Uncoupling device for rotary dump cars

In a railroad car having a body including a center sill projecting from one end of the car and equipped with a coupler striker and a bottom operating coupler mounted on the center sill, with the coupler being mounted for swinging movement sidewise of the car and including a pivotal lock lifter having a depending paddle for actuating the lock lifter to uncouple the coupler, with the lock lifter having a pivotal operating stroke to uncouple the coupler, and with the car having an uncoupling lever device at said end thereof, said device including an actuator pivotally mounted on the car and having a striker section underlying the center sill and positioned to be swung from under the center sill to strike the paddle to actuate the lock lifter, said center sill striker being disposed in a vertical plane and spaced outwardly of the car body end at said end of said car, longitudinally of said car, and including a handle structure operatively secured to the actuator for pivoting the actuator to strike the paddle and pivot the lock lifter about its operating stroke, and means for spring biasing the actuator to a retracted position in which said striker section thereof is disposed in a retracted position under the center sill and spaced from the paddle, the improvement wherein:

• the actuator is mounted on said end of the car body for making said pivotal movement about a horizontal axis that is disposed at a level approximating that of the top of the center sill, with said horizontal axis being disposed between said car body end and the center sill striker and spaced inwardly of the car from the center sill striker longitudinally of the car and adjacent said body end,
• said horizontal axis extending transversely of the car,
• said handle structure comprising an operating rod portion journaled on the car in coaxial relation to said horizontal axis and a handle for pivoting said operating rod portion about said axis to pivot said actuator about said axis for striking the paddle for pivoting same about its operating stroke,
• said actuator being proportioned radially of said axis to dispose said striker section thereof in substantial alignment with the plane of the center sill striker when said actuator is in its retracted position,
• said actuator and said handle structure operating rod portion being free of securement to the center sill striker,
• whereby both said actuator and said handle structure operate about said horizontal axis and said actuator striker section acts on the paddle with the leverage measured by the spacing of same radially of said horizontal axis, wherein the car body has a body end sill at said end thereof and said actuator and handle structure are mounted on said end sill, wherein said actuator striker includes a paddle striker, said paddle striker comprising a striker element fixed to said actuator striker section and projecting forwardly in the direction of the coupler paddle, said striker element along its forward edge being convexly curved to either side of the car in substantial conformance with the range of coupler swinging movement sidewise of the car for effecting said lock lifter pivotal operating stroke on striking same, under the operation of said handle structure, with the coupler positioned within said side swing.