept the member
of the door actuating transmission and to be deflected away from the first
position toward the
second position thereby. The first fitting has a first degree of freedom of
motion permitting the
first and second fittings to move between their respective first and second
positions. The degree
Date recue/Date received 2023-04-05
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of freedom constrains the third fitting to motion predominantly cross-wise to
the axial direction.
The bias member is a spring having a first end and a second end, the first end
being mounted to
bear against the body of the lock mechanism, the second end having a foot for
reaction against
the datum structure, namely shear plate 76. The first degree of freedom of
motion is an angular
degree of freedom, and is predominantly cross-wise circumferential motion. The
axis of rotation
is the hinge axis, which is substantially parallel to the axial direction of
the door actuating
transmission.
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 invention,
the invention is
not to be limited to those details, but only by a purposive construction of
the claims as required by
law.
Date recue/Date received 2023-04-05
