Offset side bearing structure for well car

An articulated railway car train comprising:

• a railway car truck having a truck body and a pair of wheels rollingly supported on a pair of rails;
• a first railway car unit having a first end structure pivotally supported on said truck body;
• a second railway car unit having a second end structure pivotally supported on said truck body to form an articulated connection with the first railway car unit, said second railway car unit having a pair of side structures connected with said second end structure for receiving buff and draft loads therefrom, said side structures each having an upper terminal end portion;
• said second end structure including a center sill structure operatively associated with the truck body;
• an offset shear plate member comprising an elevated center portion connected with the center sill structure and a pair of opposite lateral side portions connected to the elevated center portion and extending laterally outwardly and downwardly therefrom to connect with a respective side structure;
• a transversely extending end member connected with the longitudinally outward ends of the side structures and with the longitudinally outward end of the offset shear plate member;
• a bearing arm on said end member extending generally longitudinally outwardly therefrom above the truck body;
• pedestal means supported on the truck and extending upwardly therefrom;
• bearing means carried by the pedestal means at a height above the truck body;
• the side bearing arm engaging the bearing means for limiting tilt of the second end structure relative to the truck whereby an articulated railway car train is provided which has relatively low side structures to provide clearance for cargo offloading apparatus and an end structure providing adequate clearance for large truck wheels and applying minimum bending moment to the bearing arm in the limiting of tilt of the railway car unit with respect to the truck.

A railway car train comprising a truck including a truck body supported on a pair of wheels for rolling movement;

• a first car unit having a first end structure, said first end structure having a first lateral side portion and first pivot connection means pivotally connecting the first car unit with the truck body;
• a second car unit having a second end structure having a second lateral side portion and second pivot connection means pivotally connecting the second car unit with the truck body;
• force transmission means movably supported on the first and second car units and extending between the cars;
• first and second guide means supported on the first and second car units respectively and engaging the force transmission means for the guiding thereof between the car units;
• guiding means supported on the truck body laterally inwardly of the first and second guide means and engaging the force transmission means to cause the force transmission means to extend from the first guide means to the guiding means and from the guiding means to the second guide means to reduce the effects on the force transmission means of pivotal movement of the car units during cornering of the articulated railway car train.

An articulated railway car train comprising:

• a railway car truck body and a pair of wheels rollingly supported on a pair of rails;
• a first railway car unit having a first end structure pivotally supported on said truck body;
• a second railway car unit having a second end structure pivotally supported on said truck body to form an articulated connection with the first railway car unit;
• said first end structure including:
• a truck engagement portion pivotally supported on the truck body;
• a first bearing arm supported on said first end structure and extending generally longitudinally outwardly therefrom above the truck body;
• pedestal means supported on the truck body and extending generally upwardly therefrom;
• said pedestal means including;
• a bottom member supported on the truck body;
• a first generally tubular structure connected with the bottom member and extending generally upwardly therefrom;
• said first generally tubular structure having an upper terminal end;
• a top member supported on the upper terminal end of the first generally tubular structure;
• first bearing means supported on the top member and being substantially vertically aligned with the first generally tubular structure whereby said first generally tubular structure provides reinforcement for the pedestal means in supporting the first bearing means;
• the first bearing arm engaging the first bearing means for limiting tilt of the first end structure relative to the truck whereby the first bearing means is elevated for reducing moment created in the first bearing arm in the limiting of tilt of the railway car unit with respect to the truck.

An articulated railway car train comprising:

• a railway car truck having a truck body and a pair of wheels rollingly supported on a pair of rails;
• first and second railway car units each having an end structure supported on the truck body to form an articulated connection between said first and second railway car units;
• the truck body having a pedestal structure thereon;
• said pedestal structure comprising;
• a bottom member supported on the truck body;
• a pair of spaced generally parallel walls fixedly connected with the bottom member and extending generally upwardly therefrom;
• a reinforcing wall portion fixedly connected with the bottom member and the generally parallel walls;
• the reinforcing wall portion and the generally parallel walls having upper terminal ends;
• a top member fixedly connected with the upper terminal ends of the walls and the wall portion;
• first and second bearing means supported on the top member of the support structure located adjacent the wall portion for enhanced support on the pedestal structure;
• said end structure of said first and second railway car units each having a bearing arm thereon extending above the truck body and engaging a respective bearing means to limit tilt of the associated railway car unit with respect to the truck body whereby the bearing means which loads are transmitted though for respective support structure to the truck body.

An articulated railway car comprising:

• a railway truck rollingly supported on a pair of rails;
• first and second railway cars each having an end structure supported on the railway truck to provide an articulated connection between said first and second railway cars;
• said truck having bearing means thereon;
• each of the end structures comprising;
• an end member extending generally laterally with respect to the car;
• a pair of bearing arms fixedly engaged with the end member and extending above the truck, said bearing arms engaging the bearing means of the truck for limiting tilt of the end structure with respect to the truck;
• the bearing arms of the second railway car being spaced generally laterally outwardly from the bearing arms of the first railway car whereby the first and second railway cars constitute mating male and female units respectively;
• the bearing arms each extending substantially perpendicularly with respect to the end member;
• the bearing means comprising:
• first and second laterally spaced bearing support means supported on the truck;
• first and second bearing element sets each being supported on a respective bearing support means;
• the bearing element sets each comprising first and second bearing elements supported on the associated bearing support means said first and second bearing element being longitudinally displaced from each other, and each supporting a respective bearing arm of a respective railway car for limiting tilting of the railway cars relative to the truck.