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US 10,689,012 B2Granted
Railroad freight car access fittings
AssigneeNational Steel Car Limited
InventorsMaryam Mansouri Nasrabad, Mohamed Al-Kaabi, Max Vanderby, Kenneth Wayne Black, Tomasz Bis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A railroad freight car may have external fittings, such as trackside-accessible ladder fittings that permit personnel to climb onto the decks and walkways of the car. Several embodiments of movable ladder assemblies are described that provide an extended or deployed or raised position of a handhold, and a retracted or lowered, or stored position. In other embodiments, the assembly is provided with a compliant member that allows the handhold resiliently to flex when encountered by solid objects such as shipping containers.
Claims23
A trackside access assembly for a railroad freight car, said access assembly comprising:
- a fixed portion and at least one movable portion;
- said fixed portion being mountable to body structure of the railroad freight car;
- said fixed portion including at least a first step and a pair of spaced apart ladder stanchions;
- said at least one movable portion including at least one of a left hand handhold and a right hand handhold;
- said movable portion being movable between a deployed position and a retracted position;
- in said deployed position said handholds being raised relative to said fixed portion;
- said movable portion being releasably securable in said deployed position and in said retracted position;
- and
- said fixed portion includes at least a second step spaced upwardly from said first step.
6 more elements
A trackside access assembly for a railroad freight car, comprising:
- a fixed portion and at least one movable portion;
- said fixed portion being mountable to body structure of the railroad freight car;
- said fixed portion including at least a first step and a pair of spaced apart ladder stanchions;
- said at least one movable portion including at least one of a left hand handhold and a right hand handhold;
- said movable portion being movable between a deployed position and a retracted position;
- in said deployed position said handholds being raised relative to said fixed portion;
- said movable portion being releasably securable in said deployed position and in said retracted position;
- and
- each of said left hand handhold and said right hand handhold is movable independently of the other.
6 more elements
A trackside access assembly for a railroad freight car, comprising:
- a fixed portion and at least one movable portion;
- said fixed portion being mountable to body structure of the railroad freight car;
- said fixed portion including at least a first step and a pair of spaced apart ladder stanchions;
- said at least one movable portion including at least one of a left hand handhold and a right hand handhold;
- said movable portion being movable between a deployed position and a retracted position;
- in said deployed position said handholds being raised relative to said fixed portion;
- said movable portion being releasably securable in said deployed position and in said retracted position;
- and
- said movable portion thereof includes an upwardly slidable hollow post member, and a handhold rail mounted thereto.
6 more elements
A trackside access assembly for a railroad freight car, comprising:
- a fixed portion and at least one movable portion;
- said fixed portion being mountable to body structure of the railroad freight car;
- said fixed portion including at least a first step and a pair of spaced apart ladder stanchions;
- said at least one movable portion including at least one of a left hand handhold and a right hand handhold;
- said movable portion being movable between a deployed position and a retracted position;
- in said deployed position said handholds being raised relative to said fixed portion;
- said movable portion being releasably securable in said deployed position and in said retracted position;
- and
- said movable portion thereof is releasably engaged in any one of said deployed position and said retracted position by means of a spring-biased indexing member.
6 more elements
A trackside access assembly for a railroad freight car, comprising:
- a fixed portion and at least one movable portion;
- said fixed portion mountable to body structure of the railroad freight car;
- said fixed portion including at least a first step and a pair of spaced apart ladder stanchions;
- said at least one movable portion including at least one of a left hand handhold and a right hand handhold;
- said movable portion being movable between a deployed position and a retracted position;
- in said deployed position said handholds being raised relative to said fixed portion;
- said movable portion being releasably securable in said deployed position and in said retracted position;
- said movable portion includes first and second spaced apart uprights and first and second spaced-apart cross-members mounted thereto, said uprights being mounted to move slidably relative to, and to be guided in motion by, said stanchions, and said cross-members defining steps located upwardly of said first step.
5 more elements
A trackside access assembly for a railroad freight car, comprising:
- a fixed portion and at least one movable portion;
- said fixed portion mountable to body structure of the railroad freight car;
- said fixed portion including at least a first step and a pair of spaced apart ladder stanchions;
- said at least one movable portion including at least one of a left hand handhold and a right hand handhold;
- said movable portion being movable between a deployed position and a retracted position;
- in said deployed position said handholds being raised relative to said fixed portion;
- said movable portion being releasably securable in said deployed position and in said retracted position;
- said movable portion includes a U-shaped member pivotally mounted to said stanchions, said U-shaped member having a back and a pair of first and second spaced apart legs;
- said back of said U-shaped member defining a ladder step, and said first and second arms defining handholds movable to an upright condition when deployed;
- and
- said assembly includes a releasable lock operable to restrain said handholds in said upright condition.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.