Hopper railcar with door deflector for transverse pivoted outlet gate, door deflector and method of retrofitting hopper railcar to include door deflector for transverse pivoted outlet gate

A hopper railcar comprising:

• a plurality of hoppers for carrying laden material, wherein each hopper has a lower discharge chute formed by converging side sheets and end sheets defining a hopper opening;
• and
• a pivoted door for each hopper opening for selectively opening and closing the hopper opening, the pivoted door having a pivot axis perpendicular to a longitudinal length of the railcar, and a pair of one piece lateral deflectors on and coupled to lateral sides of each pivoted door with each of the lateral deflectors having a side face extending above an interior facing surface of a pivoted door to which the lateral deflector is coupled, and wherein laden material flows upon the interior facing surface with the pivoted door to which the lateral deflector is coupled is in an open position, wherein each lateral deflector includes a mounting base parallel to the pivoted door to which the lateral deflector is coupled and wherein the mounting base extends along an exterior facing surface of the pivoted door to which the lateral deflector is coupled which is opposite the interior facing surface for coupling the lateral deflector to the pivoted door with the mounting base having a radius end curving around the lateral side of the pivoted door and wherein the side face of each lateral deflector extends from the radius end of the mounting base and at a position above the mounting base is angled laterally away from the mounting base and from the interior facing surface of the pivoted door to which the lateral deflector is coupled, and wherein with each pivoted door in the closed position a side face of each of the deflectors coupled to the pivoted door is adjacent an outer surface of one of the converging side sheets and not extending through the hopper opening.