Railway box car with lower center of gravity
AssigneeTRN Business Trust
InventorAlbert A. Beers
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A railway car having a lowered center of gravity is provided. The underframe of the railway car is preferably formed by extending a series of cross bearers between a pair of side sills and spacing them laterally between a pair of end sills. A center sill is then preferably disposed on top of the cross bearers and extended between the end sills along a center line of the railway car underframe. One or more floor stringers are preferably also included and disposed generally parallel to the center sill and extended between the end sills. In one embodiment, the one or more floor stringers may be disposed on stringer support spacer beams positioned on one or more of the cross bearers.
Claims22
A railway car underframe comprising:
- a pair of end sills cooperating with a pair of side sills to form a generally rectangular configuration;
- a plurality of cross bearers extending between the side sills and spaced laterally from each other between the end sills;
- a center sill extending between the end sills along a center line of the rectangular configuration and disposed above at least one of the plurality of cross bearers;
- a pair of coupler assemblies disposed on respective ends of the rectangular configuration;
- a pair of railway trucks disposed at respective ends of the generally rectangular configuration proximate the end sills;
- and
- a body bolster extending between the center sill and the side sills above each of the railway trucks.
A railway car comprising:
- first and second side sills;
- first and second end sills disposed generally normal proximate respective ends of the first and second side sills to form a generally rectangular configuration;
- a center sill disposed along a longitudinal center line of the rectangular configuration;
- a plurality of cross bearers extending between the side sills and spaced laterally from each other between the end sills;
- respective railway trucks disposed proximate the first and second end sills;
- a body bolster extending between the center sill and the first and second side sills above each of the respective railway trucks;
- a bolster plate disposed above each body bolster and extending between the side sills;
- a plurality of wheel pans attached to and extending horizontally from each body bolster and sized to extend over the respective railway trucks;
- a plurality of floor stringers extending between the first and second end sills and the wheel pans and spaced laterally from each other between the center sill and the first and second side sills;
- a plurality of floor stringers extending longitudinally between the wheel pans above the respective railway trucks and spaced laterally from each other between the center sill and the first and second side sills;
- the plurality of floor stringers disposed on at least one cross bearer;
- a plurality of floor planks extending between the center sill and the first and second side sills and spaced laterally from each other between the first and second end sills;
- and
- a pair of coupler assemblies disposed proximate the first and second end sills.
A railway car comprising:
- a pair of side sills and a pair of end sills cooperating with the side sills to form a generally rectangular configuration;
- a plurality of cross bearers extending between the side sills and spaced laterally from each other between the end sills;
- a center sill extending between the end sills on a longitudinal center line of the rectangular configuration and disposed on one or more of the plurality of cross bearers;
- a plurality of floor stringers extending between the end sills and spaced laterally from each other between the center sill and the side sills;
- one or more of the plurality of floor stringers disposed on one or more of the plurality of cross bearers;
- and
- a floor system disposed on the plurality of floor stringers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.